Exclusive: Read The Star Trek 2009 Scene Written For William Shatner

shatMost fans can remember that one of the biggest debates around JJ Abrams Star Trek movie was about if it would (or should) include William Shatner. The film makers spoke of how they tried to find a way, but in the end felt it wouldn’t work. However, JJ Abrams revealed that Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman did write a scene for Shatner, and today we have that scene for you to read.

Putting Shatner into Star Trek (2009)
TrekMovie received the scene below from one of our trusted sources and it has been verified to be the scene written for Shatner (but never shown to Shatner). The “Alternate Scene B” actually creates alternative versions two scenes from the end of the movie: the moment between Spock Prime (Nimoy) and Spock (Quinto) in the hangar, plus the award ceremony with Kirk (Pine), Pike (Greenwood) and the Commandant (Tyler Perry).



Including Shatner would have made alternatives to these ending scenes

Shatner would have played Kirk, but would have appeared as a recording. The timing of the recording is not stated, but would have have been before Star Trek Generations and therefore not violate the canon that Kirk was killed in Generations. JJ Abrams has often noted that dealing with Kirk’s death was one of the hindrances of including him in the new Star Trek.


Shatner in "Star Trek Generations" (1994), his last time in the chair

The Scene
Here it is…

—————————

ALTERNATE SCENE B

SPOCK PRIME
Then I ask that you do yourself a
favor… put away logic, and do what
feels right. The world you’ve inherited
lives in the shadow of incalculable
devastation… but there’s no reason you
must face it alone.

And from around his neck, he removes the PENDANT that
until now, we’ve only caught glimpses of. Places it on
the table beside his younger self. The feeling in his
eyes is profound…

SPOCK PRIME (CONT’D)
This was a gift to me. Representing…
a dream. One we were unable to fulfill.
(softly)
The way you can now.

And moves to the door. Stops. Offers the VULCAN SALUTE:

SPOCK PRIME (CONT’D)
As my customary farewell would appear
oddly self serving, I will simply say…
good luck.

Their eyes hold. Spock turns, disappearing into the
corridor. Young Spock stares at the empty doorway a
beat, his mind a jumble of thoughts. Looks to the
pendant… and realizes it’s a HOLO-EMITTER. After
considering a beat, he hits an activation button and a
MOVING HOLOGRAPHIC MESSAGE materializes before him:

CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK. WILLIAM SHATNER. As always,
brash, wry, confident — and SINGING:

KIRK/ SHATNER
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to
you…
(stops, grins)
I know I know, it’s illogical to
celebrate something you had nothing to do
with, but I haven’t had the chance to
congratulate you on your appointment to
the ambassadorship so I thought I’d seize
the occasion… Bravo, Spock — they tell
me your first mission may take you away
for awhile, so I’ll be the first to wish
you luck… and to say…
(beat, emotional)
I miss you, old friend.

… and we’re PUSHING IN on Young Spock, taking in the
image of Kirk’s future self, the message, but above all —
the clear, unquestionable friendship these two men had…

INT. CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS

As Spock Prime walks off down the corridor, he passes
right by a man conferring with a nurse — the man pauses,
turns… it’s SAREK. Suddenly overcome by a feeling that
the stranger who’s just passed him is… oddly familiar.

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I suppose I’d always imagined us…
outgrowing Starfleet together. Watching
life swing us into our Emeritus years…

INT. STARBASE ONE – HANGAR – ETERNAL NIGHT

MUSIC BUILDING — glass walls reveal THE ENTERPRISE at
dock, UTILITY CRAFTS floating around it, repairing.
Standing at attention in rows, THE ENTERPRISE CREW —
over four hundred of them wearing DRESS UNIFORMS — TRACK
DOWN the faces, all proud:

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I look around at the new cadets now and
can’t help thinking… has it really been
so long? Wasn’t it only yesterday we
stepped onto the Enterprise as boys?
That I had to prove to the crew I
deserved command… and their respect?

