Okay look I'm incredibly grateful that Shatner is still alive. (I got to meet him this year, and it was a lovely experience.)
From the perspectives of affect theory (e.g. Doty), star apparatus theory (e.g. Dyer), indexicality, etc., etc. the fact that Shatner had romantic feelings for Nimoy, and the fact that these feelings came across on screen, strongly informs and supports a queer viewing of Star Trek.
But because Shatner seemed genuinely sad when he spoke about these feelings and lack of societal acceptance decades ago, and because he hasn't brought them up since then, it kinda feels like an invasion of his privacy to do a deep dive into the implications of these feelings while Shatner is still alive. (You know, like, just because he said some stuff 40 years ago doesn't mean he wants that to be circulating now.)
I'm not saying I'm waiting for Shatner to die. (I genuinely hope he outlives me). But I am saying that when he dies, expect that I will be publishing a peer-reviewed paper on this topic, grounded in film theory and queer theory.