This is probably my favourite speech from classic Star Trek, explaining what in my opinion Star Trek is (or should be) about. Coming from the episode "Return to Tomorrow", my little "review" coming up very soon.
When the theme chimes in, its goosebump time. Edited to add: in another episode Kirk says something similar about one of the qualities of Human Beings that sets them apart is their need to struggle, to overcome obstacles...Humans are forever reaching for that intangible “something more” that’s just out of reach, to push on, even in the face of unfavorable odds. We ARE risk takers as a species, and if I’m going to take risks, I’d want to be led by a James T. Kirk rather than anyone else.
It ends on a slightly more martial note than I like, but think you're recalling the end of This Side of Paradise (the one with the "spores"): MCCOY: Well, Jim, I've just examined the last of the colonists, and they're all in absolutely perfect, perfect health. A fringe benefit left over by the spores. KIRK: Good. MCCOY: Well, that's the second time man's been thrown out of paradise. KIRK: No, no, Bones. This time we walked out on our own. Maybe we weren't meant for paradise. Maybe we were meant to fight our way through. Struggle, claw our way up, scratch for every inch of the way. Maybe we can't stroll to the music of the lute. We must march to the sound of drums. SPOCK: Poetry, Captain. Non-regulation. KIRK: We haven't heard much from you about Omicron Ceti Three, Mister Spock. SPOCK: I have little to say about it, Captain, except that for the first time in my life I was happy.
Alice Tremain Very close. I’m not sure whether that’s the episode or not...I seem to recall Jim was actually explaining the human drive to an alien species who was baffled because they thought they had provided every comfort, granted every wish to ensure human happiness...it might have been on pleasure planet, or some other episode...in any case, it seems to be an acknowledged truth, and nobody waxes poetic quite like James T. Kirk! Must be the blood of Irish bards flowing in his veins!
I love your idealism and your Romanticism I choose to be that too, choose to believe that there really are Kirk's out there and not just fictionalized.when he was corny man he went all the way Jack but when he was a good man he was dead on f****** inspiring evin brings tears to your eyes. My favorite line probably is in every revolution there's a man with a vision and when Spock says I will consider it that look on kirks face that that half smile that was probably both of the actors finest hour.I also love patterns of force where he had Spock stand on his back to laser through the cell doors and exchange that dialogue with him which was combination of what endurance he wasexhibiting and his human factor as well and also in journey to Babel when he feigned recovery from the knife wound to get spots into sickbay and just the pain he was in was I was just a great moment for kirkendall these episodes and I really didn't care for the ultimate computer all that much I don't know why I think was a combination of Kirk needing to wash his hair and the close-ups needing to be not with a fisheye lens but I loved it when he screamed well it's not say screen I love it when he cried out daystrom as the enterprises was about the fire again. And I don't care how much of a romantic anybody could be his worst moments includedthe paradise syndrome I'm telling you nobody wants to see Creek crying over his Indian wife's body or in screaming his name pronouncing it wrong thinking he's some kind of a medicine man. No boot just like nobody wanted to see James Bond crying when his wife got shot in that one with the other Bond you know what we wanted to see? After she was shot Bond was going to open should have opened the door and then said sorry sweetheart honeymoon's over and kicked her out and said I need to lighten the load to go catch that bastard. Nothing personal sweetheart but as of right now your deadweightnobody wanted to see James Bond crying over his insano she'll get better to just grape jelly on her face or whatever the f*** he was doing but anyway I also love the look on spots face when the Nazi officer told him to remove his helmet when he finally did he look at him not quite well that look on his face was perfect I don't know what to call it but he should have won an Emmy just for that one momentand for those of you who are reading this thinking man this chicks opinions are dead spot on awesome, well I must agree with you.if I had a channel that say subscribe in life but I don't know if I do or not but just keep reading whatever I wrote.and will write.
But "the first Apollo mission", which didn't get anywhere near it, was about a year before. (“If we die, we want people to accept it. We’re in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.” -Gus Grissom)
Shatner may have an unusual delivery, and any number of quirks. But he sells it every time. A reasonable person can't deny the authority and command of Captain Kirk, and the sheer charisma of the actor who played him. In my opinion, that's what a great actor is. Authentic, completely believable. Totally in the moment. I love me some William Shatner.
