Beloved Star Trek icon William Shatner hasn’t played James T. Kirk in over three decades, and for a long time, it seemed that he was completely finished with playing the role. However, at the age of 95, Shatner has hinted that he’s up for revisiting the iconic character one last time.
Shatner discussed his Star Trek history in a recent interview for TV Insider. He was asked directly if there was anything that would get him to play Kirk again, and the actor had a promising response. While he hinted that a nice paycheck would play a big part in making that happen, he also sees a lot of creative possibilities in portraying a 95-year-old Kirk. Shatner suggested that he could now play an older and wiser version of the character by putting pieces of himself into the role.
William Shatner Could Bring Something New to James T. Kirk
“It’s easy to say money, but you know, the longer I played Kirk, I was allowed to put various shades of character in there,” he said. “I think Captain Kirk — as the captain of the deadly instrument of war, as well as a ship of peace — could reside in somebody like me very well. I mean, I still have the aggression and the instinct for battle, and I’ve gotten myself into very dangerous things.”
He added, “But there is a planing, a smoothing of all those heights and peaks of attitude and activity that comes with age, as [opposed to] aggression, which is sort of a youthful characteristic. Even at 95, I think Captain Kirk would be a really good captain of a spaceship capable of war and peace.”
Kirk Was Killed Off in Star Trek Generations (Or Was He?)
Kirk debuted in the Captain Kirk role in 1966, with the 60th anniversary of Star Trek officially coming this September. He last played the role in 1994’s Star Trek Generations, which saw him unite with Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard. Kirk was ultimately killed off, dying heroically while saving millions of lives. Kirk was buried by Picard on Veridian III, and Shatner’s version of the character was never physically seen again in any Star Trek projects since.
However, the door has since been pulled open for a potential appearance. In the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard, the crew visits a secret facility where eagle-eyed fans spotted a display revealing Kirk’s body has been recovered and placed in storage. The text specifically says the body was recovered from Veridian III, notably describing him as “critically injured” rather than “dead.” This provides a storyline explanation for how Kirk could be revived in a new Star Trek project set in the original show’s timeline.
For now, fans of the franchise can see Paul Wesley as a younger version of Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which returns to Paramount+ with its fourth season on July 23.
- TV Show(s)
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Star trek, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Animated, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks
- First Film
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Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Cast
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William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula
- Created by
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Gene Roddenberry
- Latest Film
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Star Trek: Nemesis
