To Star Trek fans, William Shatner will always be Captain James T. Kirk.
Some fans still refer to William Shatner as Captain on Twitter even though he’s starred in longer series like T.J. Hooker and Boston Legal. He will always be a part of Star Trek, and though he’s expressed interest in returning to the role if the right material were presented to him, it won’t be in the Kelvin timeline.
Chris Pine took over as Captain Kirk in the Star Trek movies beginning in 2009, He starred for three movies, but a fourth movie is on shaky ground at present. That didn’t stop a Twitter follower from asking Shatner if there was any chance he’d ever make an appearance alongside Chris Pine as one of two Kirks in a future movie. Shatner’s answer was short and succinct.
"Probably not but I’m fine with that."
While it worked to have Leonard Nimoy appear as Spock Prime opposite Zachary Quinto’s young Spock, it would be a difficult to create a plausible story line that would put Shatner’s Kirk in the Kelvin timeline. Of course, that didn’t stop Shatner from putting Pine’s name front and center when he was asked by a Galaxy-Con virtual attendee who he thinks should play him in the event a biopic film were explored.
"I don’t know. [Chris] Pine? Why doesn’t he play me? A good looking, talented guy."
It would make sense that one “good-looking, talented guy” would be perfect to take on the role of another. And while we’re waiting for Shatner’s Kirk to turn up on Star Trek: Picard or another series, we’d definitely be open to a biopic about the actor’s varied career that spans over sixty years and his subsequent rise to stardom.