William Shatner Confirms Talks for Star Trek Return at 93 Years Old

[Dar70]

Let's not be age-ist. I think it could be a good thing to see Kirk at 90+ years of age. I enjoyed seeing Dr. McCoy at 130+ years of age in TNG. Of course Kirk wouldn't be doing things he could do at 35 or 65, but he would have more wisdom, and of course having more experience and experiences would be a benefit to anyone who cares to consult him.

This is true. But I don't think Shatner wants that..he has often said he doesn't want a bit part. Unless he has changed his mind I don't see how a two hour movie with a 90+ year old Kirk would NOT be disappointing. I guess they could have Shatner sitting in a captains chair the entire time or consulting a Captain whilst sitting nearby. But I really don't want to see that. The time to do something like this was 15 years ago. Shatner was able to walk much better back than. He has really slowed the last few years.

 

[Phoenix219]

Seriously, what I would do is asap get a script written for the fourth Kelvin film and incorporate Kirk from "Unification" in it.

At the end of "Unification," the resurrected Kirk Prime was transported to the Kelvin timeline to be with Spock Prime when Spock died. That occurred, apparently, shortly before Star Trek Beyond.

I'd like to see one more Kelvin film to close out the series (at least). Use Shatner's Kirk Prime and use the CGI for the aging. Or, heck, maybe say that he is now aging faster, I don't know. Have Shatner/Kirk Prime meet Kelvin Kirk, Spock, and Bones. Have some story where Kirk-Prime sacrifices his life to save the Kelvin crew. What's more, I bet there's a way to do that story so that Shatner's is in just as much as Nimoy was in ST. 2009. Maybe have the movie about Kirk-Prime enlisting the Enterprise-A crew to save New Vulcan to do something for Spock memory.

I am so split on this idea. I really dislike the Kelvin movies, but its the logical step to make from where the narrative is at this moment.

If it establishes Kelvin as an alt-U and not a time-travel-U I think I could dig it.

At this point I'm okay with anything that gives Shatner a decent, respectful role.

 

[rocketscientist]

This is true. But I don't think Shatner wants that..he has often said he doesn't want a bit part. Unless he has changed his mind I don't see how a two hour movie with a 90+ year old Kirk would NOT be disappointing. I guess they could have Shatner sitting in a captains chair the entire time or consulting a Captain whilst sitting nearby. But I really don't want to see that. The time to do something like this was 15 years ago. Shatner was able to walk much better back than. He has really slowed the last few years.

Well, you're right that the timing is definitely not ideal.

I think, if it could happen, you'd have to do something with a stand in like they did with Unification.

Have some story where we see the back of Kirk or Kirk from a distance. In Act III, it's found that the guy at the end, who the Enterprise-A is trying to get to, or that meets them at their objective, is Kirk-Prime. Degage Shatner some. He only acts for a short time in Act 3 of the film and interacts with Kelvin Kirk, Spock, and Bones.

 

[Dukhat]

Shatner will be dead by the time Paramount actually starts filming a new movie.

 

[rocketscientist]

Maybe Kirk Prime could go back in time and prevent the destruction of Old Vulcan.

I wouldn't do that. Again, they could and should just incorporate the Unification resurrection of Kirk, which places Kirk in the Kelvin timeline just before Star Trek Beyond, which, of course, is after the destruction of Vulcan.

 

[rocketscientist]

Shatner will be dead by the time Paramount actually starts filming a new movie.

'
Maybe so, though I don't care to speculate.

I personally think that if they actually wanted to make another Kelvin film, or even a successful ST film, they'd run with that Unification short.

But, seeing as how they have talked for years now about a fourth Kelvin film, yeah, I'm not holding my breath. I think it's a huge shame what they've done with the franchise these past few years with regard to theatrical films which is basically nothing. The last 3 films have some of the highest critical scores ever. Paramount got cold feet because Beyond didn't pull in as much as they expected/wanted it to, despite highly positive critical and audience reviews.

But, given time and adding Shatner's Kirk Prime could be a boon for one last Kelvin film.

 

[Dukhat]

It's gotten to be a huge joke these days. Every year or two, Paramount makes some announcement that they're going to produce another Trek film, and it never happens. The latest BS (something about a prequel to the Kelvin timeline) was supposed to start filming last December. As far as we know, nothing has happened. Not even an announcement that they've even cast anyone yet.

Shatner ain't coming back. At least not for a feature film.

 

[The Wormhole]

Shatner will be dead by the time Paramount actually starts filming a new movie.

At this rate, I expect all of us to be dead of old age by the time Paramount actually starts filming a new theatrical movie. I'll be genuinely surprised if they begin filming one before I turn 93.

 

[Phoenix219]

Yistaan's right. This was related in Nimoy's book, I Am Spock, right Vistaan?

There was nothing there about the cancer that later caused Kelly's death.

