William Shatner Contract Granting Star Trek Character Voice Rights for Computer Software October 19, 1993

William Shatner

Manuscripts & Autographs

Shatner, William. Contract granting Interplay Productions license to use recorded scripted material associated with Star Trek characters, dated October 19, 1993, documents the formal extension of television-era science fiction performance into the rapidly expanding computer software and video game industry of the early 1990s. Best known for portraying Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, Shatner’s authorization reflects the increasing commercialization and technological adaptation of established media franchises during a period when interactive entertainment was emerging as a major cultural and economic force. The agreement explicitly grants “license to use recorded scripted material read by you for use in connection with computer software products incorporating any of the ‘Star Trek’ characters,” establishing a direct connection between actor performance rights and digital media production.

Shatner, William. Contract. October 19, 1993. Agreement between William Shatner and Interplay Productions. The document formalizes the licensing of Shatner’s recorded voice work for incorporation into software products tied to the Star Trek franchise, indicating the growing role of recognizable character continuity in early multimedia development. Signed prominently in blue ink “William Shatner,” the contract preserves both the legal framework and the commercial language governing intellectual property use during a transitional moment in entertainment media.

Produced at a time when franchises increasingly migrated from film and television into interactive formats, this agreement situates Star Trek within broader developments in digital storytelling, licensing practices, and the integration of celebrity performance into gaming environments. Such contracts mark the early infrastructure of cross-media franchising that would come to define late twentieth-century entertainment economies. Light handling wear; clean and legible; signature bold. Overall very good condition.

Item #9313

Price: $580.00