That's part of the fun. Everyone speaking our everyday typical people slang would get boring, especially in scifi where high concept had to be sold harder. And the sci-fi aspect would also be dulled.
actually their motto of the red shirt should be risk is our business that's what the ad on Craigslist said but it turned out to be a true resume killer of a career cuz I've been 233 red shirts and 233 bodies and I've been billed every time as the memorable role of "Dead crewman". Accurate though not quite colorful enough to land me that second job as "live crewman"
people laugh about red shirts, but Im pretty sure those wearing red shirts are security personnel, so it is in fact their motto. ask anyone who works any form of security, by the very nature of its business is to invite risk.
Man, Shatner doesn't just deliver his lines, he LIVES the role. He becomes the speech. I've watched this over a thousand times and never get tired of it. I'll gladly watch it a thousand more.
Shatner's oratory here was filmed 7 months after the Apollo 1 crew was killed in a launch practice at the Kennedy Space Center. The moon landing had been dealt a serious blow and getting there before 1970 was then in doubt. No doubt that astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee were on Roddenberry's and writers' minds. Lt. Cmdr Mulhall steals the scene at 2:32. This was 1967 and Star Trek was predicting what a post 20th century woman would be like. Beautiful, intelligent and a leader ably participating in life and death decisions. She was equal in rank to Spock. I lot of us take for granted what was really visionary at the time. It's why Star Trek's message holds so well 50+ years later. Good job Diana Muldaur!
As someone who grew up with TNG-through-Enterprise but is only just now watching TOS, this is one of the things that's stuck out to me most. Kirk is an excellent character who absolutely stands alongside Picard/etc as a man of intellect, science, and morality, and Shatner is a fantastic actor. My only conclusion is that most of these people have never actually watched the show, which is a real shame.
A stage-trained Shakespearian actor, Shatner has often been made fun of for over-acting that comes off as cheesy on the small screen, but there were also times like this, when he straight up knocked it out of the park, and made us fall in love with Trek for all time.
He said that with such conviction, it was amazing! You could really see the intent in Shatner's eyes, as though he was literally saying it from his own heart.
He's amazing actor. So ridiculous to me that this trend of calling him a bad actor began. Nimoy, himself, in his book, stated that Shatner was one of the finest actors he'd ever known. He is a Shakespearean trained actor.
People often conflate the kind of goofy atmosphere and set design the show had (partly due to what their idea of "futuristic" was a d partly due to the shoestring budget) with goofy acting. While I'll admit there's a bit of hammy acting and goofy writing, so much of the dhow was genuinely simcere and the whole damn cast were fine actors. Shatner is a brilliant actor and I think Kirk is just a big character with a hell of a lot of personality and presence. A subdued performance just wouldn't fit.
Also in the 1994 Star Trek Generations movie when the Enterprise B, under command of Captain John Harriman played by Alan Ruck who played Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day Off(!), was trying to rescue two ships from a massive energy ribbon, Harriman asked Kirk for advice being as how the situation was grave, and Kirk told him to move the Enterprise within transporter range to beam out the crewmembers, and Harriman said the Enterprise could be torn apart, and Kirk responded with "Risk is part of the game if you want to sit in that chair." My fav Kirk speech though is his We the People speech in the episode The Omega Glory.
We now have darkness, explosions, f-bombs, klingorcs, and a diverse cast of people with no personalities acting in nonsensical plots. Much better, isn't it?
@@TrekkieChannel You list "diverse cast" with all of your criticisms? Is that just a poor choice of wording, or are you actually objecting to diversity? If the latter, you don't get Trek at all.
