William Shatner did what he could to bring a bit of levity to fans’ days amid the novel coronavirus pandemic by dipping back into his most iconic role, Capt. James T. Kirk.
Since mid-March, the Star Trek actor has been sharing daily Captain’s Log updates — a plot device, usually done for story exposition, on the famed sci-fi TV show and subsequent films — which ran the gamut from his days at home to projects on which he and fellow actors were involved. Shatner has a sizable audience with more than 2.5 million followers on Twitter alone.
He began the Kirk entries March 18, posting, “Captain’s Log: Stardate 1 of self imposed isolation. After having arrived at Planet Home, I was warmly greeted by Emissaries Espresso & Macchiato. I look forward to my planned respite from my normal duties. Kirk out.” Espresso and Macchiato are Shatner’s dogs. He is a well-known animal lover.
And after 100 daily entries, he concluded the series Saturday morning with, “Captain’s Log Stardate 100: I hope you have enjoyed my Captain’s log musings & rantings on the first 100 days of COVID-19 sheltering. It was the least I could do… It was… fun. Oh, my.”
Fans of the Star Trek franchise instantly recognized the closing remarks as those Capt. Kirk says in 1994’s Star Trek: Generations just before the character dies after helping save the day, once again.
Shatner is among numerous stars who have used social media to entertain their audiences during this chaotic time. Others include singer John Legend, who has streamed in-home performances; actor Josh Gad, who read children’s books and created the popular YouTube series, Reunited Apart, and Broadway star Ben Platt, who held an impromptu dance party.
