It’s time to start winding down our coverage for Star Trek Las Vegas with a report on one of the men that started it all. William Shatner was a highlight of the weekend and kept the close-to-capacity crowd entertained with anecdotes, jokes, and even some philosophical insights. Being Shatner, a good portion of the panel time was devoted to horses, which may be his greatest passion, but there was some good talk of Star Trek too.
William Shatner escorted to the stage at Star Trek Las Vegas 2017
Calls his Star Trek 2009 scene ‘fake news’ (it isn’t)
One of the more interesting exchanges during his Q&A time in Vegas was when a fan started off saying he thought it was a shame Shatner was not in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek movie. Shatner emphatically agreed with an “I do too!” The fan apparently came prepared as he then asked Shatner about the scene written for him for the movie (which was exclusively revealed here at TrekMovie in 2009). Bill asked the fan where he saw the scene and the fan replied it was a “reliable source,” to which Shatner replied:
Reliable source? That’s fake news!…But seriously I have heard that story, but it has never been in my consciousness. I am not aware of that at all.
The fan then spent about 45 seconds describing the scene in detail (which involved Leonard Nimoy’s Spock giving Zachary Quinto’s Spock a recording of the original Kirk which would have been played by Shatner) until Bill stopped him and interjected:
That is the stupidest scene I have ever heard of! When I saw Leonard [Nimoy] in the first movie that J.J. [Abrams] made and he went back in time, I said to Leonard “You know you are old when you go back in time and you are still old!”… Those are gratuitous scenes! I want to play something – well the question is “How do you put this 50-year-older captain into that thing?”
William Shatner talking to a fan at Star Trek Las Vegas 2017
While TrekMovie has confirmed that the scene was indeed written for Shatner, one of the reasons it is not in his “consciousness” is that it was only pitched internally to the creative team. The group decided not to include it in the movie and therefore it was never presented to Shatner. Director J.J. Abrams felt at the time Shatner’s Kirk being killed off in Star Trek: Generations created too many complications for bringing him back. Abrams actually spoke about this last year:
In all the years we’ve been working on this, I’ve yet to hear a pitch that didn’t sound too contorted and contrived for an audience to swallow. And I’ve talked to him (Shatner) about it. If Kirk had lived there’d be an answer. But there’s something about his having died that makes it impossible.
Including Shatner would have changed this scene in the 2009 Star Trek movie
Giving Kirk ‘the look of eagles’
Another highlight of Shatner’s time was in response to a question from moderator Scott Mantz on how the actor “nailed” the character of Kirk right from the beginning of Star Trek. Shatner began noting that it was all about his training and specifically his work with the Stratford Festival in Canada, noting:
I was a trained classical actor. And the thing about heroes in Shakespeare is they are known. They are kings. They stand in a certain way. They speak. The phrase I heard was “the look of eagles” so you are always looking either to the horizon to see if the enemy is coming or into the future. There is something about being a hero that puts your shoulders back.
So when I came to Star Trek and I [talked] to [creator] Gene Roddenberry, he said to read the books of Horatio Hornblower and I read them and he was just an ordinary captain, but he had his eye on the horizon. Because in those days you didn’t know if a strange animal would swallow the ship. And Captain Kirk had the same problem [laughs] “I wonder if there is a strange animal that is going to swallow the Enterprise.” So I played it like a classical hero and that gave me a little advantage.
Shatner explains Kirk’s “look of eagles”
Praise for Star Trek’s other Gene
Shatner was also asked about the other Gene who had a major role in the original Star Trek, writer and producer Gene Coon. He was quick to note his admiration:
[Gene Coon] was a marine. He set the style, the laconic English style: “Yes and no, yes sir.” And middle words and not being effusive, but being efficient … he was terrific. I am reminded of [National Security Advisor H.R.] McMaster in the White House. He was a marine. “Yes, sir!” “No, sir!” That is the way the military works, you do your job and get going. And if I say to Sulu, “Turn left” you turn left! No, right! … can never remember which is starboard and port.
