Although I’m aware that writingWilliam Shatnerback intoStar Trekfor one more appearance would be risky for several reasons, I can’t move past the feeling thatI’m desperate to see James T. Kirk given one more onscreen story with the iconic character’s original actor. So, thepossibility of Shatner’s return for a Paramount+ seriesmakes me equally worried as it does excite me, and I don’t quite know which emotion to roll with. If it does happen, I just hope everyone involved treads very lightly and doesn’t damageShatner’s legacy as Kirk inStar Trek’s Prime Timeline.
After leading theStar Trek: The Original Seriescastfor all three seasons of the show that began the franchise, Shatner returned to voice Captain Kirk inStar Trek: The Animated Series. When the now-canon follow-up series ended, the franchise remained inert for five years until 1979’sStar Trek: The Motion Picturebrought the cast back together again. After six movies, Shatner’s Kirk then wouldn’t return until his team-up with Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 1994’sStar Trek Generations. Although this was Shatner’s final appearance as Kirk,Chris Pine and Paul Wesley have appeared as the character since.
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There isn’t just one obstacle when it comes to how Shatner could play Kirk again, and although they aren’t insurmountable, they definitely come with their own unique challenges. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, there are huge canonical implications to consider. As a nonagenarian, the actor is already far older than his character ever lived to be, so unless Paramount+ plans to digitally de-age him an entire project,it’s tough to see how his Prime Kirk can return. This is something the franchise has kind of already admitted, by replacing Shatner with Paul Wesley inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds.
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Plus, there’s also the matter of impossibly high expectations that could arguably never be met. I love the idea of a Shatner comeback on paper, butbringing him back to play Kirk again just for the sake of doing so would be a massive mistake. The story would need to be well-written and worthwhile, or the actor’s seminal role could be irreparably tarnished. The critics would be out in full force, ready to cut down the project at the first sign of weakness.
Shatner coming back could be seen as an unnecessary nostalgia trip, especially with two other actors still holding the baton they took from him.
Finally, William Shatner reprising the role of James T. Kirk is one of those possibilities that sounds like the holy grail forStar Trekfans, but it’s maybe for that reason that it should be avoided. With Wesley fleshing out Kirk’s pre-TOSyears and Chris Pine set to return as Kirk in JJ Abrams' Kelvin Timeline, the franchise seems to be looking to the future rather than being caught up on the past.Shatner coming back could be seen as an unnecessary nostalgia trip, especially with two other actors still holding the baton they took from him.
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For all my doubts about whether it’d be right for Shatner’s Kirk to return toStar Trek, I still have the overwhelming opinion that it must happen.ModernStar Trekhas already honored several stars by having them return in the post-Star Trek: Discoveryera. For instance,Star Trek: Picardbrought back Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc for the first time in decades, as well as the entirety ofStar Trek: The Next Generation’s castin the legacy sequel show’s third and final season.Star Treklegends don’t come any bigger than Shatner, so he’s owed the same treatment.
1966-1969
80%
1973-1974
94%
1979
5%
1982
86%
1984
78%
1986
81%
1989
23%
1991
83%
1994
47%
What I find especially frustrating is the fact thatStar Trek: Lower Deckshas ended. It would have been the perfect project to welcome Shatner back. Set in the 24th century,Lower Decksfeatured countless voice cameos from franchise stars, and the fact it was an animated show meant the original actors could reprise their famous roles, despite having physically aged out of doing so during that part of theStar Trektimeline. Of course, a massive casting like Shatner would have called for an entire episode dedicated to Kirk, but I don’t think anyone would have argued against that.
Star Trek Generations Wasn’t A Fitting Farewell To James T. Kirk
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Star Trekmovieshave an unofficial trend of being bad-then-good, and this began with Kirk’s first feature-length appearance. AfterStar Trek: The Motion Picturefailed to meet expectations, 1982’sStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khanwas a huge success. After that, a pattern started to emerge that odd-numberedStar Trekmovies were bad, and even-numbered ones were good. Ending with 1991’sStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Kirk bowed out with a hit. However, whenShatner came back forGenerations, he soured his franchise exit.
Although I love the creative wayGenerationsallowed Kirk and Picard to cross paths, the movie itself was a little bit of a let-down. I don’t think it deserves a reputation as bad as it has, butit’s certainly a disappointing end to Shatner’s time as James T. Kirk. So, if Kirk does return inStar Trek’s modern era with his original actor once more bringing him to life, the ending of such a project needs to give him a much better finale.
Creative writing can return Shatner to the role of Kirk, Prime or Kelvin
Along with all the other reasons why it wouldn’t be easy to reinstall Kirk as Shatner, his character died inStar Trek Generations. That being said,Star Trekhas killed Kirk more than oncealready, so it’s nothing that couldn’t be undone with some especially clever writing. Plus,Star Trek: Picardseason 3 revealed Kirk’s body was recoveredfromhis grave on Veridian III by Section 31, and placed into stasis. This feels like an oddly specific twist for the franchise not to be planning a William Shatner comeback, although such a decision hasn’t been confirmed.
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Alternatively, Shatner could show up inJJ Abrams' upcomingStar Trekmovie, the fourth to be set within the Kelvin Timeline. Despite the role being owned by Chris Pine within that film series, Leonard Nimoy appearing as Prime Spock alongside Zachary Quinto in2009’sStar Trekhas long opened the door for Shatner’s return as Prime Kirk. Shatner could even play a future version of Kelvin Kirk, who travels back in time to give his younger self advice, like Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) did to Captain Janeway inStar Trek: Voyager’s finale. So,William Shatner’sStar Trekcomeback is possible.
