William Shatner, 89, reveals he doesn’t watch Star Trek and hasn’t seen Star Trek: Picard … and admits his run as Captain Kirk is ‘pretty well played out’
William Shatner doesn’t watch Star Trek.
The 89-year-old actor is famous across the world for his iconic portrayal of Captain Kirk in the sci-fi franchise but admits that he doesn’t like watching himself back on screen.
Discussing his iconic role in a recent interview with The Guardian, Shatner also revealed that he is yet to see the recent CBS all access series Star Trek: Picard, which features Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
USS Enterprise: William Shatner revealed that he doesn’t watch himself as Captain Kirk on Star Trek and is yet to see the recent CBS all access series Star Trek: Picard in a recent interview with The Guardian
William told The Guardian: ‘Patrick Stewart is a great friend of mine, but I haven’t seen Star Trek: Picard. I haven’t watched any Star Trek. I just don’t like watching myself on television.’
William admits that he has been ‘a ferment of creativity’ during lockdown and is working on both music and television projects.
He explained: ‘I’m in a ferment of creativity. I’m making music and dreaming up new shows – I’m trying to sell two or three series to the networks right now. I’m finishing up a blues album that I started before coronavirus hit.
‘At the same time, I’ve been working with a poet and musician in New York. I perform the words on an iPhone and once I email it he writes the accompaniment, so I’ve got another album all ready.’
William told The Guardian: ‘Patrick Stewart is a great friend of mine, but I haven’t seen Star Trek: Picard. I haven’t watched any Star Trek. I just don’t like watching myself on television.’ (Seen in 1968 as Captain Kirk)
Shatner – who first played Captain Kirk in the original 1960s TV show and then reprised the role seven times on the big screen – recently ruled out returning to the role, as he feels the character ‘is pretty well played out’.
When asked by a fan if he thinks there might be a Kirk TV series on the way, he tweeted: ‘No. I think Kirk’s story is pretty well played out at this point.’
However, Shatner did admit last year that he would love to be part of a ‘Star Trek’ movie directed by Quentin Tarantino.
No reboot: Shatner – who first played Captain Kirk in the original 1960s TV show and then reprised the role seven times on the big screen – recently ruled out returning to the role, as he feels the character ‘is pretty well played out’
William said: ‘Quentin Tarantino said something in the paper that somebody said to me, that he loved me. And Quentin, I love you.
‘If you’re going to do Star Trek 50 years later, a few pounds heavier, come on. Not a problem! Well, I’d like to do it. Whether I’d be up for it, I don’t know.’
If Star Trek: Picard is any indication, there is still a voracious fanbase for content from the USS Enterprise from fans AKA Trekkies.
Success! CBS All Access premiered a new phase in the franchise with Star Trek: Picard in January and announced later that it set a record for streams on the platform
Season one premiered in January of 2020 on the Eye Network’s streaming platform and CBS announced later that it set a record for streams on the platform.
Critics and viewers alike heaped praise on the modernized franchise and Patrick Stewarts reprisal of his famous role was also critically acclaimed.
Season two of Star Trek: Picard is already in the works with a projected premiere date in late 2020 or early 2021, however that may be pushed due to coronavirus.
Captain Picard: Sir Patrick Stewart returned to his famous role as Jean-Luc Picard and was met with rave reviews from critics and fans