Grand Nagus (former)
127-647: Armin Shimerman (born November 5, 1949) is an American actor known for his role as Quark in the Star Trek franchise, appearing as the character in all seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). He also had a recurring role as Principal Snyder in the first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–1999), and voiced General Skarr and other characters in the animated series The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2001–2007), Doctor Nefarious in
254-449: A Klingon ( Grilka ) in an incident that also garnered him considerable respect from the Klingon community for his bravery, when he exposed how her husband's rival had tried to attack his House through business measures rather than a straightforward duel and then provoked said rival into trying to kill Quark in a duel when Quark was unarmed and had freely acknowledged that he would lose. He had
381-523: A kiss that Captain Kirk planted on the lips of Lieutenant Uhura ( Nichelle Nichols ) is often cited as the first example of a white man kissing a black woman on scripted television in the United States. In 1973, Shatner returned to the role of Kirk, albeit only in voice, in the animated Star Trek series , which ran for two seasons and twenty-two episodes. In the early 1970s, in the immediate aftermath of
508-555: A poetry slam inspired recitation of the speech in which she had resigned the governorship of Alaska . Two days later, he ridiculed some of the tweets that she and Levi Johnston, the father of her grandchild, had published on Twitter. On December 11, 2009, he returned to Palin once more to read excerpts from her autobiography, Going Rogue: An American Life , and she, taking his teasing in good part, responded by reciting extracts from his own memoir, Up Till Now . (Co-written with David Fisher, later to collaborate with Shatner on
635-456: A 1966 episode of The Big Valley , "Time to Kill". In 1968, he starred in the little known Spaghetti Western White Comanche , playing both a white-hat character and his black-hat evil twin: Johnny Moon, a virtuous half-Comanche gunslinger, and Notah, a bloodthirsty warlord. Shatner was cast as Captain James T. Kirk for the second pilot of Star Trek , titled " Where No Man Has Gone Before ". He
762-470: A 1977 episode, he perpetrated a blunder that has been preserved on YouTube: at the climax of the show, attempting to guide his partner to the phrase "things that are blessed", he blurted out the word "blessed" instead of, as he had intended, citing the Virgin Mary . His mistake meant that the contestant paired with him was automatically disqualified from receiving what would have been a prize of $ 20,000. Shatner
889-458: A Cardassian love interest ( Natima Lang ), was shown on several occasions to be attracted to both Major Kira Nerys and Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax, and once tried to seduce a Vulcan member of the Maquis (although this may have been motivated by his own efforts to find out more about the group). He also had a platonic affair with Pel, a female Ferengi posing as a male in order to make profit. In
1016-416: A Federation station, sometimes prevented Sisko from prosecuting Quark to the full extent of Federation law; Sisko was not allowed such latitude with criminals who were also Federation citizens, such as his own lover, Kasidy Yates, whom Sisko was once obliged to arrest for dealing in illicit replicators when, on the same occasion, he was obliged to allow Quark relative amnesty for dealing in illicit weapons . In
1143-524: A Klingon adversary of Captain Kirk's in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Guthrie too rated the young Shatner very highly, later recalling him as the most promising actor that his Festival employed, and for a time, he was seen as a potential peer of Steve McQueen , Paul Newman and Robert Redford . In the view of Pat Jordan, author of an in-depth profile of Shatner for The New York Times , his subsequent failure to achieve
1270-419: A Life! , a documentary film about Star Trek fandom developed from the 1999 book about Trekkies that he had written in the aftermath of his Saturday Night Live rebuke to them. On September 25, he revisited the music video genre, appearing as a home plate umpire in the crooner Brian Evans's baseball-themed "At Fenway". On April 24, 2014, Shatner performed an autobiographical one-man show on Broadway, which
1397-495: A bargaining chip, in the Deep Space Nine pilot episode, " Emissary ." Quark engages in a variety of shady deals, but neither Sisko nor Odo , Quark's nominal nemesis and head of station security, take serious action against him, partially because his value outweighs his numerous illegal activities, which for the most part harm no one. Furthermore, the station's status as, technically, the property of Bajor and thus only nominally
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#17328485783271524-448: A book about Leonard Nimoy and Shatner's relationship with him, Up Till Now had been published in 2008.) Shatner also contributed to O'Brien's recurring " In the Year 3000 " feature, which began with Shatner's disembodied head floating in space and delivering the segment's portentous tag line: "And so we take a cosmic ride into that new millennium; that far off reality that is the year 3000. It's
1651-595: A comic television actor reached its zenith in a CBS sitcom based on Justin Halpern 's Twitter feed Shit My Dad Says , $ #*! My Dad Says , which was cancelled in May 2011 three months after the first broadcast of its final episode. 2011 also saw him guest-starring in one episode of the USA Network's Psych , "In for a Penny", playing the estranged father of Junior Detective Juliet O'Hara ( Maggie Lawson ) (a role that he reprised in
1778-607: A comical travel series in which a band of elderly celebrities toured east Asia and Europe. Aside from acting, Shatner has had a career as a recording artist, beginning in 1968 with his album The Transformed Man . His cover versions of songs are dramatic recitations of their lyrics rather than musical performances: the most notable are his versions of the Beatles ' " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds ", Bob Dylan 's " Mr. Tambourine Man ", and Elton John 's " Rocket Man ". His most successful album
1905-556: A conversation between Shatner and his Star Trek VI co-star Christopher Plummer, a sequence celebrating a friendship that began when the two actors both took part in the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and reflecting Shatner's profound admiration for his colleague. Shatner's 2012 began with his return to his roots in theatre. In February, he appeared on Broadway in a one-man show called Shatner's World: We Just Live in It . After
2032-504: A cousin, Gaila, who is an arms dealer and has become successful enough to buy his own moon. Gaila appears in two episodes, " Business as Usual " and " The Magnificent Ferengi ," portrayed by Josh Pais . Quark has had his share of romances throughout the series. In the first season, he was involved with Vash , a corrupt archaeologist first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation . He was married to (and divorced from)
