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William Shatner has admitted to feeling ambivalent about “Star Trek.” On the one hand, it brought him a great deal of fame. He was a studious and hard-nosed practitioner of his craft who always longed to be a leading man. He saw “Star Trek” as his<\/em> show and was happy to be in the spotlight for it. Shatner’s ego was large (as his co-stars have happily pointed out)<\/a>, but he took his job seriously. When the show was canceled, Shatner seemed all too happy to put it behind him and move on to other projects. Then the series became a cult phenomenon.<\/p>\n Shatner was baffled by the post-cancellation success of “Star Trek.”<\/a> He never yelled at fans to “Get a life,” like in that infamous “Saturday Night Live” sketch, but he wasn’t exactly eager to reminisce either. Years passed, and he began reprising his role as James T. Kirk in multiple “Star Trek” films. By the late 1980s, however, Shatner realized that he had stopped taking the role as seriously as he once did. He was very protective of the Kirk character, yes, but he wasn’t pouring as much into his performances as he could. Also, “Star Trek” had become, in certain ways, a joke. Shatner was mocked for his often demonstrative acting. He tried to roll with the mockery sometimes, but not at others.<\/p>\n That changed when he saw Patrick Stewart perform. Stewart played Captain Jean-Luc Picard on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (a spin-off series that began in 1987) and came from England’s stage, having been trained in classical theater. His work ethic was unflappable, and he was wholly devoted to each and every one of his roles. In a 2012 interview with NPR<\/a>, Shatner admitted that seeing Stewart’s devotion revitalized his views of his own craft.<\/p>\n