The Shatnerian School of Acting

[@IThinkYouLookLarvely]

Of all the acting I have encountered, his was the most....... human.

[@JayDS509]

Noooooooo....

[@JVD8383]

Lol

[@spider-ball]

I feel....sabatage

[@carlo1831]

And that's the only thing I didn't understand about Shatner. In Wink of an Eye the line was "So you're the one who sabotaged my ship". He pronounced it sabatage and the director yelled, "Cut!". When confronted, he said, You say sabotage, I say sabatage. It doesn't matter how Shatner would say it. What matters is how Kirk would say it. Shatner comes from Canada. Kirk comes from Iowa. Someone from Iowa is going to say 'Sabotage', not 'Sabatage'. It's like if I were playing a Canadian and I said, "I'm going out for a walk". That's wrong. A Canadian would say, "I'm going oat for a walk." They say oat, not out. So for me to insist on saying out is to make the performance less believable. Which is what Shatner did in that scene.

[@dennistheconstitutionalpea6174]

That's up for debate.

[@VanceJoudrey]

He was a Shakespearean actor and his TV acting, especially early on, was basically stage acting. If you imagine it as live theater it would play perfectly.

[@rafaellago172]

Exactly. As I said somewhere else, he's not a bad actor, he just thinks that the Shakespearean approach works anywhere. It's like mixing a great olive oil with ice cream because the former works well with salad.

[@Imanoth]

Taking into account that he refuses to watch himself recorded... there was (or is) never going to be any room for improvement anyways.

[@kxmode]

This is the primary reason why Gene pushed Paramount to hire Patrick Stewart even though they wanted to find someone with more hair. Gene knew Shakespearean actors are the only actors who can make sci-fi appear more real.

[@justindrawdy7443]

Patrick Stewart is a Shakespearean actor as well you know and he never "acted" like this...

[@rafaellago172]

Justin Drawdy It's an approach, not a strict set of guidelines, though. Some are more visceral than others. Also, Shatner learned to ham it up on purpose during his theater days; when he felt that the audience was bored or about to leave, he would start yelling his lines and chewing the scenery in an attempt to keep them interested. As time went on, he "perfected" it. If that's positive or not, it's up to you.

[@Kuroperrock]

That "over-acting" is what make us love him. Great Captain Kirk, we all wanted to be like you!

[@professionalnerd4055]

Amen!

[@internettehnolog]

Oh My God, man... This is my thoughts you just said. Everybody wants it. So do i.

[@internettehnolog]

@@professionalnerd4055 isnt his comment an amazing? He told us pure true.

[@MantisCFS]

Shatner casually dodging that giant rock the Gorn throws always makes me laugh.

[@tonya2524]

He is a master of combat and it is part.of his dance.

[@Taylor_Wolfe115]

I love when shat throws the rock and it kinds just bounces off the gorn like nothing

[@Zongooo]

That's Kirk. With a real rock, Shatner would have, well, shat himself.

[@doorbellrings9183]

That whole fight is comedic

[@Bayoneter]

Damnit Bones, I'm a starship captain not an actor.

[@dylankaiser5546]

For God's sake Jim i'm a cast member not your agent

[@thatonegirlelaine]

Oh my god, this is the best comment I've ever seen ever.

[@TheArcher101]

Damn right

[@housedubs1]

I must start doing my homework...must...stop...watching this....

[@hollisterpatricia]

Yu've just earned a full scholarship to the Shatnerian School of Acting! Ster Trek was the first tv series I watched faithfully in the 1960s.

[@cillaqiu7142]

I ...must...follow...your...suggestion...2...4....6....

[@warrenwickremesooriya8031]

Ha ha ha brilliant

[@upsidedownChad]

Lol

[@fifimsp]

People need to realize Shatner was trained for the stage. On stage you need to be able to see an eye roll from the nosebleed section. I love watching shatner act in Star Trek. He makes a tense situation tense. He is like poetry. It's a little over the top, but it conveys the meaning and the feeling you were suppose to feel in an absurd situation.

