William Shatner wants the US Space Force ranks to use captains, not colonels

In a bizarre, real-life plot twist worthy of any "Star Trek" episode, none other than William Shatner, the actor who famously played Captain James T. Kirk in "Star Trek: The Original Series," wants U.S. Space Force to rename its colonels to captains.

What Shatner's supporting now is a proposed amendment to the House of Representatives’ version of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — which is appropriately nicknamed the "Starfleet Amendment." 

The amendment, which was introduced by former Navy SEAL Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) in late July, would replace the current designation of colonel in the U.S. Space Force with captain. It hasn't passed yet, and the proposal will need to be supported by the Senate to become law.

Related: What is the Space Force?

After the amendment was announced, Shatner quickly waded into the fray. First, on Aug. 21, he posted a message to the Space Force on Twitter, contradicting his Twitter bio which reads that his feed is "not political."

"Dear @SpaceForceDoD, I have a question to ask, if it's OK. I'm just a nobody here but I was wondering; is it true that the commanding officer onboard a 'Space Force' ship is designated a Colonel & not a Captain? Is this up for debate? I think I'd like to debate the issue," Shatner tweeted.

Crenshaw replied to the tweet on Aug. 25, stating "Hey @WilliamShatner I got you covered. My amendment passed out of the House, and instructs the Space Force to use Navy Ranks. We'll be working to keep it in the NDAA!"

After this exchange, Shatner kept going. The 89-year-old, who usually tweets several times a day, penned an opinion piece calling for there to be captains in the Space Force instead of colonels. Emojis peppered Shatner's argument, which was published in "The Military Times" on Aug. 26.

"What the heck is wrong with you? I'm talking about the ranks of the Space Force," wrote Shatner in the opinion piece. "What are you doing to us? 😱 There was no Colonel Kirk; not even in the mirror universe (which is what 2020 feels like at times.) Do you know your entertainment space history? 🤔 🤷‍♂️"

So what does the U.S. Space Force think about this? The newly founded military branch declined to comment on the argument when asked by SpaceNews.

"We are aware of recent public discussions and opinions on potential naming conventions for ranks in the U.S. Space Force," Lynn Kirby, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Space Force, said in a statement to SpaceNews.

Kirby added that the branch "continues to work with our partners in Congress and with space professionals to define the culture and brand that respect our long history and reflect our role in protecting the ultimate high ground. We don't comment on proposed legislation and will announce Space Force ranks when the decision is final."

This argument comes as the Space Force looks to establish its own unique identity from its Air Force heritage. It's a brand-new military branch, having only been established in December 2019. 

The Space Force got some satirical attention for creating a seal that looks a lot like the "Star Trek" insignia, and the new branch was further lampooned in a new Netflix series (starring Steve Carrell) that played on the public's confusion about what the Space Force will really do.

Officials within the Space Force fear that the Starfleet amendment could make the branch look more like a Trek joke to outsiders, Space News said. However, leaders within the Space Force had been considering using Air Force ranks before, the article added, with a slight change to use "specialists" to refer to junior enlisted personnel instead of "airmen."

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.