‘Star Trek’ Actor’s Fans Say He ‘Nailed the Old School Shatner’ in ‘Most Fun’ Retro-Throwback 1960s Episode originally appeared on Parade.
Star Trek is taking it back to the ’60s!
Paul Wesley recently shared a snippet of the episode in the franchise on his Instagram post, gushing over how much he enjoyed filming the “retro-throwback” episode.
“Probably the most fun I’ve had filming anything to date! Episode 4 of Strange New Worlds is a retro-throwback love letter to The Original Series of the 1960s. Stream it now on @paramountplus !” he wrote in the caption alongside the clip from Season 3, Episode 4, titled “A Space Adventure Hour.
As previously reported by Parade, Wesley revealed he was playing a character named Maxwell Saint, who is “an actor in 1960s Hollywood” with “a huge ego,” and that he adopted some mannerisms from the legendary William Shatner, who played the original Kirk in the franchise.
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A post shared by Paul Wesley (@paulwesley)
Fans were equally as thrilled by the dose of nostalgia, with many praising Wesley for his parody of the character.
“Nailed the old school Shatner!” one wrote, as another echoed, “Nailed it ❤️🔥, love it!! You are perfect for this role, and I’m glad Mr. Shatner noticed you!! Awesome job !! 👏 👍🏻🙏 ❤️”
Someone else quipped, “Someone’s been studying the infamous William Shatner 😂😂😂❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”
“Brings back Memories ✨🪩⚡️” one fan noted, as another stated, “This was such a laugh to watch! You all did an amazing job and you went Full Shatner for the TOS spoof.😂👏”
A handful compared Wesley’s facial expressions to his The Vampire Diaries co-star Ian Somerhalder, noting, “This is awesome! And well done on blending the Shatner and the Smolderholder. 😂😂” with another pointing out, “THATS THE IAN FACE.”
One Tree Hill alum Austin Nichols even weighed in with a request, “Obsessed!!! Can the whole show be like this!!!!??? I would lose my mind! You crushed that.”
Wesley even got approval from his fiancée, Natalie Kuckenberg, who simply stated, “MAJOOORRRRR.”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds airs Thursdays on Paramount+.
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‘Star Trek’ Actor’s Fans Say He ‘Nailed the Old School Shatner’ in ‘Most Fun’ Retro-Throwback 1960s Episode first appeared on Parade on Jul 31, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
