Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, TV | Tagged: bruce campbell, paramount, star trek, william shatner

Star Trek: William Shatner Not Feeling Bruce Campbell's Kirk Swap

Bruce Campbell thinks he would make a good Star Trek captain but William Shatner made it clear in a response that Kirk is already covered.

Published Thu, 29 Feb 2024 07:38:07 -0600

by Tom Chang

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Article Summary

Bruce Campbell playfully suggests he’d make a great Star Trek captain.
William Shatner dismisses Campbell's photo-edited captain claim with emojis.
Just imagine Campbell in Star Trek roles - from dashing rogues to mischievous Qs.
Paramount should consider casting Campbell in a Star Trek project - maybe Starfleet Academy?

File this under "How is this not a thing?" but Bruce Campbell has never taken part in two of the biggest space franchises in his over four-decade career in Star Trek and Star Wars. A fan responded to a convention photo commenting on a "Groovy" time he had, a play on his signature character Ash from the Evil Dead franchise and his catchphrase writing, "Bruce, you'd make a good Star Trek captain" adding a picture of a cat in a red Starfleet uniform. The actor took it a step further and photoshopped his head over William Shatner's as Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series, adding, "Yes, I would," offering a subtle smirk. Shatner reacted with flushed and eye-rolling emojis.

Bruce Campbell Wishes William Shatner Well on His Real Life Star Trek — L – Bruce Campbell / R – William Shatner in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Images courtesy of Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com & Paramount Pictures

Star Trek: Can We Make Room for Bruce Campbell?!

This begs the question, how was this not a thing? There are so many roles Campbell could have played in the Star Trek universe, aside from the overconfident captain *nudge nudge*. For starters, his natural charisma could easily fit a dashing rogue like a Thadiun Okona (Billy Campbell) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. He could also play one of several Q from the Continuum, and there are several opportunities beyond what was afforded John de Lancie. Hell, how devilishly fun would it be if Campbell's Q poked around with Anson Mount's Christopher Pike on Paramount's Strange New Worlds? Rainn Wilson's Harry Mudd took TOS several notches up on Discovery, and it would be interesting how Q would wreak more havoc on the crew.
We don't even have to stay exclusive to live-action. The animated series Lower Decks would also benefit from Campbell's comedic talent playing some relative to Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) and/or having some misadventure with Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), conning his way to some treasure or some other forbidden artifact. The possibilities are endless. Let's make it happen, Paramount!