William Shatner was the first leading actor in the Star Trek franchise, as he played James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Original Series (1966-1969). After Shatner, there have been various actors who have played the leading characters in the franchise's shows, but his performance is what set the standard for others and encouraged them to take risks and really explore their characters.Speaking on The 7th Rule podcast in February 2026, Walter Koenig, who co-starred with Shatner as Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek: Original Series, and many films of the franchise, praised Shatner, appreciating all that he did for the character and the franchise.Star Trek: Original Series star Walter Koenig praises William Shatner's performance as Captain KirkWhile the Star Trek: Original Series ended in 1969, Walter Koenig still frequently joins hosts of The 7th Rule podcast, Cirroc Lofton and Ryan T. Husk, to review and talk about the episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series. In a recent episode, the hosts and Koenig reviewed Season 2 episode 22 titled, Return to Tomorrow. Given that the show was the first of the franchise and had the responsibility of guiding viewers through the story and characters, Lofton praised Shatner for his performance.Koenig and other cast members of the show had some issues with Shatner regarding how the actor used to behave on set. Shatner has also been the centre of controversy various times in his career, but in recent years, his former co-stars have spoken about him in a more positive light. Koenig, on The 7th Rule Podcast, spoke about Shatner's performance in the Original Series saying,"Bill Shatner in the role of Captain Kirk took more chances with that character in dimensionalizing him, and showing us a side that was a little… not so complimentary than most leading actors. Most leading actors are trying to be Egar Bergen. Do you know who Edgar Bergen was? He was a ventriloquist, and the point of ventriloquism was to not let your mouth move when you spoke for the puppet."Koenig's statement resonates with how many leading actors have been performing in the past few years, saying the dialogue but hardly moving their mouths. As Koenig said, Shatner did not do that and showed viewers and actors alike how leading actors should perform. He knew how to guide others through his performance, and that's what Koenig greatly appreciates in the podcast episode. He continued,"Most leading actors sort of do that, [but] Bill took chances all the time. I mean, for him, it wasn’t chances. He knew what he could do. He had a strong sense of his versatility. But I always appreciated [that]. There were a couple of times, like in the first Star Trek movie, when he was a little on then petty side. When he wanted the captaincy back at [Stephen] Collins’ expense. And I thought, good for him. Good for him for letting us see that, letting us see that he wasn’t Douglas Fairbanks, Jr." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostStar Trek: The Original Series is streaming on Paramount+.For more articles like this, follow Soapcentral.