eedless to say, when Bethesda came to us with an opportunity to interview William Shatner about his role in Star Trek: Legacy, we have to admit that some of the Game Informer editors’ inner dorks squealed a bit. Actually Reiner beamed up Miller who was too busy reciting the latest issue of GI in Klingon, and Nick started singing his favorite Shatner selections. Bryan, well…lets just say he won’t stop whistling the TJ Hooker theme.

That being said, we got a few moments with James T. Kirk himself to talk about his voice over work, his interest in possibly getting back into the world of video games, and his thoughts about J.J. Abrams at the helm of the next Star Trek film venture

Game Informer: What do you think of the Star Trek Universe continuing in the realm of video games?

William Shatner: Well, I think it’s great. It’s followed many paths – television, movies, card games and every iteration known to entertainment. This is another perfect example. [It’s] a great game full of imagination and reflects Star Trek very much.

GI: Now, you’ve obviously worked with Star Trek Legacy; what do you think of gamers being able to make the critical decisions in Legacy as you did as Kirk back on the show?

Shatner: Well it’s a shame to let the secret out….of a game.

GI: Now, this is the first video game project where all of the captains have come together to do their character’s voices, like Patrick Stewart, Scott Bakula, etc. Do you think it’s a good idea to have all of these characters together in one big project?

Shatner: Well it certainly saves time for the viewer, doesn’t it? Plus, you get everybody’s charm and energy that people relate to the captains of Star Trek.

GI: What do you think of having all of the Star Trek eras or generations together in one project?

Shatner: I think the old ones must lead the way and show young ones how it’s done. I believe that’s what’s been done here.

GI: It’s been several years since you have played as Kirk. Now, did you find it easy to slip back into that role for Legacy?

Shatner: Yeah, I didn’t have a problem. I just took a deep breath and said the words.

GI: EA released a game called From Russia with Love that allowed Sean Connery to return as a young Bond. With the technology in video games basically erasing what’s possible in video games, would you be interested in a project that would allow you to return as a visual representation of a younger Kirk from the inception of the series?

Shatner: Well, it sounds interesting. The bondage of games indeed has been broken and we know that it is the entertainment giant of today, and I think that we’re condemned only by our lack of imagination. There is so much that can be done in a game, and the better the imaging is and the faster the game is and the increased capacity of the hard drives, the world of gaming is just in front of us.

GI: Now as someone who has been intricately involved with Star Trek since the beginning, where would you like to see the Star Trek Universe go from here?

Shatner: Well, I think it’s up to interesting and talented people like J.J. Abrams (Lost, Mission Impossible III) to come up with their version and their concept. I think the grandness of Star Trek can accept any new voice and make it work.

GI: We were going to ask you about that actually. What are your thoughts on J.J. Abrams taking the helm of the re-launching of the Star Trek series?

Shatner: I think he’s the perfect choice. He is a fan – if not a fanatic – and he is talented and he’s a great storyteller and a wonderful director. From what I can see, he’s a hell of a guy and a really great choice out of all of the people in Hollywood to be at the helm for at least this one project.

GI: Now what other project, TV or film, have you been involved with that you would like to see transcend into the world of video games? Specifically, how about a new TekWar project?

Shatner: I would love to do TekWar again. I think TekWar was a venue that wasn’t completely realized because of the shortness of [time] the USA Network gave us. We weren’t able to really explore the possibility of TekWar. If it wasn’t TekWar, I have some game ideas that would make some good fun. That whole game world I started to tip my toe into 15 years ago crashed at that point. Now they’re back and even a stronger force, so perhaps it can withstand my tampering.

GI: Any specific ideas you want to share with us?

Shatner: No, I don’t want to share them. But I certainly have specific ideas.

GI: Are you saying you’re open to developers coming to you and asking and picking your brain or are you pursuing this actively?

Shatner: Well my fantasy is that I would go into business against picking my brain.

GI: So we have to ask as fans, what’s you favorite moment in your history with Star Trek?

Shatner: My favorite moment? There are too many moments to be specific on that.

GI: So, you’ve had a number of intimate moments with aliens as Kirk throughout the years. Were there any specific ones that stand out to you?

Shatner: Well the paint kept coming off. They dirtied my shirt frequently. It was just awful.

GI: Well, I think that does it for us.

Shatner: I look forward to reading the article.

- Billy Berghammer, Nick Ahrens