After 32 Years, It’s Sadly Too Late For The Biggest Star Trek Dream To Come True

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds just proved that it’s sadly too late for the biggest Star Trek dream to come true: William Shatner playing Captain James T. Kirk again. At 95, Mr. Shatner remains busy and prolific, including appearing at various Star Trek conventions and events. Yet it’s been 32 years since Bill played Captain Kirk, his most iconic character.

William Shatner’s last performance as Captain Kirk was in Star Trek Generations in 1994. With Mr. Shatner’s approval, Star Trek Generations infamously killed off Captain Kirk soon after he and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) saved the Veridian star system. Remarkably, both Shatner and Star Trek stuck to their phaser banks and never resurrected Captain Kirk.

Instead, Captain Kirk was rebooted by new actors in two different Star Trek timelines. Chris Pine played Captain Kirk in the alternate reality of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies. Paul Wesley received Mr. Shatner’s blessing when he was cast as the younger Prime Timeline Jim Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

In the 32 years since Captain Kirk’s demise, however, Star Trek has attempted to lure William Shatner back to play different versions of Kirk. Unfortunately, it was all for naught, with one unique exception.

William Shatner Almost Guest-Starred In Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4

In 2005, William Shatner nearly guest-starred in Star Trek: Enterprise season 4. Mr. Shatner conjured a story with writers Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens involving Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the NX-01 Enterprise encountering Tiberius Kirk, Captain Kirk’s evil Mirror Universe counterpart.

Tiberius Kirk was introduced in the classic Star Trek: The Original Series season 2 episode, “Mirror, Mirror.” Enterprise would have revealed that Tiberius survived his own Tantalus Field weapon and went on to live in a pocket universe. Enterprise‘s concept would not have overturned Star Trek Generations, and would have allowed Mr. Shatner to play a villainous Kirk again.

William Shatner first played an evil version of Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 5, “The Enemy Within.”

William Shatner’s guest spot in Star Trek: Enterprise reportedly never happened because the UPN network refused to meet Mr. Shatner’s appearance fee. UPN had already decided to cancel Enterprise and didn’t want to commit the necessary funds, despite the ratings bump and fan interest that William Shatner on Star Trek: Enterprise would have generated.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Couldn’t Get William Shatner To Guest Star

Captain Kirk in City on the Edge of Forever

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds executive producer and co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman revealed his unfulfilled dream of William Shatner appearing in Paramount+’s prequel series. Goldsman and co-showrunner Henry Alonso Myers tried to get Shatner to guest star in all five seasons of Strange New Worlds.

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Goldsman and Myers’ novel concept for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was for William Shatner to play Captain Kirk again in a sequel to Star Trek: The Original Series‘ “The City on the Edge of Forever.” Strange New Worlds would have introduced an alternate timeline where Kirk remained in 1930s New York City with his love, Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), who was destined to die in the original story.

Although Akiva Goldsman didn’t reveal the reason why William Shatner didn’t guest star in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, perhaps the legendary actor simply felt that it was best for him to leave Kirk in the past. At this point, however, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds may be the final missed opportunity for Mr. Shatner to embody Kirk again.

William Shatner (Sort Of) Returned As Kirk In 2024

Many Star Trek fans may not know that William Shatner has returned as Captain Kirk again, after a fashion. Mr. Shatner was executive producer of the short film 765874 – Unification, which was produced by Roddenberry Entertainment and OTOY, and directed by Carlos Baena.

Unification ties together decades of Star Trek lore, and reunites Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock (played by Lawrence Selleck) once again, in a touching scene that Star Trek canon denied the eternal best friends. Sam Witwer played Captain Kirk as both an older and younger man. William Shatner worked with Sam to portray Kirk’s physical movements, as well as contributing vocal narration.

With Star Trek potentially entering a new era after the final seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiere on Paramount+ in 2027, William Shatner has likely said no to reprising Captain Kirk on-screen for the last time. Regardless, Kirk’s legend remains intact in multiple Star Trek realities.