Shatner Thinks Pine ‘Looks Good’ + Other TOS Stars Talk New Trek Stars

William Shatner may not be happy that he hasn’t (yet) been asked to be in the new Star Trek, but he does seem to like the choice of the new Kirk, Chris Pine


TOS Stars @ Scream Awards
This weekend Shatner attended the the Spike Scream awards along with Leonard Nimoy and rest of the TOS crew. As you would imagine each was asked by media outlets for their thoughts on the new stars of Star Trek, and they were all very positive. Walter Koenig told IESB that Anton Yeltsin was 13 years younger than he was when he started, and George Takei noted that John Cho is 7 years older than he was while Nichelle Nichols seemed confident that Zoe Saldana could ‘pull off’ wearing one of those red mini skirts.

The new Spock, Zachary Quinto was also at the event, and had this to say about the new film:

…we start filming in just a couple of weeks. It’s a really exciting time. It’s an incredible honor and I feel really humbled by it and really grateful that I’m doing it with the support of Leonard Nimoy and the original cast.

shatnimoyscream.jpg
Kirk and Spock Classic at Spike Scream Awards (TMZ.com)

For more Trek related pictures, video and more from the event – goto:
IESB, WhatsOnTV, TMZ, and CBR
[NOTE: more links will be added as more reports appear online]

OMG! Shat Snubbed By Lucas?!?
check out this headline


…this proves that you must believe everything you read on the Internet

Video courtesy of ShatnerVision

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I don’t care what anyone else says about the TOS stars (Shatner included), but I’ve always found them to be a classy group (in public anyway).

Is this Shatner’s way of saying, “bring me on board for the movie and I’ll play nice”??

Well that sounded sincere, didn’t it? You can almost see him spitting under his breath.

I’m sure it’s gotta feel pretty weird to them to see new actors playing their parts now.

Paul, thank you so much! You made my week.

Way to go, BIll! Doesn’t look like he has any animosity to me. Interesting that he zeroed in on what many of us were saying too – the Kirk actor should have a theatrical background.

So far I’m liking Pine and I want him to be a big success. But we love you, Bill, and you’ll always be THE Captain!

Shatner now NEEDS to be in this film….

otherwise fans will be like this in cinemas Xmas day 08 :

“OH Man i bet shatners at the start somehow”..*film starts* “oh christ theres Nimoy as Spock!!! *fans ejaculate in unison*…oohhhh man…wait wheres shatner? no shatner?…ok…thats ok fair enough he’ll be Kirks father..*half an hour later* “no shatner as kirks old man? they chose ***** ****** instead?..ok no worries I know what they’ve done – he’ll be at the end in a suprise cameo…*film ends* “WHAT THE F**K ?!? NO SHATNER!!! HOW THEF**K COULD THEY !?! WHAAAAAAAAAAA THIS IS THE WORST FILM EVER WHHHHAAAAAAAAA !!!”

*gets on mobile to tells friends not to bother seeing it/goes on trekweb, trekmovie.com etc and posts about how childhood has been raped*

H e was playing nice, but seemed a bit irritated. like ok you damn trekkies leave me alone with this movie already. wht will be will be its not up to me attitude.
Personally I hope they find away to get him in. They are having Kirk’s parent in the movie and Pike, plus some other fleet Captin, could this be Commodore April, Comodore Decker, or Admiril T’Pol?
The point is let get the rest of these flushed out along with what the F or the modifications to the Enterprise then lets work about the Shat.

I hope that one of the surprises is that Nimoy will do double duty as Sarek ( not holding my breath)

*LOL* at number 7 thatis so f-ing true. *LOL*

Sounds like an endorsement to me.

And #7: “fans ejaculate in unison” …OMG, too funny.

7 – I don’t think it’ll matter much in terms of ticket sales, honestly. All the diehard trekkies are going to go see it opening day/weekend no matter what.

Agreed. By that point fans will know definitively whether Shatner is in the movie or not (whether it’s announced or just leaks out), and won’t be surprised if he doesn’t show up on screen.

The Shat was respectful but you could tell that it was killing him to talk about it. Inside he was thinking “my God, I am no longer Kirk!! ” “SSSHHH——T!!!!!!!!” I have got to be in this movie!!”