And we STOP ON YOUNG KIRK. Composed, focused, proud. A
man. And to every fan’s delight, finally wearing his
YELLOW SHIRT
. The FEDERATION COMMANDANT stands at a
podium:

COMMANDANT
This assembly calls Captain James
Tiberius Kirk…

Kirk breaks from formation, pivots, marches down the
hangar — past UHURA… SULU… CHEKOV… SCOTTY. All
Beaming. Notably absent, is Spock. Kirk ascends the
stairs, snaps to attention:

COMMANDANT (CONT’D)
Your inspirational valor and supreme
dedication to your comrades are in
keeping with the highest traditions of
service and reflect utmost credit to
yourself, your crew, and the Federation.
By Starfleet Order 28455, you are hereby
directed to report to Commanding Officer,
USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief.

Kirk turns. Walks to… PIKE. In a wheelchair now,
wearing an ADMIRAL’S UNIFORM. Overnight, his hair’s
turned totally grey — but despite his trauma, his
pride’s overwhelming. They SALUTE each other:

KIRK
I relieve you, Sir.
 

PIKE
… I am relieved.

He opens a BOX in his lap — glorious in repose, a MEDAL:

PIKE (CONT’D)
And as Fleet Admiral, for your… unique
solution to the Kobayashi Maru, it’s my
honor to award you with a commendation
for original thinking.

Pike containing a smirk, pins the medal to Kirk’s
chest…

PIKE (CONT’D)
(a touch choked)
Congratulations, Captain.

KIRK
Thank you, Sir.

Kirk turns to the crowd. Eyes shining. WILD APPLAUSE.
OUR MUSIC SOARS. Bones leans in to Sulu, rolling his
eyes:

BONES
… Same ship, different day.

As Kirk rejoins his crew for hugs and congratulations, we
go to the BACK of the hangar… SPOCK PRIME. Watching.
Moved beyond words. He turns and leaves them to it… as
he goes…

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I know what you’d say — ‘It’s their turn
now, Jim…’ And of course you’re
right… but it got me thinking:

INT. STARFLEET HOSPITAL – EARTH – DAY

Our montage comes full circle as we END on Kirk’s
transmission:

KIRK/SHATNER
Who’s to say we can’t go one more round?
By the last tally, only twenty five
percent of the galaxy’s been chartered…
I’d call that negligent. Criminal even —
an invitation. You once said being a
starship captain was my first, best
destiny… if that’s true, then yours is
to be by my side. If there’s any true
logic to the universe… we’ll end up on
that bridge again someday.

Stops, grins. Because this is the part he needs to say
most…

KIRK/SHATNER
Admit it, Spock. For people like us, the
journey itself… is home.

Young Spock’s face. Lost in feelings that flood through
him.

—————————

But would Bill have done it?
Even if the Abrams team had decided to go ahead with this scene, there is no guarantee that Shatner would have done it. He had stated he “does not do cameos” and the above scene appears to fall into the cameo category. Abrams had also stated that this “no cameos” position of Shatner’s was part of their decision process not to include him in the film. Now that the scene is public, maybe Bill will make another one of his video blogs about it. One thing is for sure, this is not the last word on Shatner and the new Star Trek…there is still the sequel.

 

 

 

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It’s a shame this wasn’t in the final, but I understand the removal.

one word: great.

That’s… actually really cool

Not bad.

It was totally beautiful. I would have LOVED to have that scene in the movie

That was great! should’ve been in the movie!
(first)

wow, love it. very powerful. i can see how it doesn’t quite fit, but can also see how it would have fit.

kinda a bummer it wasn’t in.

man, i wish that could have been in there!

First! This would have been cool! But, the pacing the way it ended up was perfect! I’m split on the decision to leave it out.

– XMind

Man, wish that would have been in there. Would have really been fun!

beautiful stuff, but I also see why Shatner passed on it. It’s little more than a voice over. Dress uniforms would’ve been nice, though, instead of those jumpsuits.

It’s very interesting! More than a cameo but far less than what Leonard Nimoy had on the screen.

They should have done this scene, damnit!

it could have worked.

