Star Trek Strange New Worlds may boldly go where no man has gone before but actor Paul Wesley was not quite so bold when it came to approaching a certain captain. Wesley plays Captain Kirk  the same Captain Kirk played by original series star William Shatner. But when the 40 year old actor found himself seated next to the  Star Trek  veteran aboard a recent flight he found that he simply could not start talking shop.







I was still playing a little bit coy about it he told Collider. I was under this sworn secrecy  NDA madness so I was not able to be like Hey so as you know I am playing Kirk give me the tips. I had to kind of tiptoe and I had to really play it dumb in a way. Keeping your upcoming role a secret from friends and family is one thing but keeping it from Captain Kirk himself? That must have taken a lot of restraint.  I wanted so badly to just talk to him about it so openly he added.


If there's one thing Shatner could have helped him with, it's the role of Captain Kirk. After all, he played the iconic starship captain for almost 30 years, from the original series debut back in 1966 to "Star Trek Generations" in 1994. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be, and Wesley instead held onto his secret casting. But there's another good reason not to bother the "Trek" icon.


I'm so filled with emotion about what just happened," said Shatner following the 11-minute flight. "It's extraordinary, extraordinary. It's so much larger than me and life. It hasn't got anything to do with the little green men and the blue orb. It has to do with the enormity and the quickness and the suddenness of life and death. To see the blue color whip by you, and now you're staring into blackness ... everybody in the world needs to do this."


Ultimately Wesley chose not to quiz Shatner about his time as Kirk instead having a more casual chat with the man who boldly went there before. Wesley went  talked a little bit but it was really less about Kirk. I am sure he has  been talking about Kirk for the last however many years and I think it was really more about just sort of chatting He has a classy guy. When the announcement came out that I was playing Kirk he tweeted  Congratulations. I just thought that was such a classy move. He didn't have to do that at all.