@@ChrisSham Why did you leave out the important bit? I don't list "diverse cast", but "diverse cast of people with no personalities acting in nonsensical plots". If it's not clear what I wanted to say I try to be more clear - my problem is not with the fact that the show has a diverse cast, my problem is that the producers concentrated ONLY on the looks of the characters and forgot to give them interesting personalities or give them something interesting to do. We had 2 seasons of Discovery and we still don't know anything important about any of the characters, only their race, sex, or orientation. In any other show after 2 seasons we knew all of the characters as ... well, CHARACTERS. However in Discovery we "kind of" know the personality of Saru, and "kind of" the personality of Tilly (in season 1) or Captain Pike (in season 2)
Say what you will about TNG, but I suspect that ability is a major reason Patrick Stewart was cast as Picard. I don't think he was Gene's first choice, but he got the job and he did well with it. "Picard" didn't try to be Kirk.
This scene makes me cry every time I hear it. Truly inspiring. Star Trek was light years ahead of its time. The other scene that makes me teary eyed is when Kirk says "All I ask is for a tall ship, and the stars to steer her by" in the original series.
Oh my God, when the music kicks up and Shatner perks up for the Risk Is Our Business..... THAT right there is what Star Trek is....and I get goosebumps every time!
Let it sink in that this scene of 5 actors just talking at a table has more emotional depth and meaning than the literal entirety of modern kurtzman era Trek with all their CGI and vast budgets
If there was ever a single scene that embodies the source of the majority of William Shatner impersonations, this is it. Granted, many, many comedians exaggerate the movements and expressions (Kevin Pollack, anyone), but by and large this is precisely the type of dialogue and speech that inspired so many.
My brother and I started watching Star Trek with my dad when we were young. My dad loves TOS but we started with TNG because it was newer and he thought we'd enjoy it more with the updated (for the time) effects. So I never saw any of this. Now that I'm older after having seen all the other shows and movies I finally went back to the Original Star Trek. Sure the sets are wobbly and the effects are dated and the Gorn is a man in a rubber suit. That's not what Star Trek is about. The idea that people can do anything if they work together, to overcome adversity that's why Star Trek is so important and lasted so long.This speech is a great encapsulation of what Star Trek stands for and what Roddenberry believed we would achieve.
It’s also about using diversity as an advantage; that we all have some uniqueness that we can add, that we’re stronger and better for it. This is why such ideas as white supremacy are old, outdated, and illogical. No one gets to choose what gifts they’re born with. No one gets to choose what color their skin or eyes or hair is, or whether they’re male, female, or other. No one gets to choose to be born at all. NO ONE is superior or inferior by birthright. We’re all part nurture and part nature; that’s reality. I didn’t wake up one day and think, “Oh, i think I’ll choose to be Caucasian.”, or “Oh, I’ll choose to be a male. Or hetero.” I discovered it, but I didn’t choose it. And I don’t know anyone else who did, either. Humanity can be great, but we have to get past these notions that we’re superior (or inferior) because of some property we were born with, or that we had no control over as children (such as what religion (if any) our parents/guardians had.) That’s my takeaway from Gene Roddenberry’s vision; that not only can Humans work together, but so can Vulcans, Andorrans, Tellarites, and even Klingons (oh, yeah, and even former Borg drones - thanks 7 of 9!)
I'm 56 and have seen every episode of ST at least 2 dozen times and still enjoy them, now more than ever. As I have got older I find myself getting more nostalgic. Star Trek was on 1 of only 2 TV stations that we had growing up and as a pre teen/teen, Saturday mornings around 10-11 AM, cant exactly remember, on CBC (Canada) I wouldnt do anything or go anywhere until I watched Star Trek. They were a must watch and when i see them now I feel like I'm transported back in time. I just love watching them still. My 2 favorite TV shows ever, that to this day I can watch over and over again Is Star Trek (1966-1969) and MASH (1972-1983). It saddens me that most of the actors/actresses of these 2 shows are now dead and gone, but I can still find a warm place in my heart for truly great ,ahead of its time entertainment.
Fun fact: This episode "Return of tomorrow" originally aired on 9 February 1968, a whole year and half before Apollo 11 was even launched, let alone landed on moon. The writers were so confident that we will surely get to moon and then far beyond, and hence they wrote the dialogue at 1:05
I watched this just as I was watching William Shatner about to go up into space himself. The beautiful poetry of those words struck me with such power in that moment.