Quote – “If there’s any true logic to the universe… we’ll end up on
that bridge again someday. ”

Bob + Alex you guys couldn’t have been more correct. Please try to make this happen in the next movie.

Wow, I think this scene would’ve great. They definitely messed up by not putting this in.

15. VOODOO – November 23, 2009

Oh, boy! Here we go again!

Hmm, thats not bad. I don’t mind them leaving it out but would have been cool to see.

Wow. they should have left that in and tried to get Shatner to do it. It is great and speaks to the heart of what the film was all about: the Kirk/Spock friendship forming. What a great bookend that would have made for everything that had come before. i almost felt like crying.

No that I know about that, I’ll always miss it when I watch the film.

Great job Bob and Alex :)

Damn. That’s a much more satisying, emotionally cogent conclusion than the one we actually got. It even manages to put a little gloss on the ridiculous concept of the bad-boy, almost-expelled cadet getting command of the fleet’s flagship as a reward for having made a few lucky guesses. Too bad such a cameo appearance just wasn’t good enough for Bill Shatner–and a real shame that he didn’t see that he could have made a satisfying contribution to this film that would have been all out of proportion to his actual time on-screen.

They should the scene only as an extra on a dvd edition.

Beautifully written. I would have loved to have seen it in the movie.

I could hear Shatner saying every word of it.

Boborci #17

I know… I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but Shatner + Nimoy together one last time would be great. Mr. Nimoy added so much to the first movie that I can’t help to think how much fun it would be to see him and the Shat together again.

It would have been nice to see the Shat in the film, but the scene feels too much like “gilding the lily”.

The new crew earned the right to stand on their own at the end of the film, and William Shatner’s voiceover overshadows that.

The new Kirk and Spock need to discover their friendship on their own terms, and it’s more interesting if only one half of the two of them have that foreknowledge. I’d trust Spock more with that understanding.

It’s too backwards-looking. Spock Prime was enough of a connection with the prior films. Anything more feels like the story can’t let go of the past, and/or is admitting that New Trek can’t stand on its own.

The scene is touching for the fan in me, but I’m glad it wasn’t in the picture. I can also understand why the Shat turned it down.

I think things all worked out the way they were supposed to. Now about that Engineering set…

Surely what we got was 100x better.

Spock Prime: I’m you, put aside logic, and be his friend. Good luck.

And boom! NuSpock does just that. No questions, no pondering and no second thought. He just up right accepts it and so does Kirk. Do Bob and Alex think that skipping the middle step of development is a good thing? You don’t start off with conflict and just skip right into resolution. It’s almost like characters no longer have to prove themselves worthy of earning the respect of others.

Does nothing for me. I don’t know exactly what I’d like to hear Shatner say to his Spock at that moment, but this doesn’t crystallize it for me.

To be honest, when the 2 Spocks met at the end I was hoping for a mind meld, for OG Spock to impart all his experience, knowledge and emotional ties to Kirk and Bones in one fell swoop, then leave. Then have Nu Spock ask to be part of the crew and keep that meld a secret , only the audience would know he was changed by it and held that secret knowledge/experience.

OTOH, I’d like to see Nu Spock do unpredictable stuff, which would be harder if he was always written as channeling OG Spock.

@ 20

Agreed. I love the film, but will always lament that this scene didn’t make it in.

Other than that, good scene.

I loved it. But then I…….am…………………KIRK! Just kidding, I’m more like Picard w/o the French.

Wow, I can’t believe that I actually wish this was in the movie. I understand completely why it was not included, but damn, it totally blew away my expectations.

that didn’t sound bad at all

Beautiful. Touching. Truly Trek. Honors, respects, and summarizes the past 43 years of Kirk and Spock and reminds us, why they were the best duo in the franchise. In my opinion, this would have made it the perfect passing of the torch film and a far better one for Kirk than the one in which he died on the bridge……though, not the bridge in which we were hoping for and which he deserved to die on.

Being an old time Kirk and Spock fan, that scene as written brought tears to my eyes. I too could hear Shatner saying those words with all the whimsical humour only he could could bring to it.

