Sun Sep 14 04:00:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

William Shatner, best known for his role as Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series, revealed that he has not received any royalties from reruns of the show. This is due to the fact that residual fees for syndicated shows were not established until after Star Trek was canceled. Shatner also admitted that he is not a Star Trek fan and has only watched a few episodes of the original series, never having seen any of the spinoffs. Despite this, he remains open to reprising his role as Captain Kirk if there is a significant reason for the character’s appearance.

**News Article:**

**Shatner Reveals He’s Never Earned a Penny from Star Trek Reruns, Admits He’s Not a Fan**

**LOS ANGELES, CA -** William Shatner, the iconic Captain James T. Kirk from the original Star Trek series, has made a surprising revelation: he has never received any royalties from the countless reruns of the show that propelled him to stardom.

In a recent interview, Shatner explained that the concept of residual fees for syndicated shows was not established until after Star Trek was canceled in 1969. “Nobody knew about reruns,” Shatner said. “The concept of syndication only came in after ‘Star Trek’ was canceled… But in the end, the unions secured residual fees shortly after ‘Star Trek’ finished, so I didn’t benefit.”

Shatner has been vocal about this issue in the past, even addressing it directly with fans on social media.

Adding another layer of surprise, the 94-year-old actor admitted that he’s not a die-hard Star Trek fan. “I’ve never seen another ‘Star Trek’ and I’ve seen as few ‘Star Treks’ of the show I was on, I’ve seen as few as possible,” Shatner revealed. “I don’t like to look at myself, and I’ve never seen any other. I love it, I think it’s great. I just don’t, you know, I don’t watch television, per se.”

Despite not benefiting financially from reruns and not being a devoted fan, Shatner has expressed willingness to reprise his role as Captain Kirk if the circumstances are right. “If there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it,” he stated earlier this year.

While the specifics of a potential return remain unclear, fans can continue to enjoy Shatner’s portrayal of Captain Kirk through the original series and films, even if he himself isn’t watching.

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