In Shatner's defense i'll argue that he is being nice to JJ in his own best interest. Because if Kirk is to Return it will be in the sequel and Shatner wants JJ to have him in the sequel if offered a real part and not a cameo as older Kirk.
The only thing is nero's fucking with the timeline would have to explain why James Kirk did not dissapear from the enterprise B only to come out of the nexus to aid picard and die on veridian III.
Because Trek 2009 is Spock Centric William Shatner is betting on the Next one focusing on Kirk. I would guess though Chris Pine will Play Kirk in the sequel and JJ will play at being very coy about why not having Shatner in the movie instead of telling him your too fucking old.
Maybe Shatners ego got in the way of him having a part in this film?
It being pretty much on the record from everyone else but Shatner the reason why Trek V was a dissaster was his ego.
You have to agree the old cast is too OLd to reprise their roles and get another original series picture. It is about 15-20 years too late for that. for a real star trek VII they would have to have started pre production in 1991, with the film to come out in 1993 or 1994. This is 2008 those actors are now old enough to be grandfathers and grandmothers if not great grandfathers and great grandmothers.
The ashes of Eden would have made a great star trek VII, or the Return would have made a great star trek VIII after Generations. But its time to let it go. The closest thing you will ever get to another big screen adventure is the graphic novel for ashes of eden, or the actors cameos in starfleet academy.
You will have to be Happy with the cameo roles they had in the Star Trek next generation universe. Kelley in Encounter at Farpoint parts 1 and 2, Nimoy in Unification Parts 1 and 2, and Doohan in Relics. As well as Shatner, Doohan and Koenig in Generations. Also George Takei got to play Sulu on Deep Space nine.
This is not including the Cowley fanfilms Starring Koenig or Takei, or the fanfilm by the Tim Russ that Also had Koenig, and Nichelle Nichols.
This also does not include Shatner reprising his role for Kirk in the Books on tape based on his kirk novels, or the other actors doing books on tape. It also does not include the videogames Like Legacy.
Too bad the Last time Shatner will Play Kirk was in the Legacy game. Kind of like How Sean Connerys last outing as James Bond was for the From Russia with Love game or Pierce Brosnans in Everything or Nothing.
The last time Mark Hamill played Luke Skywalker was doing the voice for a television commercial for Vector Prime. I think they also Asked him to voice the first rogue squadron game, and jedi academy but he turned them down and they used pre recorded lines from the movies or hired a different actor. Him voicing the character was not out of the realm of possibility as he did voice over work on Lucasrts full throttle. But he wanted nothing to do with the character of Luke or Star Wars. I think he was even asked to write some star wars comics by dark horse at one point and said he was not interested.
Being a voice over for animation i am very surprised he has not done any voice work on the new clone wars cartoon, He could voice any character as a cameo.
Similarly Paramount could do another Trek animated series and ask the actors to voice their characters.