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In the eyes of a great many science fiction fans, William Shatner will always be Captain Kirk. Making his debut as the character in “Star Trek: The Original Series” and continuing in the role for decades, he made it difficult for anyone else to fill those shoes. From Shatner’s distinctive way of talking as Kirk to his way of filling the captain’s chair, he was a tough act to follow. So, what does Shatner think of the man who did follow him?

That man was Chris Pine, who took on the role of Kirk in director J.J. Abrams’ 2009 “Star Trek” movie reboot. Taking place in what’s dubbed the Kelvin Timeline, this iteration of the franchise took us back to the beginning with the Enterprise crew, branching off into a new timeline. “Star Trek” briefly had bigger plans for the Kelvin Timeline, but we haven’t seen this iteration of the crew since 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond.”

Shatner has weighed in on Pine’s take on Kirk several times over the years. Naturally, people wanted to know how the original actor feels about someone taking over the role he made famous. In 2012, Shatner spoke at Wizard World in New Orleans (via TrekNews.net) and had nothing but nice things to say about Pine. To quote him directly at the time:

“He’s a lovely young man, who is really talented and looks really good. He’s got the demeanor, the body and the voice. So, along with being a good actor, he’s got all the right equipment.”

In 2012, Chris Pine had played James T. Kirk in 2009’s “Star Trek” and was about to reprise the role in 2013’s “Star Trek Into Darkness.” And while many “Star Trek” fans are highly critical of “Into Darkness,” it was a very successful movie commercially. William Shatner, for his part, enjoyed both movies quite a bit.

“I’ve seen the two films J.J. Abrams directed, and I enjoyed them very much,” Shatner told Metro in 2014 (via Digital Spy). In that same interview, the actor once again offered some thoughts on Pine in the role of Kirk and had kind words to share (even as his own mortality came into play):

“It was like seeing your mortality. Here comes a young, handsome, and talented guy playing what I was playing years ago. It makes you realize time is passing — if I needed reminding, which I don’t.”

Bear in mind, Shatner was in his 80s in 2014, and he’s still marching on at the age of 95, doing his thing. But as he pointed out, he’s well aware of his mortality. Meanwhile, Pine was in his 30s, which influenced his take on the character. Indeed, Pine’s Kirk is very different from Shatner’s, which is good since imitating Shatner would’ve been a fool’s errand.

Speaking to Screen Rant in 2024, Shatner once again weighed in on Pine, this time also discussing Paul Wesley’s portrayal of Kirk in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” As before, Shatner was nothing but kind, saying:

“They’re wonderful. I just wish I looked as good as they do, and their ilk, as actors. They’re both wonderful.”

You can grab the “Star Trek Trilogy: The Kelvin Timeline” collection on 4K or Blu-ray from Amazon.