After its cancellation , '' Star Trek '' engendered a cult following during the 1970s from syndicated reruns , and Captain Kirk became a cultural icon . Shatner began appearing at '' Star Trek '' conventions organized by Trekkies . In the mid-1970s , Paramount began pre-production for a revised '' Star Trek '' television series , tentatively titled '' Star Trek : Phase II '' . However , the phenomenal success of '' Star Wars '' ( 1977 ) led the studio to instead consider developing a '' Star Trek '' motion picture . Shatner and the other original '' Star Trek '' cast members returned to their roles when Paramount produced '' Star Trek : The Motion Picture '' , released in 1979 . He played Kirk in the next six '' Star Trek '' films , ending with the character 's death in '' Star Trek Generations '' ( 1994 ) . Some later appearances in the role are in the movie sequences of the video game '' Starfleet Academy '' ( 1997 ) , briefly for a DirecTV advertisement using footage from '' Star Trek VI : The Undiscovered Country '' running from late summer 2006 , and the 2013 Academy Awards , in which he reprised the role for a comedic interlude with host Seth MacFarlane
2013 Academy Awards
85th Academy Awards
William Shatner