O Captain My Captain (Happy Birthday William Shatner!)

An icon of science fiction, William Shatner is an Emmy Award winning television veteran and author of several science fiction novels.
A classically trained Shakespearian actor, he appeared on stage and landed many different television roles, including my favorite...an appearance on "The Twilight Zone." He's even dropped some outlandishly odd music. Treat yourself and watch some of his musical performances.
But to everyone that recognizes him, whether casually or not, he will always be Captain James T. Kirk of The U.S.S. Enterprise.
That original show created an entire culture of Trekkers who live the life of Star Trek and the values that Gene Roddenberry brought to that universe.
Shatner's performance as Captain Kirk brought a leading man swagger with the wisdom of a leader of the future. Many a comedian and impressionist lovingly mocked his pausing style of acting, but in moments in the shows and films he showed solid chops and...isn't imitation the fondest form of flattery?
As a youngster I enjoyed all of the classic Star Trek cast's feature films. My favorite (oddly enough) was the fifth film, "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," which was directed by Shatner. I always had fun watching it and I can always watch it with loving nostalgia.
Today is the birthday of the great William Shatner. With the times we live in, it's important to embrace our long living icons for as long as we have them. Thank you Mr. Shatner for being just an interesting human being.