10 Weirdest Adverts Featuring Star Trek Actors

8. DirecTV - William Shatner

William Shatner reprised the role of Captain Kirk, kind of, in this advert for DirecTV in 2006. It plays like a scene from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, with the Klingon Battlecruiser Kronos One floating alongside the Enterprise-A. Chekov asks the captain nervously if they should raise their shields, at which point the parody becomes clear.

Again with the shields? Shatner says drolly to the screen, before marveling at the picture quality of the underside of the Klingon ship. Shatner goes on to sell the unparalleled quality that DirecTV offered its customers, before waltzing off the bridge with a quip at Spock's expense.

However, this ad became the focus of a legal issue when it was found to be a case of false advertising, as Time Warner correctly showed that their rival's quality was no better than any of the other contemporary broadcasters. Unfortunately for Shatner, he was the only cast member to actually appear outside of archived footage here, as both Walter Koenig and Leonard Nimoy had their scenes slotted in from the original film.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"