William Shatner would return to Star Trek, but there’s a catch

Despite being open to the idea of reprising his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, William Shatner would only do so in a way that would catch the audience off guard.

Despite it being three decades since his last appearance as Captain Kirk, the original Star Trek Captain, Shatner is still open to reprising the role, although not in the way one would expect.

In Star Trek Generations released in 1994, Shatner made his last appearance in the franchise, portraying the character of Kirk. Unfortunately, his portrayal of Kirk’s death after being fatally injured marked the end of his time in the captain’s chair, making it evident that Shatner would not be returning to the role.

Despite the emergence of the Kelvin Timeline, the only familiar face from the original Star Trek series was Leonard Nimoy reprising his role as Spock. However, William Shatner has recently announced his willingness to make a comeback in the franchise, as long as the storyline is suitable for his return.

“According to The Canadian Press, he described it as a fascinating concept. He acknowledged that it may seem unlikely, but he also praised the role and its excellent writing. He stated that if there was a legitimate purpose for the character to appear, rather than just a brief cameo, he would possibly contemplate reprising the role.”

It could be expected that Shatner’s comeback would feature an aged version of Kirk, potentially one who managed to survive his apparent “death”many years prior. However, this is not the case. As it turns out, Shatner is actually a spokesperson for Otoy, a company that specializes in groundbreaking technology that can digitally alter one’s appearance to make them look significantly younger on screen. This allows actors to portray characters who are 10, 20, 30, or even 50 years younger than their actual age.

In summary, it is possible that Shatner may make a comeback as a younger version of Kirk in Star Trek. This would not be the first instance of such a technique being used, as Marvel often employs de-aging technology, and last year, Harrison Ford was given a flashback scene in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

One potential plot idea that Shatner had in mind involved a company attempting to freeze his body and brain for the future. He imagined a scenario where the company would claim to have Captain Kirk’s brain in their possession and would attempt to revive him using some of his preserved brain tissue. Shatner mused, “Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!”

To learn more, discover all of the information available on Star Trek 4 and Star Trek Discovery.