Entertainment
William Shatner insists Star Trek creator would be ‘turning in his grave’ over new series-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
The Captain T. Kirk legend isn’t pulling any punches.
Star Trek’s William Shatner rules out Captain Kirk comeback (Picture: Rex)
William Shatner has trashed newer Star Trek series and insisted none of them hold a candle to the OG.
The 91-year-old actor – who, of course, played the Enterprise’s Captain T. Kirk in various TV and movie projects from 1966 to 1994 – has weighed in on the plethora of recent spin-offs, which has included the likes of Strange New Worlds, Picard and Discovery in recent years.
Appearing at San Diego Comic-Con, he was asked by a fan if any of the new Star Trek series rivaled his own.
Shatner ensisted ‘none of them’ come close, and even claimed creator Gene Roddenberry would be disappointed by the way the franchise has gone.
‘I got to know [creator] Gene Roddenberry in three years fairly well,’ he added, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. ‘He’d be turning in his grave at some of this stuff.’
At another point during the discussion, which was being helmed by Kevin Smith, the sci-fi legend was asked to address fans of the other major franchise in the genre, and he kept it typically blunt.
Shatner doesn’t think anything can match the original (Picture: AP)
‘F**k Star Wars,’ he quipped. ‘But not Mark Hamill’, while Smith added: ‘We love Mark Hamill.’
On Thursday, the veteran actor reflected on his first ever experience at a fan convention, and admitted he was terrified of ‘making a Freudian slip’.
He’s got plenty of time for Mark Hamill (Picture: Shutterstock / DFree)
He told Entertainment Weekly: ‘It was early ’70s, in New York, and [I said], “I’m a serious actor, I’m not going to go”. [I was told] “No, no, it’s 15,000 people in a hotel.” So I went and [experienced] the terror of stepping in front of those people and no lines, you know, there are no lines to learn!
‘My biggest fear was making a Freudian slip! You say something inadvertently which may be a little more revealing than you want it to be.’
Meanwhile, any fans hoping to see Shatner back in the Enterprise one day will be disappointed, not least because his character was killed off in 1994’s Star Trek Generations – and he’s repeatedly made it clear he doesn’t want to reprise the role.
‘I think Kirk’s story is pretty well played out at this point,’ he said back in 2020. ‘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?’
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds airs on Paramount+ on Wednesdays.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Star Trek: Strange New Worlds review – Forget timelines, just enjoy the fun ride
Entertainment – MetroRead More
