The Dynamic Authenticity That William Shatner Brought to His Role as Captain James T. Kirk in ‘Star Trek’

Science fiction essayist Rowen J. Coleman took a look at the misunderstood yet dynamic authenticity that William Shatner brought to his role as Captain James T. Kirk in the first iteration of the Star Trek franchise. Coleman further notes how Shatner brought a great deal of magnetism and energy to the role and how parodies of his performance are greatly exaggerated.

Despite how often people make fun of his line delivery and physical actions, these acting choices make Shatner a magnetic presence on screen.

Coleman also compared Shatner's delivery to that of Sir Patrick Stewart in his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

As parodied as his line delivery is, listening back, it's actually quite naturalistic. Shatner never sounds as though he's reciting lines. His dialogue sounds authentic, if at times exaggerated. And just like Patrick Stewart's line delivery, Shatner's cadence dictates the pace of conversation. Whereas Stewart's controlled delivery allowed scenes to unfold steadily, Shatner's staccato style is continuously surprising.

via Neatorama

subscribe to the Laughing Squid Newsletter

The post The Dynamic Authenticity That William Shatner Brought to His Role as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek' was originally published on Laughing Squid.