Interview With Leonard Nimoy - Part 2 August 2, 2007
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: Interview, Nimoy, ST09 Cast, Star Trek (2009 film) , trackbackIn the second part of the TrekMovie.com exclusive interview with Leonard Nimoy, the actor talks about his thoughts on the new Spock (Zachary Quinto), William Shatner not being in the film (as of now) and J.J. Abrams abilities as a director…and ‘technobabble.’
full interview below
TrekMovie.com: What are your thoughts on Zachary Quinto as the new Spock?
Leonard Nimoy: When J.J. sent me a compilation of his work on DVD I was very impressed. He is a very solid actor. To find someone who looks right is tricky enough, but to find someone who looks right and is as talented as he is I think is doubly effective. The danger would be to find someone who looks like me, but does not have the sense of the interior life that is necessary for the Spock character.
TrekMovie.com: So is it true that you and William Shatner have some kind of approval deal for the new Kirk and Spock?
Leonard Nimoy: I don’t think it is accurate to say we have approval as much as consultation rights. And J.J. did consult with me and it was a very easy call. I don’t know what would have happened if I said “J.J. this doesn’t work for me.” That would have been a yellow flag if not a red flag, but not contractually. It is just a question of mutual respect and understanding of what we are trying to bring to this project. But I think I can remember exactly what I said to J.J. I told him “not only does he look like me, but he has an inner life” - which is essential to that character.
TrekMovie.com: So over the last weeks William Shatner kind of let the cat out of the bag regarding your being in the film. He recounted some phone calls between you guys with you ribbing him, but he is known to be a joker so were his accounts accurate?
Leonard Nimoy: Well I didn’t rib him, but what he said was accurate. We spoke on the phone. I had read the script and he asked me if he was in it and I said “no.” And that is pretty much the way it went. You are right he jokes a lot and he said something like “I reached through the phone and grabbed him by the throat” and that sort of thing, but that is just Bill. I know that he is disappointed. I don’t know what the future is. I have no idea what J.J.’s plans are and I know that J.J. said that they are still trying to find a way to put him in the movie, but I am not the person to talk to about that.
TrekMovie.com: Have you talked to J.J. about your thoughts on Bill being in the film?
Leonard Nimoy: It is not up to me. I told J.J. that I was with Bill in Philidelphia last weekend and that Bill was disappointed that as of now he is not in the film. He was reported as being ‘furious’ and that is not accurate at all. I think he is appropriately disappointed, but I think he has come to a kind of understanding. After all, and Bill and I talked about this, the fact is his character did die in [Star Trek:] Generations. He said “ya but you died at the end of [Star Trek] II.” And I said “but I was resurrected…that is the difference between you and I.” [laughs] I also said to him that if I had been in Generations I would not have let him die…and that is a fact. I thought it was gratuitous. I didn’t see why…what was the point? I thought it was a waste of a very important character.
TrekMovie.com: You have said that you are playing the original and now older Spock and you are saying that Kirk cannot be in the film because he died in Generations. The implication here is that you are playing Spock in a future time period after Generations right?
Leonard Nimoy: You are digging for story points [laughs] you are doing a very good job of it but I am not going to comment any further.
TrekMovie.com: Did you see Mission: Impossible: III? As a fellow director what did you think of J.J. Abrams first feature?
Leonard Nimoy: I thought J.J. did a great job. I go to some of these movies today and I have to turn to my wife and say “what is going on here.” [laughs] These movies being made today, like Mission and some of the others…Tansformers which you probably know I was involved in originally. It is amazing to me these back stories are coming out of the closet now. The Mission project, the Star Trek project, the Transformers project…I have been involved with them for a long long time. Anyway, I said to some friends in San Diego that the stories we did in the days when I was involved in making these films and were much more linear than they are today. They are much more complex today. The audiences that go to see these films readily accept the complexities, more than I can frankly. I am not always sure what is going on and what people are trying to do. There is a line in Mission where the heavy says to Tom Cruise something like “it’s complicated.” Where he is explaining to him what the real game is…and I laughed out loud and said “damn right it’s complicated!”
TrekMovie.com: That’s true, but in that film Abrams made an interesting choice with regards to the central plot revolving around the ‘Rabbit’s Foot’ or the film’s MacGuffin. It was never explained. I always thought that was a daring choice to not overwhelm the audience with the technology. Which brings up an issue that has plagued Trek over the last decade or so…the notion that has come to be called ‘technobabble.’ Often on the recent TV series and even films the characters would go on and on about polarizing this and re-aligning that as solutions to dilemmas…
Leonard Nimoy: [emphatically] I agree! I agree! I totally agree. At one point during The Next Generation television series I contacted the Paramount television people and said “I am looking at some of these shows and I don’t understand them.” These technobabble scenes where people sit around a table and pour out information that has no dramatic impact - that is not in character. It is just people putting out information to try and explain what is going on, but it doesn’t explain…it is just boring. I think you are right, Abrams did not do that. He kept this thing moving and some of the scenes were absolutely gripping…gripping. When he gets hold of a scene he knows how to milk the drama out of it and that is one of his great talents.
TrekMovie.com: So you see similarities with this new movie
Leonard Nimoy: Yah…I am not worried about technobabble with this movie I will tell you that. When I see technobabble my blood runs cold.
TrekMovie.com: Well obviously Abrams and his team have a modern sensibility and tend to tell non-linear stories. But in this case we are going back to a 1960s TV show…
Leonard Nimoy: My primary concern is with the characters and the development of them. Abrams is going to tell a story and he is going to tell as story with characters that I am very familiar with. My sense when I read the script is that the understanding and the nurturing and development of these characters is excellent. That is the only word I can think of…Excellent! With that in hand I called him and said exactly that. I said “You have captured these people. I am interested being with them as the audience. I want to see these relationships develop as you have done this. I want to see it acted out. I am looking forward to it and I want to be in this movie.” As far as the adventure itself, there are lots of ways to do a Star Trek adventure. I am sure they are going to do a very meaningful Star Trek adventure.
PART 1: Read Part 1 of this interview
(PHOTOS: Albert L. Ortega)
Comments»
First! Ever!
First! Great conclusion to an outstanding interview. Bring back SHATNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
“These technobabble scenes where people sit around a table and pour out information that has no dramatic impact…”
Mr. Nimoy, you have read my MIND.
My god. Whatever happended to the true essence of TOS? None of the other series seemed to be able to give that to us. The tactical, clever Kirk and Spock solutions to thwart the enemy… the drama… the tension of saving everyone’s ass at the last second!!! And above all else: whatever happened to the SENSE OF WONDER?
Thanks for the interview, well done! I have so much more faith in this concept now that Mr. Nimoy has expressed his enthusiasm and actual participation. I would give my left nut for this to turn out great. CROSS YOUR FINGERS EVERYONE!
Very good interview. Would have liked more answers on Shatner, but you tried. Frustrating to know that it’s possible Kirk’s death may have played a role in Nimoy not being in Generations. He’s right of course as to the lack of meaning of the death. But hopefully, he can help convince JJ to make this happen.
Now if you can get an interview with Abrams…. :D
Great interview - Nimoy’s wholehearted endorsement of the script is most welcome since he was by far the most thoughtful and critical of the original troika with regards to Trek movie plotting. I love Bill Shatner’s work in Trek (excepting Trek V) but, like Nimoy, I’m not sure how he could play a major role in the new movie given his demise in Generations…and how much he has changed physically since that film. If the Shat does get into the new film, I’d want him to play a meaningful role and not just be in for a brief cameo, and I’d worry that multiple TOS actors getting shoehorned into the film would likely create plot holes, etc.
Yeah no Shat… I figured as much as did many of us here. It is unfortunate but you know thats what happens when you let them kill off your character in a petty way…. Ergh what do you want Shat you ok’d the whole death thing?!?!? Anywho good thoughts from Mr. Nimoy I can’t wait to see what else happens in the Star Trek (2008) saga……. .. .. ..
Aaron R.
#2 “Great conclusion to an outstanding interview. Bring back SHATNER!”
Yup!
woohoo!!
Why isn’t it coming out THIS christmas? :’(
Good interview.
part two of this interview was as good as part one :)
@StillKirok………….i really hate to say it, but Shatner simply isn’t relevant to Trek anymore, his Kirk is DEAD!!!! there is no feasible way to get him involved, i’d like him back for sure, but realise it’s a lost cause and simply can not and will not happen :( *Generations made sure of that*
but i’m 100% convinced Shatner will not be anywhere near the Paramount set when filming starts………………..all i hope for now then is a damn good movie with an interesting story to tell :)
Boy does he hit it right on the head!
“You have captured these people. I am interested being with them as the audience. I want to see these relationships develop as you have done this. I want to see it acted out.”
I don’t think the movie could get a better stamp of approval. I hope they stick to their guns and tell a good story and not try to “plug in” anything or anyone that will destroy it for the sake of fan pressure. If this story can reach to the average guy off the street and make trek big again, think about the possibilities for the future!
Peace!
#10, Shatner is more relevant to Star Trek today than ever. He is the biggest name they can get, and can put more butts in the seats than all of the other actors combined.
It’s not that Shatner is irrelevant to Trek, it’s that Trek without Shatner is irrelevant. The demise of the franchise since Kirk’s death shows that.
And Kirk being dead is the least important fact. You want him back? Write him back. It’s not that complicated.
THE RETURN brought the character back. That’s just one way.
You can deny Shatner’s relevance all you want, but the fact remains that Shatner’s status is still the hottest topic.