Or, I could be wrong and he realized long ago this day would eventually come and he is fine with it.

sadly, to me shatner does not look interested in this issue. may be he’s very dissapointed not to have been asked ( or so were told) and is upset. on the other hand abrahms says he is ‘deserately looking for away to get him in it’. so its confusing. Shatner needs to be in this movie…badly. you cant do it properly without him. there would always be that hanging over it. nimoy and shatner must be signed up together. PLEASE

Shatner is looking good! Is he trying to lose weight so he can fit in the space suit again?

Hmmmm….

“Galloping around the universe is a game for the young, doctor.”

I wonder if Mr. Shatner realizes the baton passing is for real this time, and that there is a chance he might not be included in the ceremonies.

Yeah. They better fit him in into the movie somehow. It’s the human thing to do.

Wow, Nimoy is looking really thin and gaunt in that pic (well, more than usual anyway).

I love William Shatner, I really do… he will always be Captain Kirk, but eh… he didn’t have to sign up to killing himself off in Generations. I remain hopeful eitherway, if Nimoy is in there’s gotta be room for Shat, surely- this could be the last opportunity for him to be Kirk again. Nimoy has got his…

If only this was really a ‘re-imagining’ or whatever, instead of another attempt to wedge something into the bloated and wheezing continuity. Generations? Did it really happen? It contradicts some stuff in TNG, can’t STXI contradict some stuff in it? :p

Here’s how to keep Shatner in the movie:

Have him do the classic “Space, the final frontier..” narration at the end of the film as, I suspect, the new crew begins their five year mission. It might not be a lot for him to do, but it would be majestic.

One of the toughest elements of the Kirk character for Pine to equal in quality compared to Shatner will be voice-over narrations — if, that is,they’re part of the new movie. As a framing device, Kirk’s “Captain’s Log” entries were always beautifully spoken.

Shatner would have been a great radio actor.

“Galloping around the universe is a game for the young, doctor.”

Indeed. Look kids, Shatner being or not being in the movie is not going to dent sales or boost sales in any relevant way. I love the guy (even his music) but let’s not overstate things. Anyone here who is bitching that Billy won’t be in the film is still going to go see it several times and by the dvd and download it, and…

Shat has made millions from this role. Millions many times over. If money weren’t the issue and it was just that the guy wanted to be in it even as a small way as a send off and final connection to something that has been a major part of his life he would not be saying that he would NOT do a cameo. So ego and cash are involved here and it’s sad for him but he’s just not esential to the mix.

Let’s move on.

That being said, I want him back for at least a sentimental cameo and moment with Leonard even it’s just him as a recording as a captian’s log or something.

But again, let’s move on.

We as fans are being given something amazing in the rebirth of something so important to us… TOS. This is not some Berman hacked up cookie-cutter spin-off. THIS IS TOS!!! Let’s focus on what’s ahead and the possibilities of how this may continue for many more years. We don’t have Shat back but we do have KIRK and the rest of the gang. It’s all pretty amazing when you consider that this was a canceled television show from 40 f-ing years ago.

I’ve been involved with the series on a very tangental way with having friends work on the TNG – ENT shows both in front of and behind the camera. I’ve written for Star Trek Communicator and hung out on the sets during filming (and swipped many a sweet prop from starships and spacestations) so,in addition to be a fan, I’ve had a real connection to what has been done from a personal point of view. With that being said and my biases that come out of that, I think we are in for something with hi snew film and team that will wipe the deck withwhat we’ve had on the small and big screen for the last 20 years. This is huge and the team behind it is killer.

Can we stop the Shatner talk and hand-wringing and focus on the coolness that is about be bestowed on us?

What are you going to do when you like Pine better than Shatner as Kirk? Get ready for it. I have a feeling that that will be the case.

has anyone noticed… when you look at the startrek.com main page you’ll see pictures of urban and pike… well, compare the two :D

suggestion for new poll: should the 1701-E have a cameo apperance?

To rephrase what I just said and sum it up…

SHUT UP ABOUT SHATNER.

I feel bad for the Shat…

I was watching the “Captain’s Log” series, specifically what Shatner had to say about Captain Kirk. He said that the one thing he tried to keep consistent was a sense of wonder and adventure. Once I started looking for it, it was certainly there. I hope that Shatner and Pine can sit down and talk about the character, so at least that one part stays intact.

