George Takei And William Shatner’s Feud Is Still Very Much Alive
George Takei and William Shatner have been beefing for decades. The former Star Trek co-stars have shit-talked each other in interviews, in their books, and on social media. Sometimes, Shatner vs. Takei gives “frenemies” vibes (see: George’s appearance at Shatner’s Comedy Central Roast); other times, it seems like they really hate each other’s guts. In a recent interview with The Guardian, 85-year-old George says most of the cast members got along on the original Star Trek series… except for one “prima donna.” Three guesses as to who George is talking about. Hint: it’s a 91-year-old space man with a passion for horse semen.
via The Guardian:
Was the camaraderie on board the Starship Enterprise reflected on set? “Yes. Yes. YES,” Takei says passionately. “Except for one, who was a prima donna.” He is alluding to the show’s star, William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk. “But the rest of us shared a great camaraderie. One of the gifts from Star Trek was not just longevity but colleagues that became lasting friends.”
George says he was good buddies with Walter Koenig (Chekov), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), James Doohan (Scotty), and Leonard Nimoy (Spock). 86-year-old Walter is the only one of those actors who is still alive. The legendary Nichelle Nichols passed a few months ago at age 89. The interviewer asks George if any of the original Star Trek castmates got along with William, and he replied, “No, none of us.”
Earlier this month, William made headlines when he told The Times UK that he thought it was “a little weird” how much his Star Trek co-stars publicly slammed him, via Variety:
“I began to understand that they were doing it for publicity,” Shatner said. “Sixty years after some incident they are still on that track. Don’t you think that’s a little weird? It’s like a sickness. George has never stopped blackening my name. These people are bitter and embittered. I have run out of patience with them. Why give credence to people consumed by envy and hate?”
“I know he came to London to promote his book and talked about me wanting publicity by using his name. So I decided I don’t need his name to get publicity. I have much more substantial subject matter that I want to get publicity for, so I’m not going to refer to Bill in this interview at all.” He grins. “Although I just did. He’s just a cantankerous old man and I’m going to leave him to his devices. I’m not going to play his game.”
One question, I say: was he a cantankerous younger man? “He was self-involved. He enjoyed being the centre of attention. He wanted everyone to kowtow to him.”
Before this last tiff, the most recent battle in Shatner vs. Takei was back in 2021, when George publicly mocked William Shatner’s journey into space. He called William a “guinea pig” who wasn’t “the fittest of specimen of 90 years old… so he’ll be a specimen that’s unfit!” Damn, I hope that George Takei and William Shatner live forever. I never ever want to live in a world where these two aren’t taking lame shots at one another in the media. Long live the sci-fi nerd version of Madonna Vs. Elton John!
Pics: RobinLori/INSTARimages.com & Tony Forte/Media Punch/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images