Back in 2009, before production began on JJ Abrams’ Star Trek movie, there was a lot of speculation over whether or not William Shatner would appear in the picture as Captain Kirk. A cameo scene was apparently written but it was felt that it didn’t really work with the rest of the picture and it was never presented to the actor. Shatner was none too quiet about his disappointment over the fact that his friend Leonard Nimoy would be in the movie but he would not.
Now, it appears that Shatner won’t be in the sequel either. At the Calgary Expo in Canada, Shatner recently said that, “I’ve been an acquaintance of JJ of late… but I’m afraid no. No, I will not be in Star Trek 2.” Nimoy has indicated that he felt very doubtful that he would reprise his role as the elder “Spock Prime” in the next picture either.
On the positive side, both showbiz veterans are keeping very busy. Despite having announced that he retired from performing, Nimoy recently reprised his role as William Bell on Fringe (in voice only) and provides the voice of Sentinel Prime in the upcoming Transformers: Dark of the Moon feature. He was also the star of a new music video. He’s also very active in photography.
Shatner shows no sign of slowing down either. In addition to hosting Shatner’s Raw Nerve talk show, his new book (Shatner Rules: Your Key to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large) will be released in October. His Trek documentary called The Captains will air next month and he’ll also be a guest star on an episode of USA Network’s Psych.
It’s hard to believe that either man is now 80-years-old. You have to wonder if members of the new Star Trek cast will have as much energy at that age!
What do you think? Should producers find a way to fit Shatner in? As Captain Kirk or in another role?
I own all of the episodes of the original series. I own the six films with the original cast. I couldn’t bring myself to see the prequel in the theaters, so I rented it. It’s one of few movies, in my lifetime, that I turned off before it ended. I watched about 40 minutes and called it quits. I didn’t think that it was very good (obviously) and I felt that the attempts made to link this new film with the spirit of the original characters fell undeniably short. I preferred watching the spinoff shows and characters, rather than seeing… Read more »
After hearing most of your comments I would agree that showing an older Kirk or Spock wouldnt demise the picture. If it werent for them there would’ve been no following of star trek fans at all. Lets just say if its done correctly in the movie all the cast members still living would be a great addition since it would probably be the last one they would be able to do. Its a shame Kirk and Spock have to get old as we all do, but hey at least we got to see them at their best. The biggest question… Read more »
Star Trek is a science-fiction fantasy. In the Star Trek universe you can do anything. If Leonard Nimoy can come back as Spock. William Shatner could return as Kirk. Star Trek has traveled to the past before. Perhaps Kirk did not really die, but became in a coma. Perhaps another Starfleet Starship picked him up. Maybe Captain Sulu or Captain Chekov. They should also let Nichelle Nichols return because she was going to play Uhura’s grandmother until the writer’s strike came about.
Evidentially when Kirk Suppoisedly died, that was while he was in the middle of the Nexus. Maybe he didn’t die on that desolated planet, so he wished to be back on the Enterprize, that he was on when he disappeared within the NEXUS, back when Sulu’s daughter was @ the helm. He hears the call from Star Fleet, ANd they are the only Ship available togo back to the NEXUS. But this time, Kirk asks about how much of the ship has been repaired, ot new items added to it. The captain says everything won’t be on the ship til… Read more »
Grandizer June 22, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Well Chuck I guess I am an idiot.
I agree!
We are talking about a CAMEO…NOT A LEADING ROLE!!
As much as I would love seeing Shatner again in a new Star Trek, the only way that could happen would be to bring him back from the dead. That’s it!!! Script the show to bring him back from the dead! He could come back as a zombie, like a Night of the Living Dead zombie. It could work. If you can have a movie based on snakes on a plane, why not have Captain Kirk as a zombie on the Enterprise. Winning!
Well Chuck I guess I am an idiot. But I think you are as well. Just because Kirk MADE Star Trek what it was, does not mean that anytime a new ST Movie comes out he has to be put in it. He would not add a single thing to any of the new movies. If he wants to reprise his role in Star Trek, he should find a role suitable that he can play. I think he would be as a Starfleet Academy professor in battle tactics. I think he would be great to play as a hologram made… Read more »
Only an idiot could decide that an icon like Shatner would NOT be a plus to the legacy of any Star Trek movie. Ditto Nimoy.
Put another way…A show of hands…how many of you think, as yet unborn, future Star Trek fans will say that movies made today…were better for the exclusion of Shatner & Nimoy?
AHHHHH!!!! Wrong answer!
Why is that Michelle? You wrote: ” Not to show these actors at all even if in a cameo is a disgrace and disrespect for true die hard fans! Shame on you J.J Abrams!!!”
Unless I’m missing something, it looks like we agree. There are numerous ways the remaining original cast could appear in a cameo & yes, I believe 20+ years from now… Star Trek fans would indeed enjoy seeing Shatner, Nimoy etc in current & near future films.
So….What’s “wrong”?
If they aren’t born yet, I don’t think they’ll even know who Shatner and Nimoy are, but yes, they’ll say the movies made today were better for the exclusion of Shatner and Nimoy.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh….Another fine example of our public education system.
You believe future generations of Star Trek fans will be ignorant of Shatner & Nimoy…not to mention the other cast members…and the original series… yet somehow….somehow they will KNOW….that the movies made today….were better for their exclusion.
Well, there’s no arguing with that logic.
I’m not sure this is a bad thing – as much as I loved Shatner as Kirk in the original series. (Seriously, you have no idea – ask my parents what my bedroom walls looked like as a teenager). I just feel he stopped acting as “Kirk” and started acting as himself as long time ago.
I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Shatner at the Calgary Comic Show and there was a bittersweet sadness at the acknowledgement that he, Leonard Nimoy, and Jonathan Frakes are aging – much like us all who enjoyed the early television Star Trek and its evolution into such outstanding movies. I believe that we should take advantage of the fact that these men are still available for cameos and use that to our advantage before they are gone from us. They are amazing men.
I could not agree more!!!! It will never truly be Star Trek without the real Star trek crew. Not to show these actors at all even if in a cameo is a disgrace and disrespect for true die hard fans! Shame on you J.J Abrams!!!
We all get old, but classics are the tie to the beginning of every movie, show, sitcom, and if the original cast still lives, I say bring ’em in, tie them in, that way everyone gets their dues from the beginnings to the ends. Aloha!
Absolutely! William Shatner IS Star Trek. It would never have been as good if any of the original cast were not there. I believe that William Shatner was born to play Captain James T Kirk and he has brough many people a lot of enjoyment through his work!
I think it was great having Nimoy in the first film, to act as a bridge between what we’ve known and what’s yet to come, but that he needn’t appear again. What we saw was great and I think having him appear again would diminish that. As for Shatner being in any of the reboot films… just, no. Nimoy played a Vulcan and they live for centuries more (at least) than we human beings do, so it made sense that Spock could show up, having hailed from “Nondescript Far Future Scene #1010”). Meanwhile, we’ve already seen Kirk’s death, so having… Read more »