by Patrick Boniface

Created on: September 30, 2008

Whenever you hear the name William Shatner it is usually followed by some stiffled laughter; no one takes him seriously as an actor anymore. Is it any surprise when if you type in William Shatner onto an internet search engine you find him paroding himself, not anyone else doing it for him mind; by himself. His records from the 1960's are legend, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds anyone and let's not forget his award winning portrayal of Danny Drake in Boston Legal? Whilst I am on a roll think back to the 1980's and TJ Hooker, an overweight over zealous policeman stamping down on crime on his beat. In fact smashing it in the face in a most un PC way.

There is no denying that Star Trek is a fantasy. It's a fantasy to see aged actors squeezing into skin tight bright red Starfleet uniforms. It's a fantasy that Paramount is still milking for all it's worth. The franchise is worth literally millions of dollars each year and William Shatner is without doubt the main man...HE IS JAMES T KIRK. It's the ultimate in typecasting. William Shatner is the captain who comes in at warp speed, shoots to kill and grabs the pretty blonde or perhaps even the green slave girl and leaves at warp speed.

The franchise is safe in the knowledge that James T Kirk lives in our hearts and our minds and the social pysche. No television show has achieved this before or since. William Shatner and the rest of the original cast must be applauded for having achieved this but there have been a number of movies that have not featured Shatner on screen and the new one is yet another that will be without his presence.

Why? The producers say that they want a fresh slant on the future, then why re-hash the past? The original was just that: Original and genuine. The new movie is set for release in 2009. The story that has been released from Paramount is that Kirk, Spock, Bones and Scotty meet at Starfleet Academy as cadets and a friendship grows as they join their first ship. So for a start the characters will be young, William Shatner is many things, but young isn't one of them, neither is Leonard Nimoy.

Perhaps the intention is to re-invigorate the franchise, give it a kick in the pants and send the thing into the world. Maybe another four or five movies are possible with this scheme. Let's face it Paramount would not pump in millions of dollars into a project that won't see a profit. Then why dis-enfranchise the Star Trek fans who love the original Star Trek with all the dodgy sets and the pelmet dresses along with the 1960's kitsch?

Also why deny William Shatner a role in the movie, perhaps even a cameo? A quick walk on part maybe playing Kirk's father or grandfather?

Without William Shatner the story of James T Kirk will appear devoid of the central characterisation, the central mannerisms and the original charm and depth of Gene Roddenberry's creation. Give William Shatner a role in the new movie please.

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