William Shatner Sends Fourth Of July Wishes As Uncle Bill

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The series of posts arose again as William Shatner, the legendary actor famous for the role of Captain Kirk in Star Trek, wished his American associates a good and safe Fourth of July through social channels. The 93-year-old Canadian actor signed lovingly as “Uncle Bill,” which in turn elicited a wave of tender responses from a quarter of fans still holding the sci-fi icon in esteem.

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Seen in the upload was a cheerful picture of Shatner smiling, casually laid-back in his blue attire, with a slight trace of the American flag to the background-well matched imagery for his holiday greeting. It read, simply but sincerely, “Wishing all my American friends a safe and happy Fourth! Love, Uncle Bill.”

Reactions ranged from patriotic to nostalgic with a little fun humor thrown in. One wrote, “Happy Independence Day, Uncle Bill! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅,” while another remarked, “Uncle Bill as in dollar bill, which you have many of that would allow you to buy a ship, which would make you the captain and you’ve been to space… you really are Captain Kirk.”

Fans of the actor took the opportunity to praise Shatner for his long career, with one commenting, “Uncle Bill, for us that have known you through your performance as an actor, would always be on our shortlist of heroes.” Another one chimed in, “Captain Kirk is one of the greatest Americans ever,” in reference to Shatner being Canadian.

Another playful response came with someone saying, “Wait a minute! I thought I was ‘Uncle Bill’!” Several others also wished Shatner a great holiday while noting, since it was just passed, Canada Day: “Thanks Bill. I hope that you had a nice Canada Day too!”

Not all of the responses were on the happy side, though, with one user responding more somberly, saying, “Well, safe. Can’t say happy,” seemingly referring to his personal or political reservations about the holiday. However, most of the responses to Shatner were affectionate and respectful ones.

It is quite surprising that Shatner still manages to connect with very many of his fans all these decades after his famous role. It swears to the lasting appeal of sci-fi, his candid social media presence, and his sporadic attempts at making music, all of which had recently rekindled because of his past interests in space tourism. In that light, his Fourth of July post spoke volumes about his appeal-warm and simple, just like him.

One fan wondered if Shatner would “ever accept a formal invitation to an American town so quintessential American,” to which she added: “Come see me some time in the most American town of the good Ol’ USA. I’ll make sure you get a free squad car tour of Mayberry (Mt Airy, NC).”

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Whether he’ll come or not, one thing is for sure=Uncle Bill will continue to be welcomed with open arms and an abundance of Star Trek references.