There aren’t a lot of firsts left when it comes to celebrities and their reaction to the coronavirus since so many people at this time have been chiming in and trying to either help out, gain attention for the cause, or are attempting to do some sort of good when it comes to the general public. Entertaining folks is doing some good after all and since William Shatner has been doing it for so long it’s not too hard to figure out why he would take the time to give it another go as he lets loose on Twitter with the Captain’s Log once again. Be honest, you’re reading the tweets in his voice in your head, right? If you’re not then more power to you since it’s hard not to think of the words in his voice considering that he’s been one of the most iconic captains the history of Star Trek. Only Picard has really ever matched him for popularity since any other captains have their own fan bases but still haven’t managed to come close to the legend that Shatner has made his character into. If not for James T. Kirk it’s easy to think that a lot of what we know of Star Trek at this point wouldn’t exist, or would look very, very different.
Captain’s Log: Stardate 1 of self imposed isolation. After having arrived at Planet Home, I was warmly greeted by Emissaries Espresso & Macchiato. I look forward to my planned respite from my normal duties. Kirk out.
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) March 18, 2020
Captain’s Log: Stardate 2 of self imposed isolation. Emissaries Macchiato & Espresso have been exploring a new territory called Underbed bestowing upon me tributes of missing socks and other items in an attempt to get my attention & adoration.
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) March 19, 2020
Does anyone ever wonder if Shatner does this more than he lets on? Maybe the Star Trek captain thing doesn’t really get left behind since likely it’s one of the greatest and most important roles he’s ever had. True, William has in fact been a part of a lot of different projects over the years, but his prominence kind of started and ended with Star Trek, while in other projects he became something of a bit-player as he was relegated to lesser roles. Even in Star Trek: Generations he was second fiddle for a lot of the movie despite being the legend that inspired a good number of cadets in Starfleet. Over the years it’s definitely been easy to hold him up an example of Star Trek and its glory days, though as of now it’s getting harder for anyone that doesn’t really know what Star Trek is all about to get into the whole idea of Kirk and who he used to be. Yes, I said it, ‘used’ to be. That’s easy enough to say since with the absence of Shatner in the whole Star Trek story, which would have had to happen eventually, it’s felt a lot different throughout the last several years.
https://twitter.com/WilliamShatner/status/1240445196443070464
At the very least, Shatner has been quite attentive to the fans over the years and no doubt appreciative since they’re the ones that have had a big hand in keeping his legend and his popularity alive given that a lot of people have moved on, and Picard is definitely the man that’s earned a lot of the attention. Even Chris Pine taking on the role of a younger Kirk hasn’t really managed to eclipse just how much Captain Picard has come to mean to a lot of people. In a big way he’s more than just the next captain to take on the favor of the fans, since Patrick Stewart has done a lot more than Star Trek, and he’s been a shining star quite often in anything he’s done, showing that he has a large wealth of talent that goes beyond the bridge of the Enterprise more often than not. In his own time Shatner was great, and he forged a very wide swath through the galaxy as Captain Kirk, but it’d be hard to say just who people favor most, even on a good day. Matt Blum of Wired wrote a piece on this that’s kind of interesting.
https://twitter.com/WilliamShatner/status/1241071510573350912
Obviously even a former Starfleet captain has to deal with a few setbacks from time to time thanks to his trusty canine companions, and while it’s sometimes necessary to replace said items it does sound as though Shatner has been keeping to the quarantine as much as possible in order to help out and not spread the virus any further. Of course, being that he’s in the age range that’s more at risk as well it’s safer for him to stay put and not bother going out that often if he can avoid it. For someone that has the kind of schedule he does, just as many celebrities do, it can’t be entirely easy, but at this point closing down the non-essential meetings and conventions is a necessity that can’t be overlooked or ignored, so it’s best that he stays home just like anyone else and practices social distancing during this time. Obviously he’s getting a kick out of entertaining the fans any way he can, and will likely continue to do so until he and everyone else can get back to the work they enjoy so much.
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