Forgive the naïveté of this question. We all know that spacecraft re-entering the earth's atmosphere utilize heat shields to protect the astronuats due to the high speed of the spacecraft. Obviously if there was another way to re-enter the atmosphere if would have been used by now. For instance, if, theoretically, it were possible to re-enter at a very slow speed.
So is a slow-speed method possible? Would the heat shield become un-necessary?
Thank you!

I suppose 'retro' rockets might enable a slower reentry, but then the craft would have to take so much fuel up with it that getting it into orbit in the 1st place would be a real challenge.