WILLIAM SHATNER

He had no clue when he first warp-factored into our living rooms almost 50 years ago as Capt. James T. Kirk on Star Trek that it would be the defining role of his career. Now Shatner, 84, is reaching out to a new generation as the narrator of the Sprout network ( formerly PBS Kids) stopmotion children’s series Clangers, premiering June 20. What’s the appeal for you of a children’s show like Clangers? “I have three girls who have children. So I have experience with a lot of kids—and know how to tell a story in a way so that they won’t be looking around to see what else there is to do. That’s what we do on Clangers.” What entertainment resonated with you at a young age? “My earliest memory of something on screen was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Disney film. I remember the movie was over and my dad was taking me out, and I was holding on to an armrest. I wanted to see it again.” Is it true you lived in your truck after wrapping the Star Trek series in 1969? “Yeah. They didn’t pay very well, and I got a divorce at that same time and I had three children, so it was a little rocky.” What’s the best takeaway from the success of Star Trek? “It gave me the opportunity to raise funds for people. One of the ways I’ve done that for the last 30 years is to put on a horse show, the priceline.com Hollywood Charity Horse Show sponsored by Wells Fargo.”

What else do you have in the works? “So many things. I helped design the big, three-wheel Rivet motorcycle at rivetmotors.com. Also, if you go to shatnersmanowar.com, you’ll see a whole new graphic novel based on my sci-fi novel, Man O’ War.”