Over thirty years since his last appearance as Captain James T. Kirk, it appears that iconic actor William Shatner may return to the Captain’s chair in a Star Trek project one more time. Yes, he died heroically in the film Star Trek: Generations. But when has death been the end for a Trek character? Via Slashfilm, we learned that while appearing at Fan Expo in Vancouver, the nearly 94-year-old actor was asked about the possibility of returning one more time to his legendary role. He said a writer on one of Paramount’s currently-in-development Star Trek series had contacted him about this very thing. Here’s what he told the audience:
I have been asked to come back as Kirk so many times. If Kirk is going to come back, it has to mean something. It has to be the show. But I was so impressed by this writer, so I said let’s talk after I’m done in Vancouver. So I’m awaiting a pitch to make it the show, it should come on Monday or Tuesday.
Ever since Captain Kirk died in Star Trek: Generations back in 1994, rumors have surfaced that Shatner would return, as Leonard Nimoy did after they killed Spock in The Wrath of Khan. Paramount offered Shatner cameo roles as Kirk in Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005, as well as the 2009 J.J. Abrams feature film reboot. But he always turned them down, saying if Kirk was to come back, it would not be just for a cameo. So whatever they are pitching him, it’s got to be something Kirk-centric, and probably not an episode of Strange New Worlds or the upcoming Starfleet Academy series.
Could it be a Star Trek: Kirk series? Something focusing on his character in his final adventure, similar to Star Trek: Picard? A fan film called 765874 – Unification recently brought Kirk back to life, and fans went nuts for it. Sam Witwer played Kirk, with makeup and digital enhancement to look like Shatner, but with Shatner’s cooperation. Maybe this has spurred the actor to rejoin Starfleet once last time. The final season of Picard showed that Starfleet has Kirk’s body hidden away in secret, for something called “Project Phoenix.” We may find out soon if that little Easter egg is leading to something bigger. 2026 is Star Trek’s 60th anniversary after all. And we can’t imagine anything bigger to celebrate than the return of Trek’s first on-screen Captain.