I agree #10 Agent 47! As much as I like Shatner as Kirk I feel his time has passed. He sealed the deal when he agreed to be killed off in the Next Gen era of the timeline. I know we all love Shatner but the way I look at this is you make you bed you lie in it. Kirk with Generations wanted a “meaningful” role and so they gave him a death. Every actor wants to do one great death scene and he took it. What he never realized until far after the fact was that the death was a shallow and petty one not fit for a Star Trek legend this is why he authored his book series to resurrect the character and let him fly again in heroic fashion…. Well thats all good and his books are some good reads but his books are not cannon and the time for a Spock style rebirth from the dead has come and passed unlooked for and not done. I feel that the Shat should sit on his pride and accept that sometimes when you make your bed you just have to lay in it… especially if its a deathbed.
Aaron R.
How about Spock attending the launching of the Enterprise F and he starts to think about the time when he and Kirk met on the 1701? Could Spock still be around at that time?
Great interview, summed up my opinion of the Next Gen era (minus DS9)
Love Nimoy!!!!!!!! Great photographer too!!!
#12 : “Shatner..can put more butts in the seats than all of the other actors combined.”
Errant nonsense. There’s not one iota of evidence or any good reason to believe that Shatner would attract more people to a theatrical “Star Trek” film than Leonard Nimoy as Spock would.
Shatner’s doing very well on TV commercials and free TV. It’s been demonstrated over and over that this means nothing at all in terms of box office draw. Were it otherwise, Hollywood would belong to David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc. :lol:
@ 12 StillKirok
“You can deny Shatner’s relevance all you want, but the fact remains that Shatner’s status is still the hottest topic.”
i’m not denying Shatner’s relevance to Star Trek on the whole,he’ll always be remembered as the man who played the original James T Kirk :) what i meant was is that he’s irrelevant with regards to this particular film.
heck! i’d jump for joy if it was announced a way to get him involved was found, but i’ve accepted the fact it seems very unlikely that his involvement can/will happen,and again i say i’m 100% certain he won’t be anywhere near this movie
i will indeed see this film regardless because it focuses on TOS crew and characters and i like what i read in the Nimoy interview………..although it seems like a Spock biopic, reading the Abrams article
#10 “Blah blah blah blah blah…”
I’m sorry, I can’t seem to hear you. What did you say?
If you think Trek can’t exist without Shatner, you can’t be a complete fan. The concept is boundless. I agree with some of what Nimoy says and not some. For instance, Shatner’s death wasn’t technically “necessary” in Generations, but when is it ever? And the original Trek had technobabble too, so why is it poison now? Spock and Kirk were always hitting a time warp or creating a tachyon bubble or something.
Just because YOU dont get it, doesnt mean what no one would. I’m not an engineer, I’m not supposed to totally get the technics of it, but I was never confused during TNG. What’s with all the TNG bashing these days anyway?
I forgot to add the Enterprise F could be a set up for a new TV series if Trek XI is a hit.
I want to put in the counterpoint about the techno-babble that some of you seem to hate. 1st off it really should be referred to as Trekno-babble. I realize that in many cases this was overdone but there really is a fine line between them talking over your head and talking down to you by dummying it down.
I for one became an Engineer because of TOS and Scotty. A lot of care has been taken to make the Trekno-babble sound realistic (or at least consistent) to folks like me that hear and use the real thing daily. Imagine a medical show where they are about to perform surgery on someone and they use terms like “I’m gonna cut him right here under the ear” instead of “I’m preparing to make an incision at the cerotic artery”. I for one don’t want the Trekno-babble removed just keep it to the point that is appropriate and required to move the story along.
Technical issues require technical terms especially if the people delivering them are supposed to be professionals. To do any less ruins the credibility to me even more then the star field being visible through the Doomsday Machine. If I can’t believe what they are saying it might as well be Lost In Space.
Remember – our heroes are supposed to be highly trained professionals; they should talk and act like it.
Putting Shat in the film just make good business sense…It will put more butts in the seats like StillKirok said. He is the essense of Trek.
Nimoy gets it.
Berman didn’t.
Nimoy believes JJ gets it.
Things are good.
It’s interesting about Shatner being in the new movie. We’ve all assumed at this point that Shatner will not be reprising the role of Kirk in the film. But, and it’s a BIG but, as of only a week ago at the ComiCon,Nimoy stated in this interview, “and I know that J.J. said that they are still trying to find a way to put him in the movie”. That simple statement speaks volumes. It sounds like as long as it doesn’t diminish the plot, they are STILL working on pulling off Shatner’s return! I’m not even cautiously optimistic, but let’s just say “there are always possibilities” of a last minute solution!
..but if we can’t get Shat then Nimoy would be the 2nd choice
#18: “#10 “Blah blah blah blah blah…”
I’m sorry, I can’t seem to hear you. What did you say?”
A good deal more than you in this instance, and less childishly.
I love this man.
Everything he says makes sense. Nimoy for president in 2008.
A great second part to that interview, Anthony! And I ‘m glad to see many of the posters here are willing to see this movie even if it doesn’t have Shatner!
As for technobabble, I’m relieved this movie won’t have so much of that. But I actually didn’t mind the so-called technobabble on TNG–at least there the tech talk had at least one foot in real science, so for those of us who had some education in physics or astronomy, the technobabble actually was often enlightening.
By the time Voyager rolled around, though, the technobabble truly was just babbling nonsense, though, and was used as a crutch to finding actual solutions. It was insulting to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of actual science. Bleh.
@19 Spike,
I don’t think the original TOS had NEAR as much technobabble in it.
But, I don’t care. I *LIKE* the technobabble. It’s one of the things that sets Star Trek apart from other scifi. They have their theoretical science down!
Other shows have people float in space and think it’s ok if they just hold their breath. *rolls eyes*.
….
….
Wait a minute, they basically did that in TNG’s Disaster didn’t they!?!?!?! AAARRRGGHHH
I’ll field the why not this Christmas question.
Well, truth is Paramount didn’t want to compeate with themselves.
It’d be a bad move on their part if they did, so they aimed for a release next year.
The second reason for pushing the film into next year, Paramount sold and is selling all their Trek stuff thet’s in storage, so to make a new Trek they have to bulid everything from scratch, again !
You don’t want them to rush though it like they did TMP do you ?
- W -
* Lord knows I don’t want them to rush though it like they did TMP *
Good interview. I’m glad they’re not going to be “shunting power to the main EPS conduit” or any of that kind of crap in this movie. What’s funny is that people think that is what Star Trek is these days.: Just a bunch of people sitting around in spandex and talking about stuff that no one in the real world understands or would want to. Watch any original story and you will see practically none of that kind of stuff. Unfortunately TOS was largely ignored or flatout forgotten in the last 20 years.
I’m glad that these people are taking Star Trek back to a sense of adventure and fun and not the “maybe if I *tech the *tech the *tech will go faster” garbage that inundated TNG in it’s later years and all the other spinoffs (especially Voyager) afterwards. It always seemed like a cheap gimick and it really hindered the shows and the characters.
Technobabble was OK in small doses, but when the synopsis of upcoming episodes in TV Guide went from (ex):”Picard and crew must out-think a man with super-human abilities to save the galaxy” to:
“Picard and crew discover a tachyon pulse that affects the starships warp reactor matrix and causes an influx of radiated energy that creates an unstable particle field in the time-space continuum. Meanwhile Deanna gets a visitor from Earth and Data learns to read poetry”. It got flatout boring and pretty weak.
I’m glad they’re going back to character driven ideas and not technobabble ideas.
Glad to hear again that they are still trying to get Shatner in the film.
You know, I have a hard time believing that, at this late date, there is any real question of whether or not “old Kirk” can be included in the film in a narrative sense. If it can be done without damaging the integrity of the story–or if it can’t–then I have to believe that J.J. and the gang already have that figured out. In which case, the ambiguity over Shatner’s involvement is either a ploy to keep us all guessing and surprise us when the film actually premiers, or… Shatner is playing hardball with the negotiations.
I’m not making any predictions or even saying that I believe this myself, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Shatner IS involved and everything we’ve heard to the contrary is just disinformation. “But,” you say, “that would mean that J.J. and the writers and even Nimoy himself are LYING to us!” >>Gasp!
@Jim #3 Amen Brother!
BTW I hear Nimoy has a talent for reading minds!;)
Sense of Wonder! Bring it back!!!
I don’t want another day at the office vibe.
Great interview Anthony - thanks!
Re 33:
Or, on the other hand, it’s just as easy to conclude that Shatner is not in the movie, and that while J.J. and his group are still looking at the problem and trying to find a solution, they don’t think they’ll be able to get there.
But by saying now that they’re looking to get Shatner in the film, they’ve laid the groundwork to be able to come back later to say, “we really tried.”
You know, I think the COOLEST thing about this new movie is just the fact Leonard Nimoy is going to be back in the spotlight again for the next year or so. He completely disappeared off the face of the map for a while, and it’s great to hear from him again.
I can’t wait to see him show up on Leno and Letterman and everywhere else next year.
“I also said to him that if I had been in Generations I would not have let him die…and that is a fact. I thought it was gratuitous. I didn’t see why…what was the point? I thought it was a waste of a very important character.”
Nimoy is a very insightful individual.
You can read a lot between the lines in parts of that interview. Very interesting stuff…
I do not want the film to look exactly like TOS. But If it doesn’t, then how can Spock recall something that was not ever seen(on TOS)? The new film is an enigma wrapped around a riddle couched in something or other.
Great interview Anthony! Is this a scoop or what!
