SHATNER SUNDAY: Shatner unveils his likeness at Madam Taussaud's

In today's installment of Shatner Sunday, shot at Madam Taussaud's late last year, our man unveils a wax duplicate of his 1980-something self. He makes a few strained puns and seems generally happy to be there, but it's obviously kind of an awkward moment for the guy. Imagine encountering not just a lifelike replica of yourself, but an idealized you from 25 years and a couple dozen pounds ago. Posing the real Shatner alongside his portrait was inevitable, but it invites an unfair comparison. Captain Kirk is maybe nine inches taller than the man who played him, and the actual Shatner is aging fast, as are we all.

Seeing his double inspires Shatner to half-kiddingly contemplate his mortality, and it forces us to confront Shatner's mortality too. It must be strange indeed to have lived for decades as both an icon and a walking punchline, enjoying (and sometimes clearly resenting the hell out of) a fame like no other, and to now find that people are planning for your absence and using your old spaceman boots to dress up the waxwork men and younger actors who are all set to take your place.