Capt. Kirk pulls his ‘birthplace’s’ leg in TV stunt

The town of Riverside, Iowa, has been “punk’d” by William Shatner and Spike TV.

Riverside considers itself the “future birthplace” of Capt. Kirk, the character Shatner played on “Star Trek.” It holds an annual TrekFest, which includes a parade and public showings of the “Star Trek” episodes.

Shatner had been shooting scenes in Riverside for what he said was a low-budget sci-fi movie titled “Invasion Iowa.” On Tuesday night, he invited residents to view the footage.

Shatner thanked about 800 people who turned out and then revealed the filming had been for a new reality show on Spike TV about a small town playing host to a Hollywood film shoot. The show is set to debut next year.

To soften the blow, Shatner announced that he and his co-producers were donating $100,000 to the city to be used for community projects. The cast and crew also passed the hat and collected $12,000 for the Riverside Elementary School Book Fund.