William Shatner is a man who needs no introduction as one of the most beloved and iconic stars Hollywood has ever created.
To help blow out the candles on this legendary ‘Star Trek’ actor’s birthday cake, we’ve rounded up ten memorable moments from three decades of Captain James T. Kirk performances from “Star Trek’s” “The Original Series” and feature films.
While this is a purely subjective list, we sincerely hope that you discover some of your favorites here; please don’t deliver us a painful Vulcan nerve pinch or full phaser stun if we’ve missed a Kirk scene or speech you love.
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Born on March 22, 1931, in Montreal, Canada, Shatner recently underwent surgery for a shoulder injury he sustained while competing in the equine discipline known as reining. We do hope he’s recovering well at home for his birthday with loved ones and his ever-present Doberman Pinschers.
Let’s raise a toast to the greatest starship captain in the known universe, who helmed Starfleet’s noble USS Enterprise with courage, character, and charisma on his 95th triumphant trip around the sun!
1. “1,771,561 Tribbles”
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- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek: The Original Series” – Season 2 – “The Trouble With Tribbles”
- Screenplay: David Gerrold
- Original Air Date: Dec. 29, 1967
Ah, those pesky spheres of alien fur! Tribbles! Shatner deftly presents Kirk’s delicate handling of interstellar trader Cyrano Jones’s multiplying annoyances with a gentle humor and relaxed resignation as to the absurdity of the situation aboard the Enterprise.
Buried deep in a mound of tribbles and emerging from the hairy pile of creatures, Kirk handles himself admirably, embracing the unfortunate situation with a sense of comedic calm that adds yet another humanistic dimension to the iconic captain’s character.
2. “Of All The Souls I’ve Encountered In My Travels, His Was The Most Human”
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- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”
- Screenplay: Jack B. Sowards
- Release Date: June 4, 1982
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when audiences first watched Kirk preside over the funeral of his cherished friend and stalwart officer Spock, and it’s still an indelible moment that continues to resonate with fans over the decades.
In delivering this touching eulogy to his departed friend, Shatner gives the moment the full impact of emotional weight in his lip-trembling speech before the draped coffin capsule containing Spock’s body is ejected into space.
This is method acting at its very best!
3. “Flesh and blood, afloat in a universe without end”
- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek: The Original Series” – Season 2 – “Who Mourns For Adonais?”
- Screenplay: Gene L. Coon, Gilbert Ralston
- Original Air Date: Sep. 22, 1967
Kirk gets deep into some existential territory here in this poignant scene where he’s trying to effectively convince Lieutenant Palamas — who’s been recruited into Apollo’s plan to become his queen and help spawn a new race of super beings — to remember her unbreakable shared ties to humanity and reject Apollo’s amorous advances.
If he fails, the landing party will be stranded on Pollax IV to worship the gods and goddesses. We all know he’s going to succeed, but watching it happen is still a sight to behold.
4. “Have We Not Heard The Chimes At Midnight?”
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- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country”
- Screenplay: Nicholas Meyer, Denny Martin Flinn
- Release Date: Dec. 6, 1991
Christopher Plummer’s gritty antagonist, General Chang, makes for a formidable opponent in their tense dinner party evening aboard the USS Enterprise while the Klingon diplomatic envoy is en route to the Camp Khitomer peace conference.
The deliberate sparring during mealtime hides a palpable contempt the two warriors have for each other, further displayed as a seething hatred conveyed on Kirk’s face as Chang departs back to Kronos One. It’s a perfect fusion of clashing wills in the cold void of space that Shatner and Plummer must have had a blast shooting.
5. “Risk is our business”
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- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek: The Original Series” – Season 2 – “Return To Tomorrow”
- Screenplay: John T. Dugan
- Original Air Date: Feb. 9, 1968
One of Kirk’s finest moments in “The Original Series” is a somber reminder of the extreme mortal dangers they all face in their exploration of the final frontier.
It serves not only to galvanize the crew’s resolve at a pivotal moment and define his personal philosophy and tenets of Starfleet, but also to lay out the core values and meaning of Gene Roddenberry’s “Wagon Train To The Stars.”
Rooted in America’s ongoing space race of the late ’60s, this is superb writing by John T. Dugan, who gives the scene a heroic gravitas that defines Kirk’s solid leadership skills.
6. “First Man That Fires Is Dead!”
- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek: The Original Series” – Season 1 – “The Devil In The Dark”
- Screenplay: Gene L. Coon
- Original Air Date: March 9, 1967
Captain Kirk’s compassion and negotiating acumen are presented here in one of “Star Trek: The Original Series'” few forays into horror, and it’s a fan favorite episode with a beautiful tonal balance.
Here Kirk reveals the Horta mother (the lasagne monster!) isn’t simply killing pergium miners indiscriminately, but is merely protecting her eggs that are being threatened by the miners’ drilling.
Kirk’s quick thinking compromise that’s proposed offers a chance for a unique inter-species cooperation that is one of Starfleet’s profound hopes as they venture into the stars.
7. “I need my pain”
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- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”
- Screenplay: David Loughery
- Release Date: June 9, 1989
In their forced trek across the galaxy to the Great Barrier, an alien entity pretending to be God himself tries to trick Spock’s half-brother, Sybok, into bringing the Enterprise closer so he can escape.
Kirk questions this deity’s “benevolent” intentions and shows a healthy skepticism towards its promise of removing their burden of emotional pain. Kirk responds vehemently on the necessity of these complex memories and how those pains have formed and shaped his humanity, for better and for worse.
8. “I Said, Gimme The Brandy!”
- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek: The Original Series” – Season 1 – “The Enemy Within”
- Screenplay: Richard Matheson
- Original Air Date: Oct. 6, 1966
The full scope of William Shatner’s impressive range is revealed here in this episode. It’s a master class of acting prowess, as Kirk’s nefarious duplicate beams aboard to cause extreme havoc and confusion aboard the Enterprise.
In this sort of Jekyll and Hyde sci-fi story, Kirk is divided into a Positive and Negative version of himself due to a transporter error. Evil Kirk is a frightening, primal menace, skulking around the corridors like a feral beast, chugging brandy and assaulting Yeoman Rand with no conscience.
The final reintegration of the two halves is compelling stuff!
9. “I’ve Given You Back The Horrors Of War”
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- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek: The Original Series” – Season 1 – “A Taste Of Armageddon”
- Screenplay: Robert Hamner, Gene L. Coon
- Original Air Date: Feb. 23, 1967
Kirk and Co. try to negotiate a peace treaty between the military commands of Iminiar VII and Vendikar, only to discover that it’s a simulated war engaged via computers, with “casualties” voluntarily exterminating themselves while the planets’ infrastructures remain intact.
When the computers running the 500-year conflict are destroyed, the prospect of real war and destruction brings both sides to the bargaining table. Kirk lays out the true horrors of war and the necessity of its avoidance, especially when simulated battle becomes bloody chaos.
10. “Dammit Bones, I need you!”
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- Episode/Movie: “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”
- Screenplay: Harold Livingston
- Release Date: Dec. 7, 1979
The essential bond between Kirk and McCoy is further strengthened here in this first “Star Trek” feature film released in 1979 in the aftermath of two sci-fi giants, “Star Wars” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Kirk unveils a sense of humility and vulnerability here in his admission that he desperately requires “Bones” McCoy’s companionship, friendship, and common sense as they embark on a perilous mission. It’s exactly this level of intimate character dynamics and cast chemistry that forged such a relationship between the franchise and its legion of fans.
