Shatner Suggests That Moderns Feel Threatened by Capt. Kirk

I’m an actor, not an activist! That’s a line that a lot of modern entertainment gurus apparently need to hear. According to actor William Shatner, Paramount will not be bringing back his iconic character of Captain Kirk and will continue to sideline Kirk because people “feel threatened” by the heroic starship officer.

A strong male leader who defies the odds — and sometimes the rules — to be the main hero? That’s almost as offensive as misgendering a hulking dude in a dress! Some of us might be okay with Captain Kirk not being resurrected again from the standpoint that Shatner played the role best, but it does seem mystifying that so many recent Star Trek ads or graphics excluded Kirk. Fans might love all the supporting characters of the original cast, and all the newer characters that came after, but Captain Kirk was essential in making Star Trek the hugely popular franchise it is.

Fox News reported that the subject of Kirk’s phase-out originally came up after Twitter/X fans wanted to know Shatner’s reaction to Sir Patrick Stewart’s announcement that a new movie is in the works. Stewart will again be playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard. “I think that a new movie with Sir Patrick is wonderful news,” Shatner affirmed. Then another user asked, “But will we ever see Captain Kirk again?” Shatner replied, “All you have to do is look at the Paramount+ graphics to answer that question. 😉” 

The actor included a screenshot of Paramount+’s Star Trek section, with four images — and Kirk nowhere in sight. The section’s main image compilation showed Leonard Nimoy as Spock, Kirk’s iconic second-in-command from the original series, but not Kirk, the series’ main star.

All you have to do is look at the Paramount+ graphics to answer that question. 😉 https://t.co/B4Rc9iUJGZ pic.twitter.com/uJEqIL7QZ7

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) January 6, 2024

User Chris Kinney asked, “Has anyone at Paramount come out with an official explanation for this MASSIVE FLUB?” According to Shatner, however, the erasure of Kirk is deliberate, not an accident. 

“It’s not the first time it’s been going on for years,” Shatner tweeted on Jan. 7. “It makes no difference to me that a group who think they are ‘enlightened’ (or whatever they think they are) obviously feels threatened by the Kirk character. It’s a character from a 1960’s TV show- get over it.😉🤣” And since most conservatives aren’t likely to find Kirk “threatening,” I’m guessing Kirk is a victim of lefty cancel culture.

There were definitely undertones of progressivism and liberalism in the original Star Trek show, and I’d guess Shatner is no conservative. But it does make sense that the masculine, weapon-wielding Kirk, definitely in command of his ship and appealing to lovers of the classic American hero (as a white male, no less!), should have been beloved in his heyday but suppressed by modern wokies. 

Classic Star Trek had a diverse cast even at a time when America was still struggling with civil rights, but that’s not enough for 21st-century leftists. Paramount+’s graphic above seems to be most interested in a character’s gender and skin color, and Kirk would be low on that diversity score. As Kirk said, people should just “get over” their obsession with allowing only certain types of characters in fun, popular entertainment, but Hollywood activists are unlikely to do so.

Ultimately, for Star Trek fans, Captain Kirk will always be beloved and iconic. No matter how many captains and crews in how many movies and series come after him, Kirk will never be forgotten, because he boldly went where no man had gone before.