Shatner had high praise for Gene L. Coon
Waxing philosophically on death and life
With a William Shatner panel you never know where it will go, and in Vegas things turned somewhat serious. While discussing his acting process Bill then went on a tangent that showed how he is contemplating his own mortality:
Life is a process of learning. But when you die do you finally know and then you are dead? You will say “Oh, that’s …”[feigns death]…The corollary of all that is you don’t know anything. You go through life and you know two and two and a little bit about politics, but you don’t really know anything. Nobody knows anything. I have talked to astrophysicists and they are all guessing…I am so wary of death. I think it it was George Burns who said “I can’t die, I’m booked.” And I’m booked.
Later in the program in response to a fan asking what advice he would give his younger self, Bill again got philosophical:
I’ve lived all these years, and I wish I could sum up “well this is what the truth is.” There is no truth. Life goes on and then it ends and there is nothing you can do about it. You can struggle to try to perfect yourself and do better what you work is or try and lead a full life so you are giving as well as taking. You do all those things, but in the end the sweep of history takes you. Life takes you on its own flood plains and you don’t really have any control, so relax! Enjoy the journey because the ending you don’t want to get to. So keep your head above the water and look around you and realize you’re surviving and it’s going to be alright, no matter what happens, it’s going to be alright.
William Shatner gets philosophical at Star Trek Las Vegas 2017
Announces (possibly Star Trek) VR project
Of course Shatner will never stop working and during his time on stage he discussed a number of upcoming projects. This included a cryptic mention of something to do with VR that may be related to Star Trek:
I am going to be doing a big thing with virtual reality. It is going to be stunning and its new and nobody has done it yet. That’s how I can appear in a Star Trek movie.
Other projects he noted:
- Just got back from filming second season of the NBC series Better Late Than Never which involved visiting 60 cities in 5 countries in 40 days.
- Follow-up to last year’s Zero-G sci-fi novel is coming this fall (titled Green Space)
- Just finished writing an advice book on aging to be titled “Live Long and…”
- Completed filming the movie Senior Moment four months ago, said it helped him realize he is still discovering how to be a better actor.
William Shatner with moderator Scott Mantz at Star Trek Las Vegas 2017
More Star Trek Las Vegas Coverage
Patrick Stewart, Morgan Gendel and Margo Rose discuss Star Trek TNG’s “The Inner Light”
Brannon Braga On How Kirk Should Have Died, ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ Regrets And More
Trek Vets Talk About ‘Star Trek: Discovery’
What We Left Behind Team Gives Details On DS9 Doc
Karl Urban talks Star Trek 4, Beyond, Judge Dredd and More
Marina Sirtis Says Paramount Threatened To Replace Her With Jeri Ryan In Star Trek Nemesis
Star Trek Film Academy At Original Series Set Tour Announcement
Patrick Stewart Talks About Gene Roddenberry Opposing His Casting As Picard And More
Denise Crosby talks about her plan for ‘Trekkies 3’
Full videos from ‘Discovery’ actors and writers panels
Star Trek Online announces LeVar Burton to reprise his role as Geordi LaForge for game
Panel: Details and covers for first ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ novel and comic revealed
Interview: Sam Vartholomeos and Wilson Cruz
Interview: Mary Chieffo And Kenneth Mitchell
Panel: Writers Talk Technobabble, Timelines And How ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Is Telling Our War Story
It was certainly a lively and interesting panel with Shatner – there was a bit where he more or less chided one of the audience mebers for asking a stupid/silly question and asked him to pose a better one.
( I actually think the omitted STAR TREK 2009 Kirk scene had a great deal of heart. )
I think the proposed scene in the 2009 movie was short, but it cut to the core of the character. Too bad it didn’t make it into the movie.
Do you really want to see such an iconic actor like Bill demeaned in these shallow movies , Corylea ?
Oh, cut the melodrama. Shatner has been in MANY awful films and movies. The guy is a commercial pitch-man, for crying out loud. He’s an acting whore.
