Giggling CNN Anchors Grill William Shatner in July 4th Trekkie Lightning Round

William Shatner appeared to have the charm dialed all the way up on Saturday as he had CNN’s Laura Coates and Brianna Keilar laughing at nearly every word during a Star Trek lightning round.

Shatner joined Coates and Keilar as part of their live July 4th coverage from the National Mall.

The actor, who was born in Canada, expressed his love for America and declared “every country” in some way relies on the United States, adding the “rupture” in relations with his homeland was mainly over tariffs and would “heal itself eventually.”

Coates and Keilar wrapped up their interview with a lightning round on Shatner’s most iconic role, Captain Kirk in Star Trek. After cracking up the anchors with his preference on captains and living in space or on Earth, he joked they were both “aliens” when asked whether aliens exist at all.

Shatner, 95, became the oldest man to ever visit space in 2024.

“Are there aliens, William Shatner? Have you seen them? Are they there?” Coates asked.

“Yes, there are aliens and you two are among them,” Shatner said, cracking up his hosts again.

“Well, I’ll take it,” Coates said through laughter.

“I’ve never seen stranger — stranger human beings I’ve never seen, more stranger than the two of you laughing and joking, but you really are aliens,” Shatner declared.

“Well, you know, only we could be this beautiful in this heat. So I agree with you, William Shatner we must not be from this world,” Coates said, noting the heat wave she and others are enduring on America’s 250th birthday.

“We must be out of this world,” Keilar joked.

“Happy birthday, America!” Shatner said, bringing things back on topic. “And we’re so happy that America exists!”

Check out the full exchange below:

BRIANNA KEILAR: We have some rapid-fire questions for you to have some fun with you.

LAURA COATES: I love this.

KEILAR: It’s very fun, but we do want to preface this by saying some of these questions, they might be easy for you, but you also need to know that you are our favorite, okay? So I want to preface these questions with that.

WILLIAM SHATNER: Now you’re one of my favorites, but remember, I know nothing.

KEILAR: I think you’re going to know the answer to this. Okay, let’s start with this. Starting off easier. Who’s a better captain, Kirk or Picard?

SHATNER: Oh, Kirk, by an enormous amount of expertise.

COATES: Some would say lightyears, captain. There you go.

SHATNER: Ah! I wish I had said that.

COATES: You know what? Now you can say it.

SHATNER: Perfect answer.

COATES: That’s the magic of television.

SHATNER: Ask the me the question again.

COATES: Okay, here we go. William Shatner, who is a better captain, Kirk or Picard?

SHATNER: By lightyears, Captain Kirk!

KEILAR: Alright, the neck pinch, the Vulcan neck pinch. Is it real or is that fake?

SHATNER: It’s very real and I’ve got a sore muscle here that stays permanently sore because he pinched me again and again. When he reached for other parts of my body, I said, pinch my neck, never mind, anything else.

COATES: That sounds like the after show question we’ll ask you later. Which Starship is better, Enterprise or Voyager?

SHATNER: Well, like the sailing ships that you’ve got on camera now, those are older ships, but better because they were made by hand. So the Enterprise is much better because it was the first and was handmade.

KEILAR: That’s a very good one. Alright, would you rather live on —

SHATNER: Yes, yes, I would rather!

KEILAR: You speak for all of us! Would you rather live on Earth or in space?

SHATNER: Well, you need a lot of help living in space like oxygen and artificial gravity and protection from asteroids. So if you put me down in Boston in a seaside restaurant eating seafood, I would prefer Earth.

COATES: I love it. I have to ask you one more question though because if you say the answer, it is definitively the truth forever and ever and ever, no pressure.

SHATNER: Remember that.

COATES: Are there aliens, William Shatner? Have you seen them? Are they there?

SHATNER: Yes, there are aliens and you two are among them.

COATES: Well, I’ll take it.

SHATNER: I’ve never seen stranger — stranger human beings I’ve never seen, more stranger than the two of you laughing and joking, but you really are aliens.

COATES: Well, you know, only we could be this beautiful in this heat. So I agree with you, William Shatner, we must not be from this world.

KEILAR: We must be out of this world.

SHATNER: Happy birthday, America, and we’re so happy that America exists!

Watch above via CNN.

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