William Shatner – Kirk vs. The Man
By Ketwolski
With the recent birthday celebrated by famed actor William Shatner, the RAD crew reflects on their favorite and most bizarre moments from the iconic figure.
William Shatner.
Most notably known for his portrayal as Captain (Admiral) James T. Kirk, he is now one of, if not the most recognizable name in show business.
But that fame and recognition comes at a steep price: typecasting.
Mark Hamil is Luke Skywalker. Harrison Ford is Han Solo/Indiana Jones. Nathan Fillion is Malcolm Reynolds. And William Shatner is James T. Kirk.
As a Trekkie, I sometimes struggle to draw up an image in my mind of William Shatner that doesn’t include him in the Starfleet uniform.
And while William Shatner has enjoyed his rise to Sci-Fi stardom, he sometimes gets a little…well angry.
Or rather, he doesn’t act like ‘Kirk’ would in a real-life situation.
When you spend years watching an actor portray someone who is always honorable, truthful and kind…it’s a bit of a shock to hear that exact same person act completely different in real life.
And while sometimes this ends badly when interacting with fans, William Shatner is most notorious for his antics with fellow Trek cast members.
He has a long-standing blood feud with George Takie, and he had an on-off relationship with Leonard Nimoy.
But does this make him a ‘bad guy’? No. It makes him human just like the rest of us.
Hearing that might shatter a few Trekkies realities, but the simple truth is: William Shatner is a flawed human being with likes and dislikes, good days and bad days.
Hating on him for being human and not your idea of ‘Kirk’ is foolish and actually goes against the ideas of what Star Trek stand for. Learning more about the human condition and bettering ourselves.
NEXT: 10 Reasons Picard Was The Best Captain
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