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Why we shouldn’t expect a Star Trek: Kirk series with William Shatner

By Rachel Carrington

BURBANK, CA - JUNE 02: William Shatner attends the William Shatner's Priceline.com Hollywood Charity Horse Show Hosted By Wells Fargo at Los Angeles Equestrian Center on June 2, 2018 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
BURBANK, CA - JUNE 02: William Shatner attends the William Shatner's Priceline.com Hollywood Charity Horse Show Hosted By Wells Fargo at Los Angeles Equestrian Center on June 2, 2018 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images) /
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Star Trek: Picard brought one of our favorite captains back to the screen

Though reviews differ on whether or not Star Trek: Picard is a good or bad thing for series star Sir Patrick Stewart, it has brought the iconic captain back into the spotlight. And has given Star Trek fans something else to discuss. (For the record, I enjoy the series and am looking forward to the second season, whenever that may be.) That said, with the series returning for season 2, the natural question is, of course, could we ever see a Star Trek: Kirk with William Shatner?

It’s not surprising that Trekkies would want to follow Captain Kirk’s later years even though he died in Star Trek: Generations. On Star Trek, death is a minor annoyance that can be fixed with robots or Genesis planets. Fans naturally want to know what Kirk would be up to and how he could save the galaxy a few more times. Unfortunately, Shatner himself nixed the idea of returning to a series when he spoke with Rolling Stone magazine about the release of his blues album, The Blues, which debuts on October 2nd. And the reason why is quite understandable.

"I filmed a commercial yesterday and it took 12 hours. I got home and fell into bed. I got up this morning to do these interviews and I’m exhausted. I don’t know what Patrick is going to do to film the way a series takes it out of you. A series is 14 hours a day and then on the weekend you’re doing publicity. It’s all your time. I’m having a good time and I have time to ride my horses and pay attention to my family, so I’d never do another series like that."

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Shatner’s insistence is disappointing to fans who think a Kirk television series could be the catalyst to improve the Star Trek franchise. But, in all fairness, the actor is constantly busy, and he’s only six months away from his 90th birthday. So undertaking a series at this stage in his life would be taxing enough, but add everything else he’s doing into the mix, and sleeping would become a scarce commodity. And it’s clear Shatner is enjoying his life his way. And speaking of this 90th birthday, the actor intends to celebrate that uniquely as well.

"I just want to keep breathing. I’m going to celebrate breathing."

Next. Ratings for current Star Trek series may be hindering a big budget film release. dark

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