3 of the best James Kirk episodes in Star Trek to celebrate William Shatner

Happy 91st birthday to Star Trek legend William Shatner!

The man who brought James Kirk to life in the original Star Trek series, William Shatner, is 91 years old! The veteran actor has been acting on some screen since the 1950s, and helped launch Star Trek into the phenomenon it is today.

Despite his advanced age, Shatner still looks remarkably young and is incredibly youthful and spry, and still actively rides horses. A long-time passion of his. He’s even still starring in films, like with 2021’s Senior Moment.

He’s also a space traveler for real, going up in the Blue Origin space shuttle in 2021 alongside Jeff Bezos.

As usual with birthdays, we’re looking at three of the best episodes in Shatner’s career to help celebrate the living legend.

Three of the best James Kirk episodes to watch on William Shatner’s birthday.

The Enemy Within – Season 1, Episode 5

The premise for this episode sees James Kirk split into two distinct personalities, and with a premise like that, you have to nail the acting. That’s because the acting for this episode had to be the best it could be or it would have been comical to see Shatner trying to play two distinct personalities. Shatner pulled it off and the evil Kirk is among the more terrifying characters in Trek history.

The Trouble with Tribbles – Season 2, Episode 15

This is certainly a more light-hearted James Kirk, who’s dealing with an outbreak of Tribbles, who breed extremely fast. So many iconic moments from the series happened in this episode, namely when Kirk is swamped by falling Tribbles. There’s a great B-plot that sees Montgomery Scott and Pavel Chekov get into it with Klingons over the Enterprise.

Balance of Terror – Season 1, Episode 14

The Balance of Terror is a more reserved role. The crew of the Enterprise engages in a battle with the long-mysterious Romulans, who up until that point have never been seen. Shatner plays a more cerebral version of Kirk, putting in a performance that really hammers home the threat that exists in facing off with the Romulans.