Credit: Far Out / John Manard
Fri 14 August 2026 21:00, UK
It might be a rather morbid thought, but virtually every person with even a passing interest in the musical world has, at one point or another, pondered what song will be played at their funeral. After all, music seems to be able to convey the emotions that people often can’t; even people as articulate and well-read as William Shatner.
If you have ever watched the original series of Star Trek and, in between the intergalactic explorations and space-age sci-fi, found yourself wondering what records Captain Kirk spins after a long day on the Enterprise, then you’re in luck.
Over the course of his many decades on Earth, William Shatner has always worn his musical tastes on his mustard-yellow sleeve, going as far as to build a successful side-career recording a plethora of cover versions, stretching in style from the South Yorkshire sounds of Pulp to the timeless mastery of his fellow ‘Starman’, David Bowie.
With a repertoire of so many classic songs from across the entirety of the musical spectrum, selecting one song to summarise and commemorate the multi-faceted existence of the veteran performer is a near-impossible task. Ever resourceful, though, Shatner has solved that conundrum himself, performing a track specifically written and designed around his eventual death.
Released on his 2024 record So Fragile, So Blue, recorded with The National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Centre, ‘I Want To Be A Tree’ is fairly unequivocal when it comes to Shatner’s postmortem wishes. “The richness from my body will supercharge the Earth,” he booms during the spoken-word lyrics of the song, affirming his wishes to be cremated and planted with a tree.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2021, Shatner was asked which song he would like played at his funeral, to which he had the perfectly prepared response. “I would play a song we wrote called ‘I Want to Be a Tree’,” he shared, before expanding upon the origins of that track. “I had read an article about planting a tree on your body when you die, and I thought, ‘That’s the way I want to go.’”
Candidly, he continued, “So I’ve made arrangements that I will be cremated, my ashes buried in the ground, and a tree planted on top.” Not only has the 95-year-old Shatner already made these plans, but he has made them with such specificity that he even knows what sort of tree he will be.
Further reading: From The Vault
“I originally wanted a sequoia placed over my body, but they said it wouldn’t grow,” he shared, without divulging exactly who “they” are, “so I’m going to be a giant redwood.”
Returning to the Earth, being at one with nature certainly seems an appealing way to enter the afterlife, particularly for somebody as environmentally conscious as William Shatner. Although the Captain has not left this mortal coil just yet – and let’s hope he doesn’t for a long time – it appears as though the man himself has come to terms with his mortality.
So, perhaps in a few decades, fans will be able to sit underneath the shade of a redwood tree and reminisce about the impact William Shatner has left on the world.