Berman really blew it with Nimoy. As Nimoy says in the book (or an interview, I can't remember which), Berman gave him the script, Nimoy read it, and then had a meeting with Berman. Nimoy said he had big problems with the script, and that it needed a major rewrite. Berman said they were already in production and that couldn't happen, so Nimoy walked.

Later, Ronald Moore admitted that Nimoy was absolutely right about the Generations script that he and Brannon Braga had written. He said they had blown the story and that the death of Kirk, in particular, failed to have the resonance they wanted it to have. I don't put all the blame on them, however, as, apparently there were stipulated rules/conditions on how the TOS characters would be used in the script. I don't know if these rules were from the Paramount execs themselves or from Berman, but they were there. Basically, Spock and Bones could be used in the beginning, but after that, they were gone. Kirk could be in the beginning and the end. I think it was hard for Moore and Braga to fit a story to those conditions.

Nimoy wanted a more integrated role for the TOS cast that ultimately had them working alongside the TNG cast. Maybe have Kirk transported through time and meeting up with the aged McCoy and Spock?

I have no doubt that Generations would've been better if Berman had looped in Nimoy earlier. Nimoy said he had never done a project where he wasn't involved with the script right from the beginning and was angry at Berman for his treatment of him as a director.

It led to Paramount giving the cold shoulder to Nimoy until Abrama, Orci, and Kurtzmann came to see him to get him in ST 2009. That's why Ambassador Spock never showed up on DS9 or in the TNG films, even though Nimoy was open and, from my reading, really interested in guest starring again.

wow.

that just goes to show that they never had any actual intent at respecting or uniting with TOS - it was a road bump to get out of the way so they could get movies. Guess all that modern era B&B apologist stuff was a bit premature. With those kinds of rules? Its like saying, these things are not supposed to and not GOING to mix.


Fuck those guys.

 

[Dukhat]

wow.

that just goes to show that they never had any actual intent at respecting or uniting with TOS - it was a road bump to get out of the way so they could get movies. Guess all that modern era B&B apologist stuff was a bit premature. With those kinds of rules? Its like saying, these things are not supposed to and not GOING to mix.


Fuck those guys.

Well, if by 'those guys,' you mean Paramount, then I would agree with you. Because they were the ones who came up with the laundry list of stuff that they forced on Berman, Braga and Moore for this film, which culminated in the convoluted mess we ended up getting. I'm not trying to be a Berman apologist, but in this case his hands were tied.

 

[fireproof78]

wow.

that just goes to show that they never had any actual intent at respecting or uniting with TOS - it was a road bump to get out of the way so they could get movies. Guess all that modern era B&B apologist stuff was a bit premature. With those kinds of rules? Its like saying, these things are not supposed to and not GOING to mix.


Fuck those guys.

Welcome to why I don't take Berman era very seriously. It started with TMP to loosen ties to TOS and slowly cut them off.

 

[rocketscientist]

It's gotten to be a huge joke these days. Every year or two, Paramount makes some announcement that they're going to produce another Trek film, and it never happens. The latest BS (something about a prequel to the Kelvin timeline) was supposed to start filming last December. As far as we know, nothing has happened. Not even an announcement that they've even cast anyone yet.

Shatner ain't coming back. At least not for a feature film.

Yeah, Paramount has just continued to let the fans down. I personally have no interest in their prequel film at all.

Like I said, I'd like to see at least one more Kelvin film. I think it'd be good for that film and for the fans if Shatner's Kirk Prime was in it. The heavy lifting has already been done with the Unification Short.

 

[Phoenix219]

Yeah, Paramount has just continued to let the fans down. I personally have no interest in their prequel film at all.

Like I said, I'd like to see at least one more Kelvin film. I think it'd be good for that film and for the fans if Shatner's Kirk Prime was in it. The heavy lifting has already been done with the Unification Short.

I don't like a LOT about those movies, but Pine himself, if given a script written for TOS Kirk, could have completely pulled it off. Unfortunately, he was rarely/barely written that way.

 

[rocketscientist]

wow.

that just goes to show that they never had any actual intent at respecting or uniting with TOS - it was a road bump to get out of the way so they could get movies. Guess all that modern era B&B apologist stuff was a bit premature. With those kinds of rules? Its like saying, these things are not supposed to and not GOING to mix.


Fuck those guys.

Well, I think Ron Moore would've loved to written a TOS-TNG crossover alongside Leonard Nimoy and Shatner, him being a huge TOS fan. Braga was never a TOS fan, but he admitted that the death of Kirk was a failure too.

The guy who I don't think liked or ever got TOS was Berman. Ira Steven Beher had to actually fight Berman for Spock's name to even be mentioned in the TNG episode "Sarek." He went on of how Berman had a rule that none of the TOS characters could be mentioned on TNG at the time. Beher went on to say how ridiculous those rules were, considering the ship was the Enterprise-D, named after the original USS Enterprise and how Sarek, undergoing a mental breakdown, would likely mention Spock's name. Finally, he was able to wear Berman down to get one mention of Spock in "Sarek."

