William Shatner, 93, Jokingly Wonders If His Recent Saturn Awards Lifetime Achievement Honor Means He Should Soon Retire

Mar. 15, 2025

William Shatner at The 52nd Annual Saturn Awards.Photo:Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty

Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty

William Shatneris wondering about his next career move.

On Sunday, Feb. 2, theStar Trekalum, 93, was honored with the lifetime achievement award at the 52nd Annual Saturn Awards Showcase. In a post shared toInstagramthe next day, the actor had a quippy response to getting the esteemed award.

After developing a passion for the arts at an early age, Shatner performed in several Broadway plays and feature films before he landed his big break as Captain James T. Kirk on NBC’sStar Trek, which aired from 1966 to 1969.

His portrayal of the science fiction icon made him a household name and he went on to reprise his role in various reboots and films in the franchise. AfterStar Trek, Shatner landed a starring role on television as police officerT.J. Hooker, which ran from 1982 to 1986.

Then from 1989 to 1996, he hosted the popular dramatic reenactment seriesRescue 911before winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy award for his role as attorney Denny Crane inBoston Legalin the early 2000s.

Shatner is also an accomplished science fiction author, writing the famedTekWarseries,Up Till Now: The Autobiographyand many more.

William Shatner Star Trek V.Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

In a conversation with PEOPLE shortly after winning the award, the actor revealed that his role inStar Trekmade him “intrigued” about “what’s out there, both physically and spiritually.”

“What’s out there? Is there life out there? And if it’s life, what’s it thinking? What are we doing? What’s our faith? All the questions that you might think as well,” he explained. “SoStar Trek, being a science fiction show and conjecturing the future, made me think more about that than I would have had I not done it.”

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He also confessed that he endured “challenging times” looking for jobs as an actor after his stint as Captain Kirk ended. Refusing to be down on his luck, Shatner said the “first thing I did was put together production, a summer tour of all the summer theaters back east.”

“Through a variety of circumstances I don’t need to go into now, I was broke,” he recalled. “I literally had no money I had enough to buy an old truck and one of those things that go on the back of a truck, the little huts, and I drove across country with my dog and toured for 13 weeks and made some money and I had to drive back [to Los Angeles].”

source: people.com