2159-401: A crew member". He noted that Quark's primary purpose in the show is comedic relief . William Shatner William Shatner OC (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship Enterprise in the second pilot of
2286-410: A dagger and nefarious in order to survive". Shimerman thought there were aspects of both himself and his Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character, Quark , in the novel's interpretation of John Dee. Shimerman commented: "There are aspects of Quark similar to Dr. Dee, and undoubtedly there are aspects of Dr. Dee similar to Armin Shimerman, which would make him seem like Quark as well". The other novels in
2413-460: A grand tour around Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. Shatner joked that Bradshaw, famous as a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers , was "putty in my hands". Another new enterprise that he launched that year was Shatner Singularity, a publisher of comic-books, which has a list including the graphic novel Stan Lee's "God Woke" by Lee and Mariano and Fabian Nicieza . The book won
2540-537: A knight riding a golden goose). A running gag is that the golden goose that "Knight" rides keeps trying to attack Nick Cannon . He was eliminated in the first episode alongside Eric Idle as "Hedgehog" and Chris Kirkpatrick as "Hummingbird". Shatner hosted and executive-produced The UnXplained on History from 2019 to 2023. Since its premiere the show has received very negative reviews from critics. Writing in Irish Film Critic , Thomas Tunstall reported that
2667-484: A lot like her, while Rom was more like his father. She became Zek's lover and trusted advisor. Throughout the series, Quark was often locked in a battle of wits with station security chief Odo , who regularly foiled Quark's criminal schemes. The two eventually developed a grudging respect for each other. When Odo finally left the station to rejoin the Great Link at the end of the series, Quark came to say goodbye, and made
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#17328485783272794-496: A major Hollywood movie, appearing in the MGM film The Brothers Karamazov as Alexei, the youngest of the brothers, in a cast that included Yul Brynner . In December 1958, directed by Kirk Browning , he appeared opposite Ralph Bellamy as a Roman tax collector in Bethlehem on the day of Jesus's birth in a Hallmark Hall of Fame live television production entitled The Christmas Tree ,
2921-470: A martial art: he was taught American Kenpo karate by the black belt Tom Bleecker, who had in turn been trained by the founder of American Kenpo, Ed Parker . To supplement his income from acting, Shatner performed as a celebrity guest in a multitude of television game shows, among them Beat the Clock , Celebrity Bowling , The Hollywood Squares , Match Game , Tattletales and Mike Stokey 's Stump
3048-503: A recurring cast member of the third live-action Star Trek show, Deep Space Nine . The success of T. J. Hooker led to Shatner's hosting the popular dramatic re-enactment series Rescue 911 from 1989 to 1996. His career diversified further in the 1980s when he began working as a director, taking charge of many episodes of T. J. Hooker . A clause in his Star Trek contract giving him parity with Leonard Nimoy meant that after Nimoy's directing of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Shatner
3175-404: A servant. Quark was also fond of swindling Rom out of his share of the bar's profits. They were partners in many other business ventures, although Quark routinely made sure to keep Rom in the dark about the true nature of their dealings. Quark's nephew, Nog , also briefly worked in his uncle's bar, before departing for Starfleet Academy . Rom eventually succeeded Zek as Grand Nagus, largely through
3302-510: A special effects studio that operated from 1994 to 2010. In May 1999, Simon & Schuster published Shatner's book Get a Life! , a memoir of his experiences with Trekkies. As well as anecdotes about Star Trek conventions, the book features interviews with some of the most devoted fans of the Star Trek franchise, including conversations with several Trekkies who regard the show not just as entertainment but as philosophically significant. In
3429-400: A starring role too in the western-themed secret agent series Barbary Coast during 1975 and 1976, and appeared as a guest of the week in many popular shows of that decade, including Columbo , Ironside , Kung Fu , Mission: Impossible , The Rookies and The Six Million Dollar Man . One of the special skills that Shatner was able to offer to casting directors was an expertise in
3556-404: A story that culminated in the captain's self-sacrificial death— Star Trek Generations (1994). His final appearances as James Tiberius were in the movie sequences of the video game Starfleet Academy (1997), in a 2006 DirecTV advertisement that used footage from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and at the 2013 Academy Awards , in which he reprised the role for a comedic interlude with
3683-610: A supporting role in the Stanley Kramer film Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). In the 1963–64 season, he appeared in an episode of the ABC series Channing . In 1963, he starred in the Family Theater production called "The Soldier" and received credits in other programs of The Psalms series. That same year, he guest-starred in Route 66 , in the episode "Build Your Houses with Their Backs to
3810-458: A supporting role in the comedy DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004), which starred Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn . In the October 2004 issue of Star Trek Communicator , Manny Coto , one of the producers of Star Trek: Enterprise , revealed that he was planning a three-episode story arc guest-starring Shatner, but the cancellation of the series shortly afterwards meant that Shatner was denied
3937-627: A television miniseries shot in New Zealand A Twist in the Tale (1998). In the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun , Shatner appeared in several 1999–2000 episodes as the " Big Giant Head ", a high-ranking officer from the same alien planet as the Solomon family who becomes a womanizing party-animal on Earth. The role earned Shatner an Emmy Award nomination. In the late 1990s, Shatner became closely associated with
Armin Shimerman - Misplaced Pages Continue
4064-513: A three-week run at the Music Box , the show toured throughout the United States. In May, he was the guest presenter on the British satirical television quiz show Have I Got News for You , earning a footnote in the history of neologisms by melding "pioneer" and "pensioner" into the portmanteau coinage "pensioneer". On July 28, he appeared on the premium cable TV channel Epix as the star of Get
4191-404: A toast to Odo. Quark also had a firm friendship with Jadzia Dax , with whom he often played tongo . Although Quark presented himself as amoral and ruthless, he deeply cared for his friends. In " Move Along Home " when he was apparently forced to sacrifice one of four crew members (Sisko, Dax, Bashir and Kira) in a strange alien game, he refused to make a choice, begging for their lives. Quark has
