William Shatner is appearing this weekend at the Star Trek: The Original Series Set Tour in Ticonderoga, New York. Things kicked things off on Friday with a press event held on the bridge, and TrekMovie was there.
The original captain Kirk was in good spirits and joked with the gathered media, but also took the time to say how impressed he was with the Star Trek set recreation, calling it “absolutely incredible” and a “work of art.” He was particularly taken with the captain’s chair, saying “This chair stands out the most. This is an outstanding chair. I feel very comfortable sitting in it.” Heaping praise on the reproduction, Shatner added:
This set is exactly the way it was 50-odd years ago. It’s like coming back to a house that you were born in and looking around and you see it, wow. It’s bigger and smaller than I remember, and yet it’s the same. If you are interested in Star Trek, this is extraordinary.
The actor also talked about life on the set. “All kinds of things happened here. There were emotional moments. Funny. There were lots of laughs on the set.” Shatner discussed how being on the set brings back memories of late cast members, including Leonard Nimoy, noting
“He was a dear friend and is no longer with us. That occurred to me as I walked on, and Leonard would be over there [pointing to science station]”
Speaking of the Star Trek franchise, he noted that it would have been “farfetched” to think at the time they were shooting that it would still be so popular so many decades later. As for why it has endured, Shatner said he felt “The show told some fascinating stories about what might be out there and that is what resonated with people.” As for the future, he said he hoped Star Trek goes “on and on, and people continue to enjoy it.”
Full press event video
You can watch the video of the event below.
William Shatner weekend continues
William Shatner will be appearing at the Star Trek: The Original Series Set Tour on Saturday May 5th. Also on hand conducting tours are Star Trek experts and veterans Doug Drexler, Mike and Denise Okuda, and Daren Dochterman. For more information and tickets, visit startrektour.com.
Wish to see him in Star Trek 4
I think Tarantino will use Bill in his “Trek” movie. I just don’t see that not happening.
Bills voice with a CGI Kirk – with Shat’s full buy in
Given what they did with Anthony Hopkins in Westworld, and Michael Douglas in Ant Man, I suppose it’s possible.
@BorgKlingon — nah, just listening to his voice in that YouTube video, I could tell, he’ll never sound the same. Better to sample his voice from all the lines he’s spoken over the years and create a voice algorithm to synthesize his voice to go along with the CGI animation.
I dont think he does voice work so well. I remember playing Star Trek Legacy and you really can tell the difference/age in his voice. Or maybe he was just phoning it in
@PEB — that was true for TAS!
Shatner is a national treasure! So lucky to have him still with us after all these years! I also find it a bit ironic that there is still demand for the original series designs in the midst of all the controversy over how Discovery has rebooted the visual canon. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations still exists!
@CD — nostalgia and history are always popular and in demand. Just because people want to see and experience those early 1960s designs, doesn’t mean they want to see them used again in a modern film production.
I love going to re-enactments and history exhibits. I don’t want to live in that era though. What James and crew work on and put their souls into is beautiful and accurate but it’s still not the bridge that would translate well on today’s television. Just my thoughts.
Love this. He’s such an inspiration, and for me, The Captain.
I much prefer this jolly personage I see over the rather gruff person in the photo I’ve seen of Mr. Shatner of late, used in various contexts. I have respect for him as an actor and he just goes on and on like the Energizer Bunny — so much energy. May he live long and prosper.
“Second star to the right, and straight on ’til morning….” (originally by J. M. Barrie, quoted in ST VI).
Shatner has more energy at 87 than I do at 60; he’s such a marvel.
And yes, Mr. Shatner, Leonard is still so very missed.
This is true …. I’m within sight of retirement age and if I had the energy that Mr. Shatner has, I would rule the world. ;) He’s great. He’s Canadian and he works in all of North America, including America, and if said to be a national treasure (which I agree he is), he is thus twice a national treasure.
Frankly, I can’t think of any other actor in science fiction, with us still, with such panache and skill, not to mention heritage.
I was thinking of Christopher Plummer the other day, for whom Mr. Shatner understudied as a Shakespearean troupe actor in Montreal. ST VI is the ultimate turning point in that relationship, in my humble opinion, between the two. In my mind, Messrs. Shatner and Plummer are in the same league of actors and media stars, and it is a question which one is the more luminous.
I think that the world of media (with all its tinsel and fluff) introduces what I might very uncharitably say as garbage into pop culture. But with people such as Messrs. Shatner and Plummer, and the stars of Star Trek, we have the classics — and people who shall endure for quite a while.
Science is not the only realm in which Star Trek has made its mark.
Harrison Ford
Okay, conceded. Harrison Ford is one of the greats, too.
In re: Star Wars, etc., I actually prefer his Indiana Jones character to his Solo character in some respects, and feel that, even beyond Jones and Solo, his Deckard defines what we think of as the most cutting-edge of science fiction. I enjoyed both the original and 2049, although I think Deckard was a bit different in the latter from what I would have imagined.
Good science fiction is good fiction, and fun, too. Particularly when well-reified.
Quite a feat for Mr. Ford. Few actors get to have one iconic character. He has at least three!
@Fritz — well Shatner has T.J. Hooker, and the plane passenger who freaks out on the Twilight Zone. So three for Shatner too! Four including Boston Legal. ;-)
There is no one quite like Mr. Shatner — a good comic actor as well as a dramatic one. I say this seriously. How great was he in that “Airplane!” movie (I forget the actual number of it), in that bit at the end?
Hilarious! He’s a very good comedian, and even though people tire of his bicycle story regarding Mr. Nimoy, I never tire of his stories, ever, in the (too few) conventions with which I am familiar.
To be frank, I have never attended a convention in which he has appeared, to my regret … but there is hope yet, I believe.
Anyway, Trek is full of fun things. I think people like Mr. Shatner help keep it that way, and I convey props, as they say, to each of his enterprises. And more. ;)
T. J. Hooker is not an iconic character. And Twilight was a one-off. No comparison.
@Anthony — well I’m sure there are those who would disagree with you about TJ Hooker. And Jar Jar Binks is essentially a one-off in Star Wars, yet no less iconic, however maligned. But there’s still Denny Crane, no matter what. I’d even include his role as Stan Fields in MISS CONGENIALITY as an iconic character. The issue is that William Shatner has the power to make characters iconic which otherwise wouldn’t be.
Yes, Indy>Solo
Harrison Ford is such a tough fella that at his age he managed to walk away relatively unharmed from a plane crash. A door fell on his foot on The Force Awakens set and he manages to pull back. He is one mean guy.
A heroic persona through and through. I know somewhat the Santa Monica airport at which this incident happened a while ago. It is situated in a densely populated environment and should an accident occur, it might easily cause great injury and disaster. Mr. Ford handled his incident as well as he could, I think.
I hope to see him in action again on the silver screen soon.
He’s still the best Jack Ryan as well.
Maybe. But Red October was by far the superior Jack Ryan movie. And I hate to admit it but Baldwin was pretty darn good in the role.
Very similar to the first part of ‘Star Trek: Generations’ (1994), even up to the part where they all press Kirk to say “Take us out”…
Nice little piece. “This chair stands out the most. This is an outstanding chair. I feel very comfortable sitting in it.” — he’s the person who knows that set chair better than anybody else, probably ever.
This set is a must see…beyond belief.
Love the man! He’s an international treasure!
He doesn’t look much like Kirk anymore. If they brought him back, they could use his voice, but would need a CGI Kirk.
lol that’s pretty silly….the man, literally IS Kirk. Sure, an 87 year old Kirk who could pass for 65, but Kirk, none the less. A one-off by QT could easily incorporate Shatner as an older Kirk…I guarantee you, Tarantino could care less about that ridiculous nexus.
Love startrek. The reason I started writing my own sci-fi series. Book one is complete. The original trek is my fav.
Its pretty cool to see him sitting on that chair and on that set again! But man does it scream the 60s.
It would’ve been nice if we got him for one more Star Trek appearance at some point but that’s life I guess. Its good to see him still so busy.
I’d love to see someone recreate the tos movie bridge set
I suspect that would be a bit more challenging and expensive to recreate. Lots of intricate details.
I would settle for an AMT model!
He is now and always will be my hero.
YOUR chair, Captain!
Congrats to James Cawley, he’s gotta be on Cloud 9…
I was thinking the same thing. He recreates the sets, produces new episodes and tops it all off with Shatner on the very sets he created. William Shatner, Walter Koenig, George Takei and Nichelle Nichols have all been on these sets. Well done, Mr. Cawley.
Agreed. He’s taken a lot of crap over the years, but now he is entering ultimate superfan status of the likes of Bjo Trimble.
Why has he taken crap? I know who he is but never seen any of his films although I did see him in Gods and Monsters which I thought was a decent fan film.
