### William Shatner Returns as Captain Kirk in New Star Trek Short Film

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of "Star Trek Generations," a new short film titled "Unification" has been released today by the Roddenberry Archive and technology partner OTOY, in collaboration with Paramount. This release marks the return of William Shatner in his legendary role as James T. Kirk. The film, available on The Archive's web portal and via the Apple Vision Pro app, serves as a tribute to Shatner's final scene as Kirk, where the character heroically sacrificed his life on Veridian III.

"Unification" is the fourth film from the "765874" series, which blends live-action footage with computer-generated imagery. Star Trek veterans, including William Shatner, were involved in this project. Sam Witwer and Lawrence Selleck portray younger versions of Kirk and Spock, seamlessly brought to life with physical and digital prosthetics that match their original TV and film appearances. Executive production credits go to William Shatner and Susan Bay Nimoy, widow of the late Leonard Nimoy.

The eight-minute film weaves together elements from multiple decades of Star Trek lore. It features nods to iconic characters such as Saavik, originally portrayed by Robin Curtis, J.M. Colt from the 1964 episode "The Cage," and Gary Mitchell, played by Gary Lockwood. Additionally, the character Yor from "Star Trek: Discovery" makes an appearance, linking the Kelvin Universe to the Prime Universe.

Acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Carlos Baena directed "Unification," which is based on a story by Jules Urbach. The film's original score was composed by Academy Award winner Michael Giacchino, with production design by David Blass from "Star Trek: Picard." Emmy award-winning visual effects supervisor Mark Spatny led the team in creating stunning digital and physical prosthetics, virtual production, and CG set extensions using OTOY’s cutting-edge technologies.

Each significant scene in "Unification" was filmed twice to create both video and spatial content, optimized for Apple Vision Pro. The settings were meticulously scanned and integrated with CG elements, enriching The Archive's expansive library of 3D worlds. The visual effects were rendered using OTOY's "Octane" software and their "Render Network" platform, with character and prop digitization carried out via the "LightStage" scanning system.

"Unification" is accompanied by a range of new interactive sets, props, and worlds from "Star Trek Generations" available in Digital Cinema 4k HDR and spatial video, exclusively mastered for viewing on Apple Vision Pro. For those interested in the technical intricacies behind the film, additional details are available on OTOY's blog.

This latest offering underscores the Roddenberry Archive's commitment to honoring the Star Trek legacy. Previous releases in the "765874" series featured Mahé Thaissa as Yeoman Colt and Lawrence Selleck as Spock, showcasing the enduring appeal of the Star Trek universe and its iconic characters.