Today should be a national holiday (in all nations) for it is the birthday of William Shatner. Star Trek’s original Captain James T. Kirk turns 79 years young. All of us here at TrekMovie.com want to wish Bill the happiest of birthdays.
O Captain! My Captain!
William Shatner came on board to Star Trek for it’s second pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before", with his Captain Kirk replacing Jeffrey Hunter. And it was that second pilot which sold the show to NBC and the rest is history. Shatner’s signature style epitomized the show, as seen in this clip from "And the Children Shall Lead."
After Star Trek William Shatner has continued to entertain us and enrich our lives through his TV, film, music and charitable works, and of course he continued on with the Star Trek franchise appearing in seven Trek feature films, books, game voice-overs and more. As such he was part of some of the greatest moments in Trek history, such as the final scenes in Star Trek II.
Over the decades he has continued to reinvent himself. With an ability to laugh at himself, Shatner has relished in a new type of post-ironic persona, going from "Rocket Man" to the Ben Fold’s Album "Has Been".
And Shatner continues to be relevant even today. Bill recently wrapped up his multi-Emmy winning role on Boston Legal (see clips below) and this weekend he will be taping a new pilot as the star of the new sitcom, Sh*t My Dad Says.
Kirk again?
Of course in the years before JJ Abrams 2009 Star Trek movie much of fandom (and Shatner himself) kept asking "will we see the original Kirk again?" Now Bill and many fans are asking the same question about the Star Trek sequel. We know it can be done, just like it was done in this 2006 DirecTV commercial.
Regardless of whether or not we see him play Kirk again, William Shatner will always be our captain here at TrekMovie.com.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAPTAIN
And don’t forget, today is International Talk Like William Shatner Day, so show your love by showing some Shatner.
Ha… ppy birth…
…day
go Bill!
Happy Shatday, everyone!
Nice collection, Staff!!
Long live the Shat!
Happyhappyhappy…BirthdayBillandmanymore…toCOME! Here’stoouroneandonly…CAPTAINKIRK…TJHookerandDennyCraneandalltheRest! Thankyousomuchforgivingus…allthese…WONDERFULandmemorableCHARACTERSovertheyearsandyears – don’tyou..EVERstopbeing…SUCH…a…greathilariousANDICONIC….guy! THANKYOUBILL!
Happy Birthday Mr. Shatner, i hope you have a good one, and please, keep that evil twin of yours away from your customers on Priceline
HAP… py… BIRTH……………………… -hand movement- day, Shatner. :)
Happy Birthday, William Shatner.
May we all be so full of life.
my own humble contribution to shatner lore:
kirkkorner.com
regarding a CG Shats in the sequel
they could use some some footage of Shatner from an out take from one of the previous Trek films or even something like TJ Hooker – therefore no need for CG or even a cameo from the Shat himself
dunno in what context though – in ST09 they couldve had Kirk 2.0 find some footage of Kirk Prime on board the Narada when he was searching for Nero – then gets his ass kicked before he can see too much of his ‘future’ self
oh and Happy ShatDay
Happy Birthday, Captain.
Live long and prosper!
A Shat-tastic day indeed! I have friends in their 40’s who look older than that man!
You’re a business man Bill, for crying out loud, bottle up that energy and sell it!
Happy BIRTH…day. Toyou.
Happy BIRTH…day.
Toyou.
Happy BIRTH….day.
WilliamShatner.
HAPPY….. BIRTHDAY
Toyou.
Happy birthday, Sir! Thanks for all you do and have done!
To this day, Mr. Shatner would still need a major amount of make-up work to play the much older Kirk in “The Deadly Years” episode… he still looks that good!
Happy Birthday Mr. Shatner…and many more!
LLOP
Happy Birthday Mr. Shatner, from a fellow Canadian/Quebecer!
.
Happy Birthday to Mr. Shatner and to ALL his fans around the world…!!!
Today is a celebrating day all over the world…!!!! ;o)
This is a message from the heart from this distant fan from BRAZIL…!!!
God bless you! Many many years of life and wonderful acting job to enjoy all of us…!!!
Everybody loves Shatner!!! Even those who don’t…!!! ;o)
SHATNER RULES…!!!
All my best,
Marcelo S. Carvalho
aka – Buzz Lancaster
.
Okay, here’s a question for you.
If you were contemplating using Shatner in the sequel, would you hesistate to do it because of his age? I understand he is in fantastic health, but consider this: while it would have not been as good, you COULD have used a generic 24th century scientist in place of Spock Prime if Nimoy had been unwilling or unable to play Spock.