[@Rocko1990]

That just seems like a bad excuse for bad acting, tbh

[@DavidAtomic]

Well, Shatner overacts a lot, but his acting has a charm that I can't help but to love it

[@majormoe3678]

Didn't he start as a stage actor? Probably explains a lot. Though in later years like in Wrath of Kahn he has really solid performances at times. Though let's be honest, he's more of a "personality" most of the time.

[@Shadowkey392]

agreed!

[@Aurora170]

Major Moe As it so happens, on youtube there is a play of 'Oedipus Rex' which has Shatner as a member of the Greek Chorus but unfortunately they all overact to a hilarious amount so it is hard to tell which one is him.

[@scottmatheson2390]

DavidAtomic I agree.I believe If you are being entertained then the actor has done his job regardless of how that is accomplished.They can't all be De Niro or Olivier but they can still entertain us in their own way.

[@Shadowkey392]

+DavidAtomic I think a lot of people probably acted like that back then.

[@dumbcat]

"Your captain has an excellent body Dr. McCoy." lol

[@hydrolito]

After being a brain in a jar for a million years most any living body would be an improvement.

[@psmirage]

My brother once put it perfectly: The Original Star Trek was Theater. Stage Theater. William Shatner had been trained as a stage actor, where exaggerated emotions and gestures are necessary to convey to an extended audience what the character is feeling. Television and movies have a different feel, because the camera can come in close to the actors, so more subtle acting is generally more appropriate. I'm not claiming that Shatner didn't adapt to this new medium well. His interpretation of the original series was appropriate to Gene Roddenberry's vision. Because a Science Fiction series made building more elaborate sets fiscally impossible, the theater type acting was more appropriate.

[@solarisone1082]

That's no excuse. Sir Patrick Stewart is also a stage actor, and he doesn't do this shit.

[@Kingshadowac]

Then that just means Patrick was able to adapt better, don't really know why you even brought it up.

[@izom]

makes sence ;-)

[@stevepalpatine2828]

@@solarisone1082 Shatner is a far better actor than Stewart.

[@brettjohnson536]

Stage acting might be bigger in general, but it's not quite THIS over the top. Subtlety and realism are still important parts of modern theatre acting. You certainly wouldn't see acting like this at the RSC for example.

[@AciddDare1314]

Am I the only person who never noticed the pauses? When I watched as a kid and when I watch it now it they don't seem out of place or unusual until someone points it out. I always thought that Shatner, acting as Kirk, was doing what we're all suppose to do. Which is think before you speak. I don't know that's just how I always saw it.

[@PrincessNinja007]

Same, I'm still looking for them

[@anonymousaccordionist3326]

I honestly don't know from where that joke came. He does make dramatic pauses, but it's not so frequent as some lead you to believe. It's not like he pauses every 3 words like Obama does. To me his pauses always made sense within the sentence structure, even if they were sometimes unnecessary.

[@TheValeyard92]

@@PrincessNinja007 That is mostly what he does. Everyone's just seen the Seth Mcfarlane impression now, though.

[@Losrandir]

He speaks in pentametrics, or was it hexametrics, but it requires that pause

[@RRTNZ]

I met Shatner a couple of years ago, and he's fucking awesome. Whether you call it over-acting, good-acting, bad-acting or just Shatnerism, the guy is one of a kind, and parody is the sincerest form of flattery. the fact that his style is a cultural cliche is a testament to his greatness. Long live Bill Shatner !

[@willybones3890]

Shat has been lucky to both have had a long career and a very long life.😊

[@skeve613]

Some people, say that, Shatner, tends to use, a lot of pauses, and would have many commas, in his dialogue

[@alexandercrankshaft]

+skeve613 Heee's, got to, mister!!

[@kg4boj]

And it made him a huge pile of money so..... Mission accomplished!

[@rafaellago172]

You just don't...UNDERSTAND HIS... very particular use of...emphasis TO...BRINGAGREATERDEPTH... to the script, my friend.

[@Imanoth]

throw ah, uh and huhs instead of commas there and who ya got? ;)

[@JoeDonahue]

+Imanoth Jeff Goldblum?

