Nathan Fillion Cast As Star Trek's Captain Kirk For Anniversary Special Event

Via MovieStillsDB Published Aug 31, 2026, 4:11 PM EDT Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025. Sign in to your ScreenRant account This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Nathan Fillion joins Star Trek in an iconic role. Some of Nathan Fillion's most notable TV characters include Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds in Firefly, Richard Castle in Castle, John Nolan in The Rookie, Caleb in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gary West in Santa Clarita Diet. He has also become a staple of James Gunn's DC Universe with his portrayal of Guy Gardner, a Green Lantern with appearances in Superman, Peacemaker season 2, and Lanterns. Now, per Bleeding Cool, Fillion played Captain Kirk during a surprise first script reading of Star Trek: The Animated Series season 1, episode 10, "Mudd's Passion." This took place at The Writers Guild Foundation's WGF RetroReads Presents: Star Trek 60th event. The other cast members for this reading, who were also not announced ahead of time, included D'Arcy Carden as Mr. Spock, Paul Scheer as Mr. Spock, Adam Arkin as Harry Mudd, and Aimee Garcia as Nurse Chapel. The reading of "Mudd's Passion" was followed by a speech from Rod Roddenberry, the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Then came a reading of Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 1, "The Man Trap." Numerous members of HBO Max's The Pitt cast voiced the characters for this reading, with Noah Wyle as Captain Kirk, Katherine LaNasa as Dr. "Bones" McCoy, Taylor Dearden as Spock, Fiona Dourif as the villainous Nancy Crater, Shabana Azeez as Lieutenant Sulu, and Ayesha Harris as Lieutenant Uhura. Two Marvel stars also joined the reading of "The Man Trap," with Agent Phil Coulson actor Clark Gregg as Professor Crater and Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan star Iman Vellani as Yeoman Janice Rand. Fillion and Wyle have now joined an elite group of actors who have played Captain Kirk. William Shatner not only played Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series and numerous movies, but also voiced him in Star Trek: The Animated Series. Other actors who have played the beloved character include Chris Pine in the films Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond, and Paul Wesley in Paramount+'s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which is in the midst of its fourth season. With Star Trek: The Original Series widely regarded as one of the most important television shows of all time, there is something fitting about modern TV icons like Fillion and Wyle playing Kirk during a celebration of the franchise. Plenty of other modern TV stars also brought these scripts to life between Wyle's The Pitt co-stars, The Good Place and The Five-Star Weekend's Carden, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Gregg, and Ms. Marvel's Vellani. More to come... TV Show(s) Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Video Game(s) Star Trek Online, Star Trek: Resurgence, Star Trek: Bridge Crew First Film Star Trek: The Motion Picture First TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series Cast William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig, Cirroc Lofton, Armin Shimerman, Colm Meaney, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Ryan, Robert Duncan McNeill, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garrett Wang, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Michelle Yeoh Created by Gene Roddenberry