Strange New Worlds airs pivotal moment in history of iconic Star Trek character

Paul Wesley once again takes on the role of the ambitious young lieutenant who, in The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail, sits in the captain's chair for the first time ever.

When the USS Farragut - and a huge amount of its crew - are grievously harmed in an attack from a mysterious foe (which is later revealed to be a gigantic Scavenger ship that all but swallows other starships to mine them for parts), the crew of the Enterprise are required to step in.

And, with the Farragut's Captain V’Rel incapacitated by the attack, there's only one person to take over from her and take his place in command - step forward, for the first time, Captain Kirk.

Rather than the confident captain we know and love, Kirk is reckless and naive when it comes to his leadership - to the point that Spock (Ethan Peck), Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Scotty (Martin Quinn) and Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) start to consider measures to remove him from command.

Thankfully, after a few costly mistakes and a talking-to from Spock, Kirk's leadership takes a turn for the better and the Scavenger ship is destroyed.

However, in a bleak twist at the end of the episode, it's revealed that there were 7,000 humans on board the Scavenger ship - bearing the monstrous legacy of what was once an optimistic mission led by 21st-century scientists looking for an answer to climate change.

As Pike tells Kirk: "The choices you have to make in that chair are yours to make, and what comes after is yours to live with. Some decisions you’ll regret for the rest of your life, but you still have to make them."

Safe to say it's a poignant first day in command for the young lieutenant.

There are just a few episodes left of Strange New Worlds season 3, but the series has officially been confirmed for seasons 4 and 5 - so there'll be plenty more adventures to come.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is available to stream on Paramount+.

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