Captain Kirk and Spock reunite to drive Volkswagen EVs

It's been three years since Volkswagen used l'il Darth Vader to successfully pitch its Passat sedan in the United States — which is just about the right amount of distance for Volkswagen's German arm to build a commercial with a slight twist on the idea, swapping Star Trek for Star Wars and featuring Captain Kirk and Spock in the only on-screen collaboration they do these days.

Shot in Los Angeles, the ad focuses on the VW e-Golf electric vehicle and its XL1, the mini-spaceship coupe that's only sold in Europe due to its $140,000 pricetag. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy have their lines — "Exactly like a starship!" and of course, "Fascinating" — dubbed, but even with the language hurdle, seeing the two together again with the original Star Trek music in the background could put any Trekkie's nostalgia into warp speed.

VW will start selling the e-Golf in 10 states next month for $35,445 before any federal or local tax credits, and given VW's American sales woes, using Kirk and Spock in the United States wouldn't be the worst idea. VW also released this video of Shatner walking around the bedroom used in the ad, and revealing a few secrets of the Enterprise: