The Masked Singer unmasks a Star Trek legend

Spoilers ahead: The Masked Singer didn’t really surprise anyone with the latest unmasking of a Star Trek icon.

If you’re a fan of The Masked Singer, the singing competition show where everyone is masked and the judges try to guess who’s underneath, then you probably watched the September 21st premiere of Season 8. During last night’s episode, viewers were introduced to the Knight. Dressed in armor and riding a golden goose, the Knight could not have been more obvious to Star Trek fans once he started singing.  I’m guessing it’s not going to take you more than one guess to figure out who’s belting out “Puttin on the Ritz.”

At the end of the episode, the audience voted the Knight off, and his mask was removed, revealing William Shatner. As well as being known as Captain James T. Kirk, William Shatner has recorded several spoken-word albums and had a long-run as the spokesman for Priceline. It’s fair to say that his voice is well-known.

Star Trek legend, William Shatner, was excited about being on The Masked Singer.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Shatner said he had a number of things coming up to promote, and he knew this was a very popular show. The 91-year-old said it was an extraordinary experience, though, he wasn’t a fan of the costume as it didn’t allow for a lot of oxygen.

"The Masked Singer is the most extraordinary experience I’ve ever had. Well, I mean, the wardrobe was impossible. You can’t see, you can’t breathe, you can’t hear, you can’t think. There was no oxygen in there. I had a panic thinking, “Wait a minute, I can’t breathe. And I’m supposed to sing.” You know how you sing? You take a breath and air comes out. That’s how you sing, and I couldn’t get a breath. It was incredible."

Shatner described the secrecy as a huge part of the production and detailed what it was like once he’d agreed to sing on the show.

"Not only that, they want you to keep it absolutely secret. So they send a guy with a black hat and a black suit. And they put a chain around your neck. And so they follow you everywhere. From the moment I left, this guy in a black suit and black hat followed me everywhere I went and would kick me in the shins if I ever mentioned the name, like if I said costume, or if I said anything pertaining to the show. No, I’m only kidding. But it was like that to an extent. They said, “Don’t talk about anything. Don’t say anything.”"

So what does Shatner have coming up that he wanted to promote?

"And this was this wonderful show that’s very popular, and maybe I could do it, and when I’m publicizing that show, I could get some publicity for my book that’s coming out in a couple of weeks, called Boldly Go, or a watch that I’ve designed that NASA likes and they put NASA on the wristband. And that’s coming out soon. My show, The UnXplained, is on the History Channel and Netflix and is trending incredibly well. I’ve got two documentaries, one biography, and the other a story about my performance at Kennedy Center, which is also an album. And then an NFT is coming out soon."

When asked when he plans to settle down/retire, Shatner responded with “I think maybe in 15-20 years.” So maybe we’ll see him on another talent competition!