“Kiddingly, I used to say, well, it’s me.”
Something special happens when a franchise like Star Trek not only develops a devoted fandom but endures the test of time. However, what is the magical ingredient that keeps a popular intellectual property going? For instance, what would the James Bond film series, which started way back in 1962, be without 007? And how can anyone dispute that Godzilla is the face of the kaiju’s movie universe, which began thanks to the must-see Gojira (1954)?
So, how about Star Trek and William Shatner arguably being the face of the science fiction saga for the better part of 30 years (1966-1994)? Well, according to the actor best known for playing James T. Kirk, it isn’t the captain of the USS Enterprise who is responsible for Trek’s 60 longevity. Shatner said in an interview (per TV Insider): “Kiddingly, I used to say, well, it’s me."
"You know, I’ve been around and it turns out, of course, it isn’t me," Shatner said sincerely. "But it doesn’t seem to be any individual either. It seems to be the general concept that, 400 years from now, not only will we humans still be around on Earth, but we’ll be thriving, and the possibilities are there.”
I for one agree with Shatner to an extent. Now, there are many actors who are the face of their own respective series. For instance, Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock and Shatner’s Kirk are without question the ultimate representatives of The Original Series — I'm going to throw DeForest Kelley's beloved Dr. McCoy in there, too — but I’d dare say both Kirk and Spock have more to do with Star Trek’s overall success than Shatner is letting on.
I absolutely agree with all of the following: The Next Generation thrived thanks to Data (Brent Spiner) and Worf (Michael Dorn), and Voyager couldn't have done without Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). Likewise, Lower Decks wouldn't have been anywhere near as funny without Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Mariner (Tawny Newsome).
However, none of these characters, as wonderful as they still are, had the same impact on Star Trek that Kirk and Spock did. Consider this: the fact is that none of these fine actors would have even participated in their respective spinoffs, if it hadn’t been for Shatner and Nimoy's characters lighting the torch and putting the final-frontier franchise on their respective backs from day one on Sept. 8, 1966.
As Captain Kirk once said in TOS, "Beauty survives," and Star Trek is a beautiful thing. However, I will always argue that Trek doesn't make it to a 60th anniversary without Shatner and Nimoy's enormous contributions to the ongoing sci-fi series.
What are your thoughts on Star Trek’s longevity? If you were to pick an actor or two most responsible for the franchise’s longevity, who would you choose, if not Shatner and Nimoy? Share your comments and choices with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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