Star Trek’s William Shatner recently went to space and in the process, became the oldest person to ever make the journey. Many around the world celebrated the achievement, though fellow Trek alumni George Takei raised eyebrows with a questionable remark about his co-star's recent venture. Now, Shatner has clapped back with a statement of his own.
George Takei spoke about his former co-star at an event and essentially stated that the actor made a great test subject for the effects of space travel on the human body. While these sentiments were relatively tame, he then took a shot at William Shatner’s body and referred to him as an “unfit” specimen, from a physical standpoint. Shatner responded to the quote on his Twitter, asking fans not to retaliate while throwing a little shade of his own:
Don’t hate George. The only time he gets press is when he talks bad about me. He claims 50+ years ago, I took away a camera angle that denied him 30 more seconds of prime time TV. I’m giving it back to him now by letting him spew his hatred for the world to see!
Much like the original comment, the Captain Kirk actor's statement has niceties that ultimately get a little shady throughout the back half. It's yet to be seen how these sentiments will be taken by George Takei, who has spoken at length over the years about his former colleague's alleged behavior towards him on the set of Star Trek.
The two Star Trek actors have been at odds for decades and don’t appear to get along well. The public feud didn’t start until after their work on the show ended, specifically when George Takei began discussing alleged things William Shatner did on set. Shatner, in turn, accused Takei of trying to deliberately injure him during their infamous sword-fighting scene in “The Naked Time.”
The former Sulu actor hasn’t shared a response to his fellow Trek alum, so perhaps both sides have spoken their piece. Fans might hope as much, as many would likely prefer to see these two on great terms, especially during the twilight of their careers. It's unfortunate that not everyone involved with this franchise can have the relationship Captain Kirk and Spock had.
If there is some silver lining to the situation, it’s that William Shatner and George Takei can take shots at each other and move on from the situation as though nothing happened. Neither one’s seems to have lingered on the situation. Hopefully, things don’t escalate any further and that the two will simply let things rest.
At present, you can catch all Star Trek productions on Paramount+. For more happening in the franchise, get the latest update on what’s happening with Strange New Worlds.
