Thoughts on William Shatner Returning as James T. Kirk — TSJ Pitches Four Scenarios

Thoughts on William Shatner Returning as James T. Kirk

Recently, William Shatner made news in the Star Trek community with comments related to a possible return as Kirk. In this post I will review four possible return scenarios in order of my preference. Keep in mind that these are just hypothetical, and Kirk’s return may not actually involve any of my proposed projects.

The Backstory

If you know much about me, you know the impact Star Trek had on me as a child growing up in the 1970s. I watched the show every day after school.  After a few years, I could tell what episode was airing within the first few frames and the first bars of music.  I loved that show.  The characters, the stories, the relationships between the principal actors … all had a tremendous impact on my creative journey.  I’ve written about it many times on my blog. The movies all have their moments, but my favourites would be The Wrath of Khan, The Undiscovered Country, and The Voyage Home.  No surprises there, I’m sure.  I felt The Motion Picture was wonderful to look at but very slow and lacking the important relationships that characterized the show, The Search for Spock was an epilogue to Khan but was incredibly heartwarming and much-needed after the traumatizing conclusion of its predecessor, and The Final Frontier was an interesting story hurt by budget shortfalls and forced humour.

We thought that Kirk’s journey had ended in The Undiscovered Country.  He had solved the mystery of the Klingon chancellor’s murder, had put his anger and prejudice aside in the interests of a promising future, and he and the crew sailed off into the unknown as Enterprise powered away into a ‘sunset.’ The final few frames were accompanied by a soaring score along with the cast ‘signing off,’ basically saying, “Goodbye, it’s been a wonderful ride.” I remember that even Roger Ebert commented on that credit sequence. Check it out (video will start right at the credits):

YouTube channel credit: “Arrow of Videos”

But then he returned.

I guess it was inevitable.  After all, Star Trek returned to television in its highly successful second iteration. Picard and crew, in the late 1980s, had somehow captured the excitement and wonder of the original. The Next Generation was a massive success, and when they made the leap to film, Kirk appeared in the first movie as a tool to usher in a new realm of Star Trek on the silver screen. Thus came Star Trek: Generations.  Fans greeted the film eagerly (I remember watching it at a theatre in Ottawa).  It was a mediocre effort, to say the least, with a slow story, cheaper TV sets obscured by dark lighting, and a weak plot device in ‘The Nexus.’  The antagonist was not effective, and Kirk’s demise was anti-climatic after all he’d been through. I think most Trek fans agree with those sentiments.

For decades we’ve had to deal with Kirk’s death.  Had to accept it.  Endure it.  Shatner himself has stated many times that Kirk would not be back.  Producers have tried, that much is certain.  One such example was in JJ Abrams’ Star Trek (2009).  The writers had planned to bring him in as a cameo near the film’s end to narrate how fast time had passed, and how important those younger years had been.  Shatner, of course, refused to just cameo as a hologram, speaking to the younger version of Spock.  If he was going to return, it would have to be big.

So has that now happened?

Shatner’s recent statement about a possible return has everyone wondering.  Here are my thoughts.

Shatner’s Comments

It happened at Fan Expo Vancouver just over a week ago.  During a panel discussion, he said the following:

“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.”

One interesting bit I noticed was his reference to “the show.”  Is he referring to a series? Or a movie series?  More on this further down in my article.

How is it Possible? After All, Shatner is Ninety-Four Years Old This Month

We’ve seen de-aging technology for a while now.  It most recently appeared in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and it was very effective.  (Coincidentally, also a Paramount IP.) The filmmakers used the digital process on Harrison Ford’s face, combined with a stunt double who mimicked Indiana’s movements in great detail from his early days.  This technique is becoming more and more common in films now, and it would be a relatively easy thing to make Shatner look younger.

Moreover, the recent fan film, Unification, by OTOY, showing Kirk meeting with his younger self and saying goodbye to Spock, may have stimulated talks of bringing Kirk back.  It was a very effective — and emotional — return, albeit a short with no dialogue.  Shatner appears in three different time periods:  As TOS Kirk, as the film series Kirk, and as an older version.  Check it out here:

This short film, along with Indiana Jones, could very well be the driving forces behind one last Shatner James T. Kirk appearance.  I’m on board, that’s for sure.  But what series?

I have a few ideas.  It also depends on what Shatner meant by “… make it to the show.”

Here are my four possible scenarios, in ascending order of preference.

Scenario 4: In A New Paramount Streaming Series

Star Trek: Kirk.

Imagine that.  A six or eight episode series involving Kirk’s resurrection.  After all, we know where his remains are, revealed as an Easter egg in Star Trek: Picard Season 3.  (More on this in Scenario 2.) He could easily be resurrected and star in his own show.  If this is what Shatner referred to, there are no other clues as the story or what Shatner would be doing as Kirk.  We also have no idea how old he would be, or in what timeframe this resurrection would occur.  But still, if the series were simply called Kirk, then William Shatner would get what he wanted:  a story totally driven by him as Kirk, and it would have to “mean something,” as he mentioned.  I could see him wanting this.  I could also see Paramount being interested, especially with the success they’re having with all the Trek series currently streaming on Paramount+.  If Disney can do it with Obi Wan Kenobi, why can’t Paramount do it with Kirk?

