William Shatner, best known as Captain James Tiberius Kirk, is often highly underrated as an actor. Many people are caught up in the post-Star Trek IV era, when Shatner embraced the comedic side of his public persona. Primarily because it was working for him. But before that, Captain Kirk was a very serious character. Just watch the original series or the first 3 Star Trek films. Certainly, as in many great examples of literature and film, there was always an element of humor in Star Trek. But it was only an element. Only with Star Trek IV and the later films did humor become more central in both fiction and real life.
It is therefore hard for some people to realize that Shatner is a serious and accomplished actor, and in fact, a Shakespearian understudy. All of these skills came into play when Shatner took on the role of Captain Kirk. His unique mannerisms are synonymous with Star Trek's greatest Captain. Shatner not only has tremendous screen presence, but also the ability to project an aura of leadership, charisma, intelligence, strength, and integrity. You could understand why Kirk commanded respect from his crew and opponents. Kirk is a uniquely American hero, but also a hero and leader in the traditions of Western Civilization. Just ask yourself which captain you would want defending Earth against alien invaders, or even just in a global crisis. The only post-original series moments when anyone came close to matching Kirk were Riker at the end of Best of Both Worlds, Part I and Picard in the later TNG movies. But neither one had all the elements of Kirk.
You have to examine even the minor details of a Shatner performance to fully appreciate his acting skill. One of the greatest challenges in acting is to express something without words, whether it be emotions, information, thoughts, etc. This is an area of expertise for William Shatner. Consider the episode with the Kirk double loose on the Enterprise. The evil Kirk is hiding when he hears the real Kirk alert the crew over the intercom. Kirk notes that the evil Kirk can be distinguished by the scars on his face. Evil Kirk thinks in a moment of panic, then finds concealing makeup left out. Using the mirror, he applies some to the scars. As they begin to vanish, his face changes from wondering if it will work to realizing that - yes! - this is going to work! A series of thoughts are communicated solely through facial expressions. Then he flawlessly switches from Evil Kirk into his regular Kirk persona to fool a crewmember into giving him his phaser.
This particular acting skill is something William Shatner has in common with another great actor, Robert Pine.
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