However, Shatner is the new Sean Connery; beloved as the character, but no longer in the part. He will always be the best James Kirk, but at the end of the day, James Kirk is just another character, and another skin can inhabit him. I don’t care weather or not Shatner is in this film or not. I would like very much to see him come back as the indomitable Captain James T. Kirk. However, I came to terms with the fact that this was unlikely a long time ago. My focus during this endeavor has been to preserve the characters, and not the actors. Granted, the actors played these parts for 25 years, and have become a part of each other. However, they are just characters; and the lesser ones (Sulu, Uhura, Checkov and others) still have a large canvas to explore. Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and to a lesser extent Scotty have less free space, and my hope is that elements of their characters are still there with these new actors in place.

I hope that Pine plays Kirk with that sense of “wow” that William Shatner talked about in those videos. If he does, and manages to preserve the character while bringing something new, I, as a fan, will be incredibly happy.

I am amazed at the things people can read into a short video clip like this.

re:20. Luke Montgomery – October 22, 2007
“What are you going to do when you like Pine better than Shatner as Kirk? Get ready for it. I have a feeling that that will be the case.”

GoooWaaaaHaaaaaHaaaaaHaaaaaHaaaa :)

Oh SH*T! i got my TWOK quote wrong. All those fires outside must impairing my memory. That’s it. I’m demoting myself to waste extraction.

Didnt he sign a contract giving him some control or leeway in the decision of who was to play the young James Tiberius Kirk???

Curious

and for Pete’s sake quit calling this movie TOS.

TFSTM maybe ;)

I don’t even call the TOS-based movies 1-6 “TOS.” There are only about eighty hours of TOS, and never will be any more.

Good for Shatner. As others have said, very classy attitude.

That piece was rehearsed.Especially when He looked at Pine’s shot (for the first time?). You can’t blame Him either.There must be a great deal of mixed feelings on His part. I admire the effort.It’s going to take Bill a little while.He’ll be the better for it.Especially when He separates Kirk from His own “identity”.

He doesn’t look bitter at all. He’s just speaking candid in the very same way he does on all his vids. He’s chatting to his daughter just like you would chat around the coffee table to a friend. If he’d have had a grin he would have been accused of over-reacting to hide his jealousy. There was nothing in that vid that didn’t come across as genuine.

He has nothing to lose by saying “this kid looks awful”. As far as he’s aware Star Trek is through with him. But thankfully, the Shat is not through with Star Trek.

if shatner isnt in it then id rather they (nimoy and shat) werent in it at all. then we might have a completely new start for this new crew. i of course will go and see it if shatner isnt in it – goes without saying- but if he was then for me at least, it would be the icing on the cake. to see nimoy and shat as kirk and spock one more time would be very emotional indeed.

ys you can do the film with out them but if its nimoy only id feel like something was always missing. wouldnt it be great to see the original capt kirk meet his younger version. now that really is handing the baton over instead of that nonsense in ‘Generations’. cheers
Greg
UK

30 Jon .Different than 18 Jon.

just made a comment and not seeing it posted….hmmm?

I’ve always said and believed that it would make a HUGE difference if they were to rename the entire cast. Just their names not the actors. Why do they insist on using the names of a old cast with new actors? Sounds like nothing but trouble to me. After all you wouldn’t call Chocolate Vanilla would you? It is what it is and its as simple as that as I don’t think they should try to recast a old crew with new actors. Also….why must they use a Constellation class starship? I would certainly think that they would consider using a different or perhaps even a new ship that we never seen before except in blueprints. Well we can only hope that the story is good enough to deter us away from this obvious blunders.

32. I agree, without Shatner in it but Nimoy there, there would be something missing. Look at the Kirk scenes in Generations (as bad as the film was), I enjoyed them but it wasn’t right, especially at the beginning not having Spock. I feel they may make that same mistake again. :(

And I really hope this brings about a new era for Trek on TV too. I’m gagging for a Section 31 show with bashir in it (it’ll never happen tho).

My guess:
William Shatner is used to top billing. The older Kirk role isn’t top billing; it’s a cameo, designed for him to appear after the timeline is altered (thus enabling technology updates, different NCC-1701 changes, costume tweaks, etc.).

Shatner is frustrated as this is the LAST time he will be appearing as Kirk. He wants more lines, more onscreen presence, etc. – and the script doesn’t call for it.

And Leonard Nimoy is getting the spotlight. Not a cameo, but a meaty role.

Can we PLEASE all agree that all the Shatner arguments have been MADE already??

We really don’t need another 500 posts here repeating the same exact points.

#11 With respect, the die hard Trek fans are not really the point. They will be there because it says Star Trek on the tin. Some of these people may have even enjoyed Voyager for crying out loud!

