William Shatner is known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. 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 in The Next Generation.
While Patrick Stewart has since reprised his role from TNG in Picard, 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 Trek reboot.
William Shatner Considered A Kirk-Picard Team-Up In A New-Gen Star Trek Show
William Shatner became a household name after he starred in the original Star Trek series. 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.
While the actor last appeared in the film Star Trek: Generations, which also starred Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard from The 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 with THR that he would consider returning as Stewart did in Picard if 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 Nimoy played the elder Spock in Star Trek and the sequel Star Trek: Into Darkness, while Zachary Quinto played a younger Spock. The actor had his final appearance as Spock in the sequel.
William Shatner Regretted His Star Trek Directorial 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.
Shatner turned director with the controversial Star 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 on Star Trek, none have been as high-profile as the fifth feature film in the original series.
Star Trek: The Original Series is available to stream on Paramount+.
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