The New Captain Kirk Is Star Trek’s Answer to Captain America
Speaking with Brian Cronin of Comic Book Resources, The Last Starship writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly offered further insight. Cronin drew a comparison between Kirk’s last moments, as seen in
The Last Starship is drawn by Adrian Bonilla.
Captain Kirk is a Star Trek Legend, Full Stop
Kirk Returned to the 24th Century, Only to Die Shortly After
There have been multiple captains of the starship
By the time Kirk disappeared on the maiden voyage of the Enterprise NCC-1701-B, he had ascended to the status of legend. Unfortunately, Kirk was seemingly lost on that trip. Unbeknownst to all, Kirk was actually transported into the Nexus, an interstellar phenomenon that transcended space and time. Arriving in the 24th century, he was killed fighting Doctor Soran.
Captain Kirk Returns to the Land of the Living in Star Trek: The Last Starship
Captain Kirk Returns in the Star Trek Franchise's Darkest Hour: The Burn
Yet legends refuse to die, and IDW’s
Star Trek: Discovery’s third season revealed more about the Burn: an accident triggered a chain reaction destroying the galaxy’s supply of dilithium. This element is integral for warp travel. Without it, the Federation, which now spanned the entirety of the galaxy, fell apart.
Captain Kirk Is A Stranger in the Galaxy That Reveres Him
Captain Kirk Has a Great Deal in Common With Captain America
From the beginning, Star Trek: The Last Starship’s creative team of writers Lanzing and Kelly and artist Adrian Bonilla have stressed the “stranger in a strange land” elements that are present in the book. Kirk died in the late 24th century, after living his life in the 23rd and is now revived in the 30th.
Captain Kirk Will Fight Two Battles: Adjust to a New Time, and Save the Galaxy
Kirk Must Contend With a Federation That Now Includes Klingons
Much has changed in the galaxy since Captain Kirk’s heyday. As noted earlier, the Federation now stretches across the galaxy. In addition to founding members such as the Vulcans and the Andorians, the Federation now includes former enemies, such as the Tholains, the Romulans and even the Klingons, and it is this last one that may give Kirk pause.
As seen in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Kirk has reason to hate Klingons: one of them killed his son David. Kirk spent the next decade nursing a grudge against the warrior race, and this was used against him in his trial in
Yet now, in the 30th century, Kirk is confronted with peaceful Klingons who are affiliated with the Federation. Lanzing and Kelly hint that this will require some adjustment on Kirk’s part, but it could bring his arc from
Captain Kirk Is Now Traveling the Same Path Captain America Did in the Marvel Universe
One Captain America Story Best Showed His Struggles to Adjust
The struggles that Captain Kirk will face in the 30th century of Star Trek: The Last Starship mirrors those of Captain America after his revival in contemporary times. When Captain America went onto the ice, America had just won a world war. Furthermore, the world underwent massive cultural shifts while Captain America was in hibernation.
Cronin points out in the interview that when Captain America returned to the present day in Avengers #4, he moved on quickly. This owed more to the storytelling conventions of the time, leaving later generations of writers and artists to mine gold from Captain America’s struggle to assimilate to the world around him.
Perhaps the best example of this type of Captain America story came in 1974. The “Secret Empire” arc, not to be confused with the 2017 crossover of the same name, pits Captain America against a wide-reaching conspiracy that was firmly entrenched in American life. Written as a response to the Watergate Scandal, the story is regarded as a classic.
Star Trek: The Last Starship Makes Captain Kirk Just Like Captain America
Both Are Far From Outdated Relics
And Star Trek: The Last Starship could give Captain Kirk an arc similar to Captain America’s in the Marvel Universe. Even before he disappeared and was presumed dead, Captain America was a hero and icon to Americans. When
Fire Country's Diane Farr Got Candid About Billy Burke's Exit, And Revealed How He Broke The News To The Cast
We’re five episodes into Fire Country’s fourth season; however, as the show continues to air on the
Following the end of Fire Country’s third season, there were questions about who was staying and who would be leaving due to reports about Stephanie Arcila and Burke exiting
I found out over the summer. None of us knew what was happening. Billy, Jeff [Fahey] and I went into the fire and we didn’t have any more information.
So, not only were fans left on a cliffhanger about who would survive the fire that Sharon, Vince and Walter were stuck in, but the cast was too. Sadly, the story didn’t have a happy ending, and that meant bad news had to be broken to the actors as well as the fans.
It turns out, Burke himself was the one to relay that news to the cast. Speaking about the note the Vince actor shared with his co-stars when he learned that he wouldn’t be returning for Season 4, Farr said:
It was very clear that the producers or writers were going to make some kind of change. It was Billy who told us all. He told the cast in a group note saying that he wasn’t coming back — it was pretty devastating. Everyone was sad and I felt like I was coming back in with only half my character because they’re so tied.
This really is a monumental loss, especially for Sharon, so it makes sense why Farr was so emotional about it. She also made it clear that she wanted her character to grieve the loss of Vince “for a really long time.”
Up until the start of Season 4, Fire Country’s cast of regulars had’t changed. While guest stars came and went, the actors who played Bode, Sharon, Vince, Gabriela, Manny, Eve and Jake were always there. However, that seriously changed this year. That was hard for all of them to swallow, it seems, but I’m happy Burke was the one who got to tell them. I’m sure it all meant a lot to everyone involved.
After explaining how she learned about her TV husband’s departure from Fire Country, Farr said she hopes Burke (and Arcila) will come back. While it would be easy to work Gabriela back into the story following her exit in Season 4’s premiere, it will be harder to incorporate the Vince actor back into the story. However, the Sharon actress has ideas, as she said:
I think now we’re always going to have the OG cast — the original seven. The hope for all of it is I would love to see Gabriela and Bode have a more adult version at some point. I would love to see Sharon start to have dreams where she sees Vince. This is the risk we take when we let these amazing actors go out and be free. They may be unavailable [to come back].
Well, I certainly hope all these dreams can come true, too. However, for now, the characters on the show are still very much grieving and dealing with the fallout and consequences of Vince’s death (like the situation with that note).
Also, behind the scenes, Farr did admit that she’s “still worried” about more characters leaving. That’s because the tragic reality of being a firefighter is that everyone’s lives are on the line, and that point was really emphasized by Vince’s passing.
So, now, to see how the story continues, you can watch new episodes of Fire Country on CBS every Friday at 9 p.m. ET, and you can stream new episodes the day after they air with a Paramount+ subscription. Oh, and if you have that subscription, you can always go back and watch old seasons of the show to see Billy Burke in action as Vince Leone.
