'Star Trek': William Shatner Says He Did Not Approve Captain Kirk Statue

The town of Riverside, Iowa is said to be the birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, the most iconic [...]

The town of Riverside, Iowa is said to be the birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, the most iconic hero of the Star Trek franchise. The town recently revealed a new statue of Kirk that was supposedly created with William Shatner's blessing, but the Star Trek star disputes that claim.

The Kirk statue was unveiled during the Trekfest XXXIV celebration, an annual event held in Kirk's hometown. According to a report from MeTV, William Shatner himself approved of the statue, which cost $30,000 to have commissioned. Shatner took to Twitter to state that he had nothing to do with it.

As an FYI MeTV on this story...I never gave an OK," Shatner tweeted. "CBS would have to authorize it as I don't have that authority. I don't even think it looks like me. If I gave permission why didn't they send images of the sculpt to me before it got cast?"

The sculpture was created by Jurek Jakowicz, an artist located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, though the idea came from Riverside councilman Steve Miller, who has been spearheading an effort to have Riverside officially sanctioned as the birthplace of Captain Kirk since 1985 when he first made contact with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry is said to have called MIller's idea "enterprising" and given his blessing.

From there, Miller expanded his idea to include a statue of Kirk in Riverside's Hall Park, one of the community hubs of the city. The Riverside community and Star Trek fans made donations to cover the $30,000 expense.

According to the report, Shatner gave his support to MIller's idea and permission to use his likeness after they met in 2004. Shatner clearly disputes this claim.

ComicBook.com has reached out to CBS to confirm whether the company gave an official blessing to the statue and is awaiting a response.

What do you think of the Captain Kirk statue? Let us know in the comments!

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