Paul Wesley Explains Kirk's Son & Being A Father In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4

Published Jul 24, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT John Orquiola is a New & Classic TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises. Lt. Commander James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) will deal with the complications of fatherhood in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4. In SFX Magazine, executive producer and co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers revealed that Jim Kirk's young son, David Marcus, will appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4. In season 2's landmark Star Trek musical episode, set a couple of years before, James confessed to Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) that his girlfriend, Carol Marcus, was pregnant. Image credit: Paramount+ At Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's press junket, ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley asked Paul Wesley how James Kirk is dealing with fatherhood and being an absentee parent. Wesley delves into Kirk's "huge choice" between his Starfleet career and being a good father, revealing that James will deal with leaving David behind in Strange New Worlds seasons 4 and 5. Read Paul's quote below: Paul Wesley: I think it's a huge choice that he has to make. He has to decide between his career and being a good father. And unfortunately, sometimes you choose careers where you unfortunately cannot be present. And I think that is deeply painful for him. But he has this mission. I think he has a higher calling that he feels he needs to be there, for his for his crew, and for the ship, and for the mission. And so, we get to see some more of that actually in seasons four and season five, and it's a critical part of Kirk's development. To alleviate James of some of his guilt, his staying away from David was at the request of Carol Marcus, as revealed in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) won't really get to know David until they reunite when his son is an adult, played by the late Merritt Butrick. Tragically, David is murdered by Klingons in the next movie, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. David should be roughly two years old when he appears in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4. For James, it's a different ballpark to see his baby boy at such a young age. Strange New Worlds will explore how Kirk truly feels about choosing his career over his son, even if it's what David's mother wanted. (It's unclear if Carol Marcus will appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and who will be cast as her if she does.) On the bright side, the burdens and sadness of being an absent father could allow James to bond with his mustachioed older brother, Lieutenant Sam Kirk (Dan Jeannotte). Sam's service on the Starship Enterprise also keeps him away from his wife, Aurelan, and his three young boys, including Peter Kirk, but Strange New Worlds has yet to deal with the toll that distance takes on Sam. Perhaps what James will go through with David will cause Sam to re-examine his own failures at fatherhood. This could be why Sam chooses to leave the USS Enterprise to be with his family when James T. Kirk becomes Captain of the Enterprise at the end of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Admittedly, the Kirk brothers don't cut the finest figures in terms of fatherhood, but they have good intentions. David Marcus is crucial to James T. Kirk's life story, and it will be fascinating for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to dig into Jim's sacrifice to become the Starfleet legend he's destined to be. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 streams Thursdays on Paramount+. Release Date 2022 - 2027-00-00 Network Paramount+ Showrunner Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman Directors Dan Liu, Amanda Row, Maja Vrvilo, Akiva Goldsman, Dermott Downs, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Jonathan Frakes, Jordan Canning, Leslie Hope, Valerie Weiss, Sydney Freeland, Christopher J. Byrne, Rachel Leiterman Writers Onitra Johnson Franchise(s) Star Trek Creator(s) Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet