Lance Reddick for his love of 'Star Trek' and William Shatner as Kirk – Variety

Lance Reddick has never planned to be an actor. But star series such as "Bosch", "Corporate", "Fringe" and "The Wire" still quote her juvenile obsession with William Shatner as the catalyst that eventually led to her on-screen career.

"I really only started playing at college, and I did not even think of becoming an actor until I turned 27," Reddick said. VarietyThe podcast "My favorite episode". "But every time I'm asked about my early influences, what made me want to become an actor, is William Shatner."

As a teenager, when Reddick learned that Shatner was a Shakespearean actor, he discovered his father's copy of "Julius Caesar" and taught himself the speech Brutus was making in front of the crowd before Marc Antoine took over.

"I started trying to do it as I thought Captain Kirk would do it," he said. "Growing up, I wanted to be Captain Kirk."

In this edition of the podcast, we discuss with Reddick his favorite episode of television, the clbadic episode of "Star Trek" "Space Seed" and the unusual path of the actor to fame. Listen below:

Written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels, the episode of Star Trek, "Space Seed," first introduced the iconic character of Khan, played by Ricardo Montalban. The episode was aired during Season 1 of "Star Trek" on February 16, 1967.

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"Space Seed" follows the USS Enterprise as it flies over the SS Botany Bay, a ship featuring superhumans in suspended animation for centuries. Khan, the chief, takes advantage of the ship historian, Marla McGivers, to attempt to take the ship. Kirk eventually exiles Khan and McGivers, and of course we witness the character's return to the 1982 film Star Trek II: Khan's Anger.

"When I was a kid and I was watching Star Trek in reruns, I was still waiting for this episode," he said. "It took me a while to realize how much I liked the chemistry that Montalban and Shatner had." To have [Captain Kirk] to face someone who was really his match, otherwise his superior in all respects, is just cool. "

Reddick also became a fan of "Star Trek: the new generation" and was hooked to "Star Trek: Voyager" in the 1990s. He admits however that the original was not perfect because it was a vestige from the late 1960s, to at least one respect.

"One of the things that interested me a lot in this original series was how, given the frequency with which they approached race and ethnicity in the series – and how difficult it was – how much of that was misogynist, "he noted.

That's why it's remarkable that "Voyager" and now "Star Trek: Discovery" have made up for that. "Traveling, the most intelligent and powerful characters on this show were women," he noted, "and the black guy!"

Reddick is a busy 201 year with the role of Deputy Chief Irvin Irving in "Bosch," who returns for Season 5 on April 19, and as Christian DeVille in "Corporate," which finished his second season in March. He is also commander of Zavala in the video game "Destiny" and his sequel, and returns in "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" in May.

"I was very lucky," he said.

"Variety's Favorite Episode with Michael Schneider" is an opportunity for stars and producers to discuss their favorite television episodes – from clbadic sitcoms to modern dramas – and choose a favorite episode of their own series. In "My Favorite Episode," some of the biggest names on television share their creative inspirations – and how these episodes influenced them.

Make sure to subscribe to "My Favorite Episode" on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you download podcasts. New episodes are published each week.