Paul Wesley is getting ready to beam himself up.
The Vampire Diaries actor has been cast as Captain Kirk in the upcoming Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Wesley joins the show's second season, which is currently in production.
And, per the show's creators, Wesley's love of Star Trek landed him the coveted role. "Paul is an accomplished actor, an astonishing presence and a welcome key addition to the show," said executive producer Alex Kurtzman and showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers in a statement. "Like all of us, he is a life-long Star Trek fan and we are excited by his interpretation of this iconic role."
On Instagram, Wesley celebrated the news with a heartfelt message. "I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T Kirk," he wrote. "Ever since I was a kid, I have been awed by the imaginative world Gene Roddenberry created."
The role of Captain Kirk is a character known by Trekkies and every day TV watchers. Wesley, who is best known for playing Stefan Salvatore on The CW's The Vampire Diaries, joins the likes of William Shatner, who originated the part in the 1960s Star Trek series. Shatner went on to play Kirk for three seasons, before transitioning to the big screen where he played Kirk in seven Star Trek movies.
Most recently, Chris Pine played Kirk across three Star Trek films, culminating with 2016's Star Trek Beyond.
Itching for more Star Trek content? Season one of Strange New Worlds is set to premiere on May 5. The latest series in the Star Trek franchise follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) as he leads the U.S.S. Enterprise throughout space. The show, which is a spin-off Paramount+'s Star Trek: Discovery, also stars Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock.
If those character names sound familiar to you, that's because Discovery introduced the new versions of Pike, Number One and Spock during its second season in 2019.