4318-620: Is Magic , where in the seventh season episode " The Perfect Pear " he supplied the voice of Grand Pear, the estranged maternal grandfather of Applejack and her siblings. 2017 also saw him appearing in a second music video with Brian Evans, this time promoting Evans's cover of the Dolly Parton song "Here You Come Again". "My prayers are with the people of the Ukraine, as I watch events unfolding on TV with such brave people fighting an overwhelming force, I am reminded ironically enough of Stalingrad, when
4445-528: Is about to explode, Quark mourns the fact that despite a lifetime of plotting and faithfully following the Rules of Acquisition the only thing he owns is a bar; Odo tries to cheer Quark up by saying that although he has known of Ferengi who are richer than Quark, Quark is the most devious Ferengi Odo has ever met. When the Bajoran wormhole is discovered, Quark helps broker deals between several Gamma Quadrant races and
4572-529: Is actively helping Terran slaves escape the cruelty of the Klingon / Cardassian Alliance. This version of Quark is eventually caught and executed when his activities are discovered. Armin Shimerman appeared as Quark in the 7th-season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode " Firstborn ", where in conversation it is clear Riker already knew him, and in the Star Trek: Voyager pilot episode " Caretaker ". He
4699-676: Is an alumnus of the Montreal Children's Theatre . He studied economics at the McGill University Faculty of Management in Montreal, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1952. Shatner was a camp counselor at a B'nai B'rith camp in the Laurentians . Over 6 weeks, Shatner helped teenage Holocaust survivor Fred Bild learn English. In 2011, McGill University awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Letters . He
4826-539: Is horrified to learn from Brunt that the Grand Nagus has "reformed" Ferengi world with such "innovations" as prices of official bribes; taxes, social welfare and the institution of a "Congress" of 240 business partners.(In comic relief Both Quark and Brunt pray that Ferenginar turn back to unrestrained capitalism). Quark vows to return the Ferengi world back to unchecked exploitation of capitalism when he becomes Grand Nagus but
4953-519: Is imprisoned during a diplomatic crisis between the Bajoran and Ferengi governments. The novel is an allegory for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Shimerman has co-written a series of books in which he provides a science fictional basis for the life of John Dee . The first novel in the series, The Merchant Prince , was co-written with Irish author Michael Scott , known for his Nicholas Flamel series . Published in 2000, it features
5080-503: Is known for his work as the Ferengi bar owner Quark in the long-running television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , though his involvement with the Star Trek franchise began with appearances as other Ferengi characters in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes " The Last Outpost " and " Peak Performance ". As the character Quark, Shimerman became one of Star Trek's most widely known characters, and he appeared several times on
5207-445: Is meant to coerce Quark into dissolving the employee union founded by his brother, Rom . Instead, Quark secretly honors many of the union's demands. Later, when Quark is falsely diagnosed with a fatal disease, Brunt anonymously buys the Ferengi bartender's remains six days in advance. When Quark discovers he is not dying and backs out of the contract, Brunt revokes Quark's business license with glee, but Quark's friends supply him with all
Armin Shimerman - Misplaced Pages Continue
5334-581: Is referenced in the Star Trek: Picard episode "Stardust City Rag" when a "Quark's Bar" is seen on the planet "Freecloud" in the Alpha Doradus system. Shimerman voiced Quark on the animated series in a guest appearance on Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 episode "Hear All, Trust Nothing", where it is revealed that the Freecloud establishment is one of 21 franchised locations Quark has established across
5461-608: Is stunned when it is his brother Rom who becomes "Grand Nagus" instead. In the last episode of the series, Quark literally has the last line of the series when he remarks that the more things seem to change, the more they stay the same. (" What You Leave Behind ") Quark, Rom and Nog do not understand or speak English/Federation Standard, but rather rely on Universal Translators implanted near their ears (" Little Green Men "). Quark loved his brother Rom , and occasionally even found him useful. Nonetheless, in true Ferengi fashion, he treated Rom with little respect and ordered him about like
5588-596: The Ratchet & Clank video game series, and Andrew Ryan in the BioShock video game series. Shimerman was born into a Jewish family in Lakewood, New Jersey , on November 5, 1949, the son of accountant Susan and house painter Herbert Shimerman. When he was 15, he moved with his family to Los Angeles , where his mother enrolled him in a drama group in an effort to expand his social circle. He attended Santa Monica High School and
5715-456: The Ferengi , who are stereotypically capitalist and motivated only by profit. Quark was introduced on television in 1993, in the two-part Star Trek: Deep Space Nine premiere " Emissary ". Talking about his depiction of Quark, Shimerman said the character developed significantly during the start of the sixth season of Deep Space Nine , during a story arc in which the Dominion took control of
5842-641: The Sandra Bullock comedy movie Miss Congeniality (2000), Shatner played the supporting role of Stan Fields, the co-host of the Miss United States Pageant; his future Boston Legal co-star Candice Bergen took part in the film too. Shatner also appeared in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2004), in which Stan Fields is kidnapped in Las Vegas together with the winner of the pageant of
5969-560: The University of Southern California . He also serves as Shakespeare scholar for productions in and around the Los Angeles area. Shimerman married actress Kitty Swink in May 1981. Quark (Star Trek) Quark is a fictional character in the American television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . He was played by Armin Shimerman and is a member of the extraterrestrial race known as
6096-458: The first Star Trek television series to his final appearance as Captain Kirk in the seventh Star Trek feature film, Star Trek Generations (1994). Shatner began his screen acting career in Canadian films and television productions before moving into guest-starring roles in various U.S. television shows. He appeared as James Kirk in all the episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series , 21 of
6223-504: The overview effect . Shatner was born on March 22, 1931, in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood of Montreal , Quebec , Canada, to a Conservative Jewish household. His parents were Ann ( née Garmaise; 1905–1992) and Joseph Shatner (1898–1967), a clothing manufacturer. He is the middle of three children; his older sister was Joy Rutenberg (1928–2023) and his younger sister is Farla Cohen (1940–). His patrilineal family name
