William Shatner is Captain James T. Kirk. As much as Chris Pine may try, there is no getting round this simple fact. Typecasting is often something that many actors will do whatever it takes to avoid, but luckily for us, the most typecast actor ever to have lived will take what he has been given, and just goes with it. And for the best results, merely add the rest of his crew. While there are many comedies that rely on the link between actor and character, the sci-fi comedy setting of Matt Groening's true masterpiece allowed for this link to be blurred. From subtle jokes/references that only the more hardcore fans would appreciate, to the reunion of the original Star Trek cast (the late DeForest Kelley was included but remained silent, James Doohan was the only one to decline), Where No Fan Has Gone Before was an episode that would entertain all audiences. Unsurprisingly it is of course Shatner who gives, and also takes, the brunt of the humour. Something that's not easy considering Kirk homage/parody Zapp Brannigan had been around since the show's 4th episode, but Shatner is more than willing to rip his own shirt for a fight scene, and even pokes fun at his musical career with a spoken word version of a rap song. This truly was the real Bill Shatner, and all others were just imitating.
