(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The usually omnipresent William Shatner, famous for playing Capt. Kirk on "Star Trek," has been slowed down during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Like many people, he's hunkering down at home. But he's been making light of his circumstances this week with a series of "Captain's Log" tweets. Shatner coolly narrated captain's logs on the original "Star Trek" a half century ago. They were Kirk's audio reports on his ship's explorations; they also, pragmatically, helped introduce each week's episode.
Shatner's recent versions on social media are humorous dispatches about his dogs, Macchiato and Espresso, as they hang with him. He has 2.5 million followers on Twitter.
Captain’s Log: Stardate 2 of self imposed isolation. Emissaries Macchiato & Espresso have been exploring a new territory called Underbed bestowing upon me tributes of missing socks and other items in an attempt to get my attention & adoration.
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner)
March 19, 2020 Captain’s Log: Stardate 4 of self imposed isolation. It’s Day 2 of the #LockdownLA. The emissaries have gotten used to my alien presence. I am as uninteresting to them as a-- They have gone off to defend their borders from invading --’s. I’ve been forced to ration my -- & --.----
— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner)
March 21, 2020 The indefatigable Shatner, who turned 89 on Sunday, has kept busy in recent years with public appearances (before the recent coronavirus pandemic) and has served as a commercial pitchman. The Montreal native become a pop-culture icon with his characterization of Capt. James T. Kirk on the relatively short-lived "Star Trek" television series that became a phenonemon in syndication. The character was revived for several big-screen "Star Trek" movies.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote about Shatner's antics Thursday.
