If there’s one thing you can say about Star Trek, it’s that there’s always the opportunity for former icons of the franchise to return at any point. Just take Picard, for example, which brought back Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc after 20 years, alongside various other players from The Next Generation – plus, Voyager. Of course, the much-missed Leonard Nimoy also appeared in the rebooted movies before his death.
But what about the Enterprise’s original captain (to us, not in continuity), William Shatner? The Canadian star hasn’t played James T. Kirk in nearly 30 years, ever since the Starfleet legend was killed off back in 1994’s Star Trek: Generations, but Picard proves even he could make a surprise comeback. When asked about it most recently, Shatner revealed to Metro UK that he would “love” to do it, though he does have a few stipulations it would have to abide by.
“If they wrote it and it made reasonable sense then I’d love to [revive Captain Kirk] … 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.
In line with previous comments he’s made, Shatner likewise told Metro UK that he wouldn’t want his own show like Picard at this stage in his life. He also admitted that he’s never been offered a part on the CBS All Access series, nor has he got around to watching it. At least he’s open to the idea of returning, though. Well, on this occasion he is, as the actor has been known to be less keen before.
While a Shatner comeback is up in the air, there’s no doubt that we’ll get more Kirk on our screens in the not-so-distant future. Chris Pine may be back in Star Trek 4 in theaters, while it looks like upcoming spinoff Star Trek: Strange New Worlds could recast the role, too. In fact, The Mandalorian‘s Jake Cannavale is reportedly in the running to play Kirk in the days before he took command of the Enterprise.
The next Star Trek production on the way though is probably Discovery season 3, dropping later this year.