Bring Back (William Shatner's) Kirk

After the death of science fiction icon James T. Kirk in 1993's "Star Trek: Generations", which itself marked the first theatrical outing for the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" crew, an innumerable number of fans began and fueled a campaign to "Bring Back Kirk". "Bring Back Kirk" (or BBK, as it is known through the Trek fandom) was created in reaction to the feeling amongst fans who believed that Kirk's death was an affront to Star Trek, amounting to nothing more than a cheap gimmick to sell a movie at the expense of a legendary character.

Additionally, it didn't help that the death added nothing to the movie's storyline that, aside from the opening act of the movie, was incomprehensible at best.

However, let's factor in that all this was a good 14 years ago.

Since that time, the Star Trek franchise has fallen to deplorable depths. Aside from non-canonical books and other minor merchandise, Trek exists solely in reruns and DVD. The thing going for Trek today is a movie by J. J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) and the remastered episodes of the original series with clearer picture and better special effects.

Other than that, Trek has been replaced in science fiction Americana with the likes of Battlestar Galactica, the various Stargate television series, and even mainstream shows like Heroes and Lost. All of this is probably for the best, given the direction Trek was going in prior to the better-late-than-never cancellation of Enterprise.

In any event, there's a reasonably muted but steady beating of war drums from the people behind the Bring Back Kirk campaign. Yes, they're still around and hopping mad over the fact that Shatner won't reprise his role as Kirk in Abrams' Trek, while Leonard Nimoy will reprise the role of an older Spock.

Well, here it is folks: It is what it is. Either like it or lump it.

The fact of the matter is that the Bring Back Kirk has been reasonably and modestly successful in getting Kirk returned to the big screen, not to mention in print. Granted, while some may dismiss the campaign, it is one of the more memorable (if not controversial and derided) ones in Trek fandom's history and has had some influence in the way things have happened. While the measure of BBK's influence has never been quantified, it is clear that Shatner's death has been overturned in the Pocket Book's series of novels and, while that's not the same as being returned into the Trek canon, it is better than nothing.

Also, Kirk has been returned to the big screen, perhaps not in the way that the Bring Back Kirk people desired. However, if rumors about the movie are true regarding the changed timeline, then Kirk's death has been effectively removed. Granted, we won't see Shatner reprise the role, but that's a good thing, since it needs to be made clear that Kirk can be brought to life by a different actor in a different way. As proven by Battlestar Galactica and Stargate SG-1, different actors can bring their own interpretations to already established characters, whether they are named Adama, Starbuck, Apollo, Jack O'Neill (with two "L"s), or Daniel Jackson.

With that in mind, it is clearly obvious that the Bring Back Kirk campaign should end its run. The fact that it continues indicates that they are, at worst, incapable of being satisfied. More than that, they've succeeded in getting what they want, regardless of whether or not their voices were effectual to the ears of influential people up at the top.

They may not have liked how it all went down, but, then again, isn't that life?

And like all things good, bad and ineffectual, they must inevitably come to an end. How they end is up to the people on and working behind the stage.

My advice to the BBK brigade is to bow out gracefully, congratulate Paramount on bringing back the character of Kirk, even if Shatner's not involved.

Live long and prosper, Kirk.