More than anything, Shat’s hissy fits have annoyed me to the point that I don’t want him involved at all. Nimoy handled the changing of the guard with a ton of class, essentially adopting Zachary Quinto as his son through this entire process. He didn’t have to invite Quinto into his home for meals, to hang out with him, to just be supportive, but he did it because he’s a classy guy who understands what’s best for this franchise. You see him out there doing tons of interviews sitting right next to Quinto with a genuine huge smile on his face, being supportive and genuinely flattered that he was even asked to be part of this film. Do you see him acting like a diva? NO. You see him talking about how touched he was to be involved, about how he CRIED when he saw Karl Urban’s performance as Bones because it reminded him so much of his dear friend DeForest Kelley. Can shat do that? Oh no. Shat has this disgusting sense of entitlement, like, “Why WOULDN’T you ask me to be in it? I’m SHATNER!” and it’s repulsive. His behavior in relation to this film has been downright childish. He’s like a bitter ex-boyfriend seeing his ex with a new guy. Rather than letting her go and wishing her well, he’s keying her car and stalking her.

So there is at least one plausible reason for him to cameo without it requiring timetravel or flashbacks.