Plus, he wrote and directed Star Trek V. Your argument is invalid.
Whenever I see Leonard Nimoy in STID , I see a sad senile actor who made a bad decision !
Darfyn: Shut up.
Yes Sir !
I apologize Darfyn. I was a little too rude to you and you seem to take it in stride. I still disagree with you but I could’ve been more civil about it. Sorry again.
Thanks Tiger2 ! Emotions and Tempers are frayed , and there are differences of opinion , and we sometimes say too much !
Whenever I see a comment like that one, I see a non-Trek fan.
Well Arggggggh , I believe the TOS actors could have given much more , were even possibly encouraged by the Franchise to believe there might have been (after Generations) . As an old Fan , I believed that , but now I know the Franchise is rebooting for the new generation . And there is no place for the old fans .
yeah, maybe for us. But why should new Spock care, how could that be relevant to him when he could barely stand his Kirk and they weren’t even friends (and they will never have the same relationship other Spock had with Kirk because these characters are their own)?
It was forced so I have to partly agree with Shatner here, even if I stopped to take him seriously ages ago
It makes sense for this Spock to decide to not give starfleet up because he really loves his job (and because of him not wanting to leave Uhura).
One thing I loved about this trek and the first movie in particular is the fact Spock has his own story and isn’t defined by being nerdy friend of hero or Kirk’s sidekick. He has a life outside of whatever dynamic he must have with Kirk because of the old thing, and that life he has informs his choices.
Nimoy knew his character was the most popular, but he could never make the old creative teams acknoweledge that he rightfully was the main character too and not just Kirk’s alien friend. The reboot finally did that.
If I recall, the point of the scene was to show young Spock that the relationship with Kirk was not just friendship or professionalism. It was something destined to be that would literally save the world.
With de-aged Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing and Kurt Russell in recent movies, there is no reason they couldn’t put a younger Kirk played by Shatner in a cameo scene in the next movie. But it would have to be a much better scene than that silly birthday greeting. I’m with Shatner on that one, it sounded really stupid. I remember being shouted down for saying so 8 years ago.
All the CGI versions looked awful , Thorny ! It is much easier and better to have a look-alike actor instead !
I’d love it if Vic Mignogna OFFICIALLY took over the role of Captain Kirk in some capacity.
I think Vic is a good actor , SJ . As he has matured , he has looked and sounded more like Shatner !
I disagree, Darfyn. Cushing and Russell in particular were amazing.
I agree. Cushing looked tremendous. Fisher did too. People confuse “uncanny valley” with “looking awful”. I read a thing where people who didn’t know Cushing was CGI (ie. people who werent big fans and didnt know the actor was original to A New Hope) didnt notice it was CGI.
Its a trick our brain plays on us.
The de-aging of Michael Douglas in Ant Man was magnificent also. Sure, you get that weird sense that its not real because we KNOW it isnt. But its still awesome.
Wuld Paramount have spent the money to de-age Shatner? Who knows. Would CBS for TV? Probably not.
Shatner is 86. Actor’s skills can diminish with age. My hope is we get Shatner as OUR Kirk in a story arc on Discovery that is a GREAT story and a GREAT performance by Shatner.
We KNOW he can be a great actor. But unlike, say, Patrick Stewart, you can’t guarantee you will always get his best. But I also think a good writer and director would create scenes that play to Shatner’s strengths and I dont mean comedy.
A story that is heavy on emotion and sentimentality…Shatner can pull that off. His best scenes on Boston Legal werent the comedy (even though those were great), it was those quiet moments on his balcony…or the emotional serious scenes talking about his health. That episode that used archival footage of Shatner was particularly great.
Is there a better scene in any Star Trek than Kirk reacting to David’s murder? Friggen heart breaking and complete devoid of the over-the-top acting that some claim only Meyer could “direct” out of him.
Add Michael Douglas in ANT-MAN to that list.