6350-544: The 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards ' Outstanding Books of the Year Independent Voice Award. Shatner's most notable television work in 2017 was in the second season of Better Late Than Never : a preview episode of December 11, 2017, was followed by an official season premiere on the New Year's Day of 2018. His equestrian enthusiasm found an outlet in the animated children's show My Little Pony: Friendship
6477-469: The 22 episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series , and the first seven Star Trek movies . He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences before, during and after his time in a Starfleet uniform. He has also co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe and a series of science fiction novels, the TekWar sequence, that were adapted for television. Outside Star Trek, Shatner played
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#17328485783276604-488: The Alpha Quadrant. Quark is featured in Star Trek novels published by Pocket Books . This includes books written by Shimerman. In 2016, Screen Rant rated Quark as the 17th best character in Star Trek overall, highlighting the character as a commentary on the human condition . In 2018, The Wrap ranked Quark as the 25th best main cast character of Star Trek overall, calling him a "valuable ally to Sisko when
6731-638: The August of that year, Trekkies were treated to a sequel to The Captains which he produced, scripted and directed and in which he starred: William Shatner Presents: Chaos on the Bridge, a behind-the-scenes documentary film about Star Trek: The Next Generation . Premiering on August 23, 2016, the NBC reality miniseries Better Late Than Never followed Shatner and a quartet of other aging celebrities— Terry Bradshaw , Jeff Dye , George Foreman and Henry Winkler —as they took
6858-752: The Canadian National Repertory Theatre in Ottawa before joining the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario. His roles at the Festival included a part in Marlowe 's Tamburlaine , in which he made his Broadway debut in 1956. His brief appearance in the opening scene of a high-profile production of Sophocles 's Oedipus Rex by Tyrone Guthrie introduced him to television viewers across
6985-537: The Deep Space Nine station: He soon learns that although things may appear to be good under Dominion rule and life is pretty good, they still don't have liberty, and you've got to fight for it. Quark was one of those deluded people who thought, 'This is fine — we all get to do what we want to do,' and didn't realize that liberty was more important than creature comforts. ... Like any Everyman character in literature, Quark has to go through some turmoil before he realizes
7112-535: The Dominion, the Jem'Hadar . Quark repeatedly clashes with FCA (Ferengi Commerce Authority) liquidator Brunt , who believes that Quark is detrimental to Ferengi society and beliefs. The two meet initially in a scandal involving Quark's mother Ishka , who had earned profit despite this being illegal for a female. Following this, Brunt is responsible for Quark receiving a savage beating at the hands of Nausicaan thugs. The attack
7239-515: The Fallen and reprised the role in the 2018 expansion Star Trek Online: Victory is Life . He also voiced Ben Robbins and the Shopkeeper in the first 2 episodes of Rocket Power from 1999 to 2000. In 2008, he voiced the character of Wilmer in an audio dramatization of The Maltese Falcon , which also featured actors Michael Madsen , Sandra Oh , and Edward Herrmann . In addition, he also voiced
7366-531: The Ferengi. The Alpha Quadrant's first knowledge of the Dominion comes through his business dealings in the Gamma Quadrant with the Karemma of the Dominion. Quark becomes Grand Nagus for a brief period when it appears that Zek had died; however, Zek's death turns out to be a ruse and Quark is promptly deposed. Along with Commander Sisko, Quark is also among the first to encounter the genetically engineered soldiers of
7493-568: The Hedge , he voiced Ozzie, an opossum; in Walt Disney 's The Wild , he had the role of the movie's villain, Kazar, a megalomaniacal wildebeest. In January 2007, he began posting daily autobiographical vlogs on the LiveVideo platform in a project that he named ShatnerVision ; rebranded as The Shatner Project , his vlogging migrated to YouTube the following year. In December 2008, he experimented with
7620-499: The Innkeeper) and Mass Effect (as the original Salarian Councilor and Fai Dan). He also voiced Dr. Emil Narud, Mohandar and Dr. Emil Narud in its Human Form in the 2010 RTS video game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and the 2013 expansion StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm respectively. He also voiced the role of Quark in various Deep Space Nine video games such as Harbinger and
7747-601: The MMORPG The Secret World . His best known voice work is that of Doctor Nefarious in the Ratchet & Clank franchise, a role for which he received much praise. He reprised his roles as Dr. Nefarious and Andrew Ryan and also voiced a Vox Populi enemy in the crossover fighting game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale . Shimerman co-authored a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novel, The 34th Rule , with David R. George III , published January 1, 1999. It focuses on his character Quark , who loses his bar and
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#17328485783277874-482: The March of that year, while still performing in that production, he also played detective Archie Goodwin in what would have been television's first Nero Wolfe series, had it not been aborted by CBS after shooting a pilot and a few episodes. Shatner appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone , " Nick of Time " (1960) and " Nightmare at 20,000 Feet " (1963); when the anthology film The Twilight Zone: The Movie
8001-596: The Nazis, on their way to Moscow, thought they could overwhelm that city. The people of Stalingrad & the army defending Stalingrad fought the Nazis to a standstill. History CAN repeat itself." Shatner became the focus of political controversy in 2021, when it was revealed that a popular science documentary show that he would host, I Don't Understand with William Shatner , was scheduled to be aired on RT , formerly known as Russia Today, from July 12. RT's editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan , said that "Captain Kirk has come over to
8128-822: The Restless as Judge Graham Roberts, Castle as Benjamin Donnelly, Bad Samaritans as the Judge, and Red Bird as Max. He has voiced several video game villains, including Toad and Zealot in X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse respectively, Andrew Ryan in the BioShock series, Razputin's father in Psychonauts , and General Skarr from Evil Con Carne and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy . He then lent his voice talent to BioWare for their games Jade Empire (as Emperor Sun Hai, Abbot Song and
