Sept. 21, 1974
William Shatner in 'Kung Fu'
Captain Kirk beams down to the Old West
William Shatner as Captain Brandywine Gage in "A Small Beheading."
Image: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
ABC's martial arts-Western series Kung Fu, which aired from 1972 through 1975, was one of the most popular and acclaimed television shows of its time.
The series starred David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, a Chinese-American orphan who trains as a Shaolin monk before committing a murder and fleeing to the American west. The show followed Caine’s adventures as he searched for his long-lost relatives and used his martial arts training to fight for justice along the way.
Caine’s itinerant lifestyle brings him into contact with new characters and guest stars throughout the series. In the third season episode “A Small Beheading,” he meets a grizzled sea captain played by an actor who'd previously played a space captain: William Shatner.
Sporting a bushy beard and florid accent, Captain Brandywine Gage offers Caine a royal pardon from the Chinese emperor and the chance to return home, all for the price of “a small beheading,” or the sacrifice of his right pinkie finger.
David Carradine with Jeanne Joe, France Nuyen, Tony Brubaker, Kenji Shibuya and William Shatner.
Image: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
Image: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
Image: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
Image: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
Image: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
Image: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
Image: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
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