Before that came Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner in Tron: Legacy to that. BTW… I thought Cushing looked so real it was creepy. Fisher, on the other hand, really didn’t look all that good.
I don’t agree it was impossible to bring him back. If audiences swallowed the resurrection of Spock in TSFS, then they should have no problem with Kirk following GEN.
The thing is, Captain Kirk would have looked 15 years older ( than the time of his death in GENERATIONS ), so they’d have to deal with that in the 2009 movie if the Kirk scene had been included.
That may not be so much of an issue nowadays however with the advances of cgi technology.
@Spock J — that particular scene is the easy part — Kirk could have come out of the Nexus at any time, aged the appropriate number of years prior to Spock going back in time with Nero. The hard part is getting him out to realistically “play something” in that movie, not just appear in gratuitous scenes. One idea floated numerous times was having Prime Kirk arrive at the end of the first movie to rescue Spock Prime, arriving just at the time Nero began his final battle with the Enterprise, ultimately assisting with Nero’s defeat and the rescue of the Enterprise, then riding off into the sunset with Prime Spock back to their own time. And that would have been fine except it conflicted with the producer’s desire to reboot the franchise, required a timeline reset, and explanation about how Kirk got out of the Nexus. All doable, but not necessarily desirable.
Its one thing to bring back a character in the very next film just two years later in a movie series that revolved around him and could properly create a story around his resurrection.
Its another thing when its a character thats been dead for over 2 decades and is being brought back in a film series that is no longer about his original franchise and set in a very different time and place. Abrams is right, it would just feel too convoluted to do it and not only that, it will take away the other actors of THEIR film series to bring back a character that will ultimately have no real reason to be brought back other than just to do it.
At least when they brought back Spock, he was very important part of the franchise at that time and when Star Trek just revolved around that crew. Today its a whole new ball game and there would be no reason to even bring Kirk back outside of fan service because there would be practically nothing for the character to do once they brought him back because he’s no longer vital to the franchise.
I can’t remember the name of the poster I use to debate this back and forth with every time the ‘bring back Kirk’ article was posted but he was very adamant that they should bring Shatner back and gave me a long lists of reasons why he should be brought back. One day I finally just asked him, fine, then how should they bring him back and he couldn’t give me an answer. And thats really the issue end of the day. There is no real way to bring him back outside a real convoluted story line because, ironically, all the latest shows and films takes place before any his death since Enterprise making it more difficult to even come up with a satisfying reason even WHY they would need to bring him back if the guy is actually alive (or not born) in these periods or in the case of the KT films, having an actual Kirk already there.
There is just no real reason to do it outside of fan service. And just difficult to do outside of something they came up with for the 09 film.
And another thing people seem to miss when they brought back Spock. They only did it because A. They wanted to continue TOS films and B. He was very vital to that franchise.
In Shatner’s case, that hasn’t been true literally since they killed him off. As I said there is just no real point. When Nimoy came back, he appeared in four more films. If they brought Shatner back, we know that would be his swan song so again there is just no real point outside of one: It would make old Star Trek fans happy. But it wouldn’t do much in the long term.
I dont see the reasoning behind bringing Shatner back being at all similar to reviving Spock in Trek 3.
The reason to do it is simple. Shatner still works, still wants to do it and he’s still, by far, the biggest star in the franchise.
If paramount wasnt sure BEFORE the Orci leak, they should have been after. It was lead news everywhere, just the rumor of Shatner being back in Trek was massive publicity.
Look at what happened with Carrie Fisher. Sure, she wasnt going to win any awards for her acting in TFA. And she certainly wasnt going to be in any gold bikinis. But her character was beloved. The actor was beloved. And now that she has died, its really the biggest story in that franchise now.
And I guarantee if Shatner passes, the stories will lament that he never returned to the franchise.
If ANY creative person claims they cant come up with a story, they should quit the business.
As I said it made since to bring Nimoy back because they were still doing TOS films where he was the second biggest star of the franchise. And they went on to do four more films.