We’re looking for a movie with a SENSE OF WONDER=SOW. A sow is a PIG. Shatner is a HAM looking for too much money to be in the movie. A selfish HAM is a very distinctive kind of PIG. So, if one were to invoke logic and SOW is the same as PIG, this proves Shatner SHOULD be in the new film because that’s what we’re looking for, namely SOW (SENSE OF WONDER) which, in essence, is the same as PIG. Everybody got that??
Bwahahahaha…………
#16
Maybe it is just me, but it seems that most of the BRING BACK KIRK types here want Shatner back - but only if it makes a substantial contribution to the story.
If it doesnt happen I get the sense that there would be great disappointment for BBKers regarding this one single aspect of the movie but that it would not incite a feeling of malice toward the rest of the film.
To the contrary, most seem to think the film will be great even without Shatner.
But I don’t get the same feeling from those who LOATH the idea of Shatner’s return.
If the writers and producers do put Shatner in, will you then say “Oh, they caved in to pressure from fanboys” ???
If the script turned out even MORE awesome with Shatner’s inclusion (backed up by Nimoy’s opinion) would you still refuse to see it?
Your opinion of the creative team seems to be (I am sure you will correct me if I am wrong) that they have come up with a fabulous adventure story that, quite obviously could NEVER have room for Shatner’s participation else it ruin the movie.
I just don’t get all the negativity I am seeing. It is very untrek like.
I never had a problem with the techno-babble in TNG or DS9. Yes, you would expect them talk that way. It was usually believable and understandable. They were using techno-babble in TOS. Trek’s always been science fiction. Roddenberry wanted you to believe that they had fantastic technology in the future. As technology advanced and current understanding advanced, so did the techno-babble. Unfortunately, by Voyager they had taken it to a level where even I (who’ve read just about every Star Trek Tech manual and seen several blueprints) couldn’t make sense of it. One minute, our heroes are in peril then someone spouts some techno-babble you can’t really follow, there’s a beam and the day is saved. I’m sittin’ there going, “what just happened?” If I gotta start pulling out reference material to figure out the climax of a story, that’s not good story telling. Don’t get me wrong, I liked VOY. It wasn’t every episdode that did that, but enough of them.
On bringing back Shatner. I’d like to see it too. You can’t simply ignore Generations and if you want to then you shouldn’t care about ignoring anything. The Enterprise can have a hundred decks (I’m looking at you Shatner), McCoy’s first name can be changed to Dirk and Spock’s a half Vulcan half Selat. You start picking and choosing what to keep and what not and you start pissing off fans ala Superman Returns. The same people that said to just ignore III and IV and start from the end of II are the same people that complain about the movie. The problem is really, how do you make a movie that can stand alone and reference a 13 year old movie? Flashbacks? Explain what happened to the audience? Can it be done w/o taking away from the script they’ve already written? These are the problems that the writers face and that’s why there’s no definitive answer on whether we’ll see Shatner yet. Remain calm. They seem to be working on it… but probably wish they didn’t have to.
I’m glad Nimoy’s onboard. I really have no faith in JJ. He doesn’t seem to know the material and has already said that’s he’s more a Star Wars fanboy. JJ’s nothing more than the current hot director. The writers are the ones I have more faith in.
Nimoy does not lie and has never played Hollywood games - too old and too rich as he once said - so if he says Kirk/Shatner isn’t in the script, he isn’t. Not to say a way might not be found yet for a cameo, but we know that Nimoy is in this film because it is a role, not a cameo and I think it would very, very, difficult to do that for Kirk too. Don’t forget that in many ways, Star Trek TOS (including the movies) is really all Spock’s story.
#35 “But by saying now that they’re looking to get Shatner in the film, they’ve laid the groundwork to be able to come back later to say, “we really tried.””
This would seem to be the case.
#26
In reply to your reply:
Yeah, I can be a bit on the childish side sometimes. Sorry if it offended you. My “Blah blah” post was like a kid trying to taunt another kid on the playground and was certainly unworthy of a reply.
;-)
BTW, your posts often are quite insightful and clearly offer a distinct view of the whole business of making Trek movies.
Shatner and Shatner! What is Shatner?
Good Lord, I am so tired of this Shatnobabble. Can we all just move along with this? FOR NOW, HE’S NOT IN THE MOVIE!
I think what we can surmise from the interview is that Nimoy’s portion of this is going to take place after the events in Generations and that they are going to regard those events as canon, at least to the degree that Kirk is dead. Of course, this is just guessing. This would also lead one to believe that Shatner would not be involved on screen as Kirk as his appearance is just too different from how he appeared in Generations. The story was written without him. He seemed to make a choice to have the Kirk character die. He could have said “Hell no!” but he took the money. Abrams and the writers aren’t going to come up with some monkey rigged idea to change all that so we had all better get used to it. Star Trek IS NOT William Shatner. As some people are fond of quoting from Trekdom, “The good of the many outweighs the good of the few. Or the one.” Change the word “many” with “movie” and I think that makes sense, too.
“really all Spock’s story” Oh, really? O.K., I’ll bite. How so?
Great interview, Anthony! Like many, I am disappointed with the idea of Shatner not returning, but contriving something just to give him face time will be a bigger insult than B,B&G killing the character because they could. Nimoy was right that it was a mistake in the first place, but at least, we are getting back a James T. Kirk in his prime!
Ah, how great has it been to hear from Leonard Nimoy again? It’s been forever since we’ve heard from him properly, and while we’ve been lucky enough to have Shatner grace our TVs and cereal commercials for the last couple of years, it wasn’t Trek and he’s moved on now.
Generations really did happen didn’t it? They are respecting canon now, so they are respecting that too - I guess hoping they would cherry pick that too is simply asking far, far too much since only the hardcore of fans is going to get it, let alone most trekkies (I remember over 50% of Americans once claiming that honorific?)
So what chance would the non-fans have of working out a post-Nexus resurrected Kirk?
So wonderful as these last few days have been, it’s making me sad now. I’ve been in denial about James T Kirk meeting an insignificant end on an insignificant planet to a bridge collapsing. But I guess it “really happened” so it’s time to let go.
There’s still “an echo” of him in the Nexus (well, there was an echo of Guinan and she’d been blown away at that point too) but I can’t see any films going in there and pulling him out.
Thanks Anthony for an amazing site, an excellent interview and for helping wake up the fanboy that Voyager/Enterprise and the 2Bs had hammered into the ground.
18 months to go? Can we have a countdown timer on the site now please? :-)
Oh, and fingers crossed they leave the Tall Ship exactly as she is. Though if they want to put in seatbelts, I shan’t complain.
#20 / Craig
No offense,but no bloody Enterprise A. B.C. D. E.or F.
those six letters remind me of another six :
B.E.R.M.A.N.
Sorry
It’s a TOS romp
Even I, owner of the Encyclopedia Shatnerica, am coming around that this might be a really good (althouse shat-less) TOS adventure.
I do think there are rumblings (here on this site) of a trek cartoon set in the far,far [Trek] future for ya. Perhaps Enterprise P?
#39 “I do not want the film to look exactly like TOS. But If it doesn’t, then how can Spock recall something that was not ever seen(on TOS)? The new film is an enigma wrapped around a riddle couched in something or other.”
I don’t see a problem with it. The TOS we saw was just the 1960s interpretation, and now we get to see the 21st century interpretation. In Spock’s mind, the Enterprise and the bridge and the uniforms will have ALWAYS looked that way.
I don’t think even with TMP we were meant to believe that the sets and models of the 60s actually looked that way to their eyes. Or that all the planets the crew visited actually looked like they were made from plaster and cardboard.
#49
Well said. Good to see that someone here has a grip on reality
TOS used technobabble sparingly, and in a more accessible way. For example, In ST:IV we have a scene where the dilithium crystals are breaking down:
SCOTTY: It’s these Klingon crystals, sir. The time travel’s drained them. They’re giving out — decrystalizing.
Spock then forms a plan to collect some high energy photons from a nuclear reactor to use on the dilithium for crystalline restructure. That’s about the extent of technobabble thrown around in TOS. If this same scene had occurred on TNG, it would have played out more like this:
LAFORGE: Sir, the inferior quantum structure of the Klingon dilithium crystals has been compromised by the inverse tachyon pulse generated by our temporal displacement. I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do. The subatomic cascading effect is irreversible.
Then Data would chime in later:
DATA: I believe that if we were to procure some highly energized photon particles from one of the nuclear reactors available in this era, they could be released into the dilithium chamber, causing a phased realignment of the damaged crystaline structure, and eventual reconstruction…
TOS presented pseudo-science in a more believable manner that didn’t bog down the story the way it did on TNG and Voyager. Leonard is absolutely correct in his opinion of it, and I hope that the new movie leans more in the direction of the original series and the way it told stories - with emphasis on drama and character development.
I second the timer for movie release countdown!
Secondly I think ‘Is it just me or is trekkor more embarrassing than trekkie?’ said it best Shatner is dead… Why can’t you just let him rest in piece and be content that Spock will be in the film. Personally Spock was always my favorite character on TOS anyway and I know many felt the same way. Kirk was cool as the heroic captain but common Spock was just simply “fascinating”… Oh and TOS was full of technobabble… Phasers, Shields up, photon torpedoes Jesus have we forgotten (and I am only 24) that these are all originally technobabble terms invented by trek.
Aaron R.
