Star Trek: William Shatner Recalls Tough Early Days

Today, Star Trek is one of the most beloved franchises in the world and Captain Kirk is one of the [...]

By Jamie Lovett

Today, Star Trek is one of the most beloved franchises in the world and Captain Kirk is one of the most recognizable pop culture icons in history, but it wasn't always that way.

Kirk himself, actor William Shatner, recalled as much during a live recording of The James Altucher Show podcast the StandUp NY comedy club. Shatner was there to promote his new memoir Live Long and...What I Learned Along the Way, and he reminded the audience that Star Trek had a tough time finding its audience at first.

"We were being canceled every year," Shatner said, according to Space.com. "They were canceling, and they weren't canceling. The third year, we limped along Friday nights."

After the third season, the show was canceled for good. It would eventually become a cult hit in syndication, but the cast of the show never saw any residuals, and starring in a short-lived science fiction series didn't do much to boost their careers.

"I had a truck; I put a cab on the back of the truck, took my dog, and I drove across the country," Shatner said. "I toured these 13 weeks, lived in the back of the thing. I did star in Star Trek, and I was living in the back of a truck."

Eventually, being a part of Star Trek did pay off. The buzz from fans and success of the show in syndication led to its return, originally planned as a new TV show but eventually, thanks largely to the success of Star Wars, as a film series. A new TV series would later follow, but with a brand new cast, and the franchise continues to this day with Star Trek: Discovery, the Kelvin timeline movies, and the upcoming Picard show.

Shatner's time with the franchise came to an end in Star Trek: Generations, with the death of Captain Kirk. Shatner recently explained the real reason that Kirk had to die.

"So the producer said, 'We're going to kill Kirk because we think that The Next Generation will make more money at the box office,' and I said 'Why? Why do you want to kill the Captain?'" Shatner said. "[They said] 'Ah, the box office, expenses, the budget, and the box office.' And they said, 'Do you want to be a part of it?' And I said, 'Yes, I'll be a part of it.'"

What do you think of Star Trek's long road from scrappy cult favorite to sci-fi franchise supreme? Let us know in the comments!

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