William Shatner is most known for his dramatic acting. It’s long been his calling card but despite his turns on the Twilight Zone, T.J. Hooker, and Star Trek, Shatner has proven himself to be quite good at comedy. Most newer fans will likely remember him on the hit show, Boston Legal, where he was charming and funny, yet that wasn’t really his first dance with comedy.

Nor was it his best. For those who may not know this, William Shatner had a minor appearance in the second Airplane film. Entitled Airplane II: The Sequel, the film features a similar concept to the first one, but instead of it just being a plane, it’s a spaceship. Something Shatner is profoundly familiar with.

The film, as a whole, doesn’t live up to the profound impact of the first, nor the quality. Yet, Shatner’s surprise cameo near the end of the film makes it worth watching. At least his part. Considering the film came out in 1982, six months after Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, there were a lot of Star Trek jokes thrown in there.

During the 70s, hardly anyone cared about Star Trek but come the 80s, after the success of both films, the franchise was on fire, and considering the Airplane sequel was focused on private space travel, it made total sense to bring in Shatner for a bit part.

From sight gags to hilarious sound bites, Shatner truly does steal just about every scene he’s in. The only thing that would’ve made his involvement better was if it had more of him in it. He’s a standout against a backdrop that recycled most of the same gags and jokes from the first film.

A unique presence that adds depth to an otherwise uninspired comedy sequel. The film itself has its moments, and some of them can rival any part of the first film. Yet, as a whole, it fails to live up to the significance and tight writing of the first one.

Still, Shatner’s involvement makes the film at least worth checking out for any Star Trek fans.