William Shatner Doesn't Watch 'Star Trek'

William Shatner rose to prominence after he was cast as James T. Kirk in the "Star Trek" franchise in 1966. Although he remained in the pivotal role for decades, the actor has not watched much of the series.

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Shatner admitted this was because "I don't like to look at myself."

"I’m gonna tell you something that nobody knows," he said. "I've never seen another 'Star Trek' and I’ve seen as few Star Treks of the show I was on, I’ve seen as few as possible. I don't like to look at myself, and I’ve never seen any other."

Shatner was quick to note that his decision was not further motivated by whether or not he liked the show, but just because he did not watch much TV.

"I love it, I think it's great," he said of "Star Trek." "I just don’t, you know, I don’t watch television per se. I'm watching documentaries, I’m watching the news, I'm watching sports, I’m watching things that were, documentaries that were made but I don't watch television for some reason. I've been urged to watch certain shows by my family, 'You'll love this,' and I just never get around to it."

Elsewhere in the interview, Shatner opened up about his late co-star, Leonard Nimoy, who famously portrayed Mr. Spock in the franchise. He died in 2015.

"I loved Leonard; he was a brother to me," he said. "Leonard Nimoy. So, I had a great deal of affection for him. I loved some of the acting moments that they put the character into."

Shatner sparked controversy when he opted to skip Nimoy's funeral and instead attend a 2015 fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.

"People ask about a legacy. There's no legacy," he recalled telling the crowd at the time during an interview with Variety. "Statues are torn down. Graveyards are ransacked. Headstones are knocked over. No one remembers anyone. Who remembers Danny Kaye or Cary Grant? They were great stars. But they're gone, and no one cares."

Shatner added that what does live on are good deeds.

"If you do a good deed, it reverberates to the end of time," he said. "It's the butterfly effect thing."