Even at age 92, Star Trek’s William Shatner shows no sign of slowing down. He has a number of new projects making news including a space-themed summer TV show on FOX. We have all the latest from the world of Shatner.
Shatner, we have a problem… on “Mars”
The FOX Network has announced a new reality competition series called Stars on Mars, which will debut on June 5, with William Shatner serving as “Mission Control” for the series. The show puts a group of celebrities into a simulation of Mars where they will compete to become the final “celebronaut.”
Here is the brand new teaser revealing the celebrities headed to “Mars”…
Once on “Mars,” the 12 celebrities will receive “interstellar assignments” from Shatner, safely back at Mission Control. During their stay on Mars the celebs will face authentic conditions that simulate life on Mars. They will compete in missions and will vote to eliminate one of their crewmates each week, sending them back to Earth.
Stars on Mars launches Monday, June 5 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Stars on Mars “Celebronauts” (Brook Rushton/FOX)
Critics praise new Shatner doc… awaiting release date
Shatner is also the subject of a new documentary titled You Can Call Me Bill, which was the focus of a panel with Bill at Comic-Con 2022. The documentary is directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, who is known for thought-provoking pop culture documentaries. It has now been completed and had a world premiere event at the SXSW Festival in March, garnering wide praise. Early critic reviews have been very positive, with the doc currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Here is how The Hollywood Reporter review sums it up:
Despite a fully generic title that falsely suggests a project broadly tailored around Shatner’s ingrained lack of formality, You Can Call Me Bill ends up feeling very much like a Philippe film. Dismissing self-parody in favor of self-reflection, the 91-year-old actor spends the entirety of the 96-minute documentary treating Philippe’s camera like a therapist, dissecting his career and his life with a clear eye toward his own mortality. It’s more inquisitive, earnest and emotional than whatever you’re expecting, though inevitably less dishy and fun.
The doc has yet to set a release date. It was produced by Legion-M, which uses a fan-funding model. This video released earlier in the year gives an overview of the doc and how it was funded.
New digital collectibles
Shatner has partnered up with Web3 game and entertainment company Orange Comet to release his second set of digital collectibles, following his first release of NFTs back in 2020. The new “Infinite Connections” collection is designed to embody “Shatner’s untameable spirit of adventure, his entrance into the metaverse speaks to the underlying theme that everything in the universe is interconnected.” The new collection includes a total of 3,500 unique collectibles, broken into two digital collections: “William Shatner Cosmic Explorer” and “William Shatner Timeless Voyager.”
The collection will be “minted” on May 25. You can learn more about the collection and join the presale at williamshatnernfts.com.
(williamshatnernfts.com)
Keep up with all the Star Trek celebrity news.
Ok, why on “Earth” did they make that promo in the theme of Star Wars?! I mean other than “FOX” perhaps?
Fox TV is now a separate company from what was 20th Century Fox, now a part of Disney.
I am kinda bummed this is what we get instead of Shatner as Kirk even in cameos or a limited series…
That ship sailed a long time ago, even without the writers being on strike. If he’s still taking gigs to sit in a chair and emcee a show, more power to him.
Yes indeed. Exactly.
He said a long while back, as far as ST 2009 I think, that he isn’t interesting in cameo only roles. It would have to be a role of substance and I don’t think TPTB are interested in that
Even before that, he turned down the cameo they offered him on Enterprise.
TRue. That was a really crappy offer too. Playing Chef on Enterprise? What an insult!!!!
Well he was shown hand frying eggs in a pan in Generations.
That was him as Kirk, not as a second hand to the captain of the Enterprise.
Yeah exactly. I remember reading back in 09 people wanted him in the the first JJ verse movie but obviously it would’ve been impossible taking place in a parallel universe 100 years before he died. So there was no real way for him to be part of the movie. And Shatner even said back then he would want a real part in it and not just a cameo.
So it was never going to happen.
