Even thoughWilliam Shatner’s iconicStar Trekcharacter died in 1994’sStar Trek Generations, there are several sci-fi tropes often used by the space opera that could allow the actor to reprise his seminal role. WithShatner in talks with Paramount to return as James T. Kirk, the possibility of his return to the franchise feels a little greater compared to recent years, although nothing has been confirmed just yet. The actor has declared that any comeback has to “mean something” rather than just being for the sake of taking place, but it also needs to make canonical sense.
After making his debut as Captain Kirk as part ofStar Trek: The Original Series' cast,Shatner went on to voice the character again inStar Trek: The Animated Series. He also reprised the role in severalStar Trekmoviesbefore his exit in 1995, when he starred alongside Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard inStar Trek Generations. Kirk has appeared in the franchise since Shatner’s departure,played in the Kelvin Timeline movies by Chris Pine, and by Paul Wesley inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds. However, it really would be something else to have the original actor back.
6William Shatner Could Return As Kirk From Another Star Trek Universe
Star Trek: Lower Decksseason 5 recently reminded everyone of just how vast the franchise’s multiverse is. It’s not a trope thatStar Trekoften explores, but it does it just as well as any other saga when it chooses to.Star Trek’s multiverse has already allowed the return of certain legacy actorsin alternate versions of their original roles, so there’s no reason why the same opportunity can’t be afforded to Shatner.
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One possibility is for Shatner to reprise his role as Emperor Tiberius, the version of Kirk fromStar Trek’s Mirror Universewho appeared inThe Original Series', “Mirror, Mirror.” The fate of the villainous iteration of Kirk’s character isn’t known, as he only ever appeared in one episode. So, it’s very possible that the emperor is still alive and thriving in the Mirror Universe, and could cross over into the Prime Universe likeMichelle Yeoh’s Emperor GeorgiouinStar Trek: Discovery.
5Time Travel Could Create A Timeline Where Kirk Survives Star Trek Generations
Kirk’s death at the end of the 1994 Star Trek movie could be undone
At the moment, William Shatner has aged out of playing Kirk inStar Trek’s Prime Universe, as the main version of the character canonically perished inStar Trek Generationsduring his team-up with Captain Picard. If Paramount is willing or able to digitally de-age Shatner for the entirety of his potential comeback, it won’t be as much of a problem, but doing so would be time-consuming and expensive. Plus. it might just not look that great. That being said,Kirk’s death could be retconned using time travel.
1966-1969
80%
1973-1974
94%
1979
5%
1982
86%
1984
78%
1986
81%
1989
23%
1991
83%
1994
47%
There are many Trekkies still unhappy with how Kirk left the franchise inStar Trek Generations, so a retcon such as this would solve that issue. Plus, it would meanPrime Kirk could live to an age much closer to Shatner’s current age. That way, the nonagenarian actor could simply reprise the role without the need for digital intervention or high-concept multiverse storylines.
4Star Trek Could Bring James T. Kirk Back Via A Transporter Malfunction
Commander Riker’s transporter clone storyline is a prime example of how this could work
Star Trek’s transporters can be temperamental and buggy machines. There are several episodes throughout the franchise that prove just how many things can go wrong when trying to beam a character from one location to another. Just a couple of examples are Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) becoming a single entity inStar Trek: Voyager’s “Tuvix,” and Commander Riker (Jonathon Frakes) discovering he has a transporter clone inStar Trek: The Next Generation’s “Second Chances.” For Shatner to come back, theTNGstoryline would serve as a more suitable example.
Shatner’s age would likely need to be applied to the transporter clone, but after a line like, “The temporal compensators degraded after decades of neglect,” it would make sense why Kirk’s pattern wasn’t perfectly preserved.
