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William Shatner is known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk in theStar Trekfranchise. Starring in the original series, the actor played the enthralling Captain for three seasons and a slate of films before leaving the chair for a new leader inThe Next Generation.
While Patrick Stewart has since reprised his role fromTNGinPicard, Shatner has yet to make an appearance in a new-generation show. The actor mentioned that he would consider it if the makers avoided making it a gimmick as they did with Leonard Nimoy in JJ Abrams’Star Trekreboot.
William Shatner Considered A Kirk-Picard Team-Up In A New-GenStar TrekShow
William Shatnerbecame a household name after he starred in the originalStar Trekseries. Though the show only lasted three seasons, it developed a cult following, prompting Paramount to commission a revival, which came in the form of original films. Shatner’s career took off to new heights with a new string of successful films.
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While the actor last appeared in the filmStar Trek: Generations, which also starred Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard fromThe Next Generation, Shatner has yet to be seen in a new-generation show or film. Unlike his co-star Leonard Nimoy and successor Stewart, Shatner has one condition to return to the franchise.
Shatner mentioned in an interview withTHRthat he would consider returning as Stewart did inPicardif it was not a gimmick like Nimoy’s appearance in JJ Abrams’Star Trek. He said,
Leonard [Nimoy] made his own decision on doing a cameo. He’s there for a moment, and it’s more of a stunt that Spock appears in the future. If they wrote something that wasn’t a stunt that involved Kirk, who’s 50 years older now, and it was something that was genuinely added to the lore of Star Trek, I would definitely consider it.
Leonard Nimoyplayed the elder Spock inStar Trekand the sequelStar Trek: Into Darkness, while Zachary Quinto played a younger Spock. The actor had his final appearance as Spock in the sequel.
William Shatner Regretted HisStar TrekDirectorial Film
William Shatner, along with Leonard Nimoy, are two of the most influential figures in science fiction and have had a significant impact on pop culture history. Shatner has been associated with the franchise for multiple decades and has even co-written some novels in the series.
“The fights that went on… were big”: William Shatner Claims Star Trek: TNG Writers Openly Dissed Gene Roddenberry, Called His Work ‘Claustrophobic’
Shatner turned director with the controversialStar Trek V: The Final Frontier. The film was reportedly a failure at the box office and nearly killed the franchise despite having a great opening. Shatner mentioned that he regretted many things about the film and blamed himself for its failure. He said to THR,
I failed. In my mind, I failed horribly. When I’m asked, ‘What do you regret the most?’ I regret not being equipped emotionally to deal with a large motion picture. So in the absence of my power, the power vacuum filled with people that didn’t make the decisions I would’ve made.
While the veteran actor has since directed multiple documentaries, including ones based onStar Trek, none have been as high-profile as the fifth feature film in the original series.
Star Trek: The Original Seriesis available to stream on Paramount+.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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Leonard NimoyWilliam Shatner