[@Scranchkin]

"your captain has an excellent body, dr mccoy"

[@Tempusverum]

LOOLOL

[@poisonedcrow9311]

And he says it just as we're getting a view of his arse while he struts haha

[@juresaiyan]

0:35 may be goofy, but in my opinion it's one of the most emotional moments in TOS. Imagine not having a body for 500.000 years...

[@naschijk]

juresaiyan HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH

[@Morn__]

Witch episode is it?

[@michaellaplant8659]

@@Morn__ The episode is "Return To Tomorrow" -- from the second season of the Original Series, if I remember correctly. 🖖🏽

[@Rocko1990]

What's TOS?

[@juresaiyan]

@@Rocko1990 the original series

[@6695John13]

0:36 The music is simply amazing..

[@JamesJohnson-nm5pu]

It really is.

[@timbuktu8069]

Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKu8iZWjmLJnq9E

[@stereo-type1510]

So is the acting

[@MrVagineer]

Say what you want about Shatner but he will always be the ture James T. Kirk.

[@briancross7835]

The Shat's crazy eyes at 2:26 haunt my dreams...

[@JamesJohnson-nm5pu]

LMFAO!!

[@Imanoth]

He's is the inspiration for Stitch (Lilo & Stitch) xD

[@JamesJohnson-nm5pu]

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[@obereen]

You forgot about Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Shadowkey392]

That would be "over-the-top anger"

[@countcapricorn]

+obereen *raises hand* Did you know he's acting like a non-actor who's trying to act in that scene? It's actually pretty brilliant.

[@sharontulett8072]

Carly Smith - jelly

[@solarisone1082]

That's one which actually kind of makes sense.

[@tinybitcountry]

I love this guy! You have to watch the whole episode. He was brilliant!

[@Artess0123]

Half a century ago, this kind of acting was considered great, I believe, at least for this kind of show. Fifty years from now, people will be laughing at what we now consider perfection.

[@jasonfenton8250]

The 400 Blows came out in 1959 and has incredibly naturalistic performances. The acting here is the result of casting and directing choices, as well as the milieu of this kind of TV show at the time. I actually quite like Shatner as Kirk, but you can't dismiss all criticism of it by just saying it's old.

[@TheSecretWorldRules]

I'm already laughing at the garbage produced in 2023. Classic TOS is GOLD.

[@katrinacandee5983]

Shatner did an awesome job of creating who Kirk was. Some actors just read the script and perform, Shatner read the script and thought how would "Kirk" do this or say this. This video was hilarious though, "Meanness"...Spock crying, lol.

[@Villiago]

William Shatner, the only kosher ham in the galaxy!

[@internettehnolog]

Ahahahaha

[@golden-63]

Shatner was trained as a stage actor. Stage acting is much "bigger" than on TV or in film and for a good reason. As Herrspuzzmacher pointed out, everything NEEDS to be bigger on stage to be seen. On the small or large screen, very small movements can express a lot and be seen, so the technique is different...much more subtle. Leonard Nimoy knew this, but Shatner never seemed to catch on.

[@solarisone1082]

Bullshit. Stewart is also a stage actor (of much higher acclaim than Shatner ever will be) and he doesn't do this shit.

[@umbrellashotgunman]

John Carr I think you missed the point, which was that Shatner was one of many stage actors of his generation who never really learned how to act in front of a camera. Of course, actors like Stewart and McKellen did, but those guys are transcendent talents. In Shatner's case, it ended up somehow working for Star Trek anyways, if perhaps accidentally so.

[@brenster21]

@@solarisone1082 you realize that acting techniques and training changed over 50 years, right? When star trek aired, actors werent trained on how to act for television, and relied on their theater instincts for being larger then life and overly dramatic. Things changed and actors no longer act like that way, hence patrick stewart being an incredible actor.

[@Jeng4280]

I just loved William Shatner as a child and still like him now. This has me in histerics. :)

[@buffalobill4216]

I was never particularly put off by his acting style, maybe because I'm Italian or maybe because I like old movies and that kind of acting in general. What I know for sure is that he was hot as hell! He was so attractive and sexy.

