William Shatner Says His Star Trek Castmates Are Bitter And Full Of Hate
William Shatner says his former Star Trek co-star George Takei is "consumed by envy and hate."
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William Shatner, who recently became the first Star Trek captain to travel to the Final Frontier itself, thinks his old cast mates need to let the past go. Deadline reported that Shatner had some words for costar George Takei after the retired Enterprise helmsman commented on his on-screen captain’s jaunt to the stars. Shatner set everything clear though, saying “Why give credence to people consumed by envy and hate?”
The response in question came from Takei’s take on William Shatner’s trip to space with budget-Lex Luthor, Jeffrey Bezos. Takei believes that Bezos only invited Shatner on the flight to be a “guinea pig”, hoping to see the effect of space on an “unfit” 91-year-old man. While that is highly speculative, Shatner claims “George has never stopped blackening my name” and that the Sulu actor is “bitter and embittered.”
William Shatner, already making a name for himself with appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and the iconic Twilight Zone episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, took the captain’s chair in 1966. With a premise by Gene Roddenberry to showcase what humanity could achieve if we worked together, Shatner took charge and led sci-fi stories into a new age. Despite the overwhelming impact it had on television and science fiction, the show was canceled after two seasons.
Always the wildcard and preferring to do things his way, Shatner butted heads frequently with co-stars, most notably Leonard Nimoy. While the two formed a friendly rivalry, William Shatner had more long-term animosity with other cast members such as James Doohan and Takei, who have cited the actor’s behind-the-scenes treatment as a particular reason. It was believed that Shatner and Takei had buried the metaphorical sack of hatchets ages ago though, as the crewmates have been on friendly terms for years.
Despite this, William Shatner will remain a hero celebrated by Trekkies and humanity, for making television history with late co-star Nichelle Nichols. The two shared one of the first interracial kisses on network TV, between characters James Kirk and Communications Officer Nyota Uhura. Famously, when the producers demanded the scene be filmed with and without the kiss so it could be decided later, the actors conspired together to sabotage the non-kissing scene, ensuring the kiss would air and bring about a milestone in equality.
Still making appearances and playing up his role as Captain Kirk, William Shatner likes to continue being eccentric with his projects. He notably did a covers album a little over a decade ago that features what is quite possibly the best version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” for drunken karaoke parties. Just an absolute masterpiece of music only rivaled by Leonard Nimoy’s “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”.
Choosing to spend his days lately still making music and being an accomplished horseman, William Shatner is living his twilight years in peace and joy. The actor also advocates for improved space travel funding, as well as several other humanitarian causes. He’s for sure not letting what anyone says slow him down.
