Star Trek fans hoping to see William Shatner play Capt. James T. Kirk one more time a la Patrick Stewart reprising his character in Picard are in for a letdown. The actor explained Sunday why he would not do a series like Picard, currently streaming on CBS All Access.
“I think Kirk’s story is pretty well played out at this point,” Shatner said on Twitter to one inquiring fan.
Last year, Shatner said he would be interested in playing Kirk one more time when Quentin Tarantino was in talks to do a Star Trek project (which ultimately fell through), but Shatner’s response could have been tongue-in-cheek.
The last time Shatner played Kirk on film was in 1994’s Generations, in which the character was killed. Stewart also appeared in that film as Capt. Picard.
When one Twitter user suggested perhaps a show could re-write his death, Shatner responded, “They could also do adventures in the ribbon…,” which he included with the sleeping and yawn emojis to highlight his sarcasm. The ribbon was a plot device in Generations.
And, no, Shatner has no interest in a Kirk cameo, either.
“I don’t do cameos. It’s a throwaway part to sell DVDs,” he said.
The last time Shatner played Kirk was during the opening of the 85th Academy Awards in 2013.
