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Paul Wesley's incarnation of James T. Kirk

Perhaps more than 20 minutes of screen time playing an alternate version of the character is needed to make a proper assessment? Just a thought.
I didn't need more than 20 minutes of screen time to believe the current versions of Uhura, Pike or Spock. I also dont see any threads complaining about those interpretations. Either the actor is right for the part or they aren't.
 
I didn't need more than 20 minutes of screen time to believe the current versions of Uhura, Pike or Spock. I also dont see any threads complaining about those interpretations. Either the actor is right for the part or they aren't.
He’s fine. He played the alternate version well enough to see glimpses of the original mixed with differences born from an altered path through life. If directed to hew more closely to the original path, I’m sure it won’t be a problem. Do I like him as much as Pine? No. At least not yet. But it took a little while for me to warm to Pine’s portrayal. As ever, mileage varies, etc.
 
[...]the current versions of Uhura, Pike or Spock. I also dont see any threads complaining about those interpretations.
I'm pretty sure I've read posts complaining about all of them.

Either the actor is right for the part or they aren't.
These things are subjective, not objective, which is one of the many reasons why showbiz is an art.
 
I don't see much Nimoy in Peck, other than dark hair and dark eyes. Yet some how he manages to be Spock. Quinto looks more like Nimoy, but he's not as good a Spock as Peck.
Shatner, Pine and Wesley are all cut from the same leading man cloth. Hunter, Greenwood and Mount are from that same cloth as well. All bring different things to Kirk and Pike.
I wont say Wesley is a leading man. there is a reason why in vampire diaries, Ian who played damon his older brother, rose to prominence more on the show and became a fan favorite to paul's stefan.

shatner is a leading man and was so Pine. Peck , I dont think is as good as Quinto , Quinto acted more natural in the role and could do the Vulcan humor better than Peck.

one thing the kelvin timline got right was the perfect casting of Quinto and Pine and how they fed off each other as the legendary kirk and spock we know. Wesley and Peck have a high bar to overcome compared to those two.
 
Wesley would look more like Kirk if they lighten his hair and eyebrows;

wesley2.png


More importantly though, he just needs more energy in his performance. Shatner was a ball of energy as Kirk, right from the start.

That's what made Pine work so well in 2009.

I think Pine was also like the classically handsome jock as william shatner. I find wesley handsome also but more in that CW way and not in the brash way like Pine or shatner. Pine still had a little bit of kirk even in the wonder woman films. paul wesley is still that teen boy i see from vampire diaries.

Will it be wrong for season 3 to ask that he gain muscles?
 
Paul Wesley more closely resembles Jim Carrey's portrayal of Kirk in appearance, a very poor casting choice.

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Actually, I'd prefer the caricature, as it's at least more Shatner-esque.
 
Paul Wesley more closely resembles Jim Carrey's portrayal of Kirk in appearance, a very poor casting choice.

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Actually, I'd prefer the caricature, as it's at least more Shatner-esque.
No.
 
Paul Wesley more closely resembles Jim Carrey's portrayal of Kirk in appearance, a very poor casting choice.

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Actually, I'd prefer the caricature, as it's at least more Shatner-esque.
Nope.
 
Paul Wesley more closely resembles Jim Carrey's portrayal of Kirk in appearance, a very poor casting choice.

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Actually, I'd prefer the caricature, as it's at least more Shatner-esque.
I didn't want a caricature. I simply wanted a performance that was accurate with Kirk from Balance of Terror. A recent rewatch of that old episode only made me hate Wesley's performance more. The guy clearly didn't do his homework when playing this part.
fireproof88 said:
Wesley isn't playing Shatner. He's playing a younger Kirk at an earlier part of his career.
This is NOT a younger Kirk. I don't know why that keeps being repeated in this thread. It's simply not true. Regardless of ship he is commanding, this is Captain Kirk from the time of Balance of Terror. When he pops in next season that statement will be true.
 
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This is NOT a younger Kirk. I don't know why that keeps being repeated in this thread. It's simply not true. Regardless of ship he is commanding, this is Captain Kirk from the time of Balance of Terror. When he pops in next season that statement will be true
I was talking about Season 2 Kirk.

But, he's still not the same Kirk. That's the point of the episode.
 
I was talking about Season 2 Kirk.

But, he's still not the same Kirk. That's the point of the episode.
You summed it up in those 2 last sentences.

Kirk in the Season 1 finale is not the same Kirk that commanded the Enterprise in "Balance of Terror". He had a different path and is in command of the Farragut.

In the upcoming season, he's Kirk that's still about 5 or so years away from assuming command of the Enterprise. Again, can't be the same Kirk we see eventually in TOS. He doesn't have the experiences and background that he will have when we eventually see him in TOS.
 
You know, it's worth considering the possibility that this character is designed and written to play a supporting role on SNW and that there's no necessary intention of promoting him to star in his own series. Just as M'Benga and Chapel are not being groomed to subside into being dull functionaries on some hypothetical later series. That was then. This is now, and this is Strange New Worlds.
 
I didn't want a caricature. I simply wanted a performance that was accurate with Kirk from Balance of Terror. A recent rewatch of that old episode only made me hate Wesley's performance more. The guy clearly didn't do his homework when playing this part.

He's said he watched it in reruns as a kid and saw most of the films, so he had some knowledge. And they all watched Balance of Terror before filming that ep. I'm reserving further judgment until S2. But I kinda liked what I saw in the trailer. I'm okay if he's not Shatner and not Pine (and I loved them both as Kirk). I'd like to see what he brings to the role.
 
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