Welcome to the Shatnerdome

William Shatner has spent more than half his life as a pop-culture icon. In that time, he’s done some work that is truly great and much that is less than great. The choice of “great” rather than “good” as the metric is a deliberate one, because Shatner exists very much in his own continuum – one that is beyond good and bad. On the occasion of his 80^th birthday today, it seems fitting to look back at some of the great.

Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan: Putting aside the eye-popping scene in which he screams his opponent’s name, this is absolutely Shatner’s finest performance as James T. Kirk. By having Kirk face his own mortality and the life he could have had, Shatner makes his larger-than-life character even greater.

Twilight Zone – Nick of Time: Shatner's performance in this episode is a gem that really shows why he was once regarded as one of Hollywood's best young actors. There's no supernatural element here, just a taut character drama about taking charge of one's own fate with a final twist that shows how flexible the format of Twilight Zone was.

Has Been: This 2004 album, a collaboration with Ben Folds and many others, shouldn’t work, but it does. Shatner wisely doesn’t attempt to sign but rather provides what Folds describes as a naturally musical oration. The songs are funny and touching and show that Shatner’s talent was anything but one note.

Boston Legal: Shatner’s Emmy-winning performance as legendary lawyer Denny Crane is one of the great TV roles of the past decade. Not only was it a part no actor could have played as well, it was probably a part no other actor could play, pivoting as it did on an aging legend’s balancing act between ego and anxiety. When paired with James Spader as fellow lawyer Alan Shore, Shatner did some of the best work of his iconic career.

Star Trek – The Return (Audiobook): The “Shatnerverse” is an alternative version of Star Trek’s Next Generation era where Captain Kirk is alive, well and still boldly going with assists not just from current Starfleet officers but also surviving members of his former crew, such as Spock and Scotty. This is the book that started it, with Kirk being resurrected by an alliance of the Borg and the Romulans to wreak havoc on the Federation. The plot, which reputedly started life as a treatment for a cinematic revival of the good Captain, is thoroughly preposterous and wildly over-stuffed. Hearing Shatner narrate it on audiobook, though, is three of the most fun hours one can imagine spending with Star Trek.

Live long and prosper, Mister Shatner!