Scenario 3: In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

I love this show.  The cast is wonderful and the showrunners have nailed the idea of ‘prequel’ in terms of story, style, set design, characters, score, effects, and even the lighting. Anson Mount owns the character of Pike and it would be a lot of fun seeing him alongside Shatner. There is even a young Kirk on this show — as well as his brother! — so it would be very, very interesting to see Shatner as an older Kirk here.

Scenario 2:  In Star Trek: Picard Season 4

Kirk’s remains are not on Veridian III, where he died.  As revealed in Picard: Season 3, they are in Daystrom Station, placed there by Section 31 for a program called Project Phoenix.  This was an Easter egg during the raid on Daystrom to discover what the Changelings were after.  It was just a brief glimpse of a computer display, but it was enough to drive fan curiosity.

Why would the showrunners do such a thing,  unless there were plans afoot to resurrect Captain Kirk?  Or at least, a secret desire to make it one day possible?  That day may finally have come.

I place this as my second-most desired scenario, because if it happened, it would not just include Kirk.  It would involve the cast of TNG as well, along with Patrick Stewart.  It would be a lot of fun to see them all together.

Scenario 1: Star Trek 4 — JJ Abrams’ Kelvin-Verse Finale with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto

In this timeline, Kirk’s father, George, died to protect his pregnant wife and save his new child, James Tiberius.  It was an emotional beginning to the film reboot, Star Trek (2009). James Kirk was born on the day his dad died. That’s certainly a tough way for a child to grow up, and it was an important part of the film. But George’s sacrifice only happened due to time travel, when the Romulan villain, Nero, travelled back in time to find and kill Spock for perceived criminal actions.  The timeline in JJ Abrams’ films, therefore, have been changed by Nero’s appearance, and is not the “correct,” or canonical, timeline.  It has since been dubbed the “Kelvin-Verse” or the “Kelvin Timeline.” It has long been rumoured that Star Trek 4 would feature Chris Pine’s Kirk attempting to right the timeline and save his father (played by Chris Hemsworth) from premature death.

What if Shatner’s comments are referring to the JJ Abrams’ movie series?  What if the writer Shatner is referring to has been at work on this movie, which has now been in development for eight years or more?  What if producers are looking to fit not just Chris Pine’s Kirk and Chris Hemsworth’s George into the movie, but also an older version of Kirk, played by Shatner himself?  It would be a monster hit.  It would also serve to wrap up story threads and close the Kelvin-Verse.  I think people would really be behind this idea, and they would flock to the theatres to see William Shatner as Kirk one more time — especially in a JJ Abrams’ big budget film.

To Conclude

There is currently no way to say which one it might be, if any at all.  It could be something totally different.  Also, it might not even happen.  Paramount could squash the whole idea.  There are many iterations of Trek TV streaming at the moment, and they have generally been successful.  The movie series, sadly, has stalled. Paramount seems to leave so many years between films that any momentum they achieve fades before the next instalment. It is a flaw in their production strategy, and Trek on film has suffered as a result.  I’m a massive fan of the newer Kelvin-Verse movies, I love the cast, and I want to see Shatner return for the grand finale.

— TSJ, a true Trekkie, 3 March 2025

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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel

“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop

“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite

“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories

“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest

“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels

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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

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The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007

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TSJ’s Awards

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THE WAR BENEATH:  FIRST PLACE 2018 GLOBAL THRILLER Action / Adventure Category Winner, 2019 Silver Falchion Award Finalist, 2018 CLUE Award Semi-Finalist, 2019 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist, & 2019 CYGNUS Award Shortlister

THE SAVAGE DEEPS:  FIRST PLACE 2020 CYGNUS Award Winner, 2019 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards Finalist, 2022 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist; 2019 CLUE Award Shortlister

FATAL DEPTH: FIRST PLACE 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Award Winner, 2022 Silver Falchion Award Finalist (Best Action Adventure), 2021 CYGNUS Award Semi-Finalist

Praise for THE WAR BENEATH

“If you’re looking for a techno-thriller combining Ian Fleming, Tom Clancy and John Le Carré, The War Beneath will satisfy … a ripping good yarn, a genuine page-turner.” — Amazing Stories
“One very riveting, intelligent read!” — Readers’ Favorite
“If you like novels like The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising,
you will certainly enjoy The War Beneath.” — A Thrill A Week
“If you’re here for thrills, the book will deliver.” — The Cambridge Geek
“… an engaging world that is highly believable …” — The Future Fire
“This is a tense, gripping science fiction/thriller of which Tom Clancy might well be proud . . . When I say it is gripping, that is the simple truth.” — Ardath Mayhar
“… a thrill ride from beginning to end …” — SFcrowsnest
“… if you like Clancy and le Carré with a hint of Forsyth thrown in,
you’ll love The War Beneath.” — Colonel Jonathan P. Brazee (RET),
2017 Nebula Award & 2018 Dragon Award Finalist
“Fast-paced, good old-fashioned Cold War espionage … a great escape!” — The Minerva Reader