I know it won’t happen, but I too long to see the 78 year old Kirk and Spock together again in the new universe, perhaps off exploring the unknown parts of the galaxy. They could show up occasionally, prividing the new crew advice.

Hey, it’s science fiction, anything’s possible!! ;-)

I thought of a way to bring living kirk into a new movie.
the energy streamer where Kirk was trapped also had a copy of Ginan, but we know Ginan was not trapped there, this means Kirk still has an echo of himself in that place, as it is some kind of dimensinal warp who is to say a live version of Admiral Kirk cannot show up in the new timeline just as he showed up out of his time in Generations.
for those who want a special closure to the original team this would be a perfect way to have an old spock and an old kirk walk off into the sunset together :)

just a thought ;)

Not bad at all, very moving…

I wish that would have made the movie – very moving!! thank you for posting….

SSDD… Brilliant!

I loved this scene. It’s so well conceived and written.

The only nagging feeling I have about it is that it could leave all those new fans that they wanted to entice out in the cold. For example, I took my friend’s 10 year old to see it, and he would have been lost as to who the voice was. Some of the people that saw the film may never have seen Shatner in the original films and may have been confused or felt excluded by what was clearly a very emotional and effective love letter to us fans.

It’s a real tough one this, because my heart is saying that I would have enjoyed the film more with this scene in, but my head is saying it works better with a broader audience without it.

I doubt Shatner would have done it. I’m sure he’s holding out for a starring role in a sequel although I have a nasty suspicion he wont get it and that Star Trek 2009 was his last opportunity for a “run round the block”.

While not exactly integral to the plot, it’s still a moving little scene that would have been a nice coda to the movie. Hearing Shatner deliver it over the scenes of the new crew getting ready to ship out on their next adventure together…there probably wouldn’t have been a dry eye in the house. Kind of sad it didn’t see the light of day.

or better yet, original Spock enters the streamer and brings Kirk back with him and makes a statement that now they are both in that place there will always be a Kirk and Spock together, forever!
they may die (again for Kirk) but a copy of them will be together for all eternity (and the hint that from time to time far out in uncharted space and time they may have copies of themselves leave the streamer to explore and help others)

I think it works better than ripping off the end of TWOK and having Nimoy repeat the where no man has gone before monologue, actually. It seems more a closure to the old; of course I understand why they didn’t go with it.

I for one couldn’t care if Shatner was in it or not, but that would have been a very cool ending.

It also adds to what Spock said to Kirk on the bridge that he could ‘provide character refrences’.

Wow, missed opportunity big time.

If they had just tweeked it just a little bit they could have used it!!! It wouldn’t even have taken that long! That would have been so perfect!!

Great scene. Would have loved it.

Wow… that was actually pretty well done. I kinda wish it had been in the movie now.

I don’t like the idea of voices appearing in Spock’s head – I mean what will the audience do, call him senile? But in this new Universe there doesn’t have to be a Nexus or EnterpriseB or Kirk death so maybe Shatner’s version can come back in time to rescue Spock from the likihood that Spock’s misplaced presence there exponentially screws with fate even more. I am happy with the movie but after making it through the 2nd DVD (Deleted Scenes) I would only say as good as the movie was, it would have even been better if the deleted scenes would have stayed in there. I enjoyed the artificial “glare” and this is experimental and new, but the camera shaking went to far when it happens “outside” in the vacuum of space. Nice job to everyone involved. Months later, this still ranks as my favorite film since Titanic. I am hard to impress, and I am duly impressed.

It reads great as fanwankpleasing fodder lol – but interestingly, all I could hear in my ears as I read it was the closing music from The Undiscovered Country. And that’s been done.Was done – a long time ago now.

I think they made the right call on not doing it.

I am with the majority. Really well written and had it been in there it would have been fantastic.

That being said the movie works without it, I can’t say if it would be better or worse that is the kind of judgment you can’t really make without actually seeing the scene occur. But without the scene (obviously) everything still works amazingly.