Or, in another case, if Christopher Lee had up and died during the making of the Star Wars prequels, you could recast his part or kill him off onscreen. What the difference, right?
However, if they went through the storytelling contortions to devise a plausible means of bringing back Kirk, and then God forbid William Shatner dies in the middle of principal photography, what then?
kill him offscreen, i meant to say
Happy Birthday, Mr. Shatner!
The One and Only Captain of the Enterprise. And the Greatest Character in the History of Television. Bigger than Bunker, bigger than The Fonz, bigger than MTM, bigger than Lucy, even bigger than The Great One himself (Gleason). Bigger than all of ’em. Started Kirking nearly 50 years ago. And still out there. And starred in 7 movies based on the character.
His stature will only be appreciated when he is gone, unfortunately. Here’s hoping that is a long way off!!
Happy birthday to the Shat, may he continue to enjoy many more years.
if he is in the sequel he will be pushing 80! what an amazing way to end his star trek career
Happy Birthday to The Great William Shatner !
No one does it better.
Our leader….Happy Birthday to THE man!
HBD Mr. Shat!
I hope I have the energy you have to keep creating at your age!
Happy Birthday, Mr. Shatner!
Happy b’day Sir Shatner! Ah, wrong captain. But hey, he should be knighted (or at least an honorary knighthood!)
I live to watch that moment when he says, “I’ve lost command!” No one could ever do that as well as Shatner………”noooooooo…….onnnneee!” (though Commodore Matt Decker came damn close) Happy birthday, Bill. Today would be a great day to watch the Star Trek movie with your buddy, Len.
Happy Birthday to legend that is William Shatner.
A toast to the man who made the character of Jim Kirk a legend.
If he is in Star Trek XII then hopefully they can find a better way to get him in other than that contrived way they had planned to for the recent movie.
A true legend. Happy birthday!
#21 @JamesCawley: I dunno, James – you’re pretty good too!
What, no clip from “Barbary Coast?!”
SULU: Buy my tv or I will fire my photon torpedo at you. And I’ve taken out a lot of seamen with my torpedo.
PRICELINE NEGOTIATOR: I’m not buying your tv. Do your worst, Mr. Takee.. Takoo… Tattoo… what’s his name again?
SULU: Normally I would be mad but, since it’s your birthday… (puts on blonde wig and white dress which BND goes underneath with air cannister to make the white dress blow upwards) Ha-ppy Birthday to yoooooou… Ha-ppy Birthday, Mr. Cap-i-tain… Ha-ppy Birthday to youuuuuuuuuuuuuu… (kisses Bill on the cheek)
PRICELINE NEGOTIATOR: This gives me an idea for another tv show- “Everybody Kisses Bill”… or at least my arse…
BND: All jokes aside, I canna’ imagine life wit’oot’ Shatner’s actin’ on Starry Trek… what a wonderful thing! He made tha’ show! And what great movies! Happy birthy-day, Bill! You’ve lived long and prospered!
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…
Thanks for the many years of hard work and fun. Cheers on your birthday, Bill.
Happy birthday Mr. Shatner. You are the BEST, man! Always a fan, and always will be.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPTAIN!!!!!!!!
“Why, bless me doctor, what beams you into this neck of the woods?”
“Beware Romulans bearing gifts. Happy birthday, Jim.”
– Kirk and McCoy
All Hail the Shat. Happy Birthday Bill.
You don’t age, Bill! You’re amazing.
Happy Birthday and MANY more.
“Everyone’s a superhero,
Everyone’s a Captain Kirk…”
Happy Birthday William Shatner!
Happy birthday Shat!
Your birthday’s 2 days after mine!
Happy Birth…SEEN THE MOVIE YET? ..day William Shatner!
Surely the Best of Times…
Happy Birthday, Mr. Shatner!
Happy Birthday Captain!
Happy Birthday to William Shatner *and* Captain Kirk! You’ll always be my Captain!
Yes, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Happy birthday Captain William Shatner! I’m happy to say I went to school dressed and talking like Bill. May he have a wonderful birthday. :)
Happy Birthday to the first, best Captain!!
What? No TJ Hooker clip?!?!
Happy Birthday, Mr. Shatner!! Looking GREAT for 79!!
Keep up the great awesomeness, and have a wonderful Birthday, Captain Sir!
Happy B-day to the Shat!
We love you Mr Shatner….your still the greatest starship captain of them all.
The legend – The Shat…….Happy Birthday!
Greg
UK
Happy Birthday to THE captain!
All the best Mr. Shatner!