Captain James T. Kirk and Lieutenant Nyota Uhura met the same way in two Star Trek universes. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) have traveled the stars together for decades in Star Trek: The Original Series and the first six Star Trek films. JJ Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) described how James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) met in the alternate Kelvin timeline.
14 years later Star Trek (2009), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 finally depicted the first meeting between Lieutenant James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) in Star TrekMain timeline. Strange new worlds is a canonical prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series where Wesley and Gooding play the younger visions of Kirk and Uhura originated by William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols. However, Terms of Service and JJ Abrams’ Star Trekearly meetings between Kirk and Uhura share common ground.
Kirk and Uhura met in a bar in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek and Strange New Worlds
One bar meeting was more violent than the other
In Star Trek (2009), James T. Kirk and Nyota Uhura meet in a bar, just like Kirk and Uhura in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ Main timeline. In Star Trek (2009) alternative Kelvin timeline, Uhura is a Starfleet cadet who meets Jim Kirk at a bar in Iowa.. Kirk hits on the attractive young cadet, which draws the ire of his colleagues. Soon, Kirk is outnumbered in a violent bar fight that is broken up by Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Kirk and Uhura’s first meeting takes place in 2255 Star Trek’Kelvin Timeline.
In Star Trek: Strange New WorldsKirk and Uhura’s bar meeting takes place under very different circumstances in 2259 or 2260. Newly arrived on the USS Enterprise, Lieutenant James T. Kirk spots a forlorn Ensign Uhura in the ship’s bar, the Port Galley. Uhura assumes the lieutenant is hitting on her and rejects him. Later, after hallucinating and punching Jim in the face, Uhura enlists Kirk’s help in solving the mystery of her frightening visions. With friendship forged, Uhura introduces Kirk to Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck), his future best friend.
Star Trek 2009 and Strange New Worlds have different reasons for Kirk and Uhura’s loyalty
Kirk and Uhura have a different relationship in Star Trek’s Prime and Kelvin timelines
Lieutenant Uhura remains loyal to Captain Kirk in Star TrekPrime and Kelvin timelines, but for different reasons. The common denominator is that Kirk is the captain of the Enterprise and Uhura serves under him. But in Star Trek (2009), Kirk and Uhura were colleagues who shared a common frustration: Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto). Kirk and Spock were hostile towards each other at first, before they worked together to defeat Nero (Eric Bana) and forge their bond. Uhura was in a relationship with Spock and endured the challenges of romance with a Vulcan, which mirrored Kirk’s attempt to befriend Spock.
In Star Trek: Strange New WorldsLieutenant James T. Kirk gained Ensign Uhura’s trust. Kirk believed in Nyota’s emotional distress because she was being haunted by her late mentor, Lieutenant Hemmer (Bruce Horak). Kirk helps Uhura realize that her hallucinations are messages from aliens living in deuterium and being killed by a Starfleet refinery overseen by the Enterprise. Uhura realized that Kirk was a compassionate and loyal friendand that set the stage for what will become a decades-long friendship aboard the starship Enterprise.
How Kirk and Uhura’s relationship evolves in Star Trek
Kirk and Uhura have remained friends for decades
JJ Abrams’ Star Trek the trilogy only depicts five years in which Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura served together on the USS Enterprise (apart from their first meeting three years earlier), but James and Nyota have an unbreakable friendship. Uhura helped Spock stop Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose genetically engineered son “super blood” resurrected Kirk when Jim died saving the Enterprise at the end of Star Trek Into Darkness. Kirk returned the favor and led the rescue of Uhura and the Enterprise crew from Krall (Idris Elba) in Star Trek Beyond.
In Star Trek: the original seriesLieutenant Uhura serves as Captain Kirk’s communications officer during his five-year assignment aboard the USS Enterprise. Uhura returns to her post alongside Kirk in the first six Star Trek movies too. Kirk and Uhura kiss in the Star Trek: TOS episode “Plato’s Stepchildren”, which was the first interracial kiss in Star Trek. While Kirk and Uhura are never romantic with each other, they both dedicated their lives to the starship Enterprise and saved the galaxy together on countless occasions.
What happens next to Kirk and Uhura in Strange New Worlds and Star Trek 4
Kirk Has a Different Love Interest in Strange New Worlds
Ensign Nyota Uhura and Lieutenant James T. Kirk did not directly interact with each other when Kirk returned to the USS Enterprise to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘musical episode. However, Kirk will be part Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3. Perhaps James will seek Nyota’s advice about his potential love interest, Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong), which would complicate Kirk’s relationship with his pregnant girlfriend, Carol Marcus. Uhura could even help Kirk better understand Lieutenant Spock in Strange new worlds season 3.
It would be fascinating to see how middle-aged Kirk and Uhura have changed in Star Trek’s Kelvin timeline.
Star Trek 4 has been mired in development hell for nearly a decade, but there would be a huge difference between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura if the upcoming JJ Abrams-produced film Star Trek film is made. Kirk and Uhura would be in their 40s in Star Trek 4their ages are appropriate to the real ages of Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana, and the amount of time that has passed since the end of Star Trek Beyond. As fun as seeing a young Kirk and Uhura is Star Trek: Strange New WorldsIt would be fascinating to see how middle-aged Kirk and Uhura have changed in Star TrekKelvin Timeline.