8255-646: The Sea". In 1964, Shatner guest-starred in the second episode of the second season of the ABC science fiction anthology series The Outer Limits , " Cold Hands, Warm Heart ". Also that year, he appeared in an episode of the CBS drama The Reporter , "He Stuck in His Thumb", and played a supporting role in the Western feature film The Outrage , a remake of Akira Kurosawa 's Rashomon starring Paul Newman , Laurence Harvey , Claire Bloom and Edward G. Robinson . 1964 also saw Shatner cast in an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. that featured Leonard Nimoy , later to be his co-star in Star Trek . 1964 saw him too as
8382-401: The Stars . His curriculum vitae in this genre included several visits to The $ 10,000 Pyramid and its more generous sequels, shows in which contestants attempted to guess a word or phrase with the help of hints from a famous partner. Shatner's contributions to the Pyramid series included a week-long match-up that pitted him against Leonard Nimoy in an event billed as "Kirk versus Spock". In
8509-410: The Sun , he played the alien " Big Giant Head " to which the main characters reported. From 2004 until 2008, he starred as attorney Denny Crane in the final season of the legal show The Practice and in its spinoff Boston Legal , a role that earned him two Emmy Awards , one for his contribution to each series. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, he starred in both seasons of NBC's Better Late Than Never ,
8636-511: The Ukrainians in the resistance that they were mounting against their assailants. On March 2, he withdrew from his show, citing the invasion as his reason for doing so. RT America ceased transmitting altogether on March 3. Also in 2021, Shatner starred in the film Senior Moment , which co-starred Jean Smart and Christopher Lloyd . The movie was released in March 2021 on the same week Shatner turned 90. In 2022, Shatner competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as "Knight" (depicted as
8763-499: The acclaim accorded to his starrier contemporaries was attributable to his professional philosophy of "work equals work", and his consequent participation in many "forgettable" projects that probably did his career more harm than good. On the eve of his momentous casting as James Kirk, he was in Jordan's opinion seen merely as an actor who "showed up on time, knew his lines, worked cheap and always answered his phone". In 1954, Shatner decided to leave Stratford and move to New York City in
8890-415: The beginning of his time as Captain Kirk; as early as April 1968, a group of them attempted to tear his clothes from him as he left 30 Rockefeller Plaza . His amusement at the behaviour of the lunatic fringe of his admirers was reflected in the romantic comedy movie Free Enterprise (1998), in which he contributed a caricature of himself to a film that satirized some Trekkies' Kirk idolatry. He also mocked
9017-551: The cancellation of Star Trek in 1969, Shatner experienced difficulty in finding employment, having become somewhat typecast as James Tiberius Kirk. With very little money and few acting prospects, he lost his home and was for a time so poor that he was reduced to living in a truck-bed camper in the San Fernando Valley . He refers to this part of his life as "that period", a humbling time during which he would take any odd job, including small party appearances, in order to support his family. Shatner's film work in this phase of his career
9144-478: The cast list of which included Jessica Tandy , Margaret Hamilton , Bernadette Peters , Richard Thomas , Cyril Ritchard , and Carol Channing . His US television profile was heightened further when he had a leading role in an episode in the third (1957–58) season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents , "The Glass Eye". In 1959, Shatner received good reviews in the role of Lomax in The World of Suzie Wong on Broadway. In
9271-472: The cavalier, almost superhuman, persona of Captain Kirk in the films Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) and National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993). In 1982, Shatner was once again the leading character of a high-profile television show when he was cast as a veteran Los Angeles police sergeant in T. J. Hooker . Running for five seasons and ninety-one episodes until 1986, the series partnered Shatner with Heather Locklear and James Darren , later to be
9398-746: The character of Mr. Phillips in Focus on the Family Radio Theatre's production of Anne of Green Gables . He also voiced Raanu along with the Villager and a Village Leader in the straight-to-DVD animated film Bionicle: The Legend Reborn . He also voices Green Goblin in the action role-playing video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 . In 2011, he provided additional voices for the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic . In 2012, he also voiced Che Garcia Hansson and Old Joseph Cajiais for
9525-524: The characters of the original series of Star Trek might have come together was published in his novel Star Trek: Academy – Collision Course. In April 2010, Shatner began hosting the Discovery Channel show Weird or What , which aired until August 2012. Each episode of the series supplied lovers of arcana with several segments exploring news reports relating to left-field topics such as UFOs and cryptozoology . Later that year, his career as
9652-403: The charade for a minute, but Nilva is deceived and chases "her" amorously. After Quark is accidentally transported 400 years into the past to Roswell, New Mexico 1947 he dreams of altering the space-time continuum by the creation of a vast Ferengi economic Empire across the universe with himself in charge of it (" Little Green Men "). In a concluding episode of the series, " The Dogs of War ", Quark
9779-481: The chat show genre in the humorous Shatner's Raw Nerve , which aired until March 2011. He expanded his work on YouTube in 2009, supplying the voice of Don Salmonella to the animated series The Gavones . Shatner made several guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien , including in cameos in which he made fun of the Republican politician Sarah Palin . He opened mock-hostilities on July 27, 2009, with
9906-471: The chips are down". In her 1998 book The Soul of Popular Culture , Mary Lynn Kittelson noted that Quark allowed Star Trek writers to discuss controversial topics of money, profit and capitalism. M. Keith Booker in his 2018 book Star Trek: A Cultural History described Quark as "Star Trek's most important Ferengi character", "major character of DS9" who is also "the first main Star Trek character not to be
10033-449: The cover of TV Guide , either with other actors or alone as part of a collector's series. Along with Patrick Stewart , Marina Sirtis , Jonathan Frakes , and John de Lancie , Shimerman is one of only a few actors to play the same character on four or more different Star Trek series. He played Quark in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager , and Star Trek: Lower Decks . He reprised
10160-511: The downtrodden Bajoran people, selling them food and equipment just above cost, which could have gotten him into serious trouble if the Cardassians had found out. When the station changed hands at the end of the occupation, he decided to leave. Commander Sisko , feeling that Quark's Bar (which offered holosuites and gambling) would encourage commercial tourism to boost the station's economy, extorted Quark into staying, using Quark's nephew Nog as
