William Shatner Won't Be in STAR TREK BEYOND • TrekCore.com

Even though there were several different rumor-filled reports around the internet back in 2014 that William Shatner would be showing up in Star Trek 3 — then under the reins of former planned writer/director Roberto Orci — the former captain of the Enterprise firmly shut down any ideas that he’d be appearing in Justin Lin’s STAR TREK BEYOND.

An interview coming in this week’s SFX Magazine (online via GamesRadar), Shatner addresses this year’s upcoming film.

There was never a conversation. It would have been interesting to see what [the writers’] fertile imaginations could have done with somebody who is 20 years older than when [my version of] Captain Kirk died, and how they would have explained the difference in appearance.

But that never came up. I’m sure they must have thought of it one time or another, but I never had a substantial conversation about replaying the role.

While some may mourn the hopes that the original Captain Kirk would make another big-screen appearance after twenty-two years, it certainly seems proper that Chris Pine’s crew finally stand on their own for their third adventure.