William Shatner might just don another Starfleet Uniform in a Star Trek comeback.
Star Trek has gone through so many incarnations and reimaginings through its near-six-decade-long existence, but one thing remains clear: James Tiberius Kirk is an undeniable icon.
The spacefaring explorer has been a fixture of the franchise since the formal start of Star Trek: The Original Series in 1966, where the role was originated by William Shatner.
William Shatner Eyeing Return to Star Trek as Captain Kirk
The Direct attended a panel at Fan Expo Vancouver on Friday, February 21, called Execute! A Panel with William Shatner, during which the Star Trek legend made the surprising reveal that he had been contacted by a writer on one of Paramount’s currently-in-development Trek series:
"I have been asked to come back as Kirk so many times. If Kirk is going to come back, it has to mean something. It has to be the show. But I was so impressed by this writer, so I said let's talk after I'm done in Vancouver. So I'm awaiting a pitch to make it the show, it should come on Monday or Tuesday."
Notably, William Shatner, who is 93, has long been averse to doing cameos. Moreover, the last time he appeared on-screen in live-action as Jim Kirk in a canon Star Trek production was over 30 years ago in the 1994 movie Star Trek Generations.
How Could William Shatner Come Back as Kirk?
As devotees will surely be aware, Kirk was unceremoniously killed in Star Trek Generations when a piece of scaffolding fell on top of him (Bridge on the Captain!) on Veridian III while teaming up with Jean-Luc Picard to stop Malcolm McDowell’s Soran.
Later, in the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard, which aired in 2023, Kirk’s remains were seen held in stasis when the crew beams down to Daystrom Station, a Federation black site that houses the most dangerous and valuable galactic artifacts.
It could be reasoned that since Jim’s remains are still hanging around he could somehow be resurrected, possibly using advanced 25th-century technology.
This is conceivably how William Shatner could reenter the franchise. Now, Kirk was biologically 60 years old when he died. Shatner is in his 90s, meaning digital de-aging would need to be employed at some point in the story.
And speaking of story, it would be somewhat difficult to find the right spot for another Shatner Kirk adventure, since no current Star Trek series are set in the era where Starfleet is canonically known to have his body on ice.
Complicating matters a bit more is the fact that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, set a handful of years before The Original Series, already features a younger Jim Kirk, portrayed by Paul Wesley. Although featuring two versions of the character simultaneously would certainly not be out of the ordinary for Trek.
In fact, Strange New Worlds, a show known for letting its hair down and being willing to get a bit zany, could have a lot of fun having Wesley’s Kirk and Shatner’s Kirk meet face-to-face for a one-off episode. Perhaps Chris Pine’s Kelvin Timeline Kirk (last seen in Star Trek Beyond) could somehow be worked in.
William Shatner has made sporadic reprisals of his most famous role post Generations, but they have all been non-canon. He has done cameos in video games and played Kirk in occasional commercials and awards show sketches.
For him to return now, after such a long time, would be monumental. Fans likely thought they saw the demise of James T. Kirk in 1994, so his potential homecoming would be met with utter delight from many Trekkies around the globe.
All of William Shatner’s appearances as James Kirk can be streamed on Paramount+.