P.S. You want to know what’s funny… All the people throwing a Shatner hissy about his absence in the film and throwing a treknobabble hissy would not say a word if the movie brought Shatner/Kirk back to life with a line like… “The nonlinear energy of his subconseius is still preserved in the re-unification matrix on Vulcan in the septar Subprecessor… Hence forth if we radiate the coils with thermionic translucent radiation and pore de-aging cream from a Orion condor on his body he will then have a post cardiary reaction on come back to life!!!” In short technobabble brings kirk back to life (like in his book with the borg) and you could care less… Funny no?
The movie is nearly two years away. There is more than enough time to put Shatner in.
Bob Orci himself said they only have a first draft done and that there is plenty of time to add stuff in.
Why would J.J. Abrams go out of his way to say they were still trying to get Shatner in the film if they had no intention of doing so?
Shatner will be there.
Good interview. Has Nimoy lost his bottom teeth?
Re 53:
I disagree. Kevin in 43 had it pretty much right. These guys are professionals and you expect them to use professional lingo, and not dumb it down to a four year-old’s level of comprehension.
I mean, when you watch a medical show like ER, does the medical babble get in the way of the drama? No, I think it sells you on the fact these people are professionals. If they all went around saying things like, “the patient in room 4 has a boo-boo! I need to tinker with his ticker to fix him!” then you wouldn’t be sold on them as being professionals at all.
Similarly, I hope the crew in this new movie don’t resort to saying things like “My gosh, Jim! It’s a giant space amoeba! Like an amoeba you’d see in a pond, except this one’s in space! And it’s huge! Really huge!”
Relevance thereof, personal opinion aside, William Shatner will be in that film. I guarantee it.
Believe it.
At least Leonard Nimoy can act, I used to like Shatner as a kid but boy does his acting blow hard now. Same with a lot of TOS, it was great as a kid but now a lot of it is pretty unbelievable.
TNG feels more respectable (although most of the movies were kinda the opposite) and JJ Abrams will probably keep up that respectability in the new movie
which I might add, I will be grateful for
LOL Amoeba!!! You hit it on the nose… Please no boo boos in this one we want to know they are trained professionals. You think NASA uses dumbed down words on its missions? Hell no and you know what thank god I like watching NASA press conferences (as a science teacher) and thinking good thing they have people smarter than me running things… Because hell if I could understand it all easily I’d have a different job and be making more money than a teacher…. Now on for a sadder thought summer break is almost over!!! Oh no… … …
Aaron R.
Come on guys. Shatner + Nimoy together again would be history.
#55
I have a feeling Abrams was just being diplomatic. Unless he wanted to be booed by 10,000 fans who don’t have a clue about the story he’s telling (and then have them create a bunch of negative hype online or launch a bunch of stupid petitions that cause Paramount to force his hand), he didn’t have much choice.
Nimoy probably feels the same way. He realizes the story only works the way it is now, but doesn’t want to crush everybody’s hopes.
No Camaro 09 Shatner + Nimoy + Kelly would have been history sadly we know that to be impossible…
Aaron R.
#59 “I used to like Shatner as a kid but… ”
Good thing we will have a new actor playing Kirk.
We won’t have to put up with (5 time Emmy nominee/2 time Emmy winner) William Shatner’s terrible acting anymore.
Hmmm…
Character driven stories+no technobabble to mess it up+Nimoy liking transformers=
I have excitement for this movie now. I think it’s going to be awesome.
Especially since Nimoy was involved in the two greatest trek movies of all time.
This is exciting now!
#64
I disagree.
Shatner + Nimoy would still be history.
It just wouldn’t be the same w/out him.
Shatner+Nimoy would not be history.. It WAS history. It is now time to move on. What DavidJ said.
Also Shatner+Nimoy+Kelly would be more than history. It would be tissue re-animation.
Anyway, Abrams was trying to get all the Shatner fans off of his back by making a diplomatic statement about their efforts to find a place for him in the film. Nobody is saying that Shatner is a bad actor (well, besides trektacular) but Tom Hanks is a better actor and he’s not in it either. It’s because there isn’t a part written in it for him. Why are we failing to see the LOGIC of this situation?
P.S. Anthony you should have asked about him dieing again in the next film and the emotional impact and finality of it for the franchise. His reaction would have been answer enough even if he ducked the question! I am telling you guys you will be balling after this movie.
Aaron R.
Oh god if they kill Nimoy like I think then we will have Bring Back Nimoy finatics on top of it!
#55
Too right. Imagine the boo-fest when JJ tells a room a quarter mile across packed like a can of sardines with sci-fi fans that ‘It’s a great script. Kirk’s not in it’ (which would be what they’d hear).
He never would have gotten out alive.
My take for all you guys who want to bring Shatner/Kirk back. I will preface by saying I will not argue the merits of having him in the film for popularity sake, sales sake or for any BBKers sake.
Bringing Spock’s body back via Genesis and his essence via McCoy’s brain, I’ll accept. You get lucky once! But wait….Tasha Yar dies, bring her back in an alternate Universe. Then Data dies in the last movie, but did he? They certainly left that avenue open too.
Well here we go again. I know most of you are thinking use the nexxis to bring Kirk back. Or perhaps some alternate universe?
We are close to the point then from here on, if any character dies, we will automatically think, they’ll bring him back. Death is irrelevant, it will hold no impact.
I was profoundly moved when Spock died in TWOK. Arguably the best Trek movie ever made. The whole package including Spock’s death, makes that movie very diffcult to top. I left the theatre in a stunned (satisfying) silence. I kept thinking to myself, holy shit! Spock just died. That feeling has since not been duplicated. Trek III in my opinion was an attempt to milk the ending of Trek II. As much as we were all hoping to get Spock back….. “The Search For Spock” was pure Hollywood, and for me cheapened the impact of the ending of Trek II.
All the subsequent story lines that have since “brought back the dead’ now makes death an irrelevent plot line. Why bother trying to add impact with the death of a character, when death is meaningless.
If this is to be a new slate and (RE) launch the franchise. Then bringing back Kirk is a precedent I would rather not have. Brink him back with archive recordings, or memories or something other than bringing him back to life. The moment they bring him back to life will be a major mistake I believe JJ should and will not make.
Well, for some reason the last paragraph of my previous post got cut off. I was saying that if all the talk of Shatner not appearing in the film is actually a disinformation campaign, that would suggest that J.J., the writing team and Nimoy himself are all outright lying to us. What I said after that (the part that got cut off) was that I didn’t think too many people would begrudge such a lie on opening night when Shatner suddenly appears alongside Nimoy as Kirk and Spock for one last time and all is set right with the Trek universe. I certainly wouldn’t, assuming of course that his appearance is meaningful to the story and he isn’t just shoehorned in.
On the other hand, all anyone has said is that Shatner is not currently in the script, which doesn’t rule out the possibility that they do indeed have a way to include him and have already made plans to do so. I just find it hard to believe that, with only three months left until the start of filming, they are still casting desperately about for a way to make it work creatively like they make it sound every time they comment on the subject. I am more inclined to believe that negotiations are ongoing or that Shatner is definitely out and they just want to be able to say how long and hard they worked to make it happen.
But that’s just my gut feeling. I don’t claim to be an expert on the script writing process so I could easily be wrong.
#72, agreed. As bad as the rest of Generations was, I still found Kirk’s death to be genuinely moving, and Shatner gave a terrific performance. I’d hate to see that cheapened even more by pretending it was just “some other Kirk” who died.
Look folks - Kirk could still be alive in the ribbon. Would be another way to get him back if needed. It would even be consistant with Generations which I thought was a nice film.
Don’t jump to conclusions on anything you hear from the studio, Shatner or Nimoy. They are all helping to build hype and anything they say can be suspected as just mis-information. Expect it. It’s a long way away and anything could happen.
Here is an idea… what if Spock tries to rescue Kirk from the Nexxus… and FAILS!!!
Seriously, imagine if Spock tried to save him, and they he meets “echo Kirk”, who says he can’t leave and that the physical Kirk is dead. Kirk tells him that its ok… that everything must come to an end. You could have “echo Kirk” showing Spock the past while in the Nexxus, showing him how good things were, and that Kirk has no regrets about his death. It would be a nice way of giving the two characters a chance to say goodbye.
That could be an interesting story.
I’d like to see Shatner playing Kirk’s father (or similar mentor) in the earlier years. Even if Nimoy is playing the older Spock in the future, it doesn’t mean Shatner *has* to be Kirk in the movie.
#45: “Yeah, I can be a bit on the childish side sometimes.”
As can I.
I apologize. :)
Great interview. I find myself scanning the gottaShat babble. Read enough to last a lifetime. I am genuinely enthusiastic about this project and am wiling to walk in wide eyed and ready to see whatever they’ve come up with. If I like it (and I really think after reading these latest interviews that I will) then I’ll plop down my ten bucks every two years like the good little geek that I am.
If you all think for one moment, that this story, this script, wasn’t written with the possibility of including Nimoy AND Shatner, then you’ve had too much Romulan Ale.
You can bet the rent that there was a plan for this story to include both Shatner and Nimoy, another plan for adjusting it, should they only get one of the actors on board, and one last contingency for the possibility of both actors refusing to participate. I think Shatner’s involvement simply fell apart at the neogtiating table.
Should the studio and the Shat reach an agreement, it will be back to plan A, which was the script that includes them both. It’s not far-fetched at all, and I’d bet THAT version is already written and ready to go.
You can be sure these guys have covered all their bases. Now it’s up to the negotiating.
And yes. TNG and all the others smothered in techno babble and those who said TOS did as well, and that Kirk and Spock were always creating some kind of Tachion bubble, really need to watch the show and come back with a more informed and accurate opinion.
Anthony great interview.
“I thought it was gratuitous. I didn’t see why…what was the point? I thought it was a waste of a very important character.”