This is the difference, you bring Shatner back in a very special episode of Discovery, then what? Nothing because he doesn’t belong in that time. They already have a Kirk running around by then and 50 years younger. My only point is you can’t compare Nimoy’s situation with Shatner’s. It can’t just be ‘because Shatner still works’. THats not much of a reason. Patrick Stewart still works, should Picard be included in Discovery or the KT films?
Again this isn’t about his acting ability, etc, its simply about relevance. Thats the problem. Again Nimoy’s Spock was very very relevant to the franchise in that era. Shatner’s Kirk isn’t. Hasn’t been since TUC ended because they have focused on other crews and shows. I don’t get why people are not getting this but bringing back Spock was relevant to the franchise. Bringing back Kirk now would be nothing more than a gimmick because the character would be useless once they did. Yes it would be nice for us fans, I agree, but will little outside of that.
And I’m sorry I disagree he’s the ‘biggest star in the franchise’. Sure he’s the most famous but thats a bit different from the biggest star. Yes 20 years ago but today? Star Trek has moved on meaning its been well proven it can survive without Shatner and has for nearly 30 years now.
But I will make this clear I’m NOT against bringing Kirk back. Sure if they brought him back I would watch with bells on. I’m only speaking to the reasons why they haven’t and why they probably never will. And I agree with that obviously.
The “why” is simple. To attract viewers, make money, deliver interesting stories.
In other words just fan service. There is really no point other than that and why its not something I think should be done. If you are going to do it, have a real reason to do it. And sadly there is none because the franchise has moved on from Shatner for literally decades now.
I agree. 10 years ago people said “he looks too old”. Yeah ok. He looks older than he did in Generations, yes. But he also looks a lot younger than he actually is.
Personally, I would suspect the vast majority of fans would not care one iota if he looked older with no explanation IF the reason for using him was good. ie. a good story.
If Sean Connery waas willing to come out of retirement to appear in the next James Bond film, I can almost guarantee they’d jump at the chance. I know its different in that he couldnt play the same role. But the nature of Star Trek eliminates that problem.
It just seems, you have the ORIGINAL superstar that made Star Trek. He still works, still WANTS to be involved and these supposed creative geniuses are stumped? I dont believe it for a second.
I think the Studio does not like working with Shatner. He should be on payroll as a roving ambassador of the franchise. I have always felt like the studio looks at Shatner and expects him to work cheap because its Star Trek. And Shatner knows the value of him in Trek is far greater than anyone else.
This is a guy who is very, very wealthy and still works. So regardless of desire or enjoyment, he’s a businessman.
I also think whenever he downplays the idea, its sort of a by-product of hurt feelings and an acknowledgement that it just isnt going to happen. I think if the studio called him tomorrow, he’d be thrilled to talk about it (we know this to be true because of the orci story).
I wish Orci would give us details on that story!
If shot at a distance and it would have only appeared on screen as a fuzzy hologram – then I think the scene still works very well. And it IS missed in the 09 production.
I was happy to read that Mr. Shatner was getting some thoughtful praise from those that attended. This was a very well written article, TrekMovie! Thank you!
DON’T LITTER!
The scene as written would have been pretty easy to pull off a pre-Generations Kirk. Like I said, I doubt anyone would have cared if they just shot him without any efforts to de-age. I mean, i dont know about you but sometimes we look a bit older and heavier in the past (Im 50 lbs lighter today than 6 months ago).
But yes, they could use the holographic aspect to fuzzy it. Have him sitting behind a desk that obscures him. or use the technology to de-age him as they have done in many films.
I always wished they’d have included a scene where Spock Prime goes to young Kirk and says that its his intention to never interfere with the natural order of things but that a “friend closer than a brother once risked everything to give me a life I’d otherwise not lived. And I must return the favour.” Leans into Kirk “There is something I must tell you….”
And the rest can be left to our imaginations. And voila, Kirk doesnt die alone on that stupid rock.
