The Enigmatic Fate of Captain Kirk's Remains: Unraveling the Star Trek Mystery

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 3 - "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow"

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," the fate of Captain James T. Kirk's body (played by Paul Wesley) remains a mystery. An alternate version of Kirk and Lieutenant La'an Noonien-Singh were sent back in time to 21st century Toronto to prevent a Romulan attack that would have a significant impact on Star Trek's Prime Timeline. Unfortunately, Kirk loses his life in this mission when he is assassinated by a Romulan time-traveler called Sera, played by Adelaide Kane.

The Captain Kirk featured in "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" is quite distinct from the Lt. James T. Kirk of the Prime Timeline and the previous alternate reality version portrayed by Paul Wesley. Kirk hails from a timeline where the Romulans destroyed 21st century Toronto, leading to an enduring conflict between Earth and Romulus. Born aboard the USS Iowa, Kirk grew up as a soldier in the United Earth Space Fleet, engaged in a losing war against the Romulans. However, after being freed from his duties in the war, Captain Kirk embraces the joys of Earth's history, which he had never experienced before. His infectious enthusiasm endears him to La'an Noonien-Singh, who ends up falling in love with Kirk. Tragically, their time together is cut short as James falls victim to an assassin's bullet, sent by Sera.

Strange New Worlds Created A Mystery About Captain Kirk’s Body

The ending of season 2, episode 3 of Strange New Worlds raises a significant question regarding the fate of Captain Kirk's body after La'an returned to her original time. Before entering the secret areas of the Noonien-Singh Institute, Sera killed Kirk while La'an held him, leaving La'an with no time to mourn as Sera forced her into the institute at gunpoint. Eventually, they ended up in the room where the young Khan Noonien-Singh resided, leading to a confrontation where La'an shot and killed Sera, causing her to disintegrate. Although this eliminated any trace of the Romulan time-traveler, the fate of Kirk remains unknown.

Having left Khan's room, La'an traveled back to the 23rd century and discovered that the Star Trek Prime Timeline was restored. However, this implies that Captain Kirk's lifeless body was left behind at the entrance of the Noonien-Singh Institute. Undoubtedly, local authorities, potentially even the same police who attempted to apprehend Kirk earlier in the episode, would have arrived at the scene. Yet, as Kirk did not possess any form of identification, and with James T. Kirk not being born for another 300 years, his body would have been treated as an unidentified deceased individual. It is highly likely that Kirk's remains would have been disposed of, and any remembrance of James T. Kirk in Toronto erased by the occurrence of either World War III or the Eugenics Wars.

Will Star Trek Resurrect The Original Captain Kirk?

The mysterious fate of Captain Kirk's body in Star Trek: Picard season 3 has left fans with unanswered questions. It was revealed that the Prime Timeline's Captain Kirk, played by William Shatner, is stored in a secret location called Daystrom Station, operated by Section 31. Despite his death in Star Trek Generations, Kirk's body was recovered from Veridian III and is now held under Project Phoenix at Daystrom Station.

Interestingly, there seems to be a possibility of resurrecting Captain Kirk in future Star Trek projects on Paramount+. This would likely involve using CGI deep faking to recreate the appearance of William Shatner as Captain Kirk, either when he died or during his time in Star Trek: The Original Series. However, if this resurrection were to occur, it would most likely take place in the 25th century of Star Trek: Picard. Meanwhile, the Captain Kirk from the alternate reality in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds remains lost due to time travel complications in 21st century Toronto.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.