Star Trek: Celebrating the Scene-Chewing Genius of William Shatner
William Shatner deserves respect as the ideal Star Trek actor, precisely because he's so over-the-top. At the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Admiral James T. Kirk stands before the crew of the USS Enterprise to offer some words of solace on a heartbreaking occasion. Their friend, colleague, and commanding officer Spock has died, sacrificing himself to save them all. Kirk in particular has lost the person who understood him best, and fans of the franchise have lost their favorite character. For years, moments such as these made Shatner’s acting an object of ridicule. But it’s high time that we recognize them as what they are: excellent melodramatic acting. And so, Shatner became a joke, even among Trekkies. That is, until Kirk finally shared the screen with our beloved Captain Picard. And then, the magic of Shatner’s style could no longer be denied. Star Trek: Generations is a…