EntertainmentCelebritiesWilliam Shatner, a universal legacy

William Shatner, a universal legacy

At 90, the Canadian actor, who played Captain Kirk in the series “Star Trek,” continues to work in television. With more than seven decades of experience in the audiovisual world, his energy remains intact.

In the audiovisual industry there are hundreds of actors that viewers have considered icons over time, but when it comes to science fiction, William Shatner takes the top spot. At ninety years old, although he appears to be a few decades younger, he continues to create and work in what he has always been passionate about: film and television.

With more than seventy years of career, Shatner became an important reference in popular culture that goes from generation to generation thanks to characters that marked his career, such as Captain Kirk in Star Trek , or his leading role in the series from the 80s TJ Hooker , thus being one of the most respected actors in the world.

Born in Montreal (Canada) in 1931, Shatner has not only served as an actor throughout his life, but has also been a director, author of several books and even a singer. His beginnings were in the radio, as he was a child interpreter in programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, then he devoted himself to acting with the Royal Mount Theater Company, where he had the opportunity to explore the world of theater.

The beginning of a legacy

It was in 1952, after graduating from McGill University with a degree in economics, that he entered the Ottawa National Repertory Theater. Thanks to this great achievement, Shatner was able to participate in productions for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario.

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Shatner made his Broadway debut with a play called Tamburlaine the Great , written by Christopher Marlowe. After his stage stage and Broadway debut, the actor made his first contact on television by appearing on several popular shows of the time, such as Studio One and Playhouse 90 .

Contrary to what many think, Shatner’s film debut was not with Captain Kirk from Star Trek , because before playing this role, which catapulted him to world fame, the actor participated in films of the time such as The Brothers Karamazov ( 1958), and The Intruder (1962) with the title role.

El “tree” the “Star Trek”

In the mid-1960s, Shatner was far from imagining that he would be the one who would bring to life the iconic Captain James Tiberius Kirk in the hit Star Trek , a completely new series for the time that put the travels and adventures in space. Created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek: The Original Series debuted in 1966 and aired on the US network NBC for three seasons.

Star Trek has been, without a doubt, one of the most iconic series in history for several reasons; among them, it was the first American proposal to include a black woman in a non-stereotyped main character: Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols. In addition, its political background showed in a fictionalized way many of the problems that the United States was experiencing at that time, making an analogy of the federation of planets as a representation of the United Nations and its problems reflected within the plot.

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James T. Kirk, played by Shatner, was the captain of the USS Enterprise, a starship that travels through space in the 23rd century. Kirk encountered all kinds of unusual aliens and challenging situations during his travels. Accompanying him on these adventures was his loyal team, which included First Officer Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Medical Officer Dr. Leonard Bones McCoy (DeForest Kelley). The science fiction series created by Gene Roddenberry lasted three seasons and 79 episodes were made.

After Captain Kirk

Following his acclaimed role came other productions such as the aforementioned 1982 TJ Hooker , where he played a returning veteran police officer. After this series ended, Shatner began venturing into the world of presentation, hosting the reality show Rescue 911 .

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She also hosted a beauty pageant in 2000 alongside actress Sandra Bullock, participated in productions like The Practice and Boston Legal , and even created her own celebrity interview television format called Shatner’s Raw Nerve in 2008.

“Inexplicable” con William Shatner

In 2020 History premiered the successful Inexplicable format with Shatner as host. The idea of the television space was to explore the strangest mysteries that occur in the world. On May 23 of this year the second season of the series premiered, in which Shatner continues to lead.

For him, everything in his mind is inexplicable. “We don’t know anything,” he says after emphasizing that life itself is a mystery.

“The greatest mystery in the world is the human mind, our brain, how does it work? How was created? We do not understand how it happened and the way it works in its entirety. It’s one of the topics that impacts me the most about this show and about life in general, I think about it every day, ”says Shatner.

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The second season of Inexplicable will show new stories full of mystery in which William Shatner will be accompanied by scientists and experts who will try to give an explanation to questions and events that, to this day, have no answers. “We believe that because we know that there is another galaxy at a certain distance, that is all there is… but we do not know that space is expanding. Where is it going? To nothing? Will it collapse with another universe? What is time? All these are questions that will be developed in this second installment ”, he concludes.

Shatner, beyond acting

In addition to participating in numerous film and television productions, William Shatner has dedicated his life to other artistic fields, such as writing and singing.

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As a writer, Shatner published a science fiction work called Tek War in 1989 and co-authored Star Trek Memories and Star Trek Movie Memories (1994) with Chris Kreski. He and Kreski also worked together on Get a Life! (1999), a look at the entire Star Trek fan phenomenon.

Shatner also published the nonfiction books alongside David Fisher: Up Till Now: The Autobiography (2008) and Live Long And … What I Learned Along the Way (2018).

As for her singing career, her first album was The Transformed Man, released in 1968, followed by William Shatner Live, in 1997. After a long pause in singing, Shatner released her album Has Been in 2004, followed by Exodus : An Oratorio In Three Parts, in 2007.

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