I think this sums it up for me, as to why people are still so steamed about Generations. Also, for all the people saying Shatner’s time has passed, maybe so, but how about Nimoy? That’s being inconsistent. Either it is good to have them both, or bad to have them both. I truly feel it is better with both of them. Generations and Unification, and for that matter Relics, never felt right. These characters all belonged together. Heck, their life was the Enterprise, they never had a family outside of it.
It appears more and more that Nimoy will appear as Spock post Generations, and do some kind of flashback ala Saving Private Ryan. I would also press on that I just will not enjoy this film without Shatner, should the reason be that Nimoy is appearing post-Generations and Kirk is dead. I realize that is “canon,” but it’s Berman’s canon and having Spock with no Kirk will only remind me of that. So rather than enjoying this movie, I’ll be there aggravated Shatner is absent, and Nimoy is all alone. I know that is fanboy, but I can’t help it, “I am a man of deep feelings.”
My only real big hope is that this film does not take place during Kirk’s Enterprise command. That would, to me, be less appealing than not having Shatner. I am not interested at all in a recast of the 5 year mission. It’s sacred to me, and I do not feel there is anything left to be added to it, with new actors. That’s not fanboy, that’s a matter of reverence. That’s like having some new rock band, even if they are great, recording Stairway to Heaven, and expecting not to get blasted. You don’t redo masterpieces.
On the subject of technobabble, there’s a difference between professionals using appropriate terminology at appropriate times and people just spewing techy jargon in lieu of something that would actually contribute to the story. Most of the time when technobabble was used, I got the same impression as I would if I saw a guy walking down the street while talking to someone on his cell phone: “Approaching intersection at Main Street and 3rd Avenue. Commencing visual scan of pedestrian traffic indicator. Adjusting trajectory to align with crosswalk boundaries. Now entering intersection…” Even if it was necessary to keep up such a running commentary, most people in the REAL world would just say, “I’m about to cross the street. Yes, I’ll make sure I don’t jay-walk and get hit by a car.”
There’s nothing wrong with technobabble as long as it sounds like useful information a real person might actually convey to someone else at that particular time and place. Unfortunately, in the later Trek series, it usually just sounded like stilted and unnatural DIALOGUE written by somebody who could have made much better use of the ever-shorter spans between commercial breaks. If that’s the kind of technobabble they plan to avoid in the next film then HALLELUJAH!
When considering whether or not William Shatner should be in Star Trek, it should be observed that it is likely an early voyage of the Enterprise.
This being the case, much of the talk here about the Nexus and Generations could be largely irrelevent for the past.
It depends upon which point we see Spock in the future as to how relevent or feasable it is to have an older Kirk in the story.
Having too many balls to juggle would take away from the straightforward storytelling that was a hallmark of the original series, and a necessity for a 1.5-3 hour motion picture.
Perhaps James Kirk would be one element too many for the story, who knows?
I would love to see Bill Shatner once more as Kirk, but the key here for the filmmakers is this:
How do we make a film that works for both Star Trek Cannon, as well as a general audience, and tell a compelling story without prerequisite knowledge?
This film is likely to re-introduce the concept and characters of the original series, and should not get bogged down with complex continuity with Trek cannon.
Kirk is a major lead character for Star Trek, but a general audience would know more about Spock, “the guy with the ears”, and James T. Kirk, who beat the no-win Kobayashi Maru simulator test at the Academy.
I believe telling the story of the Enterprise and James Kirk through the eyes of Spock give the opportunity to ground the film with an Insider-looking-in commentary on what it means to be human, and what the best of humanity is.
With Spock learning about human friendship, loyalty and values, and perhaps a little about himself, could also make Star Trek a great dramatic character study.
It will be interesting to see the genesis of the Kirk-Spock-McCoy friendship that is at the heart of Star Trek.
Wouldn’t it be fun to just, I dunno, collectively say “fuck it, let’s just ignore Kirk’s death and go with it”?
Eh? For old times sake? :)
Leonard Nimoy’s involvement and enthusiasm for this project are the best news items to come on Star Trek XI. I am finally excited about this. But I very much want William Shatner involved as well. Please find a way to give Shatner an important role in the movie as well.
I am new here so forgive me if I am too blunt.
Quite frankly, I don’t care about the new actors playing these roles. The film may work but it will never be the same. Let’s face it. They (whoever they are) will NEVER top the original actors who played these roles.
My only hope for this film is that it is used as a device to save Kirk from the poorly written death he was given. There I said what a lot of people are thinking.
I like (so many people in this forum) grew up watching TOS reruns and motion pictures. Kirk took us on so many adventures and gave us so many great memories. It is now time for us help him overcome the fate he was given by weak writting.
How could the people who grew up watching Kirk (or second generation fans like me) be ok with his death when we have one last chance to save him?
People, we may never get a chance to see Shatner as Kirk again. This may be it. How can you be ok with that? His death sucked. There was no point to it. Data’s cat got more of a sendoff than Kirk did. That’s not ok. Don’t you want to try and change that?
Don’t give me this crap about how “we only want a good film” and “Shatner will only be in the way” That is total bullshit.
Another thing. How is Nimoy viable but Shatner isn’t? Anybody who thinks this film is better off without Shatner is F****** nuts. Shatner is one of the hottest people in the business and people love him as Kirk. I think Nimoy himself said it would a better film with Shatner in it.
I am not ashamed to say I want to see the real Kirk alive and well.
Good luck to the new actors who are playing these roles but I really don’t care much either way about them. I didn’t grow up with them and they will simply not mean as much to a younger generation that has many more options.
I think I speak for a lot of people when I say… Shove Shatner in as Kirk if it is the only way to save my boyhood hero.
Oh dear Lord.
what about if they had some shat footage from one of the movies and digitaly enhance it to fit in to the required scene? so we see him in his 50s when he still had that striking kirk look with the thick black curly hair.shat of 2day could do voice. i mean whats to stop old spock recalling a brief scene post TOS ..in the movie era? id rather see the sexy 80s shat than an 80 year old shat.
Without Shatner and Nimoy this new movie isn’t going to be good. Could it be possible to make star trek XI a computer animation movie and then put in the voices of Shatner and Nimoy as Kirk and Spock? Even though the game was never released, take a look at the intro to Secret of Vulcan Fury.
Once again a spock centered story. Oh well. So much for something new and different . But if this revolves around their meeting overall makes some sense..
The most talked about characters and aliens in all of trek and I don’t know why are the Vulcans and Klingons..
I share Nimoy’s dissatisfaction with Generations too and i hope the writers find a way to include Shatner in this film as Kirk.
what about if they had some shat footage from one of the movies and digitaly enhanced it to fit in to the required scene? then he would have that striking kirk look with the thick black curly hair. shat of 2day could do voice. whats to stop old spock recalling a brief scene post TOS …in the movie era. id rather see the sexy 80s shat than an 80 year old shat.
#51 You mean like when Picard holds a photo of his young self in “Nemesis” and it looks just like Shinzon? Or Kirk’s dog Butler, or Antonia. And Spock’s half brother Sybok. And McCoys’ dad. Stuff we never saw in TOS. This new film, if successful, will have certainly pulled off some kind of feat.
#78
You are alright by me DB. :-)
I gotta tell you though, I actually laughed out loud at your reply (#26) to #18 because I KNEW that you would be one to respond to it!
All kidding aside, you provide counterpoint to many of my thoughts regarding this film and make it enjoyable to post here.
#16, you want evidence that Shatner can be successful? How about a track record of BUILDING the franchise? Like William Shatner needs to audition. Does he need another Emmy nomination to show his viability? Oh wait, he has one.
What there is no evidence of is Star Trek being successful in the movies WITHOUT Shatner.
The man is an icon, and this is his most iconic role.
There is NO BIGGER name out there than William Shatner when it comes to Star Trek.
It would be HUGE if they brought him in. And it would put money in their pockets.
I felt a little ambivilent about Anthony’s post earlier today, but after reading all this, I have to say, I also wish every talkback on every post didn’t eventually come down to Shatner, pro and con. Can we hammer out an truce? Maybe only fight about Shatner every other new post? Maybe only on even numbered days? Or days beginning with ‘T’ (for ‘Tiberius’, natch)?
……And The Adventure Continues Again!
……And The Human Adventure Continues Again!
“85. Shove Shatner In!!!” No comment to you except your sour and negative and attitude is a blemish on you character.
“94. Still Kirok” “What there is no evidence of is Star Trek being successful in the movies WITHOUT Shatner.” First contact was hugely successful and well recieved by fans and critics alike many fans list First Contact as being their favorite Trek movie.
“The man is an icon, and this is his most iconic role.” Icon? How do you get this? I mean go up to anyone on the street and ask them to name the first Iconic actor to come to mind and I promise you will not hear the name Shatner. You will hear names like Sean Connery, Bruce Willis, Al Pacino, Tom Hanks… The list goes on. Sorry I love Trek and I love TOS but Shatner is not an ICON.
“There is NO BIGGER name out there than William Shatner when it comes to Star Trek.” I am sorry I don’t think thats true. His name was Roddenberry.
“It would be HUGE if they brought him in. And it would put money in their pockets. ” Sorry this is not the case…. Need proof look at ST:V that was a Shatner-fest palooza he even directed it and the dismal returns go to show how good it was… Secondly as I have said on this sight I am in the education field and I tell you what. To kids Star Trek is that “Old Fart Show” and guess what to kids the bloated aged Shatner represents that “Old Fart Show” in its entirety. Shatner is no longer young and attractive like Snake pointed out he is old, fat and unappealing to the general public.
