William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise within the traditional science fiction tv sequence ‘Star Trek’, circa 1968. Silver Display screen Assortment/Getty Photos
William Shatner’s legacy as Captain Kirk has lived lengthy and prospered for many years — and with each new Star Trek iteration, the actor is an increasing number of in awe of the franchise.
“It’s phenomenal,” Shatner, 93, completely instructed Us Weekly of the resurgence of Star Trek and its fashionable diversifications on Monday, January 27. “It’s like [a] good seed being planted throughout.”
He defined that the universe has “ample potentialities of development” primarily based on the storytelling. “As soon as some writers come up with it, they’ll invent every kind of wondrous issues,” the actor gushed.
Shatner — who will obtain the Lifetime Achievement Award on the 52nd Annual Saturn Awards Showcase on Sunday, February 2 — has been fortunately outlined by Star Trek and its spinoffs for many years.
Whereas he broke into performing within the Fifties, it was touchdown the function of futuristic house chief Captain Kirk on the unique Star Trek sequence in 1966 that actually put him on the map. Shatner’s profession took off after portrayed the character for 3 seasons till the present’s finish in 1969.
His legacy continued within the early Nineteen Seventies when Shatner voiced Captain Kirk on Star Trek: The Animated Collection from 1973 to 1974.

From left to proper, Canadian actor William Shatner as Captain Kirk, American actor DeForest Kelley (1920 – 1999) as Dr ‘Bones’ McCoy and American actor Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock in a promotional portrait for the tv sequence, ‘Star Trek’. Hulton Archive/Getty Photos
Shatner revived the long-lasting house chief in 1979 for the primary huge display adaptation of the sci-fi sequence, Star Trek: The Movement Image. He proceeded to star in six extra Star Trek films, together with 1994’s Star Trek: Generations.
“All people wished to make it bigger in scope as a result of it was transitioning from a small display to a big display,” Shatner recalled to Us of the choice to signal on for the films. “So the script had an fascinating novel concept the place an instrument, a machine, is shipped out as a probe from Earth to probe the universe. And it’s basically captured by a machine planet that reverses it and follows it again to destroy earth.”
He remembered pondering the concept was “fantastic” and “superior” for that point interval.
The unique TV sequence sparked 13 films and 12 sequence over the previous six a long time. The “unique sequence” films are made up of six movies that premiered from 1979 to 1991, all of which included Shatner because the star.
The “subsequent era” films are comprised of 4 movies that had been launched from 1994 to 2002. Shatner was a part of the primary installment. There are additionally three “Kelvin Timeline” films that got here out between 2009 and 2016.
“No person knew that 60 years later, you and I might be speaking about it. This present is simply phenomenal,” Shatner confessed. “It’ll be actually in our lifetime, unattainable to repeat, as a result of it will take some leisure to exist for 60 years from now to equal what Star Trek has achieved. We gained’t be alive then.”
Shatner, who additionally voiced Captain Kirk in a number of video video games through the years, famous it’s a “as soon as in a lifetime expertise” to be a part of the Star Trek universe.
Along with being an icon for Star Trek followers, Shatner is a Hollywood treasure because of his endurance and lengthy profession.
In celebration of his work, the actor will obtain the Lifetime Achievement Award on the 52nd Annual Saturn Awards Showcase on Sunday for continued fundraising efforts to learn these affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. (The L.A. wildfires — primarily the Palisades and Eaton Fires — began earlier this month and resulted in 1000’s of houses and constructions being destroyed.)
“It’s an honor that I’m delighted to obtain,” Shatner stated of the accolade. “I consider I used to be in on the primary one years in the past and watched with delight how the group has grown. For them to return and do a lifetime achievement award. That’s nice.”
With reporting by Amanda Williams