We apparently love to write about William Shatner as of late. Yes, he's the Captain of the "original" Enterprise. Sure, he's working on umpteen different television shows as we speak, but there's more to why were fascinated with The Shat. He seems to be a phenomenon. Who is the real William Shatner though? Is it the actor, the icon, the pitchman, the equestrian, the author, or the workaholic? It seems, he's all of them combined.

In a fantastic article from the New York Times, journalist Pat Jordan spent some time with The Shat in Kentucky and chronicled his two day adventure. Much like the "Mind Meld" documentary that was released 10 or so years ago, this article captures a different, more "realistic" side of one of the most famous icons of the last 50 years. Check out a few amazing quote excepts form the article below.

When asked if he has any regret throughout his career, Shatner responded. “Regret is the worst human emotion, If you took another road, you might have fallen off a cliff. I’m content.”

On his meteoric rise within the internet culture; “Bloggers think I’m cool,” he said. “I wish I knew what it was about me that was cool so I can repeat it. I’ve been in front of people their entire life. Oh, there are so many iterations of William Shatner.”

Star Trek wasn't the focus of the article, by a long shot, but The Shat did give a bit of insight into the cast member tension. “I never thought it’d [Star Trek] become a big deal, just 13 episodes and out. I didn’t think I was hard to get along with. There were a few disaffected actors who came in once a week. I had nothing to do with them. Friendly! I was working seven days a week, learning 10 pages of dialogue a day. They had one line! Then after the show was canceled and the ‘Star Trek’ phenomenon began, those actors would go to the conventions. They’d get applause, praise, and begin to think, ‘Hey, I was wonderful, and Shatner stole the spotlight.’ ”

Finally on the real William Shatner; "I know the real William Shatner.” He laughed. “At least one of us should.” I asked him if the real William Shatner is like the Wizard of Oz, manipulating us all from behind a velvet curtain. He shook his head no, then said: “I always did assume they were laughing at me. Lately it’s come to my attention they are laughing with me.”

If you're as fascinated by The Shat as we are, be sure to read the entire long-form article here. You won't be disappointed.