William Shatner is a Star Trek legend. The iconic actor first brought Captain James T, Kirk to life in 1966, helping to forever change sci-fi television and movies and quickly became a fan favorite. He’s reprised the role numerous times over the years and now, as he celebrates his 95th birthday this Sunday, March 22nd, Pluto TV is celebrating him — and Captain Kirk — with a free Trek TV takeover that Trek fans new and old are sure to love.
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This weekend, Pluto TV is hosting their own sort of birthday party for Shatner with the return of the Star Trek pop-up category starting Friday, March 20th running through April 3rd. It’s just the start of the celebration as well, with Pluto offering up Birthday Stunts on March 22nd with dedicated programming across multiple channels as well as a full-on Star Trek movie marathon.
Pluto TV Is Going All Trek For Shatner’s Milestone Birthday
Kicking off today (Friday, March 20th), the Star Trek pop-up category returns to six different channels on the service: Star Trek: The Motion pictures, which includes the full Star Trek film collection on VOD, Star Trek, which features The Original Series as part of the birthday programming, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise, which is returning as a standalone channel for the duration of the pop-up category. Then, starting on Sunday, the streamer will have Birthday Stunts, which includes an all-day Original Series marathon for Shatner’s birthday on the Star Trek channel as well as the first six Star Trek movies (which feature Shatner) on The Motion Pictures Channel. Fans will also be able to enjoy a bonus of The Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner on Funny AF starting at 10 pm ET.
Of course, there’s more Star Trek to be enjoyed. All of the Star Trek movies are available to enjoy this weekend as well. Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and Star Trek: Generations all feature Shatner. You will also be able to enjoy the other Star Trek films, including Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Nemesis, Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond.
Shatner’s Captain Kirk Changed What It Meant to Be a Leading Man
While Shatner’s role as Captain Kirk helped redefine sci-fi entertainment (and helped propel Star Trek into the beloved franchise it is today), he also had a larger impact on entertainment culture. His portrayal of Kirk offered up a different take on what leading male characters could be. Keep in mind, when Star Trek first debuted in the 1960s, the concept of a leading man was very specific, often defined by a square-jawed look and a stoic personality. However, Shatner’s Captain Kirk was much more faceted and offered a unique and at times offbeat sensibility to the role. Shatner’s Kirk wasn’t always a perfect hero, offering sometimes a less-than-positive or complimentary side to the character. It offered a depth not only to the Captain Kirk character but gave viewers a new look at what it meant to be the leading man — and was significant.
In the decades since, we’ve seen leading men and characters become more flawed and more faceted. It’s something that started on the small screen with Shatner’s performance and is just another reason that Star Trek’s Original Series was a pioneering television series that has become a massive cultural icon today. Now, with Shatner turning 95, it’s only fitting that he gets the celebration he deserves on Pluto TV.
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