'Guardians' of the 'Gilmore Girls'?

This weekend, one of the most highly-anticipated films of the summer blockbuster season hits theatres. Guardians of the Galaxy has already succeeded in catapulting Chris Pratt's career into leading man status, given renewed enthusiasm for voice acting thanks to the chops of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, and broken box office records overseas. I was lucky enough to screen the film last week, and can confidently say it will not disappoint its audience. While watching, I was however, thrown off guard by one oddly familiar face.

I usually pride myself on face recognition. Living in Los Angeles, I'm the first to spot obscure actors from T.V. shows that have been off the air for years. Nevertheless, this one truly stumped me. The character I was so fixated on was that of Kraglin, played by Sean Gunn. As I stared at his narrow face and eternally-furrowed brow, it suddenly hit me: THAT'S KIRK!

With this futuristic body armor and dirty exterior, I could hardly fathom the man on the screen was the same comic-relief character I giggled at on Gilmore Girls for 7 glorious Seasons. But it makes total sense — Sean Gunn is the brother of James Gunn, the director of the Marvel flick. It took a literal facepalm before I forgave myself for not finishing the puzzle sooner.

Since Gilmore Girls, Gunn has appeared on a number of other T.V. shows, from Glee to the Gilmore Girl-esque Bunheads. But Guardians of the Galaxy will allow this "A-ha!" moment to be shared by countless GG (yes, I am reclaiming GG for Gilmore, not Gossip Girl) fans who will see the film over the weekend.

So to celebrate Kirk, er, Sean Gunn's return to the mainstream audience, let's remember some of our very favorite Kirk moments.

KIRK TRIES TO DUMP LULU

KIRK Produces a Film Noir

Kirk Shows off his impressive dance moves

Kirk (Doesn't) Flirt with Kirk

Kirk Gets a Cat

Jesus-Kirk Does Research

Kirk's Town Tours: Luke's Diner

Image: Marvel; Tumblr