Hold That Beam-Up, Scotty: No Shatner In 'Star Trek 2'

As big a pill as it is to swallow, it seems that William Shatner has maybe had himself a change of heart and will not make an iconic appearance in the upcoming sequel to J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” reboot.

The original Capt. James Tiberius Kirk broke the bad news during a Q&A Saturday at the 2011 Calgary Comic Expo.

"I have become an acquaintance of J.J. as of late but I'm afraid no.. no I will not be in Star Trek 2 I’m afraid,” Shatner said, according to The Daily Blam.

Shatner claimed the film was once set to begin shooting this summer, though it appears to have recently been bumped back to hitting theaters sometime during the 2012 holiday season.

That does allow some time for either Shatner or Abrams – whoever’s call it was not to include Shatner – to have a change of heart. After all, it was just this past March that Shatner claimed he would indeed be interested in turning up in the movie, after being left out of the first when Abrams reportedly couldn’t accommodate the kind of big role he wanted in the story. It would certainly add something special to the story; after all, Leonard Nimoy’s brief turn as Spock proved pivotal.

Still, no getting hopes up in the mean time.