The meeting of the Spocks wasn’t the only impromptu Star Trek character summit at Star Trek Las Vegas 2023. Three Kirks from two different shows also met up on stage at the 57-Year Mission convention on Sunday.
3 Kirks, 1 Stage
On Sunday afternoon, Creation Entertainment paired up Dan Jeannotte and Paul Wesley, who play brothers Sam and James Kirk on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The panel following theirs was for the “guest of honor,” William Shatner, the original Kirk from Star Trek. Before the SNW pair ended their panel, Shatner surprised them on stage to a standing ovation from the capacity crowd at the Rio Convention Center.
William Shatner with Paul Wesley and Dan Jeannotte at STLV 2023 (Photo: Kayla Iacovino/TrekMovie.com)
This is the first time Jeannotte has met Shatner and he introduced himself as a member of the Kirk family:
Jeannotte: Hi, I’m your brother.
Shatner: Nice to meet you, brother.
Jeannotte has a recurring role on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as George Samuel “Sam” Kirk. The character was originally played by William Shatner himself—with a mustache—in the TOS episode “Operation — Annihilate!”
Wesley picked up on Jeannotte’s fun introduction with this exchange:
Wesley: And I’m you.
Shatner: Hey, how you doing?
William Shatner with Paul Wesley and Dan Jeannotte at STLV 2023 (Photo: Kayla Iacovino/TrekMovie.com)
Shatner actually has known Wesley for years, as they used to be neighbors, and Wesley had a chance to speak to Shatner before taking on the role of James T. Kirk in the first season of Strange New Worlds. Shatner and Wesley appeared together at an event at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 where the younger actor introduced the Trek veteran at an event honoring Shatner.
Shatner noted the attendance for the panel with “Wow, look at that crowd.” Wesley (jokingly) said, “When we first got here it was nearly empty.” Always straight to the point, Shatner then said, “Well everybody, we are standing awkwardly around on the stage, is there something you want us to do, a handstand?” Creation’s Adam Malin asked the trio to pose so fans in the audience could get photos of them together.
William Shatner with Paul Wesley and Dan Jeannotte at STLV 2023 (Photo: Jon Spencer/TrekMovie.com)
And with that, the SNW Kirk brother actors exited, leaving Shatner to his solo panel where he pointed out he can’t talk about Star Trek (due to SAG-AFTRA strike rules) but entertained the crowd with a travel story to Australia, updates on his latest projects and product affiliations, and his thoughts on the big issues of the world ranging from the threat of AI and global warming to the majesty of evolution and space. In other words: classic Shatner. The crowd loved it.
William Shatner at STLV 2023 (Photo: Jon Spencer/TrekMovie.com)
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Shatner’s mustachioed roles are all notable- Sam Kirk, General Mortars from LOADED WEAPON, the Slobodan Milosovic analogue in SEAQUEST and as a Rush Limbaugh radio provocateur on COLUMBO. These works should be sold as a box set for home video.
Also don’t forget about his double roles like in the cheesy classic “White Commanche”.
Milos Tezlof, mustachioed dictator. He wants the dolphin. And the vocoder. He wants to heal his son.
“My…dear….mammal…”
Shatner guested on SEAQUEST?!?!?!
Thank you Kayla. I did not know Shatner was the one who played his brother Sam in Operation Annihilate! And I just saw that episode 100 times…
You can never have too many Kirks!
Small world that they were neighbors.
Yeah, Chris Pine should have been on that stage, too…
That’s what I was thinking, too.
wow, that would’ve been cool!
I was hoping for that but this is good too
That top pic is the first time Shat has ever looked really old to me (and I’m even counting THE DEADLY YEARS.)
Come on the guy is 92 years old. He is bound to look old.
He’s 92 and looks…60, I think.
I caught a few minutes of Stars on Mars just to see how he’s being presented. The body has definitely caught up to the number. Norman Lear looks good at 101, but even he admits he’s in his second toddler stage now. Anyone keeping at it in some form over 95 deserves some level of respect….
I still have to see that show. I hear other than Shatner it’s the typical reality show drama
Kayla had a ringside seat! Great photo and nice story, Kayla! And, like another commenter here, I also had not known that Shatner had played Sam Kirk!
Chris Pine did fine in the movies but, really, there will only ever be one Kirk and that’s Bill Shatner!
I always like to say Chris Pine and Paul Wesley play James T Kirk. William Shatner IS James T Kirk!
I can’t get over Shatner. He looks (and more importantly) moves like he’s 30 years younger. Amazing genes. I remember my grandparents in their mid-late 80’s and can’t believe he’s older than they were. Kudos.
Indeed. +1, here.
I’m pretty sure I couldn’t pass a test to go into space
He should without question portray their grandfather Tiberius Kirk. That would be cool and fitting. They need to make it happen ASAP.
Fascinating…
Or even George Sr. According to Spock he lived to see Jim take command of the Enterprise.
William Shatner could reprise an older Kirk via time travel like Admiral Pike. He could also play their father George Samuel Kirk Sr with mustache.
How do you follow up the meeting of Spock’s? With the meeting of Kirks.
What did he mean “I’m your brother?”
Shatner *originated* the role of Sam Kirk. He’s the original of both their characters!
Actually it’s four Kirks, as Shatner played Sam Kirk as well :-)
Seven Kirks as shatner also played Mirror Kirk and Enemy Within Kirk (also Android Kirk in WALGMO), and Wesley played alt universe Balence of Terror Kirk
Don’t forget Oscars Kirk lol
I thought the strikes rules only prohibited actors from talking about/promoting new or upcoming projects? Seems stupid for SAG-AFTRA to say “You can’t talk about something you did nearly 60 years ago …”
Maybe there is some weird rules where the studios make money from it or something i dunno soulds weird to me too.
Aww that sounds like a fun moment