You’re absolutely right Curious Cadet. If they can bring back Spock and all the other countless Trek characters who have died and been brought back to life in the same episode, there’s no reason they can’t bring Kirk back. Anytime someone says they can’t do it that just shows their lack of creativity, a good enough writer can pull it off. And frankly I think it would be possible just to have him back without any explanation whatsoever about the whole Nexus incident, the less that’s spoken of the better. It could easily be a throw-away line where someone asks him what happened and he replies “that’s a story for another time”. But I definitely do think if Shatner comes back it has to be something where bringing Kirk back is the central plot and not some cameo, it still bothers me that we weren’t able to see Shatner and Nimoy back together one last time. Instead of Spock Prime dying in the Kelvin timeline, maybe Kirk Prime came to bring him back and everyone in the Kelvin timeline thought Spock Prime died when he really didn’t. I see no reason why Shatner and the rest of the surviving cast of TOS can’t come back in a future Trek project and they CGI in the ones who have passed, the TOS characters deserve a better ending than they got and who cares if it feels contrived there’s been tons of other Trek plots that have been contrived.
I really dislike CG characters , TM11 . It wasn’t quite right in the new Star Wars movies . I have seen some CG used to make actors look younger . But to me it’s a production vanity concept . There are a lot of talented actors who struggle to get work , many who will have to go back to their mundane day jobs , because of the advent CG AI Characters . In the long run , there will be a great loss of human talent and ability .
I’ve never heard of any actors’ jobs being replaced by CG characters. I’m sure that’ll happen sometime in the future but I doubt that’s happening now or anytime soon.
TM11 , Company AI support software is about to be released , and will have replaced the majority of support-call centres over the next decade , and the use of robots continues to increase too .
Those are call centers, not actors. Actors won’t be replaced by robots anytime soon.
But they have TM11 , Kurt Russell , Carrie Fisher , Peter Cushing + more !
Okay apparently you have no idea how CGI works, real life actors do motion capture performances and body doubles for CGI characters. Kurt Russell played himself, a real life actress portrayed Carrie Fisher in Rogue One, and not only is Peter Cushing dead but a real life actor portrayed him as well. How dense are you?
You guys are living in fantasyland. You can’t compare bringing back Kirk with those others, mostly because it hasn’t been 20 years when others came back and their franchises was still running.
His isn’t. And besides, as said and ignored, what would be the point other than to see fans wanting to see him back? Then what? Thats the problem, its ONLY a gimmick, not something rooted in real story telling. Kirk (or Shatners) time is over. I know its hard for people here to accept that, but it is. Has been for 20 years now.
I’m catching the next Fantasyland Express out of here , Tiger2 ! Where ? I haven’t got there yet !
Yes you can compare and I seem to recall Star Wars bringing characters back after 30 years. I bet people said the same thing about the cast of the original Star Wars saying that their time is over but look it obviously isn’t. So why can’t that be dome for Star Trek? And who cares if it’s a gimmick or fan service there’s nothing wrong with fan service as long as it’s done right and isn’t some stupid or obscure thing, this would be a big deal that many fans would love to see. Considering all the idiotic things Hollywood keeps doing trust me even if it did seem like a gimmick it would be way better than some of the shit that’s out there. And honestly in my opinion I think they could craft a very cool and longer story out of it so that it wouldn’t be a gimmick, like I said a good enough writer could easily pull it off.
OMG, The Force Awakens is a CONTINUATION of that franchise story line and characters. I mean, seriously does this have to be explained???
Now since Shatener’s Kirk has bit the dust what exactly has been a continuation of that character’s story line?? Think of every Star Trek project since his death and you tell me how Shatner’s Kirk organically fits in?
Voyager (takes place on the other side of the galaxy in the 24th century)
Enterprise (takes place 70 years before Kirk was even born)
Kelvin Timeline (takes place in another universe when Kirk was still young and in his prime)
Discovery (take place in the prime universe when Kirk was still young and in his prime)
Now you tell me where an 80 year old Kirk would fit in any of those places? Do people really not get the difference? You’re comparing apples and oranges, mostly because whats funny is the last two projects they ALREADY have a Kirk. He is already there. Shatner’s Kirk has no relevance in Trek since his death. None. In Star Wars, they clearly put the franchise in a period where Han, Leia and Luke ARE relevant to the story line. Again, for the umpteenth time, does this really need to be explained?
