# William Shatner William Shatner is the Canadian actor who played Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek and later turned himself into a long-running internet figure through dubbed clips, a spoken-word Rocket Man cover, and candid Twitter replies about 4chan boards. His stilted delivery and willingness to engage directly with fans turned decades-old footage into some of the earliest reusable video memes. ## Origin The earliest documented Shatner meme video predates most of the celebrity's online footprint. On March 12th, 2006, YouTuber Des Sherwood posted 'William Shatner: Captain Kirk farts,' a short Star Trek clip dubbed with fart sound effects, which pulled over 1.8 million views on the platform[1]. The clip set the template later edits would follow: take existing Shatner footage, add something absurd, let the delivery do the work. Two more remix videos pushed the format forward. A January 2nd, 2008 upload captured Shatner's 1978 spoken-word 'Rocket Man' performance for a new audience, and on May 30th, 2009 Fall On Your Sword released 'Shatner of the Mount,' editing a Shatner interview into a music video[3]. - **Platform:** YouTube (video edits) / Twitter (direct replies) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2006 ## Overview William Shatner is a Canadian actor best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, and his overacted line readings made him a natural target for YouTube remixers once the site took off[1]. The two most-circulated edits are a 2008 spoken-word performance of Elton John's 'Rocket Man' and 'Shatner of the Mount,' a 2009 musical remix by Fall On Your Sword that chops a Shatner interview about mountain climbing into a hook[3]. Shatner's own online activity feeds the meme. He runs the @WilliamShatner Twitter account personally and replies to strangers at a rate most celebrities avoid, including answering questions about which 4chan boards he visits[2]. The mix of straight-man Star Trek footage, karaoke-adjacent music videos, and unfiltered posting is what keeps older Shatner clips in rotation on Reddit and Twitter[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is William Shatner? William Shatner is the Canadian actor who played Captain Kirk in Star Trek and whose overacted delivery made him a recurring source of YouTube remixes and Twitter screenshots[1][3]. ### Where did William Shatner come from? The earliest documented Shatner meme video is Des Sherwood's 'Captain Kirk farts' edit, uploaded to YouTube on March 12th, 2006[1]. ### What does William Shatner mean? In meme contexts, 'Shatner' refers to the loop of dubbed Star Trek clips, his spoken-word 'Rocket Man' performance, and his direct Twitter replies that fans share as reactions[3][5]. ### How do you use William Shatner? People typically embed 'Shatner of the Mount' or the Rocket Man clip in threads about his acting style, or screenshot his @WilliamShatner replies when he weighs in on fandom topics like Baneposting[4][6]. ### Is William Shatner still popular? Shatner is still active on @WilliamShatner, and the older Rocket Man and 'Shatner of the Mount' edits are still the standard embeds whenever his name resurfaces in meme discussions[2][6]. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12tMVK42yQg]() 2. [https://twitter.com/WilliamShatner/status/861397813439025152]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/william-shatner]() 4. [https://twitter.com/WilliamShatner/status/861399206711377920]() 5. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LAA9SK2sM4]() 6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lul-Y8vSr0I]() 7. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU2ftCitvyQ]() 8. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRnSnfiUI54]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/william-shatner Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library