William Shatner believes it’s time for Captain Kirk to go where the veteran Starfleet officer has never gone before and finally make his debut in Star Trek’s cinematic ‘Kelvin’ timeline.
Shatner voiced his support for the ‘Prime’ Kirk’s return to Star Trek during a recent interview with USA Today given in promotion of Star Trek Day, a defacto celebration of the franchise held on the anniversary of The Original Series’ television premiere.
Noting that the recently announced fourth movie in the J.J. Abrams-created cinematic continuity currently has “no cast details”, USA Today reporter Bryan Alexander asked Shatner, “ Is Prime Kirk making his first appearance in the new movie timeline? It’s time,” to which the actor replied, “I agree with you.”
“We need to see a Prime Kirk 55 years after the fact, and maybe 20 pounds heavier,” Shatner opined. “How would you explain that? That’s their dilemma.”
Speaking to Alexander’s note that the film currently has no cast details, Shatner then added, “What you’ve just said (about the movie) is news to me and I’m delighted to hear it.”
However, he concluded, “my (studio) connection is frayed. Not afraid. Although I’m a little afraid of being frayed.”
Shatner’s optimism towards a potential appearance of Kirk in a future Star Trek production stands in stark contrast to his previous position on the matter, as he told fans just last year that he believed “Kirk’s story is pretty well played out at this point.”
“What was any different about my statement on Kirk that I haven’t said before?” Shatner added in a follow-up tweet. “I don’t do cameos (that one stretches back to 2008 & JJ) Kirk’s story is well told out of any other captain’s story. Kirk died in Generations. What is really left? Adventures in the ribbon?”
While the upcoming fourth Star Trek film may have yet to solidify any members of its cast, it was previously announced that the project would be directed Matt Shakman (WandaVision) and written by Lindsey Beer (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Tomb Raider, Captain Marvel)
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