If Shatner had been unavailable, what actor of the period would you want as Kirk?
I might be voting for a dark horse candidate, but I would cast Don Matheson. He had a lot of natural authority and stage presence on Land of the Giants, which also showcased his gift for staging fistfights (a Kirk must). He was six-foot-two and well-built, with a deep voice, so he had all the superficial stuff locked down, and I think his persona on LotG would have made a great starship captain. You never doubted that he was a brilliant engineer as well as being a tough guy. He played super-intelligent and macho at the same time, and made it work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Matheson
I might be voting for a dark horse candidate, but I would cast Don Matheson. He had a lot of natural authority and stage presence on Land of the Giants, which also showcased his gift for staging fistfights (a Kirk must). He was six-foot-two and well-built, with a deep voice, so he had all the superficial stuff locked down, and I think his persona on LotG would have made a great starship captain. You never doubted that he was a brilliant engineer as well as being a tough guy. He played super-intelligent and macho at the same time, and made it work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Matheson