William Shatner hasn’t appeared in a Star Trek project for almost two decades, but he is open to returning to his iconic role as Captain James T. Kirk.
Speaking to The Canadian Press recently, Shatner said that he would be willing to appear in the sci-fi franchise again if the right opportunity came up. The 93-year-old acknowledged it was “almost impossible,” however, but could maybe be accomplished via de-aging procedures.
“It’s an intriguing idea,” Shatner said. “It’s almost impossible. But if was a great role and so well-written and if there were a reason to be there not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.”
Shatner went on to say that it could be done using de-aging technology that “takes years off your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are.”
Shatner’s breakthrough role as James T. Kirk
Shatner had been acting for several years before getting the role of James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series. That role, however, would catapult him into superstardom, as he’d star in the series for three years, and then reprise the role in seven different films, the last one of which was 1994’s Star Trek: Generations.
In Generations, Kirk was infamously killed off, and Shatner hasn’t appeared in live-action form in any Star Trek project since. The actor did cook up one way in which they could bring him back, however.
“’We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here,’” said Shatner. “There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper [in his hair]. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!’”
