Although Star Trek has no current plans to deep fake legacy actors, the technology could be used to retcon the controversial death of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek Generations. Kirk was shot in the back by the villainous Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) while attempting to save the Veridian system from the scientist's attempt to return to the Nexus. Kirk's body was recently revealed to be stored in Star Trek: Picard's Daystrom Station, setting up his potential return. William Shatner is still going strong well into his 90s, so Star Trek could use deepfake technology to make him look like he did prior to his death on Veridian III.
In an interview with SFX Magazine, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds showrunner Akiva Goldsman spoke about the potential for using deep fake to retcon controversial Star Trek plot points. The Roddenberry Archive has already been working with deep fake technology, producing a short film entitled "Regeneration", in which Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) visited Kirk's grave on Veridian III. The incredibly well-made short creates the possibility of future adventures of Kirk and Spock that use the likenesses of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Although the ethical and legal ramifications of deep fake technology are a hotly contested issue right now, its use to de-age a consenting 92-year-old Shatner for a Star Trek return could retcon Kirk's controversial death.
