Shatner: Trek Is Like A Puppy

| February 6, 2007 | By: Anthony Pascale 91 comments so far

Here is another ShatnerVision (filmed yesterday) where Bill talks about the latest Trek XI rumors and his connection to Trek…using a colorful analogy.

SHARE TWEET PIN SHARE
91 Comments
oldest
newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Well, if the script is done and Shatner doesn’t know about having a return role as Kirk, then this movie may not have much to do with the adult Kirk at all. Perhaps Abrams only thinks Shatner and Nimoy could appear in cameos.

Ultimately, that’d probably be better for the movie, anyway.

I have to say, Shatner looks great though. I don’t see why he couldn’t appear as an older Kirk, even if he doesn’t look exactly like he did in Generations. But again, for the purposes of the story, it might be too much to ask for.

Shatner can’t complain that he feels no connection.If he didn’t want to kill Kirk there would have been no death scene in Generations.so the it’s out of his hands(by his own doing).

…sure he could still do it. He looks great. I hope I should look that good when I hit 60…much less 75. But he is just out of the loop for the very reasons he explained, so his disconnect is certainly understandable.

In other words, the puppy didn’t immediately say yes to his asking price.

Good point #4.I think some fans need to re-evaluate their loyality.

So in other words, you have no clue what you’re talking about on any level. There’s nothing about money here. Just ignorant presumption on Shatner bashers.

The bottom line is that this video says absolutely nothing, other than probably Rick Berman disconnected Shatner (as well as the rest of Trek fandom) from the franchise.

Hopefully Abrams will undo the Berman mess of Generations. If not, this is just another Trek movie.

#6 I ain ignon.

I don’t want Shatner in it, keep him away.

Well, this is certainly another Trek movie – perhaps another Trek altogether.

I don’t care whether Shatner is in it, or not. Certainly the fact that the studio is proceeding with a script and making decisions without contacting Shatner yet strongly suggests that it’s a story that can be done entirely without him, even if it currently includes him in some way.

It would be silly for Abrams and the studio to develop an entirely new Trek movie contingent on Shatner’s participation, since that puts him in the catbird seat where his asking price is concerned. This didn’t work out terribly well for the studio over time *before*, which is one reason that he ain’t been in any Trek movies for a while.

There’s been no suggestion anywhere along the way that Abrams has any interest in or intention of using the older Kirk character to “undo ‘Generations'” – that’s a fannish pipe dream.

You may not care, but the bottom line is that a lot of people do. And what’s to say it’s a pipe dream? To use Shatner and NOT undo Generations would be moronic. That’s something Rick Berman would do. I give Abrams a little more credit than that, especially considering he is supposed to actually like the original series, unlike Berman.

I dont really understand some of the hostility towards Shatner for this interview. He isn’t bashing Star Trek or saying he doesnt like it. He’s saying that he’s not connected to it anymore, and he’s right. He really hasnt been strongly connected since Star Trek VI. Anyway, I definitely hope to see Shatner and Nimoy in it again.

For the record, I love all the Trek people for what they’ve done over the years. Even the bad efforts gave us contrast to better enjoy the good ones. (Wow, I can’t believe I wrote that.)
What we’re priviledged to see in places like Shatnervision (yikes, that name) is the inner workings of movers and shakers. Granted, Shatner may not currently be the center of Trek XI. He IS a veteran of negotiations. If you had to watch Michael Vick negotiate a contract, you’d probably hate him even more than most people already do. Hollywood’s no different.

#6 and #10 – StillKirok

What’s the difference between the “ignorant presumption” by Shatner bashers (that he’s in it for the money) and the ignorant presumptions made by the Shatner lovers (that he’s not in it for the money)?

I’m just saying is all…. ;)

It’s also very possible Shatner knows a lot more than he’s saying, and is contractually bound not to talk.

Dennis’ analysis is most likely correct. It just doesnt make sense creatively and certainly not business sense to have the film center on Shatner and Nimoy. Paramount are trying to rebuild the franchise, that means that they want the new actors to be the new Kirk and Spock. Starting in 2008 and beyond they want people to think of Actor X as Kirk. Shatner must become the equivelent of Sean Connery…the cool old Kirk.
And this isnt Paramount’s first rodeo with Shatner…there is no way they are going to be put in a position that if he is or isnt will cause a total rewrite of the script…that is just giving him waaaay too much negotiating power.
In the end there may be no way to put them into the film with ‘more than a cameo’ and still allow the film to have the new Kirk be the focus. I think Shatner recognises this himself, he pretty much said that in his last video.

Uh-oh Anthony….

You compared Star Trek to James Bond… look out for the Canonista! ;)

#13, the difference is that those giving Shatner the benefit of the doubt aren’t ignorantly on here spewing anti-Shatner garbage. They’re simply defending against the stupid comments by those that actually think they know what’s going on.

Anthony, as for centering on Shatner/Nimoy, no one is saying that. But to give them significant roles in a story that introduces the younger cast and passes the torch properly, while giving Shatner and Nimoy a real finale makes a LOT of sense. Even a smaller role can accomplish everything.

Personally, I’m just tired of this will they or won’t they game. I want an announcement either way. Will Shatner be in it or not?

Amen, Anthony. I think you’re right and it’s good news for the fans.

What Paramount would likely most desire from whatever their current negotiations are with Shatner and Nimoy is the blessing of the original Kirk and Spock conferred upon the new.

One way or another, they’ll likely have that.

#9 – Dennis
#15 – Anthony

I have to agree with the two of you. It would be beyond foolish to complete a script that hinges on Shatner without locking him up VERY early on.

About the only hope that Shatner diehards would have is, as StillKirok suggests, that Shatner is bound to keep quiet on the issue.

(Note: I can’t watch streaming video from work, so I’m basing this post on the postings of others, so if I’m WAY off, please forgive me… I’ll catch up on the video later… )

#17 – StillKirok

Fair enough, but you and I both know that the Shatner lovers are FAR from innocent when it comes to spewing pro-Shatner messeges.

How many threads have been dominated with “if Kirk’s not alive post-Generations, the movie will suck” type of messages? Heck, even Anthony just alluded to it… :)

We can all admit to our own sins, right? The anti-Shatner’s and the pro-Shatner’s alike? ;)

Well… Anthony DID allude to it, but his post has mysteriously disappeared… :(

I don’t think any script would HINGE on Shatner. You can do it all, even with a smaller Shatner role. You could have Shatner and Nimoy bookmarking the movie, where the significant storyline relates to their earlier adventure. Perhaps someone they meet early on is a long lived alien that can be a part of something that happens post Generations.

Let’s face it, a lot of people ARE placing a lot of hope on this movie finally fixing Generations, which to this day remains the quintessential symbol of where the franchise went wrong.

Casting Matt Damon isn’t going to excite people. If anything, it’s a turnoff. Nostalgia puts butts in the seats.

Shatner and Nimoy would add to the grosses.

Rocky V sucked. It was a terrible end to the franchise. 16 years later, Rocky Balboa removed that bad taste, and grossed $25 million MORE domestically than Rocky V. AND, it got great reviews.

Shatner is currently riding a high. They don’t need to center the entire film around the older Kirk. But fixing Generations would be the greatest gift Abrams can give, and would be a sign that Paramount is serious about getting back the fans that Berman threw away.

I heard they re casting Shatner as Kirk’s grandfather and Harvey Firestein as Kirk’s grandmother for the Federation “graduation and farewell on your first voyage” sequence.”Weah so proud of you sonny”(pinch cheek)young spock raises eyebrow.

#23 – StillKirok

lol… you kill me man. You just validated my post in glorious technicolor. ;)

Hey, I’m not jumping on you. I’ve ALWAYS said, that if they can do it within the context of a brilliantly crafted, intelligent script, I’d be the first one in line.

Unfortunately, most pro-Shatner posters on this site seem to think that it can be easily accomplished with no explanation, no rational thought, no creativeness… simply the standard:

– Don’t even acknowledge his death. He’s alive, imagine the rest.
– It was a dream. He never died.
– It was the nexus. He’s alive in there.
– Wink at the camera as Spock’s says “Aren’t you dead?”. Nope! Ha ha.
– Time travel. That’s novel.
– Speaking of novels, just give out copies of “The Return” by William Shatner while people wait in the ticket line, and pick up from there.

Anyway, if s REAL writer can come up with something that will blow us away, then by all means, undo Generations. Anything short of brilliance… just leave the dead alone.

23 – StillKirok, having any kind of Generations fix in the film, no matter how small, would mean the film IS dependent on Shatner, and like others have pointed out, no one wants to be in that position over at Paramount.

19 – I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, Dennis. All this talk between JJ and Shatner and Nimoy is probably just to make sure the original actors don’t feel snubbed and start badmouthing the movie in public. Offering them cameo roles, asking for their advice, is a way to make sure they get their blessing on the new project.

Validating your post is irrelevant. The truth is the truth.

Who said no explanation or creativity? I didn’t.

Keep in mind that the nexus IS such an open plot device that it certainly can be used, whether John N goes to the movies or not. It would be a means of taking a negative and turning it into a positive. Not saying that’s what Abrams is going to do, but it’s one way.

The Return was a perfect example of a means to bring the character back. But that won’t work as a movie, especially if you want to introduce a younger version of the character for future movies.

Not acknowledging the death would be stupid too.

Personally, I have faith that Abrams does have the talent to pull it off. But at this point, after all the hype, to NOT use Shatner would be a major disappointment. Most of the positive buzz has come from him.

But enough is enough. We deserve answers. Is Shatner in it or not? Enough with the foreplay.

The fact that Shatner and Nimoy were even approached was a very classy act, regardless of whether they’re in the final movie. And Shatner’s attitude is entirely understandable. He’s winning awards for a completely new character (Denny Crane) and he’s brilliant at it. Really in my mind, Shatner is analogous to Sean Connery, the first Kirk and the first Bond. I would be perfectly happy to see Classic Trek progress with different actors in the roles for years to come.

I think they need a *brief* 2-3 dialogue line exposition of what happened and/or description of what point in time we are seeing old Kirk.

I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to be given out “The Return”. Talk about major confusion. Borg, V’Ger, Nanites, Soran, Picard, etc. That was big time overkill…even to me.

Generations was unfortunate, but I don’t think Trek XI should spend any serious length of time fixing it. Thankfully, I don’t believe Abrams has that in mind, because I know that many people here would think it’d be just dandy if they were to *crap* all over TNG’s storyline just to see Shatner in the next film.

Having said that, I still prefer to see Shat in the next film. Artfully done in a way that respects canon & continuity. If it can’t be done artfully, then I agree with #25, leave old Kirk alone.

All this talk about Shat and I’ve forgotten who the “New” Kirk is supposed to be….oh wait a minute, that guy that played Bourne. Any word on that?

#26, if you write the movie in a way where the main story is about the younger versions, and the older versions bookend it, you can do it all. If Shatner and Nimoy don’t get there, then the changes need not be that
significant.

Just look at Generations for a second. You could make a change where Kirk doesn’t die without a significant rewrite. Hell, you could cut Shatner out of the movie entirely without a significant rewrite. In fact, it was done on some cut of the movie called, “Kirkless Generations.”

There’s a reason Abrams gets paid the big bucks. I’m sure he has contingencies for actors.

I’m going to tell it to you straight right now, StillKirok, and spare you the agony. This isn’t going to be the movie you’re hoping for. There’s never been a shred of evidence to think that it was.

Nobody has ever mentioned the Nexus. Nobody aside from Shatner has ever brought up bringing Kirk back to life, and Abrams himself said the idea was problematic. The fact the script is done and Shatner isn’t in the loop is a sign that he’s not in the movie in any significant, older Kirk kind of way.

Think about it. Why would they contractually have him keep it a secret if he was in the movie? You yourself said that talk of Shatner being in the film was creating positive buzz. Wouldn’t Paramount then be shouting it from the rooftops if Shatner WAS in the movie as Kirk?

I hope when further details come out you won’t start spewing a bunch of hateful bile against Abrams the way you can’t stop doing over Berman. Abrams never promised you any of the things you were hoping for, so you only have yourself to blame if you’re that disappointed.

Phew! Sounds like there’s still hope that Shatner won’t be in it.

I don’t think he’s created any positive buzz, except from the conservative trekkie viewpoint. The REAL positive buzz is the prospect of exclusively fresh talent to give the franchise a new dynamic.

Who would be CRAPPING over TNG’s storyline? TNG’s killing of Kirk WAS the crap. More people would be interested in seeing Shatner return than those that would not. Still, this is a storyline that DESERVES to be crapped on.

Bottom line is this–anyone who would bash Shatner would go to the movie just to say bad things about it. Shatner will NOT prevent anyone from going. The reverse is not true, and the fact that Star Trek declined so horribly over the last decade shows that.

A good script can do it all. How big a part did Nimoy have in Star Trek III? Three lines?

The whole movie need not deal with the return of Kirk, though it could be a theme in that bookend/cameo. They can do everything, including follow canon.

But at this point, I want to know. I don’t care about the same old news that Shatner met with Abrams. I don’t care if Greg Grunberg high fived Abrams and said “Star Trek script good” when they played raquetball. I don’t care that the studio painted Abrams’ office Kirk shirt yellow or that Matt Damon watched TOS-Remastered and thought that he would make a better Nurse Chapel.

It’s obvious Paramount knows whether Shatner will be in the movie. We are past the pre-prom teases.

Let’s get our answer so we can fight about other things.

SleeperAgent, I’m going to tell you something straight out. You are not in the know. You are not part of the studio. You are not part of the negotiations. You know absolutely nothing about this movie other than what you read here. Nothing has been reported about the plot, therefore you do not know the plot.

As for Berman’s hateful bile, he created that mess. Abrams did not. Berman deserves everything he gets.

Does this mean, Shatner is out of the project? “They” made a decision and suddenly there’s no connection for him…!?!? What kind of rumor do they mean?

nothing like a video of Shatner not saying much really groundbreaking to turn into a huge argument

tone it down boys and girls.

that being said….if you think that Star Trek XI MUST have Shatner playing Kirk and MUST resurrect him…then I suggest trying to open your mind to the possibility that the film can still be good and not do that…and ask yourself how important those issues are to Damon Lindelof\’s mother in New Jersey

RE: “we desrve answers”

well we may want answers, but we dont deserve them. Studios dont really talk much about films in development. And studios really dont start marketing films until about a year before they are to be released. For example not a single 2008 film is listed in their press center…and that is pretty much the same with other studios. This site will still try and find any nugget there is out there, but it is not reasonable to expect Paramount to be promoting this film…there are many many other films to be released before Winter 2008 

“You are not in the know. You are not part of the studio. You are not part of the negotiations. You know absolutely nothing about this movie other than what you read here. Nothing has been reported about the plot, therefore you do not know the plot.”

The exact same thing applies to you, StillKirok. But I’m still more likely to be right than wrong. Bookending the film with a “save Kirk from the Nexus” storyline just makes for clumsy storytelling that gets in the way of the real plotline with the younger characters. Abrams is a good enough writer to not fall for that sort of thing. The emphasis of this movie needs to be on the new cast, and saving older Kirk only distracts from that.

Add to that Shatner’s revelation that he’s not in the loop, and I’m willing to take my hunches to Vegas.

#33 – StillKirok

“Let’s get our answer so we can fight about other things.”

Amen to that my friend… :)

#37–the difference is that I’m not the one making idiotic proclamations that imply that I know what’s going on within the studio. You are.

Abrams has made a hell of a living telling stories that involve flashbacks. A little show called Lost.