[@Frankincensedjb123]

There is NO ONE like Shatner. Great actor and funny as hell.

[@sailingforever56]

I'm loving the Star Wars layout at the beginning of a Star Trek video....

[@terrypierson5427]

I love this guy! I got to meet him, and he is a funny guy.

[@abigailsockeye1586]

how can you not love that dude?

[@sandroilpelato7153]

Best actor of all time !

[@skybluemarshall]

When my brother and I were kids, we would hum the melodramatic scores from this show and run around, grasping and pushing ourselves off the walls our apartment, like we had encountered 'space turbulence'. I guess that even as kids, we knew the cast was overacting, as though their space ship was a submarine, being attacked by depth charges. We would mock the show by saying something like, "Hey, let's go get some cereal" or "Let's go watch TV" and then we would stumble all over the house and hum that over the top dramatic music, just to walk from point A to point B. We thought we were pretty amusing.

[@Deeh222]

Yes, overacting but never boring. He holds that series on his shoulders a lot of the time

[@Tempusverum]

“Spock…. There’s…….someone on the wing…. Some………Thing…..”

[@julianwhite1346]

0:35 is me after a really good workout!

[@jkoff76]

You see the problem with Shatner was someone told him he was going to be in The Threepenny Opera and not Star Trek. If he would have known, then he would have adjusted his acting technique accordingly. My favorite Kirk movement: when he's explaining something profound and of deep importance. He puts his arms out and weighs his hands as if they are moved an "invisible force." This is as profound an acting method as has ever been devised!

[@stephenvelez9710]

I mean, what really needs be said? The man is like so far ahead of his time, we're still trying to catch up with him.

[@tigertank06]

I can totally see this as an ad for a Shatnerian school. Lol.

[@StarPlatinum7912]

I love that at 2:12 if you look at their feet, it’s obvious shatner did NOT practice his choreography

[@VeniVidiVici..]

2:12 😂 that episode got me every time

[@SniffyPoo]

Nothing in the Universe can stop Kirk's emotions!

[@ringc.6075]

One thing to remember is that in a lot of these scenes Kirk has switched bodies or been possessed or something, so Shatner has to act non-human

[@joelzenny]

Great! Love the cuts to the crew reacting to all his shenanigans!

[@s0nnyburnett]

I hope someday I too can say "You captain has an excellent body"

[@JamesTKirk-xb5oh]

XD

[@MyelinProductions]

GREAT TRAINING FILM!!!! Thank you! LOL WOW! Peace & Health to all.

[@michaelfontanelli2450]

He has charisma to spare, and he’s a stylist- He tailors his performance to the outlandishness of the material. That’s what makes him the perfect actor for SciFi and action/adventure yarns. Also, he is conscious of the full ensemble: Kirk with the underplaying Leonard Nimoy is different than Kirk with the more emotional DeForest Kelly. Calling it hammy or over-the-top is missing the point. Shatner brings exactly what is required. He is beloved but underrated, imho.

[@hydrolito]

I remember watching the episodes but don't recall all the titles be glad you have a good memory.

[@bettyswunghole3310]

Say what you like about Shatner, but: "He always answered his phone, he always turned up on time, knowing his lines and sober.". The guy's a pro.

[@TheGreatAlan75]

Star Trek is the most underrated comedy of all time

[@simonxag]

Shatner was brilliant in that role. In fact the whole cast were just about perfect. Just watch the trailer (available on KZbin) or any episode of TNG for comparison.

[@simonxag]

Am I the only person not to like Patrick Stewart's acting style? At times he and Jonathan Frakes seem to compete over who can be the most wooden. The only good thing about TNG is that it really points up how fresh, exciting and dramatic TOS was. And name one actor who could have played Kirk better than Shatner.

