Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: Captain James Kirk, star trek, Star Trek: The Original Series, william shatner

Star Trek: "Self-Righteous Strangers" Trying to "Erase" Kirk: Shatner

William Shatner has a theory as to why Paramount+ isn't including Captain James T. Kirk in any of their promotional banners for Star Trek.

To say Star Trek and William Shatner have a complicated relationship would be an understatement. While the Canadian actor's been featured in several promotional videos past and present behind the scenes, we haven't seen his signature Captain James T. Kirk prominently featured on banners like the Star Trek landing page on Paramount+ or Star Trek Day. While Shatner has his legion of fans, some are definitely upset to think there's some slighting of the actor and character given across the better part of 30 years on screen and beyond after his final live-action Kirk appearance in 1994's Generations. "It's not the first time it's been going on for years. It makes no difference to me that a group who thinks they are "enlightened" (or whatever they think they are) obviously feels threatened by the Kirk character. It's a character from a 1960's TV show- get over it.😉🤣" Shatner replied to a fan on social media after writing, "Has anyone at Paramount come out with an official explanation for this MASSIVE FLUB?"

For supposedly making peace with it, Shatner replied to another fan about his theory being Paramount's marketing intent. "It doesn't bother me in the least. A bunch of self righteous strangers thinking they are sending a message by erasing the past? Who is going to forget? It's everywhere. It's so indoctrinated that it will take many generations to be forgotten no matter what they do. Let it be.😑" After Shatner's run, Chris Pine played the Kelvin Universe timeline incarnation in 2009's J.J. Abrams soft cinematic reboot of Star Trek. On the TV front, Paul Wesley plays the pre-The Original Series era Lt. Kirk on the Paramount+ series Strange New Worlds, introduced at the end of season one and having an improved presence in season two, mostly in alternative timeline episodes. While Shatner's surviving TOS co-stars Walter Koenig and George Takei have appeared in the current Trek canon, the actor's all but given up on showing up one last time for the fans with his character's on-screen death in the 1994 film despite writing Kirk's resurrection in his non-canon novel "The Return" in 1996 and a Picard season three Easter Egg at the Daystrom Station. Also doesn't help he won't do a cameo for cameo's sake.

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