Highlights
- William Shatner admits his portrayal of Kirk’s final scene fell short of his vision, desiring a chance to redo it.
- Kirk’s death scene in Star Trek Generations underwent revisions, emphasizing his humanity and iconic status.
- Fans await the documentary for insights into Shatner’s portrayal of Captain Kirk and his lasting impact on Star Trek.
William Shatner, Star Trek‘s legendary Captain Kirk, has recently shared his perspective on the iconic final scene of his memorable role. Decades after its original airing, the actor confesses that he would approach the scene differently if given the chance.
Now at the age of 93, Shatner is the central figure in the forthcoming documentary William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill, which serves as a retrospective of his illustrious 70-year career. Within this documentary, Shatner delves into his experiences on the set of Star Trek, a period of immense significance in his professional journey. Reflecting on this pivotal time, Shatner candidly expresses a wish to revisit and potentially revise a specific scene from the series, highlighting his dedication to his craft and his continual pursuit of perfection.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant during the documentary’s promotional tour, William Shatner discussed the iconic scene of Kirk’s final words “Oh my” from Star Trek Generations. He candidly admitted, “I never quite hit it,” expressing a desire to redo the scene. Shatner elaborated on his vision of Kirk as a character defined by curiosity and courage, acknowledging that his portrayal at that moment did not align with his initial intentions and was not his best performance.
Shatner elaborated on his approach:
The thing an actor can bring to a written word is the interpretation of how to say it. I love you. I love you. I love you. Variations on the words. So if the writer has written I love you, and the actor gets a hold of it and does something totally unthought of, that’s a big deal. The director either gets upset or goes with it. In this case, I thought of Kirk as being so courageous in life that when he faced things that he didn’t know about, like the strange, the weird… the entities that the writers thought up, when he faced death, he would face death with a sense of adventure. ‘Oh, what’s going to happen now?’ So I ad libbed, Oh my.’ And I wanted that ‘Oh my’ to be ‘Oh my,’ like, dreading it but, but looking forward to the adventure – somewhere in between, you know, and it would be very obvious to you what he was thinking. And I never quite hit it. I never quite got that nuance that I was looking for. I had another couple of takes, but they didn’t understand what I was doing.”He further explained: “Every time he faced an animal, an entity, he didn’t say, ‘Oh my’ [with fear or disdain], he would say, ‘Oh, my look at that. I wonder if it’s going to eat me?’ You know? I think that was his attitude.
Shatner emphasized Kirk’s defining traits of courage, curiosity, and adventure. He envisioned Kirk as someone who approached the unknown with a mix of both fear and excitement, embracing life’s mysteries. Seeking to convey this, Shatner aimed to portray Kirk’s final scene with a blend of dread and anticipation, symbolizing everything this character stands for. However, he now believes the scene fell short of these expectations.
The scene where Kirk meets his end has been a topic of fan discussion for years. In the original version of Star Trek Generations, Captain Kirk’s demise on Veridian III was met with criticism for its lack of grandeur. His revised death, a result of a fall from a broken railing, offered a more poignant moment alongside Picard. This alteration, while disappointing for some, underscored Kirk’s humanity amidst his legendary status. Ultimately, both versions serve to emphasize Kirk’s noble character and the inevitability of mortality, grounding him as a remarkable yet fallible captain. Even three decades later, certain Star Trek fans remain unsatisfied with the franchise’s handling of Captain Kirk’s death.
As the release date of the documentary approaches, anticipation mounts among fans eager to gain further insight into Shatner’s storied career and his enduring legacy as Captain Kirk. Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the documentary promises to offer a comprehensive exploration of Shatner’s iconic portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk and his enduring impact on the Star Trek universe. Scheduled for release on March 20, William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill will certainly provide audiences with a deeper understanding of the man behind the legendary character and the indelible mark he has left on popular culture.
William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill is scheduled for release on March 20.
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