[@DeathBringer769]

simonxag No one can out-Shatner Shatner, which is what you're really saying. Anyone can potentially end up being amazing in a role but no one can replace an icon... (Nicholson's legendary long-standing joker vs Ledger's amazing newer Joker that no one thought was going to be good at all.. surprised everyone, generally regarded as better, different than Nicholson and could never replace his specific performance, which some people still prefer.) Appreciate subjective taste instead of shouting perfection from the mountaintops. Absolute perfection doesn't exist. At any point if you can imagine any tiny change in a positive direction in any area, regardless of how small or insignificant, it's another step in improvement. If you hit perfection, there is no room for improvement. However, there's always room for improvement, we're human beings and no one is perfect. We should each strive to stay open-minded and be willing to learn each and every day instead of becoming arrogant, complacent in our limited "wisdom," thinking we have it all figured out, and ultimately becoming intellectually lazy. I happen to like both TOS and TNG. Kirk and Picard are my two favorite captains in all of the different series. Go figure :)

[@simonxag]

Deathbrewer It's more than Shatner being an icon. Think of the job that he's tasked with: he's not in a Japanese No play, nor in a Greek tragedy, so we don't get upset that he violates all the expectations we would have of an actor in these roles. But neither is the guy in a "naturalistic" "serious" drama, he plays a swaggering action hero in the mold of Richard Greene's Robin Hood. And does so beautifully!!!! Against the foil of Kirk's "overacting" Spock's wry humour can be "emotionless" and "logical" and Bones and Scotty can pass for sane human beings. Shatner makes the drama work and with the passage of time we can start to see that drama as the classic that it is.

[@solarisone1082]

Stewart being wooden? Are you bloody mad?

[@CBizzle85]

I think it's great I could watch him all day 😂

[@kitcat7538]

This video is a hatchet job. Shatner's acting in TOS is subtle and nuanced. He can say anything with his face and his voice is always pitch-perfect. This dishonest video includes scenes in which Kirk was possessed and behaving like that because another entity was controlling him. As per the instructions of the director. This is a deliberate compilation of such moments. When the script calls for great subtlety and nuance, Shatner always provides it. If the script calls for him to scream, he screams.

[@Tempusverum]

Shatner is what Roddenberry wanted him to be. Which is.... 🍖

[@Lshannon90]

I would actually watch movies if there were more actors like Shatner.

[@Taylor_Wolfe115]

I love how the Rock just bounces off the Gorn like nothing, always makes me laugh

[@Kelly14UK]

UNDOUBTEDLY the greatest thespian of all time. I feel priviledged to have seen him.

[@Jppen97]

Nicholas Cage graduated from The Shatnerian school of Acting, top of his class (Or should I say WAY OVER THE TOP of his class)

[@LightningChimp]

Watching a bunch of Trek today I was struck by the fact of how prior to this, no one had put so much conviction into that type of role. He really went for the gusto. Awesome montage.

[@JVD8383]

Don't make fun of this school it is a place of higher learning

[@smoog]

This youtube clip should be renamed 'The Shatnerian School of Awesome'.

[@PinkCharmander]

Someone pointed out he was trained as a stage actor and now that I think about it, his performances that seem odd on film would seem par for the course on stage.

[@MrFiddleedee]

Couldn't stop laughing at the flimsy model being flown around with a hand @ the end. Gene Roddenberry = The Man.

[@fullervisiondotnet]

You have to give credit to the music department for pushing it all over the top. Just think how much those lush strings add to Shatner feeling himself up in ecstasy.

[@jpd782]

A few years back I got to be in the audience for a live taping of William Shatner's short lived TV sitcom "Sh!t my Dad Said" I tell you what? To see his acting live and in person. I can die a happy Man...

[@scottmatheson2390]

To really appreciate the full range of Shatnerian acting one must ingest large quantities of mind altering drugs.Once you get past the usual bent over double fits of hysterical laughter followed by the sudden awareness of the warp and woof of the very fabric of nature itself I MEAN MY GOD MAN you settle into the warm complacent knowledge that Shatner is actually GOD and the gentle self reproach of not grasping such an obvious fact beforehand.