10287-556: The episode " Business as Usual ", Sisko admits that he had "cut [Quark] a lot of slack in the past [and] even looked away once or twice when [he] could have come down hard." However, Sisko's leniency does not stop Odo from regularly interfering with Quark's illegal doings. A shrewd businessman, Quark often quotes the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition . In one episode, " Civil Defense ", when Quark and Odo are trapped in Odo's office as Deep Space Nine
10414-469: The eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker (1982–1986), hosted the reality-based television series Rescue 911 (1989–1996), guest starred on the detective series Columbo , and acted in the comedy film Miss Congeniality (2000). Shatner's television career after his last appearance as Captain Kirk has embraced comedy, drama and reality shows. In seasons 4 and 5 of the NBC series 3rd Rock from
10541-430: The equipment necessary to continue operating his bar anyway. ( Body Parts ) (The license is later reinstated as part of a deal between Quark and Brunt to break up Zek and Ishka, who had begun a relationship.) When Brunt almost becomes Grand Nagus, Quark temporarily becomes a female named Lumba to convince FCA commissioner Nilva that allowing Ferengi females to wear clothing is an opportunity for profit. Brunt does not believe
10668-457: The first seven episodes as Judge Brian Hooper in the third season of Boston Legal , joining fellow Star Trek actors William Shatner , René Auberjonois , and Ethan Phillips . His character even shared a scene with Auberjonois, with the strife between the two characters reminiscent of the conflict between Shimerman's Quark and Auberjonois's Odo. He made an appearance as "The Terror" in the first The Tick live-action series. He appeared in
10795-497: The former hero of Starfleet reassuring them that "At Loblaws, more than the price is right. But, by gosh, the price is right." After Star Trek was cancelled, it acquired a cult following among people watching syndicated reruns of the series, and Captain Kirk became a cultural icon . Fans of the show—so-called Trekkies —began organizing conventions where they could meet like-minded enthusiasts, buy Star Trek merchandise and enjoy question and answer sessions with members of
10922-495: The future, man". Shatner was not "offered or suggested" a role in the 2009 film Star Trek . Director J. J. Abrams said in July 2007 that the production was "desperately trying to figure out a way to put him in" but that to "shove him in ... would be a disaster", an opinion echoed by Shatner in several interviews. At a convention held in 2010, Shatner described the film as "wonderful". Two years before its release, his own tale of how
11049-485: The good side." Criticized by a Russian journalist for his involvement with the government-controlled outlet, Shatner branded his accuser a hypocrite and compared his contract with RT to the arrangement through which the channel had acquired the right to broadcast American football games. Four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Shatner issued a statement via Twitter expressing unqualified support for
11176-537: The historical figure John Dee being placed in suspended animation in 1575 by an alien race known as the Roc and awakening in 2099. The cover features Shimerman in Elizabethan garb. Shimerman commented: "John Dee really did exist. We're pretty sure he was a member of Queen Elizabeth 's secret service, which put it in his purview to kill if he needed to. The Elizabethan period was a much more perilous time; you had to be quick with
11303-517: The hope of building a career on the Broadway stage. He was soon offered the chance to make his first appearance on American television: in a children's program called The Howdy Doody Show , he created the role of Ranger Bob, co-starring with a cast of puppets and Clarabell the Clown , whose dialogue with Shatner consisted entirely of honks on a bicycle horn. It was four years before he won his first role in
11430-602: The idea of developing a television show in which he would play a character that would be a hybrid of Hooker and Kirk—a hard-boiled former police officer working as a private investigator in a dystopian future. When the production of Star Trek V was delayed by a Writer's Guild strike, Shatner began transforming his initial concept into a novel, assisted by an established author of pulp science fiction, Ron Goulart . Goulart described his contribution to Shatner's endeavour as merely that of an adviser, but Shatner credits him with rewriting. The first fruit of their collaboration, TekWar ,
11557-401: The machinations of Ishka. Quark's relationship with his mother Ishka was tumultuous at best. She drove him to distraction with her untraditional ways. Ishka insisted upon wearing clothing and making profit. She was the financial mastermind in the family. However, Quark's father Keldar refused to listen to her advice simply because she was female. Ishka reluctantly revealed to Quark that he was
11684-553: The murderer-of-the-week in the episode " Butterfly in Shades of Grey ". In 1995, he narrated Peter Kuran's documentary film Trinity and Beyond : The Atomic Bomb Movie , and his TekWar franchise expanded into the world of computer games with a first-person shooter release, William Shatner's TekWar . In 1996, an episode entitled Eye, Tooth saw him guest-starring in Will Smith 's television show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air . He narrated
11811-433: The non-canon novels set after the series , Quark starts a romantic relation with Ro Laren who has taken Odo's place as head of security. The Mirror Universe version of Quark appeared only once, in the episode " Crossover ". At first he appears much the same as his regular counterpart (although mirror Quark has no idea what 'gold pressed latinum', a staple of Ferengi currency, is), but it is soon revealed that mirror Quark
11938-405: The opportunity to take part in it. After David E. Kelley saw Shatner's commercials, he brought Shatner on to the final season of the legal drama The Practice . According to Pat Jordan, Shatner's Emmy Award-winning role, the eccentric but highly capable attorney Denny Crane, was essentially "William Shatner the man ... playing William Shatner the character playing the character Denny Crane, who
12065-511: The pilot for "one of the worst scripts I have ever read" and recalling it as "one of the worst things I've ever done." In 1965, Shatner guest-starred in 12 O'Clock High as Major Curt Brown in the episode "I Am the Enemy". In the same year, he had the lead role in a legal drama, For the People , starring as an assistant district attorney married to a woman played by Jessica Walter ; ironically, it
12192-476: The play too, Matthau winning a Tony Award for his performance. Shatner was featured in two episodes of the NBC television series Thriller ("The Grim Reaper" and "The Hungry Glass") and the film The Explosive Generation (1961). He took the lead role in Roger Corman 's movie The Intruder (1962). which Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic described as Shatner's first interesting performance, and had
