William Shatner recently enjoyed another trip around the sun, and as is tradition, he posted to social media to share a bit about how he spent his birthday. Fans didn't get all the details of how the Star Trek legend celebrated the big day, but he did indulge in one way that would've been a far cry from something that occurred on Captain Kirk's ship.
As the 2026 TV schedule rolls on and we've celebrated his return to television via a Super Bowl commercial, Shatner is loving life at 95. He posted a photo of the celebration on Instagram, in which he's seen puffing on a cigar:
That's against Starfleet regulation! Or at least it was during Gene Roddenberry's time.
The creator did not want any smoking in his space drama, based on the belief that such a utopian society would've eradicated it. It prevented executives from being able to put smoking ads in Star Trek, so it is a little jarring to see Shatner smoking a stogie imagining Captain Kirk do the same.
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Of course, Star Trek didn't stay completely devoid of smoking. Picard notably featured Cristóbal Rios, who puffed on cigars during his adventures with Jean-Luc Picard, available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription. Rios was certainly an outlier, though, and enjoyed 21st-century customs so much he ended up staying back in the past when given the opportunity.
All this to say, seeing William Shatner with a cigar at 95 caught me off guard, but I'm 100% all-in on letting the actor do what he wants. Many of us will be lucky to live a life as full as his, and I'm always surprised by how active he remains despite being just five years away from 100. Sure, he has the occasional hospital trip here and there, but he finds a lot of time to appear at conventions as well!
William Shatner's 95th birthday comes at an odd time for Star Trek, as Paramount Skydance looks to complete a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. While that gets worked out, all future plans for Trek are on hold, leading some to try to petition for Shatner to take over the franchise. He doesn't seem too interested in that at the moment, but I'm sure he appreciates the continued love from the fandom decades after he left the franchise.
CinemaBlend wishes William Shatner a happy birthday, and hope that 95 is as great as every year that came before it. As for Star Trek, I'm hoping we get more show announcements soon, or at least a premiere date for Strange New Worlds Season 4.