And going by your own point, sure the SW characters are relevant in TFA and the next sequel film. But could you put Harrison Ford in the upcoming Solo film? Obviously not. And I get it Star Trek has time travel and all of that but thats the problem, it would feel too convoluted to even bring him back because of all the hurdles you have to do to to not only do it but then explain to all the new Trekkies out there who is this guy and why he died and all of that.
Guys, if Discovery was about a post TUC show then I can actually SEE some relevance of bringing Kirk back. But since they once again went farther back in the past then there is none. It would just be another gimmick.
And again who cares if it feels convoluted I’d rather it be convoluted and have Kirk back than not have it at all. And if they make something post-Nemesis they sure as heck can find a way to bring him back.
I care. I want good stories, not just gimmicks to make old fans happy. Its time to move on.
And by the time they make a post-Nemesis show or film the guy will probably be in his 90s. Its time to let go.
You can still have a good story while making old fans happy, it’s called having someone who’s creative enough and a good storyteller. I’m so sorry that you can’t comprehend this.
It’s sad to see the Franchise treat Mr Shatner and the other Originals so gratuitously , just like the Nu-Movies I guess .
I’m not taking the atheistic view of nothing , having been in many near-death situations . When knocked-out a number of times I still felt myself conscious , as I’m sure Bill has sometimes .
I’m not convinced you are conscious.
Here is a reply to prove I am here , Arggggggh !
Not sure what you mean by “treat Mr Shatner and the other Originals so gratuitously.” Are you saying they used them too much?
The Franchise uses their image and connection to promote their recent material , without actually ever promising anything in return for them or the fans , Mawazi !
I guess he would not have done it no matter how many of us liked the scene. Of course that is his right . He needs to come up with a new line than the go back in time and your still old. Hopefully they can figure something out for the next movie or Discovery
Why should Bill need to be in the Nu-Movies/Series ? I think he would have been better mentoring and appearing in Fan Films , something like Star Trek Continues or Axanar !
Fan films doesn’t pay. ;)
You have to get out of this mindset Shatner is just doing it just for the love of Star Trek. The guy wants to get paid and for the record there is nothing wrong with that. But I highly doubt he wants to appear on some youtube film on a cheap set people built in a warehouse somewhere. He wants to be seen again and in a big way that movies like the KT films provides.
I’m not going to disagree with you Tiger2 . Some of the Fan Film Studios have been pretty nice though .
Ok fair enough. And for the record I have seen a few and liked them. And yes quite a few of past Trek actors have appeared on them including just recently John de Lancie. But Shatner strikes me as the type that won’t get near one unless he’s getting paid well for it. Again nothing wrong with that but its clear he’s looking for more than just being on Trek again.
Fan films? LOL. Amateurish-looking productions marked by bad writing and poor acting. Shatner would have no interest in doing that, I’m sure. Actors who don’t get a lot of work bother with fan films. I’m positive that Shatner would scoff at the idea.
Its interesting because Shatner was told of the scene before and was open to it. The thing with him is, you never know when he’s joking or being flippant. I sort of get the impression he was being that way when answering this question.
There was a story in the past where he was told of the scene and lamented that it hadn’t been pitched to him or he’d have done it.
But his desire to do something of substance has been consistent, and not just a throw away cameo.
True TUP
he has said different things about this in the past. II hope they consider something worthwhile for him in Discovery. At least there they can do more than a cameo. Just have to come up with a good story
Maybe this VR project is what Nick Meyer is working on?
Anything sounds better than that ridiculous Khan TV show rumor.
I don’t know why half of the people here even bother reading the site–it’s clear you’re not Star Trek fans.