I don't want or need super heros. I love normal humans, with flaws and shortcomings, but who posess the courage and fighting spirit to overcome fear and themselves. These are my heros. These are the ones who give me hope and stir my soul. This is why I have been a Trekkie for 45 years.
Your "heroes", can command space itself to move them effectively faster than light at laughable velocities, can convert matter into energy and back without killing the life-form they're converting, can "replicate" food, drink and containers for both , have a science officer who can literally read minds, have the capacity to live for at least 137 years without needing a wheelchair, have on multiple occasions time-travelled, have travelled to alternate realities, have command over at least dozens of people per ship, and have shields that make Churchill's bunker look like a joke. You think they are not "super"?
@@FreakyTeeth In Star Trek, it's the tech that is super, not the the humans who wield it. Are we super human because we have aircraft we fly in compared to humans two hundred years ago who could only dream of it? Of course not. We simply exist at a time when our knowledge allows us to do something they could not, but we are still very human just as they were. Don't confuse technology with the humanity.
I'm not, I am just pointing out that the technology in Star Trek that the heroes have is so advanced that they have powers which by our current standards are "super". Indeed many "super" heroes have powers that are caused by them having advanced technology: Iron Man, Batman, War Machine, Black Widow, Falcon, Cyborg, I could go on all day. I promise you none of those characters are any less "human" due to their super-ness. Risk is, if anything, even more their business than Starfleet's. "With great power comes great responsibility" and all that.
Whenever I face a challenge that frightens me, a challenge that petrifies me, I come back to this clip. This speech isn’t just about space exploration, it’s an answer to the human condition. To keep pushing, to take risks in the face of the unknown and in the face of fear, so we may become a stronger and better person than yesterday and grow. The eternal cycle of death and rebirth we cannot deny. We need to face the unknown, despite its risks, as there in lies the possibilities and potential for something higher and greater. There is a kirk in all of us and maybe we can only find him when we face the unknown. Somehow that little smile turns the anxiety I face everyday into a childhood sense of wonder and excitement and gives me courage and strength.
Rod Serling knew this too: that for successful television with its small screen and low budgets, you can't capture the audience with special effects. You have to do it with writing and acting.
@@Artisan1979 Agreed for the most part. Sometimes TNG leaned too hard on making Picard the "thoughtful" captain compared to the stereotype of Kirk being all fists and no brains (which is nonsense) but they did manage to give Picard some damn good moments at times.
Great me too. Now is being starkly revealed a way people can act maturely. More of the same, (MOTS from Auck Varsity 80's) will happen and then it will die down. IN THE MEANTIME, WE GOT HOPEFULLY SHAUN LOCKE! RIP now. 💓
today's screenwriters and actors need to see this. this is what great writing and actor delivery is all about. i forgot about this speech but seeing it again, i have an even deeper appreciation
When my wife was a little girl she told me she used to jump up and clap everytime she saw this scene, this was why Star Trek survived so many bad attempts at reboots and spin offs because this scene still inspires us
I LOVE this speech! Kirk could certainly bring out the goosebumps! Of course, some hammy acting too, but I Love Shatner for this role! He was born to play it!!!
They can throw all the CGI in the world onto a big screen with their new cast, but the original series was about characters, about stories, about emotional impact. That's what made it a favorite for four generations so far.
Yeah, sure, and that's why nobody had a character arc thereon and people like Uhura or Sulu were one-dimensional characters. (read sarcastically) It was so "fantastically" written that the only three characters on the show with at least a decent (not great) characterization (Kirk, Spock, McCoy) were exactly the same people at the end of the show as they had been at its beginning. Different people = different standards
I think it’s such a shame that this existed in the 60’s and people like to think story telling and film making has vastly improved since then. Meanwhile the biggest takeaway some people have from Star Trek is that it’s some kind of space shooting war adventure but that was never what original Star Trek was ever really about
_"Meanwhile the biggest takeaway some people have from Star Trek is that it’s some kind of space shooting war adventure but that was never what original Star Trek was ever really about"_ Correct. "Star Trek" episodes are morality plays set in space.