12319-536: The position to Dawson by a threat from Dawson's agent. Advertising agencies also played a part in helping Shatner through his post-Kirk doldrums. Among the television commercials for which he was hired were spots promoting General Motors ' Oldsmobile brand, Promise margarine , the British Columbia -based supermarket chain SuperValu and its Ontarian equivalent, Loblaws ; Canadian viewers became familiar with
12446-586: The previous year. (Life imitated art in Gary, Indiana in 2001, when Shatner visited the town to host the Miss USA Pageant for real). In Osmosis Jones (2001), a high-concept satirical movie that blended live action with animation, Shatner voiced Mayor Phlegmming; the film depicted the cells and microbiota of a human body as the citizens of a community, the city of Frank, governed by an egoistic politician who prioritizes his convenience and political self-interest over
12573-680: The role of Quark in the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection , but only in deleted scenes. In addition to Star Trek , Shimerman has had roles as Pascal on Beauty and the Beast and as Principal Snyder in 19 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer . He has also starred as Anteaus in Stargate SG-1 as one of the Nox , an evil wizard in Charmed , appeared as Stan the caddy in an episode of Seinfeld and as Dr. Patemkin on Leverage . Shimerman has appeared in
12700-614: The series Numb3rs episode " Provenance " as Patrick Holden. He had a small cameo in the episode "Posse Comitatus" of The West Wing as Richard the III and another in the film as an Old Man in the subway in What the Bleep Do We Know!? . He has made appearances in various television series such as Babes as Mr. Ian Anderson, Married... with Children as Mr. Lovejoy, Warehouse 13 as Charlie Martin, Tremors as Cecil Carr, The Young and
12827-431: The series are Outrageous Fortune (2002), co-written with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro , known for her historical horror novels, and Capital Offense (2003). In late 2020, Shimerman's new book, Illyria: Betrayal of Angels , was released by publisher Jumpmaster Press. Betrayal of Angels is the first book in Shimerman's trilogy about John Dee. Shimerman has been teaching Shakespeare for years, and as an adjunct professor for
12954-646: The show's 2012 season). For Trekkies, his most notable project of the year was the first Star Trek film that he had directed since Star Trek V . The Captains , which he also wrote and presented, was a feature-length documentary in which he interviewed all five of the actors who had played the principal role in the Star Trek sequels that had been created up to that point— Patrick Stewart of Star Trek: The Next Generation , Avery Brooks of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Kate Mulgrew of Star Trek: Voyager , Scott Bakula of Star Trek: Enterprise and Chris Pine of J. J. Abrams 's 2009 movie. The film also included
13081-497: The show's host, Seth MacFarlane . Although the resurrection of Star Trek from oblivion only came about because of the enthusiasm of Trekkies, Shatner's attitude towards them is not uncritical. In a much-discussed 1986 Saturday Night Live sketch about a Star Trek convention, he advised a room full of Trekkies to "get a life". The comment was an apt summary of the view of his fans that he had expressed in several interviews. Their adoration of him took unwelcome forms almost from
13208-522: The show's regular cast. Many of the actors who had crewed the Enterprise became frequent guests at these events, Shatner included. In the mid-1970s, noting the growing appetite for Star Trek , Paramount began pre-producing a sequel show, Star Trek: Phase II , in which they planned to present new, younger actors alongside the stars of the original series. However, astounded by the enormous success that George Lucas 's film Star Wars achieved in 1977,
13335-604: The studio decided that Star Trek would earn them more money if the next adventure of the Enterprise took place not on television but in theatres. Shatner and all the other original Star Trek cast members returned to their roles when Paramount produced Star Trek: The Motion Picture , released in 1979. He went on to play Kirk in six further Star Trek films: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) and—in
13462-493: The titular Alexander in the pilot for a proposed series called Alexander the Great alongside Adam West as Cleander . The series was not picked up, and the pilot remained unaired until 1968, when it was repackaged as a TV movie to capitalize on the fame that West and Shatner had won in the interim. Shatner hoped that the series would be a major success, but West was apparently unsurprised by its failure to proceed, later castigating
13589-453: The travel website priceline.com , appearing in many television commercials for the company as a pompous caricature of himself. He has said that while it is true that his work for priceline earned him stock options , reports that they are now worth hundreds of millions of dollars are exaggerated. He was also the chief executive officer of the Toronto , Ontario-based C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures ,
13716-439: The truth. Max Grodénchik , who was cast as Quark's brother Rom , originally auditioned for the role of Quark; he later said, "I got to know Armin a bit during the audition process. He had so much more history with the show." Karen Westerfield did the makeup for Quark during all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Shimerman said, “I always say that Karen helped create Quark as much as I did”. He also said of Westerfield, “It
13843-626: The welfare of his public. In Groom Lake , released the following year, Shatner repeated his Star Trek V feat of directing and starring in a movie based on a story of his own invention—a film exploiting the interest in Area 51 kindled by The X-Files , and co-starring a young Amy Acker , later best known as a regular colleague of Joss Whedon . In 2003, Shatner appeared in Brad Paisley 's Celebrity and Online music videos along with Little Jimmy Dickens , Jason Alexander and Trista Rehn . He also had
13970-476: The whole of Canada. In Henry V , he combined playing the minor role of the Duke of Gloucester with understudying Christopher Plummer as the king: when a kidney stone obliged Plummer to withdraw from a performance, Shatner's decision to present a distinctive interpretation of his role rather than imitating his senior's impressed Plummer as a striking manifestation of initiative and potential. Plummer later appeared as
14097-566: Was Schattner; it was his grandfather, Wolf Schattner, who anglicized the spelling. All four of Shatner's grandparents were Jewish immigrants: they came from settlements in Ukraine and Lithuania , which were then under the rule of Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire . Shatner attended two schools in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Willingdon Elementary School and West Hill High School , and
