Subscribers to the r/StarTrek subreddit got quite the surprise when none other than William Shatner himself popped into the community.
"Someone said I haven't said hello to r/StarTrek yet. I do apologize if I have not. Hello," read the post by williamshatner.
He was not there to seek romance with green-skinned female redditors (that we know of), but rather to hold an impromptu discussion of his work and Reddit itself.
A redditor since only Jan. 27, Shatner had previously posted and commented in such subreddits as r/geek and r/videos. The actor, who immortalized the role of Captain James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek television series and reprised the role in seven movies, made his unexpected visit on Feb. 7. The thread received thousands of upvotes and is currently the subreddit's second-highest link.
"How is it possible that the reddit name 'williamshatner' was not yet taken?!" asked Maverick144.
"Simple: Reddit magic!" he said. "It's been sitting in reserve for me to activate."
Shatner also shared his views on Reddit AMAs:
So I've been reading the AMAs. First off whomever told me on Twitter that they were easier to follow LIED! ;-) They ramble and ramble off on a plethora of bizarre trails. It seems like it always comes down to this question: "Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck?" My answer: I'm a lover, not a fighter. So that means I've done my AMA and I've done it without any questions so that has to be a world record, right? ;-) I see the value of an AMA for someone who is never coming back here again but really, is an AMA for someone who is going to stick around necessary? I would much rather just do it more of a grassroots style. Answering things as I go along.
The informal, grassroots-style AMA did indeed commence.
Out of curiosity, what's the weirdest thing someone asked you? Besides the 100 ducks question. (KookyGuy)
There's so many bizarre questions. Time travelers who need a part for their damaged time machines and for some reason NEED to contact me...Some have sent me the cure for cancer (I checked with experts - it wasn't.)... the list goes on and on. Now doesn't that make you feel better about the questions you ask?
When you guest star on shows like Psych, is there any "Holy crap, we're on set with William Shatner!" mood/air from the other actors or crew? (midwestredditor)
It happens but most younger actors need to personify that stoic attitude. Then I get an email or message that's a total fanboy gush.
Did you learn anything useful in r/TIL? (ReigninLikeA_MoFo)
TIL I learned that a lot of people have very boring lives and made me feel good about my own life. ;-) (just being snarky!)
Shatner also used his time browsing r/StarTrek to remind his fellow redditors of his conference call to the International Space Station.
After almost seven hours of interaction, Shatner beamed himself back up to real life. While his iconic characters on Star Trek and Boston Legal may have closed episodes with profound dialogue, the actor himself simply promised a return.
OK, I'm taking off. Tomorrow is a busy day for me but I'll try and come back at some point during the day.
Photo via Alex Archambault/Flickr