William Shatner’s Captain Kirk returns from the dead in a new Star Trek short film celebrating the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Generations. Shatner’s Kirk commanded the starship Enterprise starting with the original 1960s series and continuing through six feature films with an original cast. The last on-screen appearance of the most iconic Star Trek captain came in 1994 Generationsa bridge film handing over the reins to Walk of the stars of Terms of Service for the TNG cast.
It’s been 30 years since Kirk met his somewhat unceremonious end in the much-maligned Generationsbut the captain of the OG Enterprise is back in a short film celebrating his three-decade anniversary, courtesy of OTOY. Also appearing in the clip, titled 765874 – Unificationare Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, along with Robin Curtis as Saavik, Mahé Thaissa as JM Colt and Gary Lockwood as Gary Mitchell. To create Kirk and Spock respectively, digital prosthetics were added to live action artists Sam Witwer and Lawrence Sellek. Carlos Baena directed the clip from a story by Jules Urbach, while Oscar-nominated composer Michael Giacchino provided the music.
Creatives behind 764874 – Unification reacted to the release of the short on social media:
What 765874 – Unification means for Star Trek
Kirk gets a better ending than he’s received in generations
1994 Star Trek: Generations provided a necessary bridge between the O.G. Walk films, starring the Terms of Service cast and a new series of films led by the stars of The next generation. Unfortunately, only three OG Walk characters – Kirk, Scotty and Chehov – were on hand to pass the baton to their younger successors. Adding another sour note to what should have been an emotional farewell, Kirk’s eventual death in the film was criticized for being anticlimactic after decades of thrilling space-hopping adventures.
Unification now bring Kirk back for one last Star Trek reverence, and the farewell he receives is more emotionally satisfying than the disappointing end he suffered in Generations. The short also features return appearances from some deep cuts. Walk characters, including Vulcan Saavik, OG Walk character Colt and Kirk’s friend, Gary Mitchell. But the highlight has to be the return of Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, who Kirk encounters during the short film’s enactment of what appears to be Star Trek paradise.
Our opinion on Shatner’s return to Star Trek
This may not be the last time Shatner’s Kirk appears on screen
Shatner himself contributed to Unification acting as executive producer, a role in which he offered creative direction, and doing some voiceover narration. Kirk’s physical character is not Shatner, of course, but actor Witmer in costume and wearing a digitally created Shatner face. There is some uncanny valley effect to the digitally rendered Kirk and Spock, but overall the clip manages to evoke the spirit of the iconic characters.
Unification now bring Kirk back for one last Star Trek reverence, and the farewell he receives is more emotionally satisfying than the disappointing end he suffered in Generations.
Shatner was famously excluded from Star Trek franchise since its appearance in Generationsand it looks like the door won’t be open for the star anytime soon. That being the case, the only way for Shatner’s version of Kirk to return to the Walk is like the kind of computer-generated characters featured in Unification. The technology used to create these digital recreations is only improving with time and it will soon be possible to convincingly resurrect retired and deceased artists.
The ethics of such resurrections will continue to be debated, of course, but in the meantime, Hollywood likely won’t hesitate to boldly go where the industry has never gone before. Unification had the blessing of Nimoy’s estate in using his likeness for a digital Spock, and as long as such permission is granted, things will feel above board. If things continue on their current course, audiences could soon see Shatner’s Kirk and Nimoy’s Spock back on the big screen in a new original timeline. Star Trek film.
Source: OTOY/YouTube