Strongest At His Weakest
As recorded in the excellent behind the scenes documentary, Never Surrender, the Galaxy Quest script unlocked when writers Robert Gordon (who shares a screenplay credit with David Howard) and director Dean Parisot realize that Jason loves being the captain, even if it’s just pretend. Where the original story made him more of a bitter washout like Dane, the new version would make him glad to reprise his role at cons and, eventually, in outer space because it presents him at his best.
Thus there’s a vulnerability to Jason that makes him compelling, even when he’s being an arrogant jerk. Jason is tragic because he needs the very people to whom he condescends. He may act like he’s better than his co-stars Dane and Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver), or better than his biggest fan Mathesar (Enrico Colantoni), the Thermian who recruits Jason and the crew to fight real space battles against the warlord Sarris (Robin Sachs and some outstanding make-up effects from Bill George at ILM). But he needs them to be the person he wants to be: Commander Taggart.
Like most of his castmates, Shatner sometimes had a complicated relationship with Kirk, despite going on to successful projects such as T.J. Hooker and Boston Legal. But he still had clear pride in the captain, reprising the role for Star Trek: The Animated Series, the planned Star Trek: Phase II, and all the movies through 1994’s Generations. Shatner also undid Kirk’s death in Generations for a wonderfully unhinged set of novels and, to this day, grouches that J.J. Abrams brought Nimoy’s Spock back, but not his Kirk, in the reboot films.
That pride and natural bluster is evident onscreen in his every outing as Kirk. Sure, Shatner’s idiosyncratic line deliveries have long since become a punchline, but they’re effective nonetheless. Shatner believes so much in the truth of Kirk as a character that he gives every single word great weight. And more often than not, it’s fantastic. Every word of the “risk is our business” speech from the season two episode “Return to Tomorrow” deserves that weight. Our love for Spock justifies the long pause Kirk takes before finding the word “human” in the eulogy at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Moreover, for all of his bluster, Shatner has no problem playing the comedy of his character and being the butt of the joke. Just look at the reaction he has when Decker challenges Kirk in The Motion Picture. After telling Decker to mind his place, the newly-busted-down XO reminds the captain that it is a first officer’s job to check his superior officer. Shatner gives the moment space before Kirk responds, taking his time before allowing a proud smile, letting the audience realize that Kirk is indeed wrong here. “I stand corrected,” confesses Kirk.
In fact, all of the TOS movies are about how old and out of step Kirk is. Sure, Kirk begins Star Trek V, the one Shatner himself directed, free soloing El Capitan. But he still almost falls to his death after getting interrogated by a cool Spock in hoverboots. Whether or not he knows it about himself, Shatner knows that Kirk isn’t perfect, which only makes us love him more.
