Captain’s Log: William Shatner beaming back to NJPAC

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Pop culture titan and inexhaustible force of nature William Shatner has played a wide variety of roles during his long and illustrious life: Shakespearean stage actor, television series hero, matinee idol, recording artist, author, director, husband, father, philanthropist, equestrian, globetrotting goodwill ambassador and product pitchman. For his upcoming May 19 appearance at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in downtown Newark, the Canadian-born entertainment icon will be setting course back to his space-exploring glory days of the character that made him an internationally recognizable face and name more than half a century ago.

Portraying the dashing Capt. James Tiberius Kirk, Shatner boldly led his intrepid crew of the USS Enterprise through three brief yet groundbreaking seasons of “Star Trek.” Although the NBC interstellar adventure series ceased production in 1969, six big-budget box office blockbusters continued the voyages of the original cast a decade later, keeping science fiction fans on the edge of their theater seats throughout the 1980s and 1990s. NJPAC event ticket holders will be treated to a big screen viewing of the second, and arguably strongest, of the six motion pictures. Released in 1982, “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” delivered what many diehard fans — known as “Trekkers” — and even casual followers of the franchise consider to be the quintessential Star Trek movie experience. The screening will immediately be followed by Shatner onstage commandeering a rollicking 75-minute question-and-answer session with delighted audience members. Here are a few fascinating excerpts from my May 14th conversation with the 87-year-old Hollywood legend, who candidly discusses his past, present and future earthbound endeavors:

DV: Good morning, sir! Thank you for finding the time to talk with me again. I always like to see what you are currently working on. Are there any new projects we should know about?

WS: Well, I have two new albums coming out. A Christmas album due out in October called ‘Shatner Claus.’ Despite the silly title, it’s an earnest attempt to put a different bent on traditional holiday songs. And I just finished laying down tracks in Nashville for a country album with Jeff Cook of the band Alabama which we are hoping to have released later this summer. I also have a new book coming out about aging called ‘Live Long And …’ but I am certainly not advising anyone on how to live their lives. It’s basically my personal recollections of “this is what I did and this worked for me or this didn’t work for me.”

DV: Watching you, fellow actor Henry Winkler and sports legends Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman travel around the world as part of your recent ‘Better Late Than Never’ television series is so much fun. Any plans for a third season? And where would you like to go next?

WS: We have high hopes that NBC will renew us. I told the producers I would love for us to go to China. It’s just so diverse. The differences in dialects, cuisine and culture are staggering, so we’ll see. I love those guys. I’ve had a great deal of fun with them and I truly look forward to even more good times.

DV: My biggest takeaway from watching you on ‘Better Late Than Never’ is marveling at your undeniable lust for life. Is that the true secret to your continued successes?

WS: I’m just genuinely enthusiastic about things. The older I get the more precious time becomes. I want to spend my time immersed in the beauty of what we have here on earth as well as making sure we preserve it for our next generation. The lust for life is also the lust for the continuation of life on this planet.

DV: Any words of wisdom for that next generation of youngsters, many of whom are addicted to their smartphones, social media or video games and may not yet share your same level of passion for life?

WS: I have grandchildren that join us around the dinner table and out comes their phones. And what I tell them is that we can all learn from horses: Live in the moment like they do. Get off the phone and take it all in. Live in this present moment rather than reminiscing about the past or worrying about the future, to which there is no avail there.

DV: Is there anything new on the horizon from your Shatner Singularity publishing line?

WS: We are in the process of selling creative properties as well as things that I have written, which would result in a new wave of comic books, so stay tuned.

DV: So many classic TV shows are being rebooted and retooled by Neflix, Amazon or other mainstream and cable networks. Is there a favorite character or series from your past that you would love to revisit? Maybe resurrecting ‘Boston Legal’ or ‘T.J. Hooker’ for a new audience to enjoy?

WS: I think the time for that has passed. Those shows were so well-written; ‘T.J. Hooker’ had a strong philosophical core and Denny Crane was such a great, complex role. I’m not sure if going back would really serve any purpose at all.

DV: Let’s talk about your upcoming NJPAC appearance this Saturday evening. What is it about ‘The Wrath of Khan’ that still resonates with moviegoers more than 35 years later? Any thoughts?

WS: We had a fabulous villain — Ricardo Montalban as Khan. Such a colorful personality. The way that villain was written was just wonderful. Khan was a perfect foil for Capt. Kirk. It’s also a very touching movie, and quite emotional. Our first motion picture was fairly cold, relying on too many special effects. For the second film, we tried to recapture the spirit of the original ‘Star Trek’ series and I think we did.

DV: I honestly feel that the death of Spock sequence in ‘Wrath’ is one of the most powerful scenes ever filmed for any movie. Was that just another day at the office or did you and co-star Leonard Nimoy tap into something special to make that onscreen moment so unforgettable?

WS: It was something we both felt. Leonard had said to me earlier that this was going to be his final “Star Trek” movie and I replied, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I really thought that this was it for him. And I never saw them film the part where Spock whispers something into McCoy’s ear or the coffin scene that hints at Spock’s return in our third movie. So apparently, they were all planning this without my knowledge. To this day, I honestly did not know that either Leonard or the Spock character were returning at that point.

DV: I have been wanting to ask you this for many years: Of your two classic Rod Serling ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes, which is your personal favorite? ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet’ or ‘Nick of Time?’

WS: The airplane episode with the monster on the wing, ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,’ is certainly the more popular of the two. When my kids were little they would ask me to call the flight attendant over and have me look back from my window in horror. That always got a big laugh.

DV: Here’s my final question for you: Now that Disney owns both the Star Wars and the Marvel superhero franchises, would you ever consider joining either if they asked you?

WS: Of course! I would do both of them.

DV: I think you would be perfect as the new Han Solo’s grandfather or Thor’s uncle.

WS: (Laughs) From your mouth to God’s ears!

DV: Thank you so much for our time together. Are there any plans for a post-show lobby meet and greet with your fans at NJPAC similar to your ‘Shatner’s World’ performance a few years back?

WS: Absolutely. I’ll see you there!

Tickets for an evening with William Shatner and “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” can be purchased at www.njpac.org. David VanDeventer is a frequent entertainment content provider for Worrall Media and can be contacted at pics@thelocalsource.com.