Last news flash in case you hadn’t figured it out yet. The actors, writers, and director may play nice to you the Old School Fans but they are not making this movie for you by any means. They are making this movie to draw in a new younger fanbase because face it “our youth is our future”… The old fan base with its negative purist attitude which B&B tried to sell to has been dieing down since the 90’s and it is time to look for new fans.
When your fighting to earn and impress a general audience that could care less about Star Trek and in truth is pained to watch a Trek film the 1st thing you need to do is throw away the old… Throw away the old book and replace it with a new. Because the old is boring and unappealing to everyone but the waning core of fanboys. They are putting Nimoy in the film for you fanboys to make you happy because they know he will draw you in. Don’t be fooled though this will be about a new hipper, edgier, sexier (than TOS ever was if we are lucky) crew to try and suck life back into the franchise with new blood.
The way I see it is you can have one of two outlooks… Change your purist straight edged unwaivering fanboy attitudes and accept that the new ringmasters are going to try and give you a fresh breath of new and fun Trek although it may be a bit different than what you think it should be.
Or… The second option is that you can remain steadfast in your negativity and opposition and refuse to change with the times and accept the new. Guess what happens to people and cultures that refuse to change with the times and accept the new… They become extinct.
Aaron R.
I personally think a story told from Spock’s perspective would make for an interesting character study. It could be an opportunity to observe both human foibles and the “better angels of our nature”. This does not meant the story has to play out like Spock’s biopic, but it could help us to understand how Spock came to respect, and ultimately befriend his very human captain.
Need truth of how unappealing Shat is to the general public look at the dismal failure if that gameshow he hosted… No one wanted to see a fat bloated shat dancing all over the place… ::Shudder::
Aaron R.
With all due respect to you, Aaron R., I always thought Shatner’s game show failed not because of Shatner, but because nobody wanted to see an overblown rip-off of “Deal or No Deal”.
And please stop ranting about emmy nods… The day the Academy considers Shatner for an Oscar then I will be impressed… Look at who has one Emmy’s Maura West, Jordan Clarke, Erika Slezak, Chad Brannon, Christine Lahti, Kathy Baker, Roseanne Arnold (yeah shes an Icon)… Need I go on… No one in hollywood cares if you get an emmy its the Oscar that counts…
I don’t apologize usually but in this case I will… Sorry about my bad spelling when I get on this site I tend to type fast and get to in a hurry and heated to care…
Aaron R.
#98Aaron
well said.
Shatner is currently on TV. When the Academy starts nominating TV shows for Oscars, we can talk. Meanwhile, Shatner is a 2 time Emmy winner and a 5 time nominee. It’s an award for acting excellence.
You can Shatner bash all you want, but the man has been in the business for 50 years, and is still going strong.
He will bring people to the theater because like it or not, Shatner IS the big topic. Shatner IS what people are talking about. His absence is getting as much news as Nimoy’s presence. Nimoy WANTS him in the movie.
He sure doesn’t need to audition.
Oh, and First Contact was very overrated. It also had the largest budget to date, and when you adjust for inflation, it’s right in the middle–not even close in grosses to the first 4 original series movies.
In Star Trek, there is no bigger icon than William Shatner. The so called A-list actors you named all are good actors, none will appear in Star Trek XI, and none ever created a character as iconic as Kirk. Not even James Bond.
Nimoy knows this too, which is why he told Abrams the movie would be better with Shatner in it.
I am a fan of Shat I just hate people who play like he is more than he is… And Shatner has been in many movies and never nominated and I am sorry to tell you this but TV actor is not half as prestigous as movie star…
I point again to his failed game show as proof of his non popularity…
William Shatner as Captain Kirk
http://www.physics.unc.edu/~reichart/krksmll.jpg
William Shatner as someone who should not be playing Captain Kirk
http://www.tv.com/william-shatner/person/4053/photos.html
Not enough CGI at ILM to turn back that much time.
Time to hang em’ up Billy!
#105 StillKirok
No one has said Shatner’s out yet, that’s direct from Abrams mouth. Nimoys’ said that it’s not up to him and defers to Abrams.
It’s still an unknown. but I think we’ll know within a few weeks either way.
And I would be willing to bet anything that Nimoy himself may be instrumental in finding the solution for having Shatner in the film. These two are not just any actors playing a random character. They are, as quoted by director Robert Wise himself in ST:TMP, LIVING LEGENDS!
WILLIAM SHATNER WILL RETURN!
Better closeup
http://www.tv.com/photos/viewer.html?type=21&ref_id=4053&ref_type_id=104&expand=1&picnum=13
Hotdog thank you for illustrating my point… He is not handsome or attractive anymore…. Doesn’t even look very heroic in that last shot does he…
Aaron R.
I don’t think the movie will fail or succeed based on Shatner, but I think those pics are quite unfair. If you saw his recent convention appearance with Nimoy, Shatner has lost a great deal of weight and looks pretty damn good.
>”It would be HUGE if they brought him in. And it would put money in their >pockets. ” Sorry this is not the case…. Need proof look at ST:V that was a >Shatner-fest palooza he even directed it and the dismal returns go to >show how good it was… Secondly as I have said on this sight I am in the >education field and I tell you what. To kids Star Trek is that “Old Fart >Show” and guess what to kids the bloated aged Shatner represents >that “Old Fart Show” in its entirety. Shatner is no longer young and >attractive like Snake pointed out he is old, fat and unappealing to the >general public.
>Last news flash in case you hadn’t figured it out yet. The actors, writers, >and director may play nice to you the Old School Fans but they are not >making this movie for you by any means. They are making this movie to >draw in a new younger fanbase because face it “our youth is our >future”… The old fan base with its negative purist attitude which B&B >tried to sell to has been dieing down since the 90’s and it is time to look >for new fans.
Allow me give a little history lesson to the good educator. The 90’s was the heyday of Trek. It was piloted by B&B as so many posters here enjoy bashing. TNG and DS9 actually brought in a lot of new young fans. I was one of them. Those shows not only survived, but brought in all kinds of new, younger fans while still respecting canon. TNG was the highest syndicated TV show ever. Still to this day, it’s ratings have not been touched. It even led some fans to start watching TOS. Unification was one of TNG’s highest rated episodes. So it’s clear that the best way to run Trek would be to bring in both new fans and old. Alienating the old dying breed would be a mistake and not one I believe the creative team making this movie will do.
This has become the Aaron R. thread. You’ve more than made your point, sir. I’m reminded of an old expression about belaboring a deceased equine (as opposed to pursuing some wild aquatic fowl).
It can definitely still be a very good film without Shatner…but I still think I’ll walk out of the theater feeling like something was missing if he’s not in it. That’s pretty much the way Unification felt to me as well.
I am optimistic about the film either way….I believe it’s going to be ten times as good as Nemesis. At least I hope it is.
TTM
AS I SEE IT THERE ARE 2 WAYS TO BRING KIRK BACK IN TO THE FOLD THROUGH SPOCK, ETHIER BY THE GAURDIAN OF FOREVER, OR THE NEXUS FROM GENERATIONS!!!IT WOULD BE A FITTING END TO BRING BACK BOTH KIRK AND SPOCK!!!! AS KIRK SAID IN STARTREK 5 I LOST A BROTHER ONCE AND I GOT HIM BACK!!!!
Give it a rest with Kirk, Shatner is a joke now
btw I think Aaron R has hit on the head, audiences don’t want to see unattractive people playing attractive characters, this could even be a bigger reason why Insurrection and Nemesis failed where First Contact didn’t. The TNG crew were looking pretty ragged by then too.
#95: “It would be HUGE if they brought him in. And it would put money in their pockets.”
You keep saying this. You have yet to defend it with facts or logic.
If this film is as “successful” as the last three “Star Trek” films that featured William Shatner the studio is going to be *very* unhappy. :lol:
Anyone with a memory will recall that plotlines for the Trek movies have always been very guarded. I will bet a paycheck that the Shat will appear in this new film, and his presence will be denied by everyone up until the moment the theater goes dark on the premiere. Wait and watch.
As for the sidebar anti-Shat stuff, some find it hard to accept that Trek is TOS first and foremost. The other spinoffs had their moments, but they just don’t occupy the same cultural status, or carry the same emotional attachment.. Someone mentioned Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks. With all due respect, they are small potatoes. Kirk and Spock are contemporaries of The frigging BEATLES. They are the Beatles of TV. Some have passed away, like Scotty and McCoy, but there are still two Trek Beatles alive; the two MAIN ones. It would be a shame to not try and get them together again before another is lost. All I’m saying.
108 Aaron
“I point again to his failed game show as proof of his non popularity…”
I don’t watch Boston Legal, but it seems to me that Mr. Shatner seems to have a lot of popularity from that.
#!22
TOS officially ended with Trek VI, anything else involving them has only been a treat to the fans. In the end the new film will be a new version of the old show, but still new, the old show for all intents and purposes is over and can never really be replaced, BBK people need to realize this
I say Shatner’s in.
Just wait for the announcement.
Oh who am I kidding, I love Shatner, bring him back!
Holy crap, enough with the Shatner talk! This place is starting to sound as retarded as AICN.
What’s a cerotic artery?
good interview Anthony. So a Spock centered adventure. so Shatner will no be in it. He will not Play Robin to Spock’s Batman. The Writers could put in Joseph KIrk (Kirks Alien Shatnerverse son) to Play Robin. That way we know he was resurrected. Shatner can be in Star Trek XII(45th Anniversary Picture (2011)) Of course they would have to film the Shatner Scenes Summer 2008 (Post Production Time)creating a buzz that Shatner could be added to Star Trek 2008. If XII is not Greenlighted then Paramount could make a direct to DVD of Shatner’s final Kirk Appearance to Recoup the Money they Paid to Shatner.
