Takei's Claims About Shatner

[Ssosmcin]

Shatner has said that fan mail was handled by staff assistants, who even signed the supposed autographs, and he never (more or less) even saw it. And he was not aware of Nimoy being more popular than him. OTOH, there is anecdotal evidence that he was protective of Kirk's line count. He didn't want to gradually slide into supporting status if Spock was trending.

Popularity is not measured by fan mail alone, though. Fan magazines, interview requests, award nominations, overall response with thigs like "I Grok Spock" all factor into it. Shatner didn't live in a bubble and even if he did, I'm sure the actor noticed the guy who was downplayed at the start of the show was becoming more prominent. Spock had two full episodes in one season devoted to his background. We met Kirk's dead brother who was never mentioned after he died. There was never a story about Kirk's background other than "his father helped me get into the academy" sort of thing.

Don't let him fool ya, he knew.

 

[Neopeius]

Does anyone know if Culp or Cosby was more popular in I,Spy? They were definitely co-equals in that show.

 

[dupersuper]

his roles outside of ST were pretty meh

No love for Boston Legal? The Practice? Twilight Zone? TJ Hooker? Rescue 911? The second animated West Batman movie? Over the Hedge? 3rd Rock from the Sun? Shit my Dad Says, Tekwar? Airplane 2? Free Enterprise?

Right offhand, my Takei sightings included The Six Million Dollar Man, and much later he had a funny cameo on The Big Bang Theory. Two of my favorite all-time series. Apart from that, it was all Star Trek-related to me, because his shot on The Twilight Zone was suppressed for decades.

But IMDB shows at least a couple of jobs every year for life. Apparently actors have to work a certain amount every year to keep their heath insurance, and I'm sure that drove him to keep going after the gigs.

Also Heroes, Takei's Take, an episode of The Simpsons, a play about Japanese Internment...

 

[Kirk1980]

Takei also showed up in an episode of Perry Mason.

 

[Phoenix219]

No love for Boston Legal? The Practice? Twilight Zone? TJ Hooker? Rescue 911? The second animated West Batman movie? Over the Hedge? 3rd Rock from the Sun? Shit my Dad Says, Tekwar? Airplane 2? Free Enterprise?



Also Heroes, Takei's Take, an episode of The Simpsons, a play about Japanese Internment...

I was actually just about to post, I really did enjoy Takei on Heroes, and it made me remember Nichelle was on it as well.

 

[dupersuper]

Takei also showed up in an episode of Perry Mason.

Shatner did a bunch of Columbos.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Does anyone know if Culp or Cosby was more popular in I,Spy? They were definitely co-equals in that show.

Cosby got the Emmy nominations (and wins) and was a breakout. Culp was 100% supportive. Those guys were a real team, with genuine love. There was no rivalry at all.

 

[mb22]

No love for Boston Legal? The Practice? Twilight Zone? TJ Hooker? Rescue 911? The second animated West Batman movie? Over the Hedge? 3rd Rock from the Sun? Shit my Dad Says, Tekwar? Airplane 2? Free Enterprise?

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[Phaser Two]

If anything, I think Spock is very hard to write for in large doses, because unless you drive him mad for an episode, he's only ever going to say what logic dictates, and that's going to be dry and even boring.

Probably true, and as for your statement about Spock being hard to write for, look no further than . . . Star Trek's writing team! While Kirk, McCoy and Scotty are largely written consistently from the start of the series to the end, with minor deviations into comic relief for Scotty (hey, Jimmy D was versatile and they knew it), Spock is absolutely all over the place, especially after the first season. Just contrast "Gamesters of Triskelion" with "That Which Survives." Or "Journey to Babel" with (oof) "The Enterprise Incident." They had no idea where to go with him, particularly when he was in command of the ship. Interestingly, one of the best Spock-in-command takes is in "The Mark of Gideon," an episode this board detests.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

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Very strong work for many of that production's performers. Unlike some who were so typecast post that one job, Shatner had no trouble returning to the kind of serious, real world performances he excelled at pre-TOS. The Andersonville Trial is just one example of that.

 

[Commishsleer]

Cosby got the Emmy nominations and was a breakout. Culp was 100% supportive. Those guys were a real team, with genuine love. There was no rivalry at all.

Ah Cosby I used to really admire his comedy...

Probably true, and as for your statement about Spock being hard to write for, look no further than . . . Star Trek's writing team! While Kirk, McCoy and Scotty are largely written consistently from the start of the series to the end, with minor deviations into comic relief for Scotty (hey, Jimmy D was versatile and they knew it), Spock is absolutely all over the place, especially after the first season. Just contrast "Gamesters of Triskelion" with "That Which Survives." Or "Journey to Babel" with (oof) "The Enterprise Incident." They had no idea where to go with him, particularly when he was in command of the ship. Interestingly, one of the best Spock-in-command takes is in "The Mark of Gideon," an episode this board detests.

Sounds like Nimoy sucks. Perhaps they should have booted him off in Season 3 and given all his lines to Shatner...

