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Actor William Shatner<\/a><\/strong>, 94, who famously played Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek<\/a><\/em> series, recently performed for major fans of the beloved science fiction franchise.<\/p>\n In celebration of the franchise’s 60th anniversary, Shatner showed off his singing talents on the Star Trek: The Cruise IX, held during the week of February 20, 2026. On February 22, the official Instagram account<\/a> for the fan-themed cruise uploaded a video that showed Shatner up on stage before an audience. For his performance on the cruise, Shatner sang Elton John<\/a><\/strong>‘s 1972 hit “Rocket Man,” accompanied by a full band.<\/p>\n According to the caption, John de Lancie<\/strong>, who played the beloved character, Q, in Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/em>, also provided entertainment for the cruise ship.<\/p>\n “Q brought the surprises\u2026 and then Captain Kirk beamed in. An unforgettable night with John de Lancie, the Curtis Institute of Music, and a legendary surprise from William Shatner.\u00a0@williamshatner\u00a0@john.delancie\u00a0@curtisinstitute\u00a0#startrekcruise,” read the post’s caption.<\/p>\n De Lancie’s Star Trek: The Next Generation <\/em>co-star, Wil Wheaton<\/a><\/strong>, was quick to comment on the post.<\/p>\n “No. Effing. Way,” wrote Wheaton<\/a>, who played Star Trek <\/em>character, Wesley Crusher.<\/p>\n Some Star Trek<\/em> fans also shared their thoughts about the upload.<\/p>\n “This is why I love the cruise. Wish we were there!!” wrote a commenter. <\/a><\/p>\n “love this,” added another. <\/a><\/p>\n “Amazing,” shared a third person. <\/a><\/p>\n In February 2025, USA Today<\/a><\/em> reported that Shatner and several other Star Trek: The Original Series<\/em> stars, such as Walter Koenig<\/a><\/strong>, Sean Kenney<\/strong>, Sandra Gimpel<\/strong>, and Bobby Clark<\/strong>, would join the ninth annual Star Trek <\/em>cruise in 2026. Other Star Trek<\/em> personalities who were slated to be on the February 2026 cruise are Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/em> stars Jonathan Frakes<\/strong> and Marina Sirtis<\/strong><\/a>, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine <\/em>stars Nana Visitor <\/strong>and Terry Farrell<\/strong>, and Star Trek: Discovery<\/em> stars Sonequa Martin-Green<\/a><\/strong>and Anthony Rapp<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Chris Hearing, Entertainment Cruise Productions’ partner and executive director of theme cruises, released a statement about the event, per USA Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve planned a week of incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to honor the 60th anniversary of\u00a0Star Trek<\/em>. Celebrating this milestone with both William Shatner and Walter Koenig is a dream come true for fans,” stated Hearing.<\/p>\n Shatner spoke about joining the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series<\/em>, which had a three-season run until 1969, in a May 2024 interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show<\/a><\/em>. Shatner noted that CBS<\/a> had “made a pilot called Star Trek<\/em>,” starring “another actor, Jeffrey Hunter<\/strong>” as the lead. According to Shatner, the network liked “the idea” of the show but wanted a new cast. Shatner said he was approached to play Captain Kirk while he was acting in a play in New York.<\/p>\n “So I was in New York just finishing up a play, and they called me and they said, ‘We’ve got this thing, would you like to be in it?’ So I flew to LA and I watched the pilot, I thought, ‘My God, that’s really cool,'” recalled Shatner during the 2024 interview.<\/p>\n This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on Feb 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\nWilliam Shatner Appeared With Other ‘Star Trek’ Stars on the Cruise<\/h2>\n
William Shatner Opened up About Joining the Cast of ‘Star Trek: The Original Series’<\/h2>\n