Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock are touchingly reunited in a newStar Trekshort film titled765854 - Unification, 30 years afterKirk died inStar Trek Generations.The Roddenberry Archive and OTOY, in association with Paramount, releasedUnificationon Jul 14, 2025, to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the premiere ofStar Trek Generations. The 8-minuteUnificationis the fourth short film by OTOY available at the Roddenberry Archive (roddenberry.x.io) via the Apple Vision Pro app.
Star Trek GenerationssawCaptain James T. Kirk sacrifice his lifewhen he teamed up with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) to stop Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) from destroying the planet Veridian III. In 2016,Star Trek Beyondincluded the canonicaldeath of Spockafter Leonard Nimoy passed away the prior year.Shatner’s Kirk and Nimoy’s Spock never shared the screen again after 1991’sStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.Unificationgives Kirk and Spock one last, touching moment together. Watch the short film below:
Kirk & Spock Reunite In Emotional Star Trek Short Film
765874 - Unification Is The Ending Kirk & Spock Deserve
765874 - UnificationcrossesStar Trektimelinesand universes to bring Captain Kirk and Spock together once more. The death of Captain Kirk inStar Trek Generationscanonically takes place in 2371, and Ambassador Spock is shunted into the alternate Kelvin Timeline of J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009) movie in 2387 when the Vulcan failed to prevent the Romulan star from going supernova. Spock arrived in the Kelvin Timeline in 2258, and he lived on New Vulcan until his death in 2263.
Star Trek: The Original Series Cast & Character Guide
Star Trek: The Original Series features some of the most iconic characters in all of science fiction with the crew of the original USS Enterprise.
BeforeUnification,circumstances made it impossible for Kirk and Picard to meet. After all,Star Trek Generationsexplained that Captain Kirk was believed dead in 2293, but he actually survived in the interdimensional space ribbon called the Nexusuntil he leaves with Captain Picard in 2371, which resulted in his death.Spock never saw the Prime Timeline’s Kirk again after 2293, and the Vulcan was not present to see his best friend’s brief foray and death in the 24th century.
“Unification” is the title of Spock’sStar Trek: The Next Generationepisode when he was working to bring the Vulcan and Romulan people together. It’s an appropriate title to share with the short film bringing Kirk and Spock together.
Unificationshows a resurrected Captain Kirk traveling into J.J. Abrams’Star TrekKelvin Timeline to see Spock (played by Lawrence Selleck) on his deathbed on New Vulcan.Kirk and Spock then share a momentStar Trekcanon has denied them,as the iconic duo face the horizon together.Unificationis a powerful and emotional testament to the friendship between Kirk and Spock thatStar Trek is built upon.
Star Trek’s Unification Short Film Explained
There Is A Lot To Unpack In 765874 - Unification
Unificationincorporates multiple aspects ofStar Trekcontinuity, and there is a lot to absorb. Along with the resurrected Captain Kirk,Unificationincludes Spock, Saavik (Robin Curtis),Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), who was Kirk’s friend-turned-enemy inStar Trek: The Original Series' second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” J.M. Colt (Mahe Thassia) fromStar Trek’s original pilot, “The Cage.” Jorg Hillebrand, a renowned researcher onStar Trek: Picardseason 3, broke down Unification on his X account (@gaghyogi49):
Amazingly, the resurrected Captain Kirk reunites with Saavik and her son with Spock, Sorak (Mark Cinnery). Kirk then meets Yor (Gordon Tarpley), a time soldier from the Kelvin Timeline introduced inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 3. Yor gives Kirk the means to cross into the Kelvlin Timeline. After meeting his younger selves, Captain Kirk and Admiral Kirk, Jim steps into Spock’s chambers on New Vulcan to be with his beloved Vulcan friend. Production designerDave Blass confirmed on XthatKirk travels into the Kelvin Timeline.
How Star Trek’s Unification Short Film Was Made
William Shatner Is An Executive Producer
Unificationis an astounding technical achievement and a labor of love to celebrate the iconic Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and the30th anniversary ofStar Trek Generations.William Shatner and Susan Bay Nimoy served as executive producers. Working with OTOY,Mr. Shatner helped ensure the technical and creative accuracy of Captain Kirk. Sam Witwer performed the role of Kirk in costume; Witwer studied and mimicked Shatner’s exact movements, aided by physical and digital prosthetics. Lawrence Selleck did the same to recreate Spock.
Academy Award-winning Star Trek composer Michael Giacchino provided Unification’s score.
OTOY and VFX studios combined digital and physical prosthetics to recreate iconicStar Trekcharacters, with live-action location photography, virtual production, and CG set extensions to create the vistas of Veridian III, New Vulcan, and other locations seen inUnification. In addition to Michael and Denise Okuda, and Dave Blass fromStar Trek: Picardseason 2 and 3’s work on production design, Academy Award-winningStar Trekcomposer Michael Giacchino providedUnification’s score.
Is Star Trek’s Unification Short Film Canon?
Does 765874 - Unification Actually Count?
765874 - Unificationis a respectful and profoundly affecting work byStar Trekprofessionals who are also diehard fans, but is it actually canonical?Star Trekdefines official canon as events that happen or are referenced inStar Trek’s television series and movies. Ancillary work likeStar Treknovels, comics, and fan films exist outside the official canon, or exist in their own continuities, but occasionally,Star TrekTV showsand movies can incorporate ancillary projects into canon.
765874 - Unificationpremiered at theStar Trek: The Original Set Tourin Ticonderoga, New York, on August 16, 2025, with William Shatner presenting a screening of the short film to fans in attendance.
With William Shatner returning to help perform and oversee the accuracy ofUnification’s recreation of Captain Kirk, it’s tempting to want to regard the short film asStar Trekcanon. After all,Unificationincorporates several beloved (and surprising)Star Trekcharacters from across the franchise, legendaryStar Trekcreators behind the scenes, andthe end result is the poignant Kirk and Spock reunions fans have longed to see for three decades.765874 - Unificationis a beautiful ode toStar Trek,a stunning technological achievement, and it’s a lovely farewell to Kirk and Spock by William Shatner.