Jesus Christ, just Bring Back Kirk
I’m sorry I just wanted to get in the middle of this.
That shove Shatner in post #86 is a classic..
129
They never said Shatner will not be in it.
As a matter of fact J.J. Abrams said he will do everything possible to get Shatner in.
No worries about the Shat. He’ll be there.
“122. Formerly Todd Ramsay, but I edited my name, hastily, to meet a firm release date. - August 2, 2007″ I was ok with your post until you started comparing Shatner and Nimoy to the Beatles… Whats next Kirk is compared to Jesus? Really now….
As for this being my thread (steve623) that is not the case…. This was becoming the thread of people crying havoc at no Shatner and I just had to respond… I am sorry but I still feal that no Shatner is a blessing to this film… It may be a blessing and a curse in ways but still has its advantages.
Stanky - “I don’t watch Boston Legal, but it seems to me that Mr. Shatner seems to have a lot of popularity from that.” —-That show had ratings before and would still have ratings if Shatner left the show today…
Kevin - “Allow me give a little history lesson to the good educator.” LOL thats historical… (Spelling intended) Kevin I am 24 and DS9 by far is my favorite show look at my name it always has a Captain Sisko reference. While I respect TOS and look forward to its re-imagining (god some people just wet themselves because I said re-imaging) I know all to well what it means to be a younger fan of Trek. As a younger fan who has grown up into a man with people bashing me all my life about Trek and my like for said franchise I have come to greatly understand the general audiences dislike of Star Trek sort of a keep your enemies close and understand their ways thing you know. And when I became a teacher (being a uber observant follower of the human condition anyways) I took careful note of my own Students reactions to Trek… Off hand comments about posters on my walls of Kirk Spock and Mccoy different things said to me directly about Star Trek and so forth. What I know and know for sure is that the old Trek formula is dead. Kirk is representitive of the old. What the next generation (punn unintentional) needs is fresh, sexy, edgy, etc etc (New BSG opposed to old is same way) and even if these things are done you know what the bottom line is… I fear Star Trek as a franchise may be beyond repair with the next generation of veiwers which would make any movie with any cast a futile effort as Trek would then be doomed to go extinct as I commented on earlier.
Aaron R.
Aaron
Who said the following to J.J. Abrams?
“Star Trek XI would be a better film with William Shatner in it?”
A/ Still Kirok
B/ VOODOO
C/ Dennis Bailey
D/ Xai
E/ Leonard Nimoy
The answer is (E) Leonard Nimoy.
Doesn’t that say it all?
Aaron - There is no such thing as Boston Legal “before” Shatner. He has been on that show from the start. In fact, he was a guest star on the Practice episodes that led to the spin-off (for which he was nominated for a guest star emmy).
Generations should not stop Shatner from being written in as Kirk for one last time. Any necessary backstory could be briefly referenced in dialogue.
Watch Star Trek II, Star Trek III and then Generations (or at least fast forward through to the key scenes). It is jarring — Kirk’s pointless demise diving for a remote control does not fit the character or the franchise. Generations is not a favorite of many TOS or TNG fans, no harm would be done by giving Kirk the happy ending he deserves.
Re 133:
“Doesn’t that say it all?”
No, it doesn’t.
You left out that Nimoy is leaving it up to Abrams to see if there’s a way to get Shatner in it or not. And you left out that Nimoy thought that the script for XI was so great he absolutely wanted to be a part of it, even though there wasn’t a part for Shatner.
THAT says it all right there, my friend.
Aaron R.- they tried fresh, young and sexy. It was called Enterprise. Sexy is not enough to bring in younger fans. Rebooting and violating canon pisses off hard core Trek fans. In the end, no one watches it. Now, if you can do young and sexy, plus bring in original cast members and not violate canon you have a much more diverse audience and better chances at making a success. I realize that everyone here is concentrating on the original cast members and he (they) will probably not have very large parts. The bulk of the movie will more than likely follow the new cast. That’s fine. The way it works, is you get the hardcore fans’ butts in the seats along with the casual movie goers. You give them the chance to except new actors portraying these roles so they’ll come back for more. You keep in mind that a total reboot will not bring in the fans and the name Star Trek isn’t going to bring in the captain of the high school football team.
Whether you like it or not, Star Trek will always be associated with geeks and nerds. It’s sci-fi and- it’s thinking man’s sci-fi. If you have the IQ of a Whopper, you’re not going to get it. That generally makes stupid people mad when someone intelligent gets something that he can not. I have no desire to see Star Trek dumbed down to some WB/CW pretty white kids with problems show to appeal to the popular kids. If they wanna do “The Real World: Enterprise” no one’s gonna see it. Not the fans because… well let’s face it, that idea sucks. Not the popular kids, b/c it has to do with Star Trek.
Sorry 134. Finnegan I am not a fan of long drawn out court shows like Law and Order, Ally McBeal, or even Boston Legal they are not of interest to me so I guess my shows are off a bit.
“Kirk’s pointless demise diving for a remote control does not fit the character or the franchise.” —— If he cared about the character and not the dollar signs Shatner would have refuse this arguement is now mute since its obvious he didn’t care at the time and probably still doesn’t care… I promise all Shat sees right now are dollar signs!!!
Kevin - “Aaron R.- they tried fresh, young and sexy. It was called Enterprise. Sexy is not enough to bring in younger fans.” —- Sorry someone thought Scott Bakula was young edgy and sexy? Did I miss the staff meeting?????
As far as what else you say Kevin it needs to try and bring in everyone even the Jock quarterback. Hey are you badmouthing people that like sports because I happen to love all sports???
Aaron R. again- actually yes, there were lots of people who though Bakula was sexy. I didn’t see the attraction personally, but I knew people in their early twenties who though Bakula was hot. Not to mention Jolene Blalock, Linda Park, Anthony Montgomery and Connor Trinneer. These people ran around half naked half of the time and Blalock wore clothes similar to Seven of Nine (another attempt at using sex to bring people in).
And on the sports thing, I’m stereotyping just as much as you have been. Is it entirely accurate? No. Neither is saying that all young people look at Shatner as being nothing but old and Star Trek is for old people.
You’re in your twenties, I’m in my twenties. Still relatively young and with many years ahead of us. If you can enjoy DS9 and I can enjoy TOS through VOY and even some of ENT as they got CLOSER to something resembling what Trek was, why can’t a new generation enjoy something that fits in with all of those shows and movies? We both came in late in the game. Trek had been around years before we were born. But we still discovered and enjoyed it. We learned what had transpired through out the years. Shatner and Nimoy weren’t sex symbols during the eighties and nineties but still found success in Trek. They were still filling those roles as TNG was enjoying all it’s success.
And one more thing, just because you don’t like Boston Legal doesn’t mean it’s not popular. I don’t watch it anymore either, I like Fox’s Sunday night line up too much. I acknowledge the fact though that it is popular.
Awesome job on the interview, Anthony!!
I’m a fan of the Shat and confess the Shatnobabble (thanks, #46 for that!)is starting to get a little tiresome. How about adding some sort of meter to the site that tracks each reference? Wait a minute - that might encourage more.. How about automatically closing topics when a certain threshold is reached..
Anyway, I digress. I agree with others who’ve stated this before. What better stamp of approval could JJ Abrahms et al get? Thanks for the interview and site!!
Kevin- your post was thougtful and provocative. After all we are just Star Trek fans all alike, aren’t we? I’m done with the discussion over weither Shatner will appear in the film or not. So, Live Long and Prosper. You have some very good points.
Aaron R.
P.S. I think its time for a hug…..
Look seriosly intense, bordline, rabid Trek fans (this means you too husband!) I love the Shat. He is and will forever be a HUGE part of what is Trek. However, I am interested in seeing this series go through a revival and gain a new younger fan base.
J.J Abrams and team is a way to achieve this goal. They have a unique storytelling style that draws in the current generation of movie goers. Their names and reputation alone will draw the average movie goer. Better yet, they also have what seems to be a reverence for all that is Trek, as well as, it’s fans. This can only be GOOD!
If Shatner is in the film in a meaningful fashion that doesn’t completly disregard previous cannon then great, but if they are just shoving him in there to shove him in there I’d rather due without, thanks.
As for those who have made comparisons to Shatner and Nimoy being like the Beatles. May I please have some of whatever you are smoking?? Seriously, Trek has its place in popular culture it can be considered iconic and all of that, but it is simply not the same as the arguably most succesful band of all time.This is why we fans of Trek get such a bad rap as geeks and nerds and the like….due to dilusions of grandure by the few…it’s pure craziness.
Until next time. \\//_
Shatner? HMMNNMNN? there are those that degrade the Shat and diminish his contribution to Trek… See TNG and *Enterprise* fans ie, DB.
I’m not a Bring Back Kirk guy, but he is THE icon of Star Trek. There’s no debating the fact that one of the first things that people world wide think of when they see Star Trek is Captain Kirk AKA William Shatner.
Shat is the Shiz-Nit! I’m loving that Nimsy’s attached, but I still think that the Shat will bring more viewers.
Shat has bankabilty, he’s a name and an icon of Star Trek that may not even be eclipsed by Nimoy.
Yeah, they killed off the Kirk in Gen, bad move, bad writing and bad plot device that served nothing!
Wait? They killed Spock. Are you going to tell me that there’s no way to bring back the KIRK! Sorry, but we’ve seen everything else…!
