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Why We Need William Shatner In the Next Trek Film

For many Star Trek fans, the role of Kirk is synonymous with William Shatner; a case for bringing back the original captain of the Enterprise.

By Abdullah MasoodPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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Ladies and gentlemen, as August 2016 draws near, we find ourselves drawn closer and closer to the third Star Trek movie, Star Trek Beyond. Indeed the franchise has done well for itself, coming close to it's 50 year anniversary. With new questions of the future of the Federation things seem to be rather interesting for the future. Justin Lin is at the helm, and things seem to be going full warp speed ahead.

In this, I must put my two cents worth by suggesting the return of the original captain of the Enterprise. No, I do not mean Chris Pine, I mean the 1960s Kirk, William Shatner. Shatner, as many know, was the original James T.Kirk in three seasons of what is now known as the Original Series, one season in the star trek animated series and seven Star Trek movies. For many fans, the role of Kirk is synonymous with Shatner, ending with the death of our great hero off the bridge and into a cliff in the 1994 Star Trek Generations. Here are my reasons:

1) Kirk's death in Generations sucked.

Many fans reacted negatively to this death, seen by most as a worthless attempt to make a defunct movie iconic. Yet, putting Generations aside for a moment, let's consider why putting Shatner back is important. Shatner has been associated with the role of Kirk throughout the decades. Not only for the people that watched the original series episodes as they aired, but also throughout the multiple reruns of the show. The character of Kirk has survived things such as phaser blasts, explosions, even mind melds with pointy-eared, green blooded aliens(though to be honest the only person that would consider those things equivalent to one another would be Bones Mccoy). His death should have been rather fitting for a hero, a dramatic last battle with the Romulans or the Borg perhaps? But whatever the case may be, we , that is to say the fans, were heartened by the return of Kirk to the big screen with the making of Star Trek 2009. Chris Pine stayed faithful to the role, while bringing some of his own remarkable acting skills to the fore. But something still felt missing. That was our old captain.

2) The need for Prime Kirk in at least one of the major movies in the trilogy.

Let's be clear here. We have had Prime Spock in two of the new films in cameos. While Leonard Nimoy is an amazing actor, it does get stale when you bring only one of the original cast twice. Also, a small tie-in with the originals is essential in any major reboot. Whether it be X-men with Prime Magneto and Professor X or Star Wars with C-3PO and the other original actors.

3) The biggest hurdle is the problem with cannon death, and that can easily be solved.

In Sci-fi the biggest advantage you have is the ability to make anything possible. Shatner himself has, rather ironically, written about his comeback in his novel "The Return". Take Professor X for example. Brought back from the dead in Days of Future Past. Now if the directors had taken only The Last Stand as final, they would have been unable to make such a great movie. Plus we already have an alternate timeline.

4) Shatner is already working on the new Star Trek 2017 series.

If Shatner can be used in that we can include him in the movies as well.

Lastly, I would state that if the directors think we fans would like old, fat Bill Shatner acting like Denny Crane in the captain's chair, they're wrong. However we do see him performing as a serious actor to this, his greatest role and that he can bring the charm back. Just needs to lose a few pounds though. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto and the rest are wonderful actors and the last movie should focus on them. But a slight nod of the head towards Shatner, possibly helping out in some small way like Prime Spock, would be appreciated. We've seen the beautiful sunset in the Undiscovered Country. Bring that back for us. For those of you interested in Shatner's return, please visit www.bringbackkirk.com for some even further info. I am also posting this trailer of theirs for your enjoyment.

star trek
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About the Creator

Abdullah Masood

Hi I'm a young guy looking to write on stuff I find interesting and fun so hello and enjoy!

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