William Shatner has spent 60 years watching “Star Trek” expand from a canceled television show into one of entertainment’s most recognizable franchises. However, when the 95-year-old actor looks back at his time aboard the USS Enterprise, he no longer thinks first about its futuristic sets or costumes.
Instead, his memories return to the friends who worked beside him, including Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, whom William Shatner has now outlived.
Shatner opened up about his changing memories during an exclusive interview with AARP’s Movies for Grownups. “My memory of ‘Star Trek’ is filled with the lovely people in it,” he said. “Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, to name two. They were beautiful people that were good friends of mine, all dead now.”
Nimoy, who famously portrayed Spock, died in February 2015 at 83. Kelley, best known for playing Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, died in June 1999 at 79. Together with Shatner’s Captain James T. Kirk, the two actors formed the original series’ central trio.
The personal relationships behind those characters now hold more meaning for Shatner than the production surrounding them. His comments reveal how the passage of time has transformed “Star Trek” from a professional milestone into a collection of memories involving people who are no longer here to share them.
‘Star Trek’ Put Humanity Ahead Of Technology
The original “Star Trek” premiered on September 8, 1966, offering television audiences a vision of the future that was unusually diverse for its time. The bridge of the Enterprise included an Asian helmsman, a Black female communications officer, and a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer. They were not treated as visitors or outsiders but as skilled members of the same team.
Shatner believes that human focus, rather than the show’s spaceships or imagined technology, is what allowed “Star Trek” to survive. “Although the background was futuristic, the foreground was what happens because you’re a human being,” Shatner said. “And I think that was the key to ‘Star Trek’’s success.”
The series used science fiction to explore recognizable issues involving prejudice, loyalty, grief, courage, and the consequences of difficult moral decisions. By placing those conflicts in unfamiliar worlds, the show could examine contemporary social questions while presenting audiences with a more inclusive version of the future.
Fans Rescued The Canceled Series
Despite its eventual cultural influence, “Star Trek” was not an immediate ratings powerhouse. NBC canceled the original series in 1969 after three seasons, but viewers continued discovering it through syndicated reruns. That growing fan base helped turn a concluded television program into an expanding entertainment property. The audience supported conventions and a revival effort that eventually produced an animated series, feature films, and numerous television spinoffs.
Sixty years after the Enterprise first appeared on television, the franchise includes films, streaming shows, novels, animation, podcasts, merchandise, and fan events attended by multiple generations. “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” will continue that legacy when its fourth season premieres Thursday, July 23, on Paramount+. The series follows the Enterprise crew during the years before Shatner’s Kirk became its captain.
William Shatner’s Definition Of Success Has Changed
Shatner continued working long after “Star Trek” made him famous, building a career across television, film, music, writing, and live appearances. His post-“Star Trek” credits include “T.J. Hooker,” “Boston Legal,” the “Miss Congeniality” films, and countless appearances tied to his enduring place in popular culture.
However, Shatner does not measure that longevity against one permanent definition of success. “The definition of success varies from moment to moment. Whatever it was, I was trying to be good at what I did. I don’t recall, like, I’ve got to be successful, but I’ve got to be good at what I’m doing,” he said.
William Shatner Took Captain Kirk’s Legacy Into Space
In October 2021, Shatner’s connection to space exploration moved beyond fiction when he traveled aboard a Blue Origin flight at age 90. At the time, the journey made him the oldest person to travel to space. It also created a surreal overlap between the actor and the character who spent years commanding the Enterprise.
Shatner’s real trip, however, did not leave him focused solely on the excitement of space travel. Seeing Earth from above gave him a heightened awareness of the planet’s vulnerability and the thin atmosphere protecting life below. The experience echoed what he now identifies as “Star Trek’s” greatest strength: using outer space to tell stories about humanity.
After six decades, Shatner has seen the franchise outlive its original cancellation and reach viewers who were not born when the first episode aired. He has also endured the more painful form of longevity that comes with saying goodbye to close friends.
For Shatner, the Enterprise may have launched “Star Trek,” but the people standing beside him on its bridge are what made the journey worth remembering.