"I don't believe we can stop!" Because that is who we are. Every human is born a scientist, we just lose our curiosity over our daily lifes. I'm not planing on losing mine. I'll embrace it. I probably won't have the chance to explore the stars, but I can make it happen for future generations, inspire them like Star Trek and all the other great SciFi franchises inspired me.
Yes, this is pretty awesome. So much so, that Shatner himself showed it at his one-man show. He says he hasn't watched TOS, but he knew about this one! It is the highlight of the episode.
The speech is great, and Kirk was so well-written as a character - and no one could have played him better than Shatner. I don't remember the context of the speech, exactly what the discussion there was about, but it doesn't much matter. The original (and frankly best) Star Trek was peppered with great little monologues likes this, as well as one liners about the human condition, stated in a plain profundity.
The Shat/Kirk at his best. God how I always loved Star Trek because of scenes like this! Yes mankind will forever be reaching for the stars. Reaching for a new and better tomorrow. Will always forever be trying to climb that seemingly impossible to climb mountain. Courageously risking all and pushing back the frontiers of knowledge and progress. What a beautiful speech!! In a nutshell that was/is still one of the main messages of Star Trek!!
most underrated actor in show business. He is not overacting... Kirk is a God so Shatner had to portray him as one. That explains the intensity and the body language
Two boldly go where no man has ever gone before there are stars and galaxies we just have to reach for the stars and see if we can find them. God created something Beautiful
You can’t tell me without a fucking doubt in this universe that this is one of the most inspirational and fantastic quotes every said in all of Star Trek history
I just finished watching the OG series for the first time like a week ago and now I find this. I really can't put into words what I felt watching it. Magic pure and simple.
Amazing seeing the alternate view and the new dialogue. I have watched Star Trek since i was 6 years old.. I'm 58 now and I am so happy I was able to see new things from the old series I had never seen before....
You are right , when the theme chimes I get a tingle up the spine. mankind is truly illogical for we always Dream the Impossible Dream, Reach the unreachable Star!! Guess that is why we are still here and will be for sometime. !!
A few comments point out that this is copy-wrote..... I dont believe uploaders should stop. I dont believe their meant to. Do you wish the first Atari was not invented.. Or they did not invent the Mega Drive. Thats like saying you still wish we played with wooden toys like your great great great grandfather used to. This is my comment and I could order this.. But Im not because some comments are right in pointing out the enormous danger of copy-wrote uploads. But I must point out that the possibility's, the potential for knowledge is as equally great. ... RISK.. Risk is an uploaders business.. Thats what youtube is all about. Thats why were watching her. You may thumbs down this comment without prejudices. Do I see a negative thumb.
A few replies point out that this is uh... um... I don't believe grammar nazis should stop. I don't believe they're meant to. Do you wish the first dictionary was not invented or that they did not found Oxford College? That's like saying you still wish we had to get wood for a fireplace like your great great great grandfather used to. These are my corrections and I could order this. But I'm not, because some grammar nazis are right in pointing out the enormous danger of word crimes. But I must point out that the possibilities - the potential for knowledge - is as equally great. RISK... Risk is a commenter's business. That's what the internet is all about. That's why we're surfing it. You may thumbs down this reply without prejudices. Do I see a negative thumb?
I think this is what star trek fans all feel deep down. These are the risks we want to take instead of the horrible ones we do. As Picard later put it "the goal is to better ourselves and the rest of humanity". You can see this in Scotty's reaction in this scene and hopefully in your own reflection.
I wish missing dialogue like this could have been added back into the remastered version of Star Trek, since it doesn't need to conform to Commercial Broadcast TV length, anymore.
So crazy I just watched this episode and it made me want to look up more of his great monologues and it brought me to this video I’d watched a year ago
So that they could laugh at him even more? I mean, this is extremely cringe-worthy and ludicrous. That's why his acting style has been parodied for laughs for decades. Have you ever heard of the term "hammy" in relation to acting?
