Strange New Worlds involves a lot of time travel, so this isn’t actually the first time the show has put some variation of Kirk in the captain’s chair. Wesley’s version of Kirk was introduced in the season 1 finale as the aggressive commander of the USS Farragut,

The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail' provides the crucible that 'Strange New Worlds' has been building towards since before it even existed: the forging of the team that made 'Star Trek'.

Like James Bond and Han Solo, James Tiberius Kirk has always had main character energy. Nobody would have called it that back in the 1960s, of course, but the man who shares a name with a Roman emperor (those guys weren't shrinking violets either) tends to be the biggest presence on any starship bridge.