[@No-lq2vc]

2:12 THE FUCKING SONG LMAOO

[@bobanderson2895]

The way each person played their character is what made this show so great.. Kirk, Spock, Bones, and Scotty. You might say they were "The Beatles" of outer space. I'm proud to be the first person to recognize and point out that special Quality & Charisma that these eight individuals shared. The 60's what a time it was, as Spock would say "INDEED"

[@andreiclawhammer]

Fascinating

[@dearheart2]

Well, I'm not an actor. But I see William S acting: - thinking "What am I going to say" (stunned/pause) - thinking "What will be the right emotion" (stunned/pause) - turns slowly and say the text lout and clear... and act all the emotions so the people at the last seat in the theater can see his facial expression... But he is not in the theater.... - it is tv - and you see all the pauses and over acting... But I loved the series anyway.

[@mmccrownus2406]

he made it come alive, much more interesting. "over" acting worked well

[@camp168]

fantastic video!!!

[@YouKevo]

I love the original series of Star Trek and this video made me laugh. Warp factor 7, mister.

[@Littlevisser]

The best acting ever

[@AdinaIspas]

Well, most of these are taken out of context - the situation in the script demanded such over-acting, it's never a "normal" situation in the story. People taking over other people's bodies, manipulating their bodies with telekinesis, swapping bodies, weird viruses and spores getting into their bodies.... etc!

[@HotsDonutz]

He is a bad actor. I enjoy Kirk and Spock but Shatner as much as I love him is not what I would call a great actor :). Compare Shatner and Pine.. hell just compare Nimoy and Shatner. I've actually seen Shatner's other movies just to assure myself that it's not just the script and it isn't... It's Shatner himself. If you want good over-acting: Ricardo Montalban as Khan

[@HerrSpuzzmacher]

HotsDonutz Stage acting was like stage makeup. Everything was exaggerated so people could see it from a distance. Didn't really translate very well on to film. It's why we differentiate stage acting as separate from screen acting these days. Looks crazy. Considering the era, The Shat really wasn't that bad.

[@throckmorton3705]

good point. my girlfriend is always inviting me to the theater and her "awesome" front row season ticket seats... all the the acting goes right over our heads to the middle of the house and the back rows. most early film actors were all stage actors. and silent film didn't help either by forcing actors to overcompensate for lack of sound/voice.

[@TheDashingProduction]

HerrSpuzzmacher Richard Armitage was great in The Crucible. And I see no difference from this and that. Shatner is fucking bad and you admit it before your fan gay kicks in.

[@manictiger]

HerrSpuzzmacher Ah, so that's why they cake the stuff on their faces. I always wondered why they did that crap. It didn't look appealing up close.

[@margaretlatocha1474]

Em shatner, put all his emotions into the character he was playing just made him so awesome

[@margaretlatocha1474]

Wm

[@Swidhelm]

I think Shanter attended the Charlton Heston School of Acting.

[@KarmicOmen]

Yes, I agree ... or the Marlon Brando school of acting. Many of the actors and actresses back then were so melodramatic and over the top, but Shatner took it to a whole new level, hahaha!!

[@Isa2427]

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THIS I'M CRYING

[@MaestroDraven]

"Captain's Log: Stardate two!!!!!.................four!!!!....................................................................sevensixpointfive!

[@EverloyalSGK]

Hahahahahahahaha! This is one of the primary reasons I love this show. XD

[@nunouno001]

Ugh Shanter there never be another actor like him again.

[@spencerluyben5462]

great title, video and description. well done my friend

[@tronics666]

Shatner studied at the Larry Storch school of acting.

[@tronics666]

Larry Storch is a comedic genius! Words cannot express his total greatness. Hail Larry Storch!

[@mutantqueen]

Thanks so much for your response. I remember the whole "double plot" issue, but didn't remember that that was a part of that episode. I'll be glad when they get all the seasons on Netflix. I miss the show being in reruns.

[@MrJeroenreyns]

found a 9gag game we should start, whenever someone shouts "SHATNER" you basically have to overact the thing you are doing xd

[@jeannealtre6101]

SHATNER

[@MrJeroenreyns]

i destroyed my guitar, damn it

[@malcolmboyd3467]

thats why im here lol

[@m240guy]

How this only has 25K views is a mystery to me. Just great.