Very strong work for many of that production's performers. Unlike some who were so typecast post that one job, Shatner had no trouble returning to the kind of serious, real world performances he excelled at pre-TOS. The Andersonville Trial is just one example of that.

How many serious roles did he really have after Star Trek? I think he sort of cast type cast as well. I mean from TJ Hooker onwards wasn't he really just playing himself or was he ?

 

[Phaser Two]

Sounds like Nimoy sucks. Perhaps they should have booted him off in Season 3 and given all his lines to Shatner...

What a goofy response.

 

[Commishsleer]

What a goofy response.

Sounds goofy saying that Nimoy was terrible compared to Shatner, Kelley and Doohan. I could mention terrible writing of Kirk when he fell in love in 5 minutes in Requiem for Methuselah while his crewmates were dying or his nonsense in the "Children Shall Lead" and there's probably other examples but I think Shatner was great in his role as Captain Kirk, inspiring, charismatic the best Star Trek Captain. Were Scotty's and Kelley's stupid love stories bad writing or just character building?
And frankly I think Shatner, Nimoy, Kelley, Doohan, Takei, Keonig, Nicholls were all excellent in their roles and its the combination thats the reason why we love the series so much even after 50 years. Well one of the many reasons I love it anyway.

 

[Methuselah Flint]

I read it somewhere, I forget. But Lights of Zetar for me stands out as a strong ensemble piece. Apart from a few moments of gush (compared with the hormonal character we see in Whom Mourns for Adonais?) from Scotty, his feelings for Mira seem a lot more mature. Sometimes I almost see him more fitting as a father figure for Mira. Anyway, I digress...Shatner is cool and calm, Spock too, and even he and McCoy seem to be getting on.

In fact, come season three, apart from McCoy's behaviour caused by being in the past in All Our Yesterdays, I don't think the two really bicker.

 

[Phaser Two]

Sounds goofy saying that Nimoy was terrible compared to Shatner, Kelley and Doohan

I . . . didn't say a word about Leonard Nimoy. The man was a superlative actor and a very kind human being.

I said that the Star Trek writers had extreme difficulty writing Spock consistently.

 

[Noname Given]

To me Shatner is good but Nimoy was a lot more important to and contributing to the show (while some of Shatner's influences particularly TFF were bad, though Nimoy does deserve some blame for the alt Saavik in TSfS) and we've had other good captains and his roles outside of ST were pretty meh so that may well influence me to not particularly like him generally or want to take his side.

Huh? William Shatner won an Emmy for Boston Legal/Denny Crane, headlined another series (TJ Hooker) and appeared in a number of other things over the years.

Compared to George Takei who had what, a couple of appearances as a Asian Drug Lord in Miami Vice (circa 1987); a guest spot on VOY in 1996, and a few cameo appearances in Heroes (circa 2006)?

Please.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Ah Cosby I used to really admire his comedy...

How many serious roles did he really have after Star Trek? I think he sort of cast type cast as well. I mean from TJ Hooker onwards wasn't he really just playing himself or was he ?

In order for me to continue to enjoy I Spy, I have to separate Alexander Scott from Bill Cosby. I really hate that his monstrous behavior overshadows his contributions to society. Everything that Cosby and Culp did on I Spy did more for the civil rights movement and the roles of non-whites on television than Star Trek did on its best day.

As far as Robert Culp is concerned, he felt it was more important for Bill Cosby to win Emmys that it was for Culp to. What the two of them brought to the screen was magic. Robert Culp wrote a handful of episodes, all of them were fantastic. The very first episode aired was a Culp script and it was centered around Cosby's character.

That's a guy who isn't as concerned about his role in a TV series as he was about the difference he could make by being the co-lead of a television show with a black man. My admiration for Robert Culp is endless.

As far as William Shatner playing himself or not, I have no idea. I don't know the real William Shatner. I doubt anyone else here does either. He was riffing on his persona for some of it, absolutely. But since Denny Crane and TJ Hooker are two completely different characters, in approach and appearance, if he's playing himself then he's a pretty multifaceted individual.

 

[Neopeius]

As far as Robert Culp is concerned, he felt it was more important for Bill Cosby to win Emmys that it was for Culp to. What the two of them brought to the screen was magic. Robert Culp wrote a handful of episodes, all of them were fantastic. The very first episode aired was a Culp script and it was centered around Cosby's character.

We just watched that one! We're rerunning I, Spy first season since Lorelei didn't start watching until they got to Japan.

Culp's scripts are often good. They're also sometimes... weird. Culp in yellow-face is something I don't need to see again.

That's a guy who isn't as concerned about his role in a TV series as he was about the difference he could make by being the co-lead of a television show with a black man. My admiration for Robert Culp is endless.

No argument.

 

[Ssosmcin]

That episode is beautifully written, but having Culp play the dual role was a little misguided and somewhat self-indulgent.

 

[Poltargyst]

In fact, come season three, apart from McCoy's behaviour caused by being in the past in All Our Yesterdays, I don't think the two really bicker.

My take is that Spock and McCoy come to an understanding in The Tholian Web and don't bicker much after that the rest of the series.