Shatner To Play Kirk's Grandfather?

Rick Berman has asked William Shatner whether he would be interested in appearing on Enterprise, the Captain Kirk actor told fans in a chat this week.

"Rick Berman did ask me if I would be willing to appear in Enterprise, and I indicated that if it was a good idea and script, yes," Shatner wrote during a chat with The Star Trek Fan Association.

Questioned by a fan about Jim Kirk's father George, a character from Pocket Books' Star Trek novels, Shatner replied, "Actually, the thought was to play my grandfather, which was the idea pitched originally by Mr. Berman."

However, he added, "I have not heard any further from them."

Elaborating on his previous comments that he had an idea in the works for a new series, Shatner said that his initial pitch has been to Pocket for a book series. "Now we have to see how Paramount would react," he said.

Though he reiterated that it would be premature to discuss the details of his pitches to Paramount, he expressed concern about the current direction of the franchise. "Star Trek has always had an underlying theme about humanity...after so many years now, it would seem that Paramount may have lost that focus," he said. When the series gets "too fancy," he added, the themes get diluted.

Though he expressed his feeling that Star Trek for the present "is pretty much dead", Shatner noted that Star Trek "has always been cyclical, and my expectation is that [it] will renew itself in time."

"I am really no authority on Enterprise, having seen only pieces of it," he said. He recommended the attitude from the Trek spoof Galaxy Quest: "'Never give up...never surrender.'"

To read more of Shatner's comments on these topics as well as possible visits to Germany and Israel, paintball, horses, his non-Trek books, his co-stars and more, read the full item at The Star Trek Fan Association. Thanks to TrekWeb for the alert.

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