Flashback Friday: That time the Animaniacs roasted William Shatner

The Animaniacs weren’t ones to pull punches, even with Star Trek’s William Shatner.

Fans of Star Trek will undoubtedly enjoy much that William Shatner does, inside and outside of Star Trek. His career is long and distinguished and despite being 90 years old, is quite spry and quick-witted. That doesn’t mean that he avoided getting ribbed by others in the industry. So it should come as no surprise that the popular animated series Animaniacs took some playful jabs at Shatner’s expense during its original run.

In the 60th episode of the first season, the show spoofs Shatner, who was voiced perfectly by Maurice LaMarche, the voice of the Brain and Squit.

The segment would see Shatner, who was identified as Willie Slackmer for the purpose of parody, “singing” at a children’s karaoke event. Shatner is of course known for his spoken word albums, often covering songs of famous artists with his most well-known one being “Rocket Man” by Elton John.

It was a topic that the cartoon took much enjoyment in mocking.

During the bit, Slackmer refuses to yield the mic as he performs for a crowd of toddlers, annoying the Warner siblings, prompting them to berate and harass Slackmer until he finished his set. After seemingly obtaining victory, the Warners are shocked to find out that another Star Trek personality was spoofed, much to their chagrin.

The Animaniacs’s parody of William Shatner was beautiful

Whether or not you find Shatner to be talented or even enjoyable, his bountiful collection of works has been well documented and has endured for decades. His spoof at the hands of the Animaniacs and the Warner siblings is just one of those many instances.

In fact, not too long ago we highlighted a video of Shatner critiquing other famous actors impersonating him. It was delightful, especially with the ones that Shatner seemingly gave his seal of approval towards.

The Animaniacs sketch was just another example of people doing their best Shanter impersonation. On a show that was never shy to criticize celebrities, and do their own impersonations, it stands out among their very best.