Happy Star Trek Day!
Certainly, creator Gene Roddenberry and the world's best fandom have almost everything to do with 60 consecutive years of unparalleled science fiction magic. However, there’s little doubt fans likely wouldn't be celebrating Star Trek’s Diamond anniversary this Sept. 8, if not for one actor in particular: William Shatner.
And the gentleman who brought Captain James T. Kirk to life on the small screen for the first time six decades ago in The Original Series episode “The Man Trap” reflects on Star Trek 60 in a video posted on Instagram by Creations Entertainment, which fans can watch below.
In the video, Shatner not only acknowledges how successful Star Trek has been over the years, but he also believes — despite a temporary lack of television or streaming series in production — that “there’ll be many more” iterations of Trek in the future. And I couldn’t agree with him more.
Each of us is celebrating Star Trek turning the big 60 in our own ways, and every fan certainly has their favorite characters. For me, though, there isn’t a Diamond anniversary celebration without Shatner’s indelible performance as Captain Kirk through the years.
Indeed, when the first television spin-off, The Next Generation, debuted in 1987, vocal supporters of The Original Series loudly came forward, and they did not have any interest in a starship Enterprise under the command of someone other than Captain Kirk.
Fortunately, Star Trek’s ideology of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations (IDIC) paved the way for numerous commanders following on the heels of Kirk's unparralled career, who were eventually embraced by the fandom, like Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Kathryn Janeway, Jonathan Archer, and the list goes on.
Nevertheless, all of Star Trek’s achievements over the years were a direct result of the success The Original Series crew eventually found in syndication, which spilled over into one of the most beloved motion picture franchises to ever grace the Silver Screen. And who can forget Shatner’s unforgettable performance in The Wrath of Khan?
"Khan!"
And although Captain Kirk was unceremoniously killed off in TNG’s Generations movie, I’m still waiting for the powers that be at CBS Studios and Paramount Skydance to finally hand the conn back over to William Shatner for one more adventure — and I believe most if not all the fans feel the same way.
For more Star Trek 60 content and to celebrate the franchise’s Diamond anniversary with us, please visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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