He took a lot of crap for his acting skills when he portrayed Kirk. Some people thought he was fine but others didn’t. It’s the sort of thing that everyone needs to judge for themselves, but, to publicly criticize a fan production is something I would never do. For sure, I couldn’t do better.
Agreed. Took 20 years to get there, he certainly has earned his stripes.
VERY much a fan of TOS and TOS movies. Good to see Mr. Shatner in the chair again.
I wish they could bring him back in by creating a seen much like Spock when he died in one of the star trek movies now this would be kool
The Great Windbag of the Galaxy.
And none more entertaining.
No one is like Mr. Shatner. He is a credit to the acting profession and a wonderful example of a person who tries and tries, and succeeds, even though he is a mortal just like you and me. I wish we could appreciate people when they are with us instead of solely mourning them when they pass.
Messrs. Nimoy, Kelley, and Doohan, to mention just three examples, have already passed. They are greatly missed. Mrs. Roddenberry (Majel Barrett) is also no longer with us. And Mr. Eugene Roddenberry, Sr., has long passed. And so we understand this, and so we must respect these facts, and so, I say, we should respect the legacy they leave behind. Not uncritically, and not without a sharp eye toward ontological truth, but with honesty in our opinions and due deference.
I respect people who make a positive difference in life. This applies whether you are associated with a popular phenom, like Trek, or not.
Speak well of those who have passed, for that way, all of us will go.
May the Creator bless them all. And may we not see any mention of Mr. Shatner that does not pertain to his latest and greatest efforts, of which we could all be proud!
Shatner on the set of what was New Voyages. So bizarre, I never thought I would see this.
William Shatner should be involved with a future Star Trek project as James T Kirk. This is one of the biggest no brainers in Hollywood…My $ say’s QT gets it done with his ST film.
It is pretty good recreation, I wish they had painted the walls blue, though.
@Gary 8.5 — the walls were never blue.
The gentleman standing next to Mr Shatner looks amazingly like the character of Tony Verdeschi from Space: 1999.
That’s James Crawley. The guy who created Star Trek New Voyages. All the episodes are on YouTube.
Can’t any of you just enjoy seeing another person enjoy themselves without analyzing the moment? You people are all arguing over what they bridge looks like. The moment is the man nearing the end of his time with us, light up like a child again.
Can any one of you bickering just stop and please remember the joys of being human?
Ryan, there’s been very little bickering in the thread. I love those sets and hope to see them someday. It’s a 21-hour drive for me but someday I’ll get there.
Only a few weeks left to see original command chair and restored console at Seattle’s MoPOP (along with a bevy of costumes and props from all five series). Well worth the trek to understand what genuine (non-CBS) Star Trek is all about.
I’m going to be in Seattle on the 17th. Good to know that will still be there! I very much plan to head on over. Sounds like a great thing for a Trek person to see!
that’s so cool that James get to stand there next to Shanter on the set he created. Good for him
Shatner is starting to look like George Lucas! Glad he was enjoying himself there. Nice bridge, SHOW MORE OF IT!!!
Their website shows all of the sets. It’s very impressive. Edit: Their youtube videos of the sets have been taken down for some reason.
Thanks, Daniel. I willtake a looksee.
I wish someone would put this kind of love and detail into recreating the bridge of the movie enterprise, from 1979-1991.
@skyjedi — that’s a much more expensive proposition. Those sets were far more sophisticated, and require a much higher degree of construction expertise. Roddenberry wanted a perfectly round bridge in 1964, but the budget wouldn’t allow it to be constructed. He didn’t get it until TAS, and then finally with a multi-million dollar feature film budget. That bridge then served as the stand-in for every round bridge seen in Trek thereafter.
Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but the website doesn’t have a very good gallery of the sets. Is that intentional so that fans will take the journey and pay to see them in person? It seems like seeing everything that can be seen there would be far more encouraging to make the trip, knowing it’s worth it. I guess the movies themselves serve as a kind of inducement, but I still don’t see why they wouldn’t be shown on the site.
Curious Cadet,
FWIW the tale that’s told in news articles is Trek’s costume designer, Theiss, somehow walked off the set with a complete copy of blueprints for the 1st series’ Desilu sets. I’ve seen copies of some of its pages and the labeling is clear that it wasn’t his to take. Regardless of its provenance, the blueprints ended up in Cawley’s hands and and his sets were constructed faithful to those and eventually licensed for museum tours by CBS.