Yep. Bob Orci even wrote a bot part for Shatner which was a video letter to Spock saying something like Happy Birthday and if there is any luck to the universe or something like that you and I will be on that bridge again and it was supposed to play when Pine and co launched the Kelvin-Prize at the end of the movie.
I remembered reading that but completely forgot about it. That would’ve been OK but yeah I don’t think Shatner would’ve done it anyway. It just sounded like the movie had to be about him like how it was about Spock.
exactly. That and the dialog that Orci wrote sounded like fan writing and not something that belongs in a movie. I mean it literally started with Kirk singing Happy Birthday to Spock. Like… NO!
Also true my friend! 👍
lol yup!
Another comment section, another confirmation that fans only seem to care about legacy characters in modern Trek shows.
….and with no shame about it.
Which only proves how far Trek has stagnated.
This shit is getting seriously old. The fandom – yes. Trek itself – no. The idea for Legacy (which may or may not even happen) is the closest new Trek has come to that. For everything else that’s not the case at all. If you want to write off the cartoons as cameo fodder, that’s a you problem because both shows have proved that they’re much more than that. Same with SNW. The entire concept of Prodigy is something new and Lower Decks is constantly growing every season. You push for new stuff and you have it.
Yep
That ship has long since sailed.
We would have had Shatner in a supporting role as Kirk in an intriguing sounding multiverse story (Orcis ST3), but the studio decided to make the Fast & Furious in space instead
ITS A SAAAABOTAGE!! 😁
I wouldn’t seeing Shatner be Kirk again but they killed him off over 20 years ago. And there is really no reason to bring him back so let him stay dead.
It’s well documented what a crappy person Shatner was to his Trek costars over the years, but I will give him credit, he’s 91 and still working (and looks fantastic). Interested in his doc for sure.
The only thing well documented is that George Takei is a jerk when it comes to Shatner. He’s just this bitter guy who doesn’t understand that it was not Sulu that brought people to the table and the TV. He was not the star, Shatner was, and there was obviously a lot of jealousy.
And absolutely there should be a Shatner return as Kirk. Matalas clearly wants it. Even if it’s with de aging or animation, we need to see project Phoenix.
To say the ship sailed long ago when they just essentially did TNG season 8 after 29 years, and did a great job, is ridiculous. Of course they could do a Kirks story.
It wasn’t just Takei that talked about this as far as I’m aware. Also to point the finger solely at Takei is a bad look here. Don’t put Shatner on a pedestal either.
And why not put Shatner on a pedestal? He’s 92 and has achieved orders of magnitude more than his Trek costars. We certainly can point a finger at Takei. He’s the only one going out of his way to bash Shatner at every occasion. He’s vain, petty and clearly jealous and can’t get out of the way of his own ego.
Because people just shouldn’t be put on a pedestal. Since, well, they’re people. Especially a guy who has repeatedly refused to listen to an entire community of people, including my own self. (By this I mean autistic people.) Neither Shatner or Takei are great people, if people still want to be fans of either, great, just don’t put them on pedestals because nobody belongs on one.
It really does seem as though Takei was the one who suffered the most from Shatner’s ego taking screen time from the supporting cast, though. The rivalry with Nimoy is famous but Shatner generally lost that battle due to Spock’s popularity. Kelley and Doohan rarely said anything along these lines (they may have agreed but were too much a gentleman to say so in public). The network wanted Koenig to appeal to the Beatles/Monkees audience, so Shatner wouldn’t win there either. Ditto Nichols and her sex appeal. That left Takei, and it is Takei we’ve heard from almost exclusively over the last 30 years.
No. Just no. He is a bitter old man. He has had a resurgence in popularity in social media and in his career and he could just enjoy it. Instead he spends his time bashing a 92 year old man who was THE star of a classic show in which he was a only a part of the crew.
Look, Shatner is no saint. And plenty of the TOS cast had their issues. But Takei is the only one that CONSTANTLY brings it up over 1/2 a century later when Shatner is just trying to live in his golden years. And frankly, Shatner and Nimoy were the stars of the show. Takei was a co star after the fact. Sorry but that’s just the way hollywood is. LOTS of hollywood stars are divas when they are the stars of their own shows. Shatner just gets more than his fair share of the attention for it because Takei won’t STFU
And? I never said that Takei was great either. In fact I said the opposite. They are both at fault here.
