93-year-old veteran actor William Shatner, famous for his appearance in Star Trek movies, still remains a remarkably robust legend within Hollywood. So much so, that the actor even expressed his desire to return to the very franchise that turned him into a global icon. Popularly known for playing the Starship Enterprise’s commander Captain Kirk, Shatner mentioned being open to reprising his role.
Although his character’s last appearance was in 1994’s Star Trek Generations where Captain Kirk was killed off, William Shatner suggested that he could potentially portray a younger version of the character, citing digital de-aging technology. Willing to return to the franchise under certain circumstances, Shatner emphasized that in no way is he willing to return for a mere cameo.
William Shatner is Open to Reprising His Star Trek Role
It’s been over three decades since William Shatner last appeared in a live-action Star Trek movie, after wrapping up his work as Captain Kirk in 1994’s Star Trek Generations. Thereafter, the legend’s voice and image repeatedly appeared in several works, including video games, but Shatner remained offscreen, for most of it.
As per IGN, William Shatner even made headlines for rumored cameo appearances in films including 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, but those cameos never materialized. So now, the 93-year-old legend has decided to refrain from cameos and rather focus on opportunities to reprise his iconic role as Captain Kirk in the franchise.
Speaking with the Canadian Press, William Shatner, therefore, called returning to Star Trek an “intriguing idea”. Although he admitted that it would be challenging, Shatner suggested some ideas and demands that would make it easy for him to return to the franchise. Under the right circumstances, the actor mentioned he would be willing to consider it.
William Shatner Suggests Ideas and States His Demands
Claiming that he wouldn’t dismiss the idea of returning as Captain Kirk in a new Star Trek project if the script impressed him, William Shatner admitted that his age might pose an issue. This is why the actor immediately came up with the idea of using digital de-aging technology, which has been often used by Marvel.
Citing the use of modern technology, William Shatner mentioned that there’s nothing a bit of de-aging technology couldn’t fix. Therefore, ruling out the idea of brief cameos, especially after his commitment to the franchise till 1994, Shatner noted that he would be happy to bring Captain Kirk back if the story made sense.
“It’s an intriguing idea. It’s almost impossible. But if it was a great role and so well-written and if there were a reason to be there not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.”
Going on to suggest that he could play a younger version of the character with the aid of de-aging technology, William Shatner even admitted considering possible scenarios wherein Captain Kirk could be physically resurrected. Brainstorming technological ideas that have been regularly used by blockbuster franchises like Marvel since MCU Phase 2 to bring convincing results catering to vast timelines, the actor even suggested plot points.
“[It] takes years off of your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are. A company that wants to freeze my body and my brain for the future might be a way of going about it. We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here. There’s a scenario. 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!”
The idea of William Shatner reprising Captain Kirk by using digital de-aging isn’t actually a bad idea. However, the question still remains, if the franchise would agree to bring the actor back for a major role.
Star Trek movies are available on Paramount+.