Kirk epitomises Trek! You can’t tell that to some of the KS Slash people, but it’s true.
Did you ever think that they are messing with us? Look what they did with Spock. No one knew until the movie hit the screen and we all know what a prankster Shatner is.
Yeah, Shat’s comin back, it’s in the cards. How can you not have Shat and have Nimsy and the Enterprise..?
If you are going to re-boot Trek, you should at least cover what the morons did in Gen and let the Kirk reboot his horrible death.
Jesus, he died falling off of a bridge!!!!!
Shatner must hate the way Nimoy has kept his hair.
I just want to point out that between the end of TOS and TMP Shatner has actually admitted to living iin his car and working crappy jobs due to lack of work. Other than TJ Hooker and Boston Legal..okay and you can count Rescue 911 if you must he has not been that comercially successful. I’m willing to bet that most of his financial stability comes from the royalties from TOS syndication combined with the hefty chunks of change he gets for convention apperances.
\\//_
Is this the same April that stoled my very verbage to start her new business with the help of REL and friends?
Greetings and Salutations…indeed!
Back to the Shat topic. The man is most well known for that one Character, in which he embodies the life and spirit of the Horatio Hornblower character in which he was originally developed (stolen) by GR.
What?? I don’t think so…….
the bring back kirk.com trailer shows us a way in which we can bring back kirk!!! lets do it!!!
Mr Nimoy is a living legend, he has put so much into this franchise, i just hope that this new film honours that!!
#145– so basically, you’re saying that other than 3 hit TV series’, Shatner has not been successful. I guess you have a point. In fact, outside of founding a multi-billion dollar company, Bill Gates hasn’t done anything either. And if you ignore keeping the country together and being President of the United States, Lincoln’s life was a complete failure. At the same time, take away his baseball career, and what did Babe Ruth ever do?
Look–no one is asking for canon to be tossed out the window. It’s clear Abrams is respecting that. But the character of Kirk deserves a happy ending, and Shatner, the icon of Star Trek, wants in to finally fix Generations. Nostalgia sells. Stallone played a 60 year old Rocky and is playing a 60 year old Rambo. Harrison Ford is coming back as Indy. And Nimoy will be back as Spock. Shatner should get the shot. Everyone will win except those who just live to bash Shatner. And even they will win because they will pay to see the movie just to bash him.
No one will get more mainstream attention for this movie than the return of the Star Trek legend, who is currently still on top.
Shatner + Nimoy = $$$$
It’s only logical.
BRING BACK KIRK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He doesn’t have to say ANYTHING about his death, just the fact he is alive at an older age on screen says enough!!! We dont NEED an explanation, we can use our IMAGINATION!!!!
HOW CAN YOU WATCH KIRK AS A HERO IN A NEW MOVIE IF HE DIES SO EASILY AT THE END!!!
BRING BACK KIRK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He doesn’t have to say ANYTHING about his death, just the fact he is alive at an older age on screen says enough!!! We dont NEED an explanation, we can use our IMAGINATION!!!!
Man, as Nimoy gets older it’s almost scary how much he looks like my Grandfather whom I was close to who passed in the mid-80s. Weird.
Otherwise, I’m looking forward to this more than ever before!
And let me say this to all you trek fans, I am a DIE HARD fan of the original crew, and I dont like any other trek- simply because of the technobabble. Sorry, im not a nerd, and I sort of hate all the other shows because if I say im a fan of star trek (or they see my dvds), they think its so dorky… when TOS was anything but, it was twilight zone in outer space. I finally convinced a few friends to watch some TOS episodes, and they thought they were great.
All the Trek shows that came after TOS ruined it. TNG was OK, but it never touched TOS.
So, as I was saying, BRING BACK KIRK!!!!! NO EXPLANATION NEEDED!!! Why do we need to know how he was brought back?? Or if he even died?? or whatever the hell.. it can be ANYTHING, hell it will be fun to debate how he was brought back… so dont give us this, he died garbage as if the spock return made ANY sense.. at least we wouldnt have a LAME explanation, we would have NO EXPLANATION AT ALL!!! :)
Yeah, BRING BACK KIRK so I can watch my TOS in peace knowing he didnt die like an idiot.
one MORE thing, its not about SHATNER, yeah he made a stupid choice.. its about KIRK!!! Everyone involved messed it up, so now is the chance to get it right for the CHARACTER!
Yay for Leonard…and yah for no technobabble too… ;)
It’s fantastic to see Spock again! Now bring back Kirk.
No Kirk - no magic!
For crying out loud in a bucket! Isn’t this thread about the NIMOY interview?!?!?!?!
Jesus, can you folks leave it be about Shatner for a while? I was hoping to come in here this morning and read some more conversation about the NIMOY interview, and all I see is more “Bring Back Shatner!” or something to the effect of it not being Trek if Shatner isn’t in it.
Kirk is my childhood hero, and James T. Kirk will be in the freaking movie! I was originally hoping that Shatner would be in the film, but seeing how folks here carry on about it, I could care less right now!!!!
You know, the technobabble thing is absolutely correct - and have you noticed that the best episodes of most all the series are the ones that don’t have it? TOS didn’t do technobabble that much; TNG’s “The Inner Light” had little or any of it; “The Best Of Both Worlds” had only a little bit (ironic considering they were dealing with a technological enemy); DS9’s “The Visitor” and “Far Beyond The Stars” only had a little bit. Since I wasn’t a huge fan of VOY I can’t list a best episode (sorry). The last season of ENT had arguably the best that series offered, and the better episodes had little or any technobabble (such as “The Forge”). All of these episodes had characters and relationships and examinations of the human condition at their central (well, except the ENT episode maybe) and that’s what made them good.
Either way, THE SHAT or not, I’m there…especially with Lenny in it. THE SHAT would make me even more excited, though!
#157, point taken, but in this part of the interview, he talked about Shatner being in the movie, and THAT is the big topic. THAT is the point of concern. THAT is the demand.
Nimoy also wants Shatner in the movie. He is on record as saying the movie would be better with Shatner. You can’t blame people for talking about that which they are most passionate about, and the Shatner issue is a cloud hanging over Abrams right now. He needs to make this happen because only then will people be able to focus on other things.
Without Shatner, this movie will be a disappointment no matter how good it is. Too many people want to see Shatner return as Kirk.
And I also agree about the technobabble. It has its place, but it was far too important in the latter shows.
Abrams says the movie is anchored around Spock (old and young). Nimoy says old Spock makes a real contribution to the story.
Everyone agrees the srcipt is excellent.
Therefore, there are two possibilities for Shatner being in the film.
1) They will have to significanly re-write the script
2) a cameo
The first option is unlikely, and we fans should be rooting for that option becasue the re-write almost certainly wont be better.
The second option won’t please anybody.
Eventually Abrams is going to have to admit that Kirk will not be in this film. He has to know this by now. Why string us along? Better to get it out now and move on.
#106: “like it or not, Shatner IS the big topic. Shatner IS what people are talking about. ”
No, Shatner is what a few obsessives on Trek message boards are talking about.
You want to know what the public in general cares about? Go check out Entertainment Weekly’s lengthy interview with Nimoy and Quinto and Abrams. Shatner’s name doesn’t come up, period.
You can try the “oh, who cares about the morons who read EW” dodge, but that’s not addressing the point: those people know who they’re selling their wares to, and it’s the general public that supports popular entertainment in a big way in this country. The news of a new Spock is interesting; they don’t care one way or another about Shatner.
Paramount would rather have another “First Contact” than another ST 5 or 6, BTW. Of course, they’d much rather have a film far more successful than any of those, which is why they’ve hired Abrams and are letting him do as he thinks best.
#162 what a load of cobblers.
Of course they aren’t talking about it in EW. But if it were announced tomorrow that Shat WOULD be in the film, EVERYONE would be talking about it………even more than they are now. And EW would be first in line. THAT is the point of bringing Shatner aboard…if at all possible. (a contingency already thought of by the writers, believe you me). If you can’t grasp that, I can’t help you.
Shatner had his chance to pass the flame in Generations. Nimoy ‘wisely’ side stepped Generations and waited for a more appropriate film. If Shatner had been thinking, and not agreed to kill off Kirk in Generations…then I would have been glad to see him pop into the film. This desperate grasping at straws to resurrect the character is truly short sighted. I think it’s enough to have Nimoy as Spock to tie the story together….and through him, Kirk WILL live again, through a different actor. I really don’t want to see JJ’s film weakened because of a silly notion that the film can’t be successful without Shatner in it. If the film is well done, it will be a success. Struggling to get Kirk into the story is just going to get this team off on the wrong foot, we don’t want Trek to keep repeating the same damned mistakes. The approach they are currently taking is plausible. I hope they don’t go off the deep end and ruin credibility by resurrecting the dead again. It was ridiculous enough with Spock.
Dennis (162), what’s with the Star Trek VI hatred? I get frustrated by the obsessives too, but why do you spend so much time talking up TNG Trek in an anti-TOS fashion? Surely that’s just stoking the fire in what is already a pretty silly fight!
By the way, the link accompanying your name takes me to a page with links to sex, hardcore sex and ass sex!
All I have to say is, if Abrams and the production team pour their time, energy, emotion and everything into making this movie, it does them proud and makes good money, all the whiners here have to say will be, “Shatner isn’t in it, so it was lousy”.
Don’t be surprised if they (Abrams, et al.) decide not to do another one for reasons close to you folks threatening and demanding - it ends up in the hands of another Berman to make the next film.
Now, THIS is much more entertaining…