William Shatner calls out ‘Presentism,’ rewriting of history in media, literature

Famed “Star Trek” actor William Shatner decried the erasure of history and rewriting of literature in fiery posts on Wednesday. 

“It’s called Presentism and it was used wreak havoc on history several years ago when statues were torn down, books were banned and things renamed to prove how progressive the world had become,” Shatner said on X, calling to mind the days following George Floyd’s death in 2020 where cities across the country were burned and statues were toppled in protest. 

Shatner, who played Capt. James T. Kirk on the original “Star Trek” TV series from 1966 to 1969, also claimed that Paramount+ had “intentionally garbed” his famed intro line “to boldly go where no man has gone before,” calling the change “Presentism at its finest hour.” However, the phrase remains intact on the streaming platform.

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Shatner later said, “They must have restored it. The monologue used to be imperceptible to the background music.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to Paramount+ for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. 

Shatner also shared his frustration over “wokies” forcing changes on Laura Ingalls WIlder’s “Little House on the Prairie” series.

“Obviously you were not around when the wokies (not to be confused with Wookiees 😉 coerced the Library Association to change the name of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Literary Award to a generic name because of presentism & their objections on how Native Americans were depicted in the late 1800’s,” he tweeted.

“There’s apparently a line in one of the books where Laura wrote of a character who said ‘there were no people who lived on the prairie only Indians’ & there were one or two other lines which with presentism are culturally insensitive but reflected an opinion of 1860’s America,” he added.

In 2018, the Association of Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) board voted unanimously to rename the “Laura Ingalls Wilder Award” as the “Children’s Literature Legacy Award.”

“The decision was made in consideration of the fact that Wilder’s legacy, as represented by her body of work, includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC’s core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness,” the ALSC said in a statement following the vote. 

Fox News Digital also reached out to the American Library Association, but did not immediately receive a response.