Yes they are both at fault. The difference is that Shatner was at fault in the past . Takei is at fault in the present. He needs to calm down
Okay then acknowledge that in the first place instead of being like but what about Takei as if it’s a gotcha or like people here are Shatner stans who can’t stand people criticizing him (much like Shatner himself). Especially when I openly mentioned an issue that I and many others actually do have with Shatner.
Shatner is a public figure still, he is open for criticism. If you don’t like that, then maybe you should take the advice that you seem so eager to give Takei as well.
Being a public figure, Takei is also open for criticism, so what’s the issue here? Also stop mentioning that issue you have with Shatner if you’re not going to be more specific about it.
I never said he wasn’t open for criticism either. I said stop using him to deflect criticism from Shatner.
Also okay. Dude literally said that the autistic self advocacy network is a hate group and defends autism speaks, an actual hate group. You can Google William Shatner and autistic people and find this.
Furthermore he talks about the functioning scale which isn’t even real and I’m proof of it. I can walk, read, talk and type most of the time so people would call me high functioning. However, I can’t drive, I can’t work, and there’s a lot of more personal things I can’t do. But because I can talk people write the rest off and that’s the harm in the functioning labels.
He’s been gently corrected on this many times and not so gently and he doubles down every single time. You talk about Takei being bully? So is Shatner.
It’s like -screams- as long as people take the word and defend a 90 year old celebrity and every other celebrity that thinks like him or worse then the damage to the autistic community is done and will stay done.
Thank you for sharing. I wasn’t aware of this situation between Shatner and the autistic community. I did do a Google on it just now and it seems like his ego is larger than his knowledge on the issue. I think that he did want to be supportive but didn’t take the time to understand the subtleties of the matter and unknowingly offended some people. Unfortunately he doesn’t appear to have the awareness or modesty to accept that he didn’t go about it the right way and has closed his mind to the people he actually was supposed to be helping.
👍 thank you for looking and understanding.
And yeah exactly. He was trying to help but instead he ended up hurting and keeps doubling down on it. Most of the autistic community on Twitter is blocked by him now.
First of all, why should I take any advice because I am NOT a public figure. Your comment makes no sense whats so ever. Second. My point stands. Shatner, whatever he did, was over 1/2 a DECADE ago. Takei is a modern day bully picking on a 92 yr old man. And frankly? Shatner was the star of Star Trek. Takei was not. He need to get the F over it.
He needed to get the F over it 40 years ago.
Exactly
I beg to differ. In “Star Trek Memories,” Shatner recalls interviewing Nichelle Nichols. They laughed and recalled old times for a while, then he packed his things to leave and she stopped him. “Wait,” she said. “I’ve told you why I love you… now let me tell me why I hate you.” (or something to that effect). So his beef with Nichelle, which they quashed, is public record.
I also remember reading somewhere (don’t remember where) about Shatner and Doohan burying the hatchet on the set of “Generations”.
It warms my heart that all of them squashed that. It’s too bad Shatner and Takei can’t do the same.
Raising up an old white man by trashing a person of colour with baseless accusations is really not the flex you think it is. And I say this as someone who is not a fan of Shatner.
A person of color who is also a member of the LGBT community. Admittedly not a great person either, I’m not a fan of both of them myself, but it’s still a very bad look.
And tbh I live a couple of hours away from the first Japanese internment camp that Takei was sent to. I never knew about it until I read about him talking about it. Because Arkansas tends to bury those parts of its history. That’s another layer of things to me.
One of the most shameful episodes of US history in the last century.
An honest telling of history demands a hard look at it’s failings. The most patriotic thing any American can do is acknowledge its historical failings as well as its achievements. It’s the only way to learn, and not repeat the mistakes of the past.