Because we don’t want a “Khan on Ceti Alpha V” TV series? Get a grip.
We’re not fans just because we don’t like a story concept? So we should just accept anything and everything because it has Star Trek in the titles? Look, as a fan if they actually did go with with the stupid Khan idea, I would hate it but give it a shot. Just like I did with Enterprise. Just like I did with the KT films and just like I’m doing with Discovery now. But Star Trek should be bold and something with new ideas. Not rehashes and while I’m not fond of Discovery’s time period it actually sounds bold and different and WHY I support it.
A show of Khan and the gang stuck on a planet after we already knows what happened to them feels lazy and a retread. It doesn’t seem to excite anyone but a hand few of hard core fans. It just feels eye rolling to me. Can we move on to new stuff again and not have another loose connection to TOS for the fourth time?
The Khan/TV show rumour is being peddled wholesale by the likes of certain youtube channels too, such as Midnight’s Edge ( who have done nothing but poo-poo Discovery ) and websites like io9 ( who’ve also covered DSC almost exclusively with disdain ).
No matter how I think about a Khan TV show (I hate it ;)) It is pretty laughable THAT is suppose to ‘replace’ Discovery if that show fails. Obviously I don’t believe that but the idea alone is ridiculous. I don’t want to watch a show about a group of augments surviving on a desert planet. We don’t need Star Trek: Lord of the Flies. What we need is Star Trek boldly going.
That does sound awful. Maybe if it focused on the actual Eugenics Wars. Could be Game of Thrones with genetically enhanced supermen (and superwomen). I might actually watch that.
Yes, I think more people would be much more into the Eugenics war since its a period we know little about. Its been covered in books and comics but I would love to see a live action story around it. But to make this clear it would still NOT be my first choice by a long mile. I still think all the Khan stuff needs to be in the rear view mirror. Its scary its even being considered. But yes IF they have to make one, go with the eugenics war. Few people care about them being stuck on a planet that adds absolutely nothing to canon other than knowing how they survived on it.
Good article. Interesting how much background work actually went into Kirk’s persona.
Simple answer to all of this is just get Shatner back for his own Trek TV movie. I think Netflix would throw a bucket load of cash at it for exclusive streaming rights. Ignore Generations just have a throwaway line about he escaped the Nexus the next time it appeared. Most fans would not care as long as he is still alive as Kirk Prime. So many ways to bring him back as well. Guardian of Forever, Time Travel, Wormhole or even Decker returns with V’Ger as Kirk unit still has vital information so must be rescued then absorbed (unless he can escape with the help of Kelvin Universe Spock & McCoy aged a little to look like TOS movie era counterparts playing TOS Prime Spock & McCoy)!!! So many easy ways to bring him back …but now its too late no-one will realistically gamble the $25-30M or so to make a TV movie return vehicle with him will they!
It was my dream too , Shatner and the Old Crew/s , Paul ! But I think it’s time to farewell Bill . I’m still getting his latest series Better Late Than Never , and the telemovie Senior Moments . And there is a mountain of previous material to view too . It’s time to let TOS and the old days fade away !
But what would Kirk be? An 85 year old starship captain? I love Shatner and Kirk, but I think this ship has sailed.
Mawazi , if you read the Shatner trek novels which I really enjoyed , he moves on !
My Captain.
I thought the proposed Shatner/Kirk scene was rather beautiful, as was the idea Nimoy’s Spock walking past Sarek.
Wish I could have seen Shatner being warm and funny and talking about Star Trek. He did none of those things on the Star Trek cruise in 2017. He barely acknowledged his fans on the ship and did not really talk about Star Trek at all during his hour talk. And this was my hero and the man I named my son after. Yeah for Capt Kirk, not so much for W. Shatner.
I feel for you , Betty ! The technical age can be cruel , can’t it ? Some of my kids are named after actors too . But I knew from quite young , what asses some of these Hollywood people are . Enjoy Life and be part of the Fan Co-operative and support Fan-Made Productions , Betty !