[@Nightmaregamer-y7n]

Yes sometimes it comes off pretty badly-but other times his broad style works.

[@itscomplicatedwatches]

It's great how this video is made by someone who will we never know. However I'm sure everyone knows Shatner. He'd appreciate this.

[@tehsnipatres208]

Making fun of William Shatner was one thing Family Guy did perfectly.

[@joeavent5554]

Mr. Shatner was giving us mortals a very professional stage performance due to his Shakespearean training. Those of you who mock him shall never appreciate this master of the television stage...

[@True-trini]

Shatner was always in a class of his own :-p

[@simonxag]

Check out the original pilot without Shatner. It's on KZbin. The guy playing the captain was a good actor, but after you've seen it you'll appreciate Shatner's contribution!!!!

[@Dabhach1]

It often occurs to me that had Geoffrey Hunter continued with the role after the pilot then Star Trek would be remembered as a reasonably good show from the sixties, but not the iconic thing it became. Mainly because Geoffrey Hunter was a competent actor; Shatner was absolutely barking. I don't mean he was a bad actor. The industry is full of bad actors. I mean he was fucking dreadful. He was appalling. Had he merely been bad, that would have been average for a TV show. I mean he was the worst fucking actor in the history of theatre. He was so fucking bad, he was hypnotic. You couldn't take your eyes off him. He made the show.

[@DarkLordBrannon]

I get what you're saying, but I think Shatner was great in his more subdued scenes as Kirk. It's all the hammy overacting that, for all we know, was coached that's so iconic. His acting was never like this in the movies, certainly not to this extreme.

[@andromedastar4900]

True, but remember, he was originally a stage actor. He used the melodramatic style of stage acting in his television roles because he didn't understand how to act any other way. But you are right about how his bad acting was hypnotic, and once you started, you just couldn't stop watching, so ironically, it ended up making the show more popular.

[@GKitz211]

I laughed tears! Thanks!

[@critter7052]

the secret to captain kirk's bad acting is simple: injest much romulan ale and LSD before you to on set!

[@afip4n6doc]

0:36 "And then I bumped up, I took the hit that I was given. Then I bumped again, then I bumped again."

[@michaelbowie3269]

Shanter moves like an actor not like a military man.

[@TheDamonDarkChannel]

Pure smoked ham. Yet strangely better than all the other Captains put together. The genius and mystery of the Shat!

[@theothertroll]

TOS - Finest actors ever - what followed was crap.

[@Bill_Oddie_Face_Mask]

Of all the actors whose films and TV shows I’ve watched, I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart, William Shatner is one of them.

[@songofseikilos8659]

great guy

[@theartofbeingcompletelyran1788]

Well, in the movies he acts better (well ok not the KAHAHAAAAAAAAANNNNNHHH) but he was decent.

[@yanivp1]

+Odin Eidolon The Khan scream was and still is my favourite moment of any movie ever.

[@theartofbeingcompletelyran1788]

yanivp1 Lol it's actually pretty epic.

[@busquets28]

What a truly truly gifted actor... :O

[@flinchfu]

2:38 Wow, stuff was stupid before CGI.

[@pipboysandlightsabers5478]

Star wars fans would disagree with you

[@flinchfu]

Pipboys and Lightsabers LOL half-ass CGI murdered Star Wars. Tho original trilogy should have never been touched... and the original trilogy are the ONLY Star Wars movies imo.

[@flinchfu]

Pipboys and Lightsabers Fuck you, Jar Jar, you should have never been born.

[@trentigalaxy]

+Flinch Fu stuff was stupendous before CGI

[@flinchfu]

trentigalaxy IKR, because they literally blew up models with m80s, gasoline and shit :D

[@georgebird9867]

Shatner really brought the message home. Although a bit of exaggeration, most viewers need it so the message could be sunk in. This is the type of genre that audiences craved for. If any unsatisfied viewer/actor could do better let him/her be my guest.