3 Star Trek episodes we recommend you watch for William Shatner’s 92nd birthday

William Shatner turned 92 years old on March 22 and we have some suggestions for fans to watch today.

William Shatner, the now 92-year-old actor, is most known to Star Trek fans as Captain James T. Kirk. While it’s not the only thing that he’s done, Trek is the property that launched him to the next level. He became a household name thanks to Trek, and even became a movie star, to a degree, because of Trek.

Shatner was James Kirk in four different decades and spent 28 years as Captain Kirk, starting with the Original Series in 1966 and ending in 1994 with Star Trek Generations. During that span, Shatner helped raise the profile of Star Trek to heights never before imagined. He turned a failed television show into a successful film franchise and left when the brand was on top.

Now at 92 years old, and Shatner himself admitting he doesn’t have long in this world, we thought we’d recommend the three best episodes where Shatner got the most out of James Kirk. This is the second year we’ve done this, so if you’re looking for some specific episodes, we may have suggested them already last year.

Three Star Trek properties to watch on William Shatner’s birthday

Mirror, Mirror

Splitting time between two roles as both James T. Kirk and his evil mirror counterpart, Shatner shines in “Mirror, Mirror”. Easily one of the most celebrated episodes in Star Trek history, as it not only highlighted a fun new dynamic for the show’s second season but also established a brand new concept for future shows to explore. If Shatner didn’t deliver on his portrayal here, it may have been far too campy and the Mirror Universe may have never taken off as it did.

The City on the Edge of Forever

To save Leonard McCoy and the rest of the time, Kirk has to let the love of his life die. A stellar episode, carried brilliantly in part by Shatner. It’s again another episode that could hurt the franchise had Shatnr not delivered the performance he did, especially across the final 10 minutes.

Arena

Shatner fights a guy in a giant rubber suit. What more do you need to know?