Shatner reaches out beyond that. To casual fans, to non Trek geeks, to people who have fond memories of Kirk and Spock from their childhood but have not followed every episode of every weaker spin off since.

Again, not trying to offend, this is just my opinion, but Kirk and Spock (Shatner and Nimoy) makes this a HUGE event.

Spock on his own? Great for Trekkers but not reaching out for the larger cultural impact that they SO want this film to have.

Keep the faith.

When Shatner finally gets around to talking about somebody other than himself, he really exudes amazing enthusiasm, doesn’t he? (tongue firmly planted in cheek)

There’s no evidence at all that William Shatner is a big box office draw at the movies, sorry. If that were the case, he’d have headlined more than a few – but in fact, for a quarter of a century he’s been a movie star *only* in films that were directed primarily at “Trekkers” – that is, old-style “Star Trek” movies.

RE; #37
My guess:
William Shatner is used to top billing. The older Kirk role isn’t top billing; it’s a cameo, designed for him to appear after the timeline is altered

Sort of like “The Search for Spock” in reverse, where we wait 2 hours to see an newly-old Spock quizzically greet his friends.

I also have to admit, I really would rather this movie were starting fresh, not as a reboot, or re-imagining, but simply being presented as previously untold adventures of Kirk and Company, without all the continuity, timeline, and canon baggage the introduction of old Spock carries with it. I’d prefer to see this movie as if there were no TOS to compare it to, as may no doubt be the case for many of the younger viewers who might just see this film. It really needs to stand on its own.

Originally, I would have thought Kirk could have done an intro narration, ending in something like “I am James T. Kirk and this is my story….”, but I’m not completely certain any more that Kirk is actually the star, at least this time around.

He’s not (a box office draw).Star Trek is.Outside of Star Trek He’s not box office.Star Trek was a unique situation.

#22 No. Never.

Still keeping the faith.

If it were up to me, I might have Shatner and all of the original players appear in one or more cast “bridge crew” photos in future-Spock’s domicile. Unless he’s still living in ancient Romulan catacombs or something. Such evidence of his presence would be unwise in that case.

Imagine what it would be like if they rebuilt the set for Kirk’s San Francisco apartment, which Starfleet has kept unmolested for 90 years, and Spock went there to reminisce or find some item or important journal entry.

#38-
“Can we PLEASE all agree that all the Shatner arguments have been MADE already??

We really don’t need another 500 posts here repeating the same exact points. ”

And why not? This is a Shatner themed story and a Shatner themed thread. Let both sides debate to their hearts content. If someone doesn’t like it they can hop over to the “Gamesters” story. This IS the place for such discussion.

It’s only when this kind of talk gets going in non-related threads that it’s a problem.

I have only posted here once or twice. I check out the site everyday and read with great interest the responses from everyone about this and that. Here lately it is about THE Shat not being in the movie. (As Far As WE Know!). I have been a fan since I was a kid and caught the “ORIGINAL” series in it’s first run on NBC. I watched the other series and in my opinion none have ever come close to the ORIGINAL. I would love nothing more for Shatner to be in it the new movie, but I think for the most part he shot himself in the foot by being in “Generations” and allowing them to kill Kirk off. That whole movie was stupid as hell anyway. If JJ and Co. can come close to the original as far as story telling I say bring it on. And for all you doomsayers who are whining, you better hope this movie is great or I believe it will be the nail in the coffin and kill the franchise for 10 years or more.

I asked this question in the wrong thread, but I’m really interested to know the answer.

Let me ask this question to the Pro-BBKers/Anti-TNG crowd.

Would you accept the inclusion of at least two TNG cast member cameos if it meant the undoing of Kirk’s death in this film?

I ask this question because some of the most venomous TNG haters (Who just absolutely wish beyond anything that Gene had never created them, and in most cases refuse to acknowledge that he did create them) are those who are most loyal to Shatner/Kirk, and I wondered just how much would they accept to get Kirk back, even if it meant the inclusion of their “Enemy.”

Also, which TNG character do you think could feasibly fit into the Nimoy scenes?

#46

It’s not really “debate” though. It’s just people stating their position on the matter… the same way it’s been stated countless times before.

But oh well. Clearly there’s no stopping it anyway. :)

I must be one of the only people on Earth who likes Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and Star Trek Generations. They aren’t the best, but I think they each have enjoyable moments in them.