William Shatner recently sat down with ET for the celebrity legends series TV grEaTs t o discuss his remarkable journey from a young TV and film actor to the award-winning megastar, space traveler, and philanthropist he is today at 93. In this exclusive interview, Shatner discussed his experiences with Star Trek , why he doesn’t watch the show, and whether he would consider returning to the iconic franchise. Reflecting on his entry into Star Trek , Shatner shared, "I don't remember ever auditioning for anything.
I went to New York in a play, and it got great notices, and agents came after me,” Shatner said. “I got a call from this guy [Gene] Roddenberry who wanted me to play the captain of the space." Shatner portrayed James T.
Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of the first Star Trek television series to his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations in 1994. In the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Plato's Stepchildren" (season 3, episode 10), first broadcast on Nov. 22, 1968, Captain Kirk (Shatner) and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) shared what is often cited as the first interracial kiss on television.
Shatner commented on this historic moment, saying, "She's a beautiful woman, why wouldn't I kiss her?" He continued, "Coming from Canada, you know, what's the big deal? So, I didn't really—I mean, I understood the deal, but I didn't get .