14224-700: Was active in drama. As a senior, he played leading roles in school productions of Hamlet , The Crucible , and The Skin of Our Teeth before graduating in 1967. After graduating from UCLA , he was selected to apprentice at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego . He began pursuing a career in theater and eventually moved to New York City , where he was a member of the Impossible Ragtime Theater . Returning to Los Angeles, he took roles in two CBS series to launch his television acting career. Shimerman
14351-580: Was brief. In December 1989, Shatner took part in the British television series This Is Your Life , a show in which a celebrity is ambushed by the host and then taken to a studio for the story of his life to be told in a stream of anecdotes related by his acquaintances: Shatner's episode began with Michael Aspel taking him by surprise on the set of the Starship Enterprise at Universal Studios in Hollywood. In 1994, Shatner revisited Columbo to play
14478-515: Was endorsed by him both on television and in print. On May 19, 1983, the iconic status of Captain Kirk was acknowledged with a ceremony celebrating Shatner's being awarded the 1,762nd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Shatner also has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame , granted to him in recognition of his being the first Canadian actor to star in major series on three U.S. networks—NBC, CBS and ABC. Working on T. J. Hooker inspired Shatner with
14605-503: Was entitled to direct a Star Trek movie too: he exercised his right in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier , although many Trekkies were disappointed by the film that he delivered, something that he attributed principally to the weakness of the movie's visual effects. His growing success on television and in movie theatres in the 1980s did not lead him to stop working for advertisers. The VIC-20 home computer , for example,
14732-461: Was filmed for subsequent screening in more than 700 theatres across Australia, Canada and the United States. A large portion of the revenue of the project went to charity. In 2015, he played Mark Twain in an episode of the Canadian historical crime drama series Murdoch Mysteries , and Croatoan – the dangerous, interdimensional father of Audrey Parker – in the last episodes of the fifth and final season of SyFy channel's fantasy series Haven . In
14859-555: Was granted the same accolade by the New England Institute of Technology in May 2018. Shatner's movie career began while he was still attending college. In 1951, he had a small role in a Canadian comedy drama, The Butler's Night Off : its credits list him as Bill Shatner, and describe his role simply as "a crook". After graduating, he worked as an assistant manager and actor at both the Mountain Playhouse in Montreal and
14986-533: Was her idea to put the maroon shading around my eyes. The makeup accented the eyes, so you could see the eyes better. The other Ferengi characters didn’t have that, and it made a huge difference.” Before opening a bar, known as "Quark's Bar, Grill, Gaming House and Holosuite Arcade", Quark served as a cook aboard a Ferengi freighter for eight years, according to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Profit and Loss ". According to his own admission, he
15113-468: Was his third, Seeking Major Tom (2011), which includes covers of Pink Floyd 's " Learning to Fly ", David Bowie 's " Space Oddity " and Queen 's " Bohemian Rhapsody ". In 2021, Shatner flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-18 , a Blue Origin sub-orbital capsule. At age 90, he became the oldest person to fly in space and one of the first 600 to do so. Minutes after the flight, he described experiencing
15240-474: Was limited to such B-movies as Roger Corman's Big Bad Mama (1974), the horror film The Devil's Rain (1975) and Kingdom of the Spiders (1977). On television, he made a critically praised appearance as a prosecutor in a 1971 PBS adaptation of Saul Levitt 's play The Andersonville Trial , and was also seen in major parts in the movies The People (1972) and The Horror at 37,000 Feet (1973). He had
15367-512: Was only the show's cancellation after its 13-episode first season that allowed him to walk onto the bridge of the Enterprise the following year. Shatner starred in the 1966 gothic horror film Incubus (Esperanto: Inkubo ) the second feature-length movie ever made with all dialogue spoken in Esperanto . He also starred in an episode of Gunsmoke in 1966 as the character Fred Bateman. He appeared as attorney-turned-counterfeiter Brett Skyler in
15494-659: Was playing the character William Shatner." Shatner took the Crane role to Boston Legal and won a Golden Globe and an Emmy in 2005, and was Emmy nominated again in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. With his 2005 Emmy accolade, he became one of the few actors (along with co-star James Spader as Alan Shore ) to win an Emmy Award while playing the same character in two different shows. Shatner remained with Boston Legal until, after five seasons and one hundred and one episodes, it ended in 2008. Two high-profile animated pictures released in 2006 featured Shatner in their cast. In DreamWorks ' Over
15621-533: Was produced twenty years later, it was with a remake of the latter episode that the movie climaxed. He appeared twice as Wayne Gorham in NBC 's Outlaws (1960), a Western series with Barton MacLane , and then returned to Alfred Hitchcock Presents for a 5th-season episode, "Mother, May I Go Out to Swim?". In 1961, co-starring with Julie Harris , he appeared on Broadway in A Shot in the Dark , directed by Harold Clurman ; Gene Saks and Walter Matthau took part in
15748-458: Was published in 1989, and launched a sequence of books that sold hundreds of thousands of copies. The novels led to four TekWar television movies, in which Shatner played not the lead character but his boss, Walter Bascom. Shatner reprised the role in a television series that followed, as well as directing several episodes of it himself, but its run on the USA Network , Syfy and Canada's CTV
15875-566: Was rising to the top of the Ferengi Business world as an assistant to the Grand Nagus until he made the mistake of making love to his boss’s sister which resulted in him becoming a cook. He came to the station while it was named Terok Nor during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor . Originally, Quark admired the Cardassian race for their version of morality, but later he seemed to take pity on
16002-401: Was so furious at himself over his error that he leapt out of his chair, picked it up and threw it out of the show's iconic Winner's Circle. During an Archive of American Television interview, Richard Dawson disclosed that when Mark Goodson was considering whom to employ as the host of the pilot of Family Feud (1976), he would have chosen Shatner if had not been intimidated into awarding
16129-463: Was then contracted to play Kirk for the remainder of the show, and he sat in the captain's chair of the USS Enterprise from 1966 to 1969. During its original run on NBC, the series achieved only modest ratings, and it was cancelled after three seasons and seventy-nine episodes. Plato's Stepchildren , aired on November 22, 1968, earned Shatner a footnote in the history of American race relations:
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