If anything, saving older Kirk makes perfect sense because it leaves the final fate of the character open ended. It also ends a hell of a lot of bitterness from an audience that abandoned this franchise in droves.

You don’t hear Matt Damon saying he’s in the loop either. Doesn’t mean he’s not in the movie.

This interview sounds to me like Shatner doing a little face-saving dance to distance himself from his earlier public statements, where he almost implied he was already in. Now he speaks to the problematic nature of getting the older/younger characters to appear in the same flick, and how he’s not really “connected” to Trek anymore.

We won’t know for sure until the inevitable leaked script hits the internet, and maybe not even then. I think Jon describes the best scenario in #24 — “Is that so wrong-guh??”

#27 – StillKirok

“Who said no explanation or creativity? I didn’t.”

If not you, then SURELY, you must have seen these types of posts by other por-Shatnerites… I banded my head against the monitor too many times after reading them to have imagined the whole thing…

“…whether John N goes to the movies or not…”

Hey… what gives?! I go to the movies…

“Validating your post is irrelevant.”

Is it also futile for me to resist? ;)

Not to bust in with bad news… but…

Tige Andrews passed away. He played the Klingon in Friday’s Child, which was remastered not long ago.

this article mentions Mod Squad:
http://www.accessatlanta.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/TV/Obit_Andrews.html

39 — Hey, you don’t hear me saying I’m in the loop either. Guess that means I’m in the movie too, according to your logic!

This isn’t the Bizarro world, StillKirok. Your backwards logic does not apply here.

And as far as the movie goes, we’ll just have to wait and see. ;)

41–John, I have seen posts saying that no explanations should happen. I thought they were lame and said so. That makes no sense from a story standpoint.

Abrams has done nothing to make me lose hope yet. It would be a waste of an opportunity to not use Shatner and Nimoy, just like all of Star Trek since Generations has been a waste.

But it’s long passed time we had a simple answer to the question, will Shatner be in the movie? I don’t care when the movie is going to be released. They don’t have to get the hype going yet. They don’t have to advertise. And yes, I realize they don’t have to do anything. But after nearly a decade and a half of pure garbage, they should actually refrain from the teasing.

This is more tedious than waiting for someone to finally kill Barbaro.

#43–never said it was the bizarro world. And I’m glad you admitted that you’re not in the loop. Therefore your declarations are not any more significant than anyone else’s.

You need some work with the Bizarro line. You strained to get it in that post.

Even if Shatner and Nimoy just do cameos, I’d be happy. I mean, I’d rather that they have larger roles, but I just want to see them on the big screen again, in a new Trek movie, and I’ll take whatever I can get. I cant see how any Trek fan wouldn’t be excited about the possibility of Shatner and Nimoy returning. Doesnt make much sense to me, since these guys are basically the super stars of the Star Trek franchise. And anyone who thinks they are too old to be in the movie needs to watch Star Trek II and VI again…..

45 – My Bizarro lines work just fine, thank you. All the ladies love ’em.

47 – I think cameos would be great for them too. It would put a smile on lots of fans’ faces, and not get in the way of the storytelling.

Cameos are fine. Small parts are fine.

Fussing about “Generations” is not – first, you have to explain to most of the world that he’s dead, how it happened, why it matters, and then why he’s alive again.

Or, you just throw in a one-line sop to the hard core ala “Star Trek II:” ie, have Kirk show up and have Spock say “I thought you were dead.”

Whereupon Kirk says, “I got better.”

At this point the long-time fans with senses of humor have a big laugh, the long-time fans who have none but obsess over “Generations” breathe a huge sigh of relief, most everyone else goes “Huh?” and we all get on with the business of living.

Or, at least, the business of sitting through another “Star Trek” movie.

They should just ignore anything from Modern Trek and tell a good story. It will be payback for Berman Trek ignoring the original series.

I hope Shatner and Nimoy have a lot of on screen time. I want much more than cameo’s.

It will be very easy to save Kirk from the nexus and still tell a good story.