William Shatner Joins Legion M
“I was immediately intrigued by Legion M’s fan-owned model, and as I got to know the team and learn about their plans, I just wanted to get involved. I signed on as an advisor and I am delighted to be a part of this company.”
Photo by Jason Shook
BACKGROUND
As a company owned by fans, we work hard to harness the power of our community to make decisions. But as a business operating in an industry that is both extremely competitive and intensely confidential, there are many decisions that require the experience and insight of professional industry insiders. For that, we have our advisory board.
Our board includes dozens of professionals with centuries (literally!) of combined experience in the art and business of entertainment. These are people we call to review deal terms, check references, and make connections. Our advisors are not paid, but they do receive equity in the form of stock options. Their upside is the same as yours (and ours) — the value of Legion M stock.
Today, we’re excited to announce the newest addition to our advisory board, William Shatner.
ARTIST, ENTREPRENEUR, ROCKETMAN
Like Legion M, Bill is an innovator. As Captain James Tiberius Kirk in the original Star Trek series, he played a pivotal role in a cutting edge series with an undeniable cultural impact. The original Star Trek, which featured a Japanese helmsman, a Russian navigator, a Black female communications officer, and a human–Vulcan first officer all working in harmony was groundbreaking in that era of broadcast television. In 1968, Bill and Nichelle Nichols performed what is often cited as the first interracial kiss on broadcast television — just a year after the US Supreme Court struck down laws barring interracial marriages and relationships.
While everyone knows about the legions of Trekkies and Klingon-speaking-fans that make Star Trek one of the oldest and largest fandoms of all time, many don’t realize that the show — like Legion M — owes its very existence to the fans. Star Trek was initially cancelled at the end of Season 1. It took a letter writing campaign from fans to bring the show back. Without those fans, Bill’s career would have taken a wildly different direction (a fact which might help explain why he’s so excited about Legion M).
Of course, if you haven't seen Bill on Star Trek (the original series is available now on Amazon Prime), you’ve almost certainly seen him in one of his many other iconic roles ranging from TJ Hooker and Boston Legal to Miss Congeniality. Or maybe you simply know him as “The Priceline Negotiator”.
In addition to 70+ years performing in every medium from radio dramas to virtual reality, Bill also has a prolific body of work behind the camera as a writer/producer/director. He’s co-written a series of science fiction novels and released 8 spoken word albums, including (“Bill”), which was just released just this year to rave reviews.
Oh yeah, and he’s also been to outer space.
TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NONE HAS GONE BEFORE
We initially approached Bill about working on a project (an ICONS interview) with Legion M. Bill had to pass on that (he had other contractual commitments) but when we introduced the idea behind Legion M he was instantly interested. After a career in entertainment, Bill understands the power of fans. And after a successful experience with Priceline, we didn’t need to explain to him how options in a startup work.
Before agreeing to come on board, Bill asked us a lot of tough questions. He asked us about our equity structure, the salaries of the management team, and our financials. He wanted to understand how we were positioning Legion M to potential shareholders. He pointed out that as a public figure, the biggest risk to him was his reputation, and like any responsible investor, he wanted to check us out before getting involved.
So we answered his questions, and sent him our audited SEC filings (the same ones you can read here). In the end we were delighted when he agreed to join the company.
ONWARD AND UPWARD!
We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Bill to the Legion M team. He is officially the first Legion M shareholder in space, as well as the first to helm a Federation starship.
What excites us most about our relationship with Bill is how organically it developed. He’s not a paid spokesperson — he’s a shareholder of Legion M who genuinely believes in what we’re doing. Upon returning from space, he published an op-ed (which you can read in full at slashfilm.com) that includes this passage:
“...after returning from space, what excites me most about [Legion M] is their mission to UNITE. We live in an age when so many things are pulling us apart. Our politics, our media, and our technology are all optimized to exploit our differences. But when you look down from 300,000 feet, all that falls away. What remains is an appreciation of the word “humankind”, and fierce desire to work towards a future defined by things that bring us together instead of those that tear us apart.
With Star Trek, Gene Rodenberry envisioned a future that showcased the best of humanity. A future in which people of all races, creeds and colors worked together to solve problems and fight existential threats. The Starship Enterprise has always been a metaphor for the planet earth — a delicate habitat travelling through the lifeless black of space. And while I may not be at the helm of this starship, I’m proud to throw in my lot with those working towards the future Gene showed us. A future worth fighting for. A future worth uniting for.
This time, the fans will lead the way.”
Not much more we can say than that. Welcome to the Legion, Bill! You’re going to fit in just fine. :)