William Shatner may be preparing to boldly return where no man has returned before (well, maybe a few). The 93-year-old legend revealed that he’s been approached to resurrect Captain Kirk, proving that not even death—or a pile of rocks—can keep a Starfleet captain down.
What did William Shatner say?
Shatner confirmed to his 2.4 million followers he is in talks with Paramount to return to Star Trek.
“Well, I don’t know if you heard; I’ve been approached to resurrect Kirk. It’s all still up in the air️ (or is it buried under some rocks?) Whichever the case I’m waiting to hear what the folks at Paramount have to say,” tweeted Shatner.
Well, I don’t know if you heard🗣️👂🏻🤔; I’ve been approached to resurrect Kirk. 😳 It’s all still up in the air 🌬️ (or is it buried 🪦under some rocks?🪨 🤷🏼😉) Whichever the case I’m waiting to hear what the folks at Paramount have to say. 👇🏻😏 pic.twitter.com/Zm4U0geALc
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) February 25, 2025
Open to a return
Back in May of last year, Shatner said he was open to the idea of a return.
“It’s an intriguing idea,” Shatner told the Canadian Press at the time. “It’s almost impossible. But if it was a great role and so well-written and if there were a reason to be there not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.”
How could William Shatner’s Captain Kirk Return from the dead?
William Shatner made his final appearance over thirty years ago in Star Trek: Generations (1994), where Captain James T. Kirk dies. He’s presumed dead early in the movie when he’s caught in an energy ribbon called the Nexus, but it turns out he was actually trapped inside it. Decades later, Captain Picard finds him in the Nexus and convinces him to leave. The two then battle Dr. Soran, and Kirk ultimately dies after falling from a collapsing bridge while saving millions of lives. His final words? “Oh my.”
Star Trek has brought characters back from the dead before (Spock, anyone?), so a Kirk resurrection wouldn’t be out of the question. Shatner has even written novels where Kirk is revived using Borg technology (referred to as the “Shatnerverse”). Of course, time travel could be another way or even the multiverse.
Shatner suggested to the Canadian press that he could play a younger version of Kirk as he is working with a company specializing in de-aging technology that “takes years off your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are.”
He also joked Kirk could have been frozen: “‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here. There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper [in his hair]. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!’”
Star Trek reboot in the works?
Worth a mention is that Skydance Media is supposed to be purchasing Paramount which is expected to go through this spring. Skydance Media is owned by David Ellison where I’ve been told he’s a big TV/film buff, so a Star Trek reboot could be in the works in some form.
What’s next for Star Trek?
Paramount recently canceled Star Trek: Discovery and ended Star Trek: Lower Decks, were Discovery was wiped from canon. The spinoff movie, Section 31, was also recently released but was slammed by both the critics and fans alike. Strange New Worlds Season 3 will be released this year and the series has been renewed for Season 4.
(note: featured image is fan art)
