What does William Shatner has to say about whether or not he would reprise the role of James T. Kirk on the new CBS All-Access series ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ coming in 2017? One phrase, “If I were useful.” That is how the elder actor answered when asked that very same question by TV Guide while out promoting his new show ‘Better Late Than Never’ at the Television Critics Association fall previews.
So what exactly did he mean by that statement? Well, according to Shatner:
“Leonard [Nimoy, who plays Spock in the franchise], my friend, did a cameo [in the new Star Trek movies]…I said to him, ‘You know you’re old when you go back in time and you’re still old.’ It was a cameo, and I thought, ‘That’s a waste of time. He’s so talented. Why didn’t they do something more with him?’ So that’s the way I feel about that.”
So in typical Shatner fashion, he is basically saying he will not come back for a cameo, but rather needs to be an important part of the story, and have a plot that gives him something useful to do, which to me, sounds like he is saying he will not come back without getting significant screen time and attention. Again, this sounds like typical Shatner, especially the part where he subtly puts down Nimoy for taking on a cameo role in J.J. Abrams’ ‘Star Trek,’ not understanding the the point of Nimoy’s Spock in ‘Star Trek’ was to pass the torch to the new generation, not revel in the former glory of his iconic role (which is clearly what Shatner has always done).
What are your thoughts on Shatner’s comments here? Would you want to see his Kirk come back from the dead and show up on ‘Star Trek: Discovery‘ as he is now, an old, out of shape old man? Or do you think the original Kirk is done in ‘Star Trek,’ and is better left for our memories? Share your opinions on the matter in the comments below!
Nick is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, who belongs to the privileged few who enjoyed the ending to ‘Lost.’ For more of Nick’s thoughts and articles, follow him on Twitter.
