Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is currently airing Season 4, and the latest episode, Human Best Friend, is the first comedic one of the season. In the episode, Captain Pike takes the crew to a vacation resort where the gases of the planet make everyone feel intoxicated. The intoxicating gases make Spock believe that he is hallucinating James T. Kirk, which makes him open up about his deepest secrets to him. Later, upon getting slapped by Kirk, Spock finally believes that he had not hallucinated Kirk and Kirk was actually physically there the entire time. Ethan Peck and Paul Wesley, who play Spock and Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, respectively, have opened up about the episode and that scene, which has changed their characters' relationship with one another. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds stars on the scene of Kirk slapping Spock In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 Episode 3, Human Best Friend, we see the USS Enterprise crew take some time off on the planet of Cesnar Grand, where the atmosphere can make one feel intoxicated. While other crew members are seen engaging in fun activities, Spock is trying to manage his stress. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostSpock then sees Jim Kirk and thinks he is merely a figment of imagination of his intoxicated brain. He then decides to talk about his hopes, dreams, and fear with Kirk, thinking him to be imaginative. Later in the transporter room, Spock confronts who he thinks is another vision of Kirk.Kirk slaps Spock across the face to prove that he is real, making Spock realize that he had actually confessed his private thoughts to the real Kirk. However, Kirk then reassures Spock that all his secrets are safe with him, making this Star Trek: Strange New Worlds scene a significant turning point in their relationship, which will eventually lead to their friendship in the original Star Trek series. In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Spock and Kirk are played by Ethan Peck and Paul Wesley, respectively. The actors recently spoke to Collider about the episode, and the slap. When asked how hard it was to get the slap right, Peck said,"I remember it so well because you, Paul, you were like, is this funny? Like, does this work? Because you don't often do things like that. It's, you know, it's like Three Stooges-ish. And, you know, we don't work in that sort of clownish way too often. And, I actually, I saw this; I thought it was awesome, and it worked so well, and you were so funny. It can be difficult to find the groove of comedy in some of these episodes because we're so serious — well, I am so serious so often as this character, and it can be quite a challenge to like, still be him while being a bit clownish."Wesley said that he is yet to watch the episode, and didn't know that the slap looks as funny as everyone is saying it is. He then jokingly asked Peck,"Did I get close to slapping you in real life?" View this post on Instagram Instagram PostPeck responded by saying that the slap does look very real, so perhaps his co-star did get close to slapping him, even if it was for a scene. As Peck said: "It looks like you slapped…Did you— Did you actually slap me? I don't know, I guess you didn't. Because it looks like it does look real."The slap and the conversation between Spock and Kirk before that have made them go forward in their dynamic and laid the foundation of a strong friendship. We will hopefully see more interactions between them this season, ones that slowly build up to their bond in the original series. All released episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are streaming on Paramount+. Season 4 Episode 4 will be released on Paramount+ on August 13, 2026. For more articles like this, follow Soapcentral.