STRANGE NEW WORLDS Tried to Bring William Shatner Back for a Wild Kirk “What If” Story — GeekTyrant

Fans of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds almost got something incredibly cool. According to co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman, the creative team spent multiple seasons trying to bring William Shatner back as Captain Kirk for a fascinating alternate timeline story that would’ve revisited one of the most emotional episodes in all of Star Trek.

Over the course of its run, Strange New Worlds has earned a reputation as one of the strongest modern Trek series ever made. The show has played with genre, expanded classic characters in fun ways, and taken storytelling swings that most franchise series wouldn’t even attempt. Some experiments connected better than others, but the series has always kept things interesting.

Now that the show is heading toward its already-confirmed fifth and final season, the creative team has started looking back at ideas they never got to pull off. One of the biggest missed opportunities involved Shatner himself.

During an interview with Polygon, Goldsman explained that they had serious plans to bring the legendary actor back as an older version of Kirk from an alternate timeline tied to the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The City on the Edge of Forever.”

The concept imagined a version of Kirk who stayed behind in Depression-era New York with Edith Keeler, the character famously played by Joan Collins.

For longtime fans, that concept is enough to spark curiosity. It’s one of the most heartbreaking stories in Star Trek history, and the idea of exploring the aftermath decades later sounds like exactly the kind of emotional sci-fi storytelling Strange New Worlds excels at.

What makes it even more interesting is that this wasn’t just a random pitch tossed around in the writers room. Goldsman revealed they actively tried to make it happen every season and even developed multiple scripts around the idea. Unfortunately, it never fully came together.

As the series approaches its ending, the showrunners are clearly reflecting on both what they accomplished and what they wish they could’ve explored.

“I think if you get to the end and there’s nothing left for you to want to do, then that’s more of a disappointment,” co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman said. “I’m proud of every episode we’ve done, but I feel like the best dinners you come to don’t leave you feeling stuffed. They leave you wanting more.”

At this point, details on Seasons 4 and 5 are still mostly under wraps, but the direction seems pretty obvious. The show has steadily moved closer to the era of The Original Series, and Paul Wesley’s version of Kirk has gradually become a larger presence. It feels inevitable that the final stretch of episodes will center on Captain Pike eventually handing over the Enterprise.

Pike remains the emotional center of the series, but Wesley has turned out to be one of the show’s best surprises. His Kirk has evolved a lot since his first appearance, and there’s still plenty of room to explore those relationships with Spock, Uhura, Scotty, and the rest of the crew as the timeline inches closer to the original five-year mission.

The bigger future of Star Trek television is a little uncertain right now, though. Outside of Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy, Paramount hasn’t officially committed to much else.

There had also been reports of a potential spinoff called “Year One,” which supposedly would’ve followed Wesley’s Kirk during his first year commanding the Enterprise. That project now appears unlikely, especially after reports surfaced that the Strange New Worlds sets have already been dismantled.

That’s pretty disappointing because a Kirk-focused continuation could’ve opened the door for more character-driven adventures and maybe even another attempt to finally bring Shatner back into the fold.

The last time Shatner officially played Kirk onscreen was in 1994’s Star Trek Generations, where the iconic captain died alongside Patrick Stewart’s Picard while stopping Dr. Soran. Even after all these years, Shatner has repeatedly said he’d return if the right story came along. This alternate timeline idea honestly sounds like it could’ve been that story.

Maybe someday another Star Trek series will find a way to make it happen. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 premieres July 23 on Paramount+.