To illustrate,Kirk traveled by transporter countless timesthroughout theStar Trektimeline, and not all instances will have been tied to the Enterprise. All it would take would be forStar Trekto introduce an old transporter that was used by Kirk at some point, and include the twist that a copy of Kirk has been stuck in the pattern buffer all this time. Shatner’s age would likely need to be applied to the transporter clone, but after a line like, “The temporal compensators degraded after decades of neglect,” it would make sense why Kirk’s pattern wasn’t perfectly preserved.
3Section 31 Could Resurrect Shatner’s Kirk After Recovering His Remains In Star Trek: Picard
Kirk’s remains are no longer buried on Veridian III
James T. Kirk dies on Veridian III inStar Trek Generations, and Picard gives him a burial under a pile of rocks on the surface of the uninhabited beta quadrant planet. His remains buried there for a long while, butStar Trek: Picard 3came with the shocking revelation that Kirk’s body was recovered by Section 31at some point and placed into stasis at the Daystrom Institute.
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The Federation-run institute that’s been revealed to be harboring Kirk’s remains specializes in advanced robotics and other technological research. So, if they are storing the dead body of a decorated Starfleet officer, it stands to reason that they would have something in mind akin to resurrection.It seems like a very specific addition toStar Trekcanonif the franchise isn’t planning to bring back Shatner as Kirk, but such a twist hasn’t yet been officially confirmed.
2Shatner Could Appear As A Future Version Of Chris Pine’s James T. Kirk In Star Trek 4
Star Trek 4 could allow Shatner to (kind of) follow in Leonard Nimoy’s footsteps
There is already a loose blueprint in place that could allow William Shatner to come back toStar Trekas James T. Kirk, and it exists in JJ Abrams' 2009 reboot movie - the simply-titledStar Trek. Taking place in an alternate reality called the Kelvin Timeline, Zachary Quinto’s Spock was visited by Leonard Nimoy’s Prime version of the character at the end of the movie to give him some sage words of wisdom. The destruction of the USS Kelvin had caused their two realities to diverge, so although both Spocks had the same origin, they had essentially become separate characters.
If and when the third sequel happens, Shatner could travel back from the Kelvin Timeline’s future as an older version of Chris Pine’s version of the character.
Although Abrams’Star Trekseries hasn’t been active since the third installment in 2016,Star Trek 4is still heavily reported to be happening, but stuck in production hell. If and when the third sequel happens,Shatner could travel back from the Kelvin Timeline’s future as an older version of Chris Pine’s versionof the character, which would be a kind of tribute to what happened between the two Spocks in 2009. A more accurate comparison would beAdmiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) visiting her past self in theStar Trek: Voyagerfinale.
1Star Trek: Prodigy Season 3 Getting The Green Light Would Open The Door To A Shatner Voice Cameo
The Netflix show has already used time travel to tell its story
Star Trek’s animated content has served as the perfect platform for various franchise comebacks in recent years. AlthoughStar Trek: Lower Deckswould have been perfect to accommodate Shatner’s return, the animated comedy drawing to a close in 2024 means such a collaboration is no longer possible. Thankfully,there is still the possibility ofStar Trek: Prodigyseason 3 getting the greenlight, if Netflix deems another run worth of production. If so, Kirk could be cast in a voice role alongside other franchise stars and figures fromStar Trek’s modern era.
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AlthoughStar Trek: Prodigyis set after Kirk’s death inStar Trek Generations, the animated show has already made heavy use of time travel to tell its story. Plus, although it’s technically a spiritual successor toStar Trek: Voyager, characters from other franchise installments have already shown up - such as Wil Wheaton’s Wesley Crusher fromStar Trek: The Next Generation. So,William Shatnerreturning toStar Trekin this way wouldn’t really call for any concessions.
Source:Rotten Tomatoes
William Shatner
Discover the latest news and filmography for William Shatner, known for Star Trek and Boston Legal.
Star Trek
Star Trek is one of pop culture’s biggest multimedia franchises, spanning multiple movies, TV shows, books, comics, video games, and various other media. The franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry and started with the 1960s TV series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Over the decades, several equally popular series have come out since as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery.