Of course, by the time of Star Trek VI and the appearance of Spock on TNG, that rule was apparently gone. Scotty showed up and the TOS Klingons on DS9, etc.

I don't think Berman loved or ever understood TOS. To him, Star Trek was defined by TNG. I think that's why under his auspices Voyager and Enterprise resembled TNG in tone and format. IMO, Berman never ever should have been the producers of the TNG films. He was no Harve Bennett, Nimoy, or Nicholas Meyer.

Some fans might not like it, but the original show, Star Trek, is the basis of the entire franchise. It lasted for years by itself in syndication and grew more and more popular, leading to 6 feature films, 7 if you count Generations and 10 if you include the Kelvin films.

TNG grew right out of the popularity of the Star Trek 2-3 trilogy. Heck, even most of the Ent-Ds sets were taken from the movie Enterprise's sets. When the TOS cast came back to film ST5, all their sets were gone or in disrepair (e.g. the bridge), because of TNG.

 

[rocketscientist]

I don't like a LOT about those movies, but Pine himself, if given a script written for TOS Kirk, could have completely pulled it off. Unfortunately, he was rarely/barely written that way.

Sorry you didn't like them. I get it. Either the tone of those films, being heavy on the action and sfx, or the recast didn't work all the fans. Nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[rocketscientist]

Well, if by 'those guys,' you mean Paramount, then I would agree with you. Because they were the ones who came up with the laundry list of stuff that they forced on Berman, Braga and Moore for this film, which culminated in the convoluted mess we ended up getting. I'm not trying to be a Berman apologist, but in this case his hands were tied.

So the rules were definitely from Paramount and not Berman?

 

[Dukhat]

Yeah, Paramount has just continued to let the fans down. I personally have no interest in their prequel film at all.

Like I said, I'd like to see at least one more Kelvin film. I think it'd be good for that film and for the fans if Shatner's Kirk Prime was in it. The heavy lifting has already been done with the Unification Short.

I respectfully disagree. Shatner does not need to come back as Kirk. His days playing that character are over, and others such as Pine and Wesley are just fine without him.

 

[Phoenix219]

Sorry you didn't like them. I get it. Either the tone of those films, being heavy on the action and sfx, or the recast didn't work all the fans. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Could have dealt with a lot of it, but I dislike the new Enterprise in almost every single possible way. Discoprise with Kelvin cast would have worked for me. Keeping it styled like the Kelvin would have worked for me.

Not destroying Vulcan and displacing Spock's entire character arc.... would have worked for me.

Not using the entire TOS cast at such an early point, and mixing in characters like Mitchell.... would have worked for me.

There were decent elements but I never liked the way they were assembled.

Into Darkness should have stayed far away from Khan. If they had to come close, he should have just been one of the OTHER super-men. By the end of that movie it was in parody mode for me.

 

[rocketscientist]

Could have dealt with a lot of it, but I dislike the new Enterprise in almost every single possible way. Discoprise with Kelvin cast would have worked for me. Keeping it styled like the Kelvin would have worked for me.

Not destroying Vulcan and displacing Spock's entire character arc.... would have worked for me.

Not using the entire TOS cast at such an early point, and mixing in characters like Mitchell.... would have worked for me.

There were decent elements but I never liked the way they were assembled.

Into Darkness should have stayed far away from Khan. If they had to come close, he should have just been one of the OTHER super-men. By the end of that movie it was in parody mode for me.

Sounds like the 2009 movie definitely didn't work for you.

It's kind of interesting to me how both the Kelvin films and Discovery/Strange New Worlds have re-envisioned the original Enterprise. I agree with you that the "Discoprise" definitely looked much much closer to the original ship. I appreciated that attempt to really try to design something that fit better with the look of the original Enterprise, both inside and out.

That said, unlike you, I also really liked the design of the Ryan Church enterprise in ST 2009 too. The bridge and the other sets were good too, although I didn't care Budengineering.

And, yeah, I liked Into Darkness a lot, but they blew it with Khan. They did not play fair with regard to the fans with that. First, Cumberbatch looked nothing like Khan, second, when fans figured it out, they denied it. Third, as Nicholas Meyer said, if you're going to kill a major character, why bring him back a few minutes later.

See, if it wasn't Khan, Abrams, Orci, and Kurtzmann would never have had that inverted TWOK scene with Kirk dying to begin with.

Of course, Spock wouldn't have gone on that rampage either.

 

[rocketscientist]

I respectfully disagree. Shatner does not need to come back as Kirk. His days playing that character are over, and others such as Pine and Wesley are just fine without him.

Fine what that.

BTW, what do you think of Wesley's portrayal? I haven't gotten into SNW yet.

I think Pine is great as Kirk though. I thought that would be the hardest character to cast and I think Abrams got the right guy.