Shatner Speaks Truth -- Recasting Captain Kirk

Hey, Star Trek is all about suspending disbelief, isn't it? If we can live through all the incarnations of James Bond and the five actors it took to portray Darth Vader, we can handle a different Kirk and Spock. Let's just hope that Star Trek XI beats the odd-numbered curse.

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Much as I think Star Trek Babies to be a stupid idea, the challenge exists for any actor playing either the same role or playing an historical person of the post-radio era. When we have vivid recollections of how a person spoke or carried him/herself, the actor either has to immerse fully into the character or find a valid interpretation of the character without descending into mimicry. The first is fraught with pitfalls, particularly if the character has highly idiosyncratic qualities. Robert Morse's stage portrayal of Truman Capote was the best I've seen of this technique, though some actors have been successful doing, say, Elvis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) or FDR (Edward Herman). Perhaps the best example of the latter is Bruce Greenwood's portrayal of JFK in 13 Days.

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I don't understand what the fascination with going backward in the trek universe is. First Enterprise, now this movie. Can we move forward please? Can we pick up where DS9 and Voyager left off? Save for a few DS9 episodes I've seen every episode and every movie, so I have at least some credibility here. Can we be done with the past? I don't really care about Kirk's early days - Especially if someone other than Shatner is playing the role. They are destroying the Star Trek Universe.

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I feel more is possible than shatner would have you believe. He has created an iconic personality in Kirk, but that also makes it imitatable. As unique as Harrison Ford is, River Phoenix nailed the young Indiana Jones in the third film's flashbacks... And Ewan McGregor also filled the robes of a young Obi Wan Kenobi. ...Although I acknowledge he wasn't given the best scripts!

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Abrams could always make the film using the same technology that Zemeckis is using on Beowulf so he can actually have Shatner as Kirk (as well as the other living castmembers they intend to show as teens, RIP Scotty). They'll probably be using a lot of green screen anyway, so why not make the whole thing motioncapture animation? From what I've read, the Beowulf stuff looks pretty real.

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Looks like the blogger is not the only one beating around the bush on this one. Look people, regardless of what YOU want, the film is going to be made, for better or worse. The question at hand - choosing the best Kirk out there - boils down to recognition. Shatner is Kirk. Reeve is Superman. Before those roles, they were nothing and so we didn't see them as anything else. Could we have bought Nic Cage as Superman? No. The unknown Routh pulled it off well (I wish I could say the same for Christensen as Vader). So, Abrams, if you're reading this and I know you're not, please God cast unknowns as Kirk and Spock.

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I am a fanboy. I think they will have a hard time pulling it off. If they want to waste some money making another Trek that the fans don't want that is their problem. That only hurts the franchise, but maybe they have to really hit rock bottom before they realize WTF they are doing.

#1, ST is not all about suspension of belief, at least the original series anyway. The series is about showing the romantic ideal of how humanity will evolve into something better.

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It obviously has to be a relative unknown so we as viewers don't carry that baggage with us into the film as in ' oh, look it's Matt Damon as Kirk. I liked him better as Jason Bourne." For that same reason, I highly enjoy the fan flick Star Trek:New Voyages (http://www.startreknewvoyages.com). Watch it and then tell me that no one else can play a convincing Kirk. If they can do it, I'm sure JJ Abrams can cast and direct someone who can do a fantastic job. Remember.. if you shoot it, the fanboys will come. Regardless.

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JIM CARREY

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I am a long-time Trekker. I agree with Mark Beall - no one can replace Shatner (and Nimoy) in those roles and be just like the original. However, I think that the roles can be adequately cast, so JJ Abrams should go forth and do great things. As a long-time fan of TOS and it's progeny, what really matters to most fans is that the story is well written AND that Trek Canon is adhered to. (Kirk is younger than Spock by several years, so if they met while Kirk was at the Academy, Spock would certainly have been an instructor, not a classmate.) If Abrams has a good story, sticks to the Canon, the fans will accept new actors playing these roles. Stick to the Canon, J.J!

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While it is true that certain roles should not be redone, the same was said of James Bond. No one did Bond like Connery. However, the Bond films still sell tickets and will continue to sell tickets as long as the storylines remain consistant and Bond remains heroic. Another example, although not as deeply seeded, is the role of Dumbledore. Gambone is not as good as Harris, however ticket sales keep climbing. Superman is another example. Having said this, Shatner IS Kirk. Although avoiding any comparisons will be impossible, audiences, I believe, will judge mostly on story and believability rather than "No one can be Kirk."

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It is possible that before we got to know Kirk in ST he was a girl. He had something traumatic happen which necessitated a sex change. As a girl Kirk could get away with those histrionic, dramatic pauses in speech which were so odd in a grown man, anyway. When the gender transferance was performed, all memory of being a girl was wiped out of Kirk's mind. It would be great if Kirk and Spock, as teens, would have sex.

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Okay, I have been a Star Trek fan form day ONE. Yes I am THAT OLD. I agree that it needs to be an unknown, William Shantner was a very young man back in the day when Star Trek first aired.

Also,I have another suggestion. Can they have him have some sort of injury to his speech part of hie brain. That way, there will be a reason... that ..he ... speaks.... like .... this.... HUH?

Bad idea, oh well, just me being a wiseacre. I love you Shat!!!!!

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since they're moving forward with this thing, even against all odds etc., then i think the only actor capable of puttling it off is johnny depp (at least where box office gold is concerned). not to mention the fact that depp is really good at role playing.

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Recasting Kirk is a challenge, yes. But impossible? I suggest a plot device. It worked for the new adventures of Dr. Who when the old guy "regenerated" into the new guy and that worked. The old Dumbledore of Harry Potter, Richard Harris, was certainly better than the new one and they SHOULD have used a plot device to explain that one, and "magic" would seem to have made it easy to do. So at the end of the movie, something happens to the young Kirk where his body changes and morphs into the '60s Kirk, which would hopefully placate most fans with a begrudging shrug.

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Let me get this straight. Star Trek XI is based on the early years of both Spock and Kirk, and as we all know Spock was just the science officer in the pilot episode. Now that first episode wasnt aired but was referenced back to, so that means this movie will show the building blocks for who these characters are. Granted you can recast all the members, but whoever is cast in those roles will have to watch all the episodes and go ,..... OK this is how the character becomes later, so how do I bring him up to this point.
Now we all know for this to be done correctly, both Shatner and NeMoy will have to be on the set to advise. I mean who knows the roles better, but they dont know the before. They can howerver read the script suggest changes and help support the knew actors making this movie be one that truly shows what Kirk and Spock are made of.

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Why not give Matthew McCaunahy a shot?

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They should really make the film total CGI animated,and use Shatner and Nimoy to voice act the parts. The audio mixers can adjust the actors voice timber to make them sound younger, but at least the actors would still be doing the characters that only they can do. Anything else would be someone immitating Shatner and Nimoy, or else trying to re-interpret the roles, which does not work for an icon.
Remember Vince Vaughn playing Norman Bates?

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As both Shatner and Nimoy are still extant - why not have them play the parts themselves? Simply note that in the future people average 200 years of age, and elderly space travellers still function fine.
I'd buy it!

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Brandon Routh. He has the look of young Shatner.

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