Vegan actor Paul Wesley is set to star as Captain Kirk in the second season of Paramount+’s Star Trek: New Strange Worlds.

Regarding the news, Wesley tweeted: “I am deeply humbled and still a little startled to have been given the honor of playing the inimitable James T Kirk.”

Star Trek: New Strange Worlds is a spin-off from Paramount+’s Star Trek: Discovery and a prequel to the franchise’s original series which debuted in 1966.

A long-time fan of the franchise, Wesley follows in the footsteps of William Shatner and Chris Pine, who played older versions of Kirk in the original series and the recent film franchise respectively.

Paul Wesley and veganism

Wesley – who is best known for his role as Stefan Salvatore in The CW’s long-running show, The Vampire Diaries – has been vegan for over a decade, and frequently encourages his fans to adopt a plant-based diet.

In March, Wesley co-hosted the Taste the Future Luncheon with Uma Thurman, Questlove, Liam Payne, and The Good Food Institute, where innovative plant-based food alternatives debuted.

“As many of you know, animal welfare and fighting climate change are two issues that are very close to my heart,” Wesley wrote on Instagram. “And science has proven those two issues are very much interrelated.”

“We must fix our broken food system in order to restore balance in the world,” he added.

In April 2021, Wesley wrote on Instagram: “A plant based diet is hands down THE single biggest way to reduce your impact on this earth. I encourage you all to try to reduce your dependence on animal products.”

In December 2020, Wesley similarly tweeted that fans should “join me and go vegan in 2021,” slamming “the unimaginable suffering imposed on living beings” as a result of factory farming.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will premiere on Paramount+ on 5 May 2022.