William Shatner Open To Kirk Return (But Not For A Picard-Style Show)

William Shatner would be willing to return to the Star Trekuniverse as James T. Kirk, but not for a Picard-style series. Shatner was one of the original stars of the very first Star Trek back in 1966, playing the daring Captain Kirk. He remained on the show for all three seasons, then returned to the role for the franchise's feature films. Shatner appeared in seven films total, with his final performance being 1994's Star Trek Generations. Since then, Shatner hasn't revisited the Star Trek franchise, and the new reboot films cast Chris Pine in the role of a younger Kirk.

Rumors once suggested that Shatner was supposed to have a cameo in the 2009 Star Trek, but Shatner insisted he was never offered one. The new Trek films did feature Shatner's Original Series co-star Leonard Nimoy, however, who reprised his role as Spock for the 2009 movie and its follow-up Star Trek Into Darkness. Additionally, this year saw Patrick Stewart jump back into the franchise for the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Picard, which featured the returns of several characters from The Next Generation. With so many opportunities to bring characters back, many have wondered if Shatner will ever return to Star Trek.

In a new interview Metro.co.uk, Shatner revealed he would be willing to step back into the shoes of Captain Kirk if the right opportunity presented itself. "If they wrote it and it made reasonable sense then I’d love to [revive Captain Kirk]," he said. However, Shatner has no interest in starring in his own show like Stewart, and he wouldn't want his return to just be a quick cameo. "If the role was written properly and it wasn’t a cameo or gratuitous; being there just to show my face, I wouldn’t do that," he explained. Shatner also added that he hasn't been invited to appear on Picard, and he hasn't watched it either.

These new comments from Shatner are rather different than ones he gave just three months ago, when he said, "I think Kirk’s story is pretty well played out at this point." Of course, that was also in regards to a Kirk series similar to Picard, which Shatner clearly doesn't want to do. Currently, his version of Kirk is dead following the events of Star Trek Generations, but that doesn't mean he can't return in some form. After all, the first season of Picard ended with Jean-Luc's death before his consciousness was revived in a synthetic body.

Should the powers that be decide to bring Shatner back into the fold, Picard actually seems like the best place to put him. Not only do Kirk and Picard have a shared history because of Star Trek Generations, Picard is currently the optimal place to bring back past actors from the Star Trekfranchise. It could make for an interesting story, though it doesn't sound like it'll be happening in season 2. Perhaps season 3?

Source: Metro.co.uk

Source: screenrant.com