William Shatner responds after Ted Cruz says Captain Kirk was likely a Republican

Star Trek (1966 TV series) type TV Show network CBS

William Shatner has weighed in on Ted Cruz’s theory about his Star Trek character’s political leanings.

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, the Republican presidential candidate and Star Trek fan said he prefers Shatner’s Captain Kirk over Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard.

Cruz called Picard a “complete captain” and added, “If you look at Star Trek: The Next Generation, it basically split James T. Kirk into two people. Picard was Kirk’s rational side, and William Riker was his passionate side.”

“The original Star Trek was grittier,” he said. “Kirk is working class; Picard is an aristocrat. Kirk is a passionate fighter for justice; Picard is a cerebral philosopher.”

When asked where he thinks Kirk stands politically, Cruz replied, “I think it is quite likely that Kirk is a Republican and Picard is a Democrat.”

Shatner responded to Cruz’s comments this week on Twitter, saying that Star Trek “wasn’t political.”

“Star Trek wasn’t political. I’m not political; I can’t even vote in the US,” he wrote. “So to put a geocentric label on interstellar characters is silly.”