William Shatner about voicing Kirk for Bethesda games

“That famous Shatner humor is still in high gear!” That’s what fellow QJ-er Chris Coker said about William Shatner, the actor who played James Tiberius Kirk on Star Trek.

GameSpy interviewed him about what it was like to voice Kirk in the Bethesda Softwork Star Trek games: Star Trek: Legacy (for Xbox 360 and PC), Star Trek: Encounters, and Star Trek: Tactical Assault (for DS and PSP).

How did Bethesda manage to convince Shatner? “I didn’t want to do it,” Shatner said, “But they kept coming back to me… It was the groveling that got me. It broke my heart.” Although Star Trek: Legacy impressed him (“cool” was how he described the game, and with the best graphics among Star Trek games, yeah it’s cool).

Is it hard work to do voicing for a game?

GS: Have you ever been doing a voice for something and had the director say you’re sounding too Kirk-like?

Shatner: No. But you have to explain that to me: What’s Kirk-like?

GS: Well, Kirk is very commanding, very authoritativeÂ…

Shatner: No, there’s no such thing. I just say the words. “NO!” Was that Kirk-like?

GS: Yeah.

Shatner: But that’s also how I ordered dinner last night.

Anyway, Legacy is coming out on November 21, while Tactical Assault has already been released. Shatner said, “Star Trek is coming back, you can feel it in the air.” We QJ Trekkers and Trekkies agree.

“That famous Shatner humor is still in high gear!” That’s what fellow QJ-er Chris Coker said about William Shatner, the actor who played James Tiberius Kirk on Star Trek.

GameSpy interviewed him about what it was like to voice Kirk in the Bethesda Softwork Star Trek games: Star Trek: Legacy (for Xbox 360 and PC), Star Trek: Encounters, and Star Trek: Tactical Assault (for DS and PSP).

How did Bethesda manage to convince Shatner? “I didn’t want to do it,” Shatner said, “But they kept coming back to me… It was the groveling that got me. It broke my heart.” Although Star Trek: Legacy impressed him (“cool” was how he described the game, and with the best graphics among Star Trek games, yeah it’s cool).

Is it hard work to do voicing for a game?

GS: Have you ever been doing a voice for something and had the director say you’re sounding too Kirk-like?

Shatner: No. But you have to explain that to me: What’s Kirk-like?

GS: Well, Kirk is very commanding, very authoritativeÂ…

Shatner: No, there’s no such thing. I just say the words. “NO!” Was that Kirk-like?

GS: Yeah.

Shatner: But that’s also how I ordered dinner last night.

Anyway, Legacy is coming out on November 21, while Tactical Assault has already been released. Shatner said, “Star Trek is coming back, you can feel it in the air.” We QJ Trekkers and Trekkies agree.