Oh for crying out loud, George is a big boy now, he doesn’t need you to defend his honor for bearing a 50 year-old grudge while happening to be Asian. It’s patronizing. And I say this as someone who is an Asian.
He’s 92.
Is it really necessary to comment on every Shatner article on what a horrible person you perceive him to be? How is that even relevant to the context of this article?
Cause he was a shitty person to lots of people?
I think things will work out for the celebrities. The Schwartz is with them.
Kinda wondering why the article places quotation marks around “interstellar assignments” but not “celebrities”…
The assignments are literally fictions. Regardless of how you personally feel about the celebrities, they are real.
Lance Armstrong? That guy has a lot of nerve showing his disgraced self in public.
Maybe you’d prefer Rudy Giuliani?
Bill Burr’s rant about him (and Oprah) on Conan was pretty great. The clutched pearls so many people have about what he did are a little funny to me.
The man just never stops, more power to him.
He has slowed down quite a bit, by his own admission.
Going into space at 90 is slowing down . Wow
Let’s not conflate a joy ride on Jeff Bezo’s New Shephard, with going to the ISS. All Shatner had to do was get a physical to show that pulling some G’s wouldn’t kill him, and sit back and enjoy the ride. Actually going into space requires years of training and preparation. With several companies about ready to take wealthy people on sub orbital jaunts, no one is confusing William Shatner with Yuri Gagarin (or Alan Shepard).
Nah. I still find it remarkable for a 90 year old, unfit, man to sign up to go into space. Sure, it’s a an ego thing with Shatner, but you have to give the guy some credit for doing it at an advanced age, it must have be scary. It’s quite something. He seemed to be profundly moved by the whole thing too. You sound far too cynical about most stuff I must say.
Well, it was more of a PR thing for Bezo’s. Shatner commented somewhere that if he had to actually pay for the trip he wasn’t going. So there’s that. Broadly, though, anyone who makes it to 90, or 100 should be celebrated. Carol Burnett and Willie Nelson just turned 90. Norman Lear is coming up on 101. All still are vital and contributing to their professions. I have a relative who hits 96 in a couple of months – she’s not as active as she used to be, but she still gets around and takes care of herself. There is a mythos around Shatner on these pages that he’s somehow defying the reality of his age. There’s little truth to that, and Shatner himself seems to be acknowledging that now. If pointing that out makes me cynical, then it makes him cynical, too.
I will never stop admiring this man. I always tuned into Trek for Kirk, to be honest. And while Bill Shatner is of course not perfect, he has sincerely managed to create a legacy that will in all likelihood be remembered forever. He continues to reach for the stars with everything he does, and the fact that he keeps pushing himself well into his 90s is just so inspiring and always will be. I hope he makes it to 100, or even 110.
I’m not trying to sound negative but I still don’t get the whole NFT thing. I’m totally at a loss why anyone would spend a single dollar on it? And it seem to have bombed as a Star Trek product when a company tried to do it creating different ship models to buy but many fans were spoke out against it.
It’s a scam anyway honestly.
Basically, it’s a digital collectible. Whatever value a NFT may have is based on demand, and there is an active exchange for NFT’s. The Trump NFT’s, for example, are still trading above their original mint price. Unlike art, stamps, or coins, there’s nothing tangible behind a NFT. It’s just a line of computer code.
Similar thing with crypto, except there you’re handing tangible cash to a high quality, professionally run unregulated clearing house like FTX….oh, wait…..
Ben McKenzie (Ryan from The OC!) co-wrote a fantastic book about the dangers of crypto and touches on NFTs as part of the same culture. The idea that they could ever be something of value that could ever be resold is pretty hard to countenance. But so many people are idiots.
The irony to this particular thread is that, in the future cashless Trek economy, the only way for the Federation to transact business with boarding states that do have mediums of exchange would be the digital assignment of value to Federation goods and services to international space commerce. What or how that would look like is anyone’s guess, but it would be a digital exchange.
I suspect no one will ever try to really explain that. DS9 got away with it by being on the fringes of the Federation, so of course they’d have latinum they obtained… somehow.