The Squire of Gothos said:
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww....
Shatner's on the left BTW.
Yea I saw the BAD rug on the left cat's head...
Did Shatner and Doohan ever patch things up?
- Thread starter Mr. Laser Beam
- Start date
Yea I saw the BAD rug on the left cat's head...
Not that I ever understood, no. I think they were able to tolerate one another a little better in the final years due to having to make personal appearances together at TREK functions and celebrations, and Shatner reached out when Doohan's health was in serious decline. But I don't think a full repproachment ever happened, no.
When they were honored at the TVLand awards in Doohan's last year, Shatner quite visibly hovered close to Doohan and helped him off the stage as the cameras panned out. It was probably the most genuine, sincere thing I've ever seen Shatner do.
I hope they made up. As close as their fictional characters were, it's a damn shame the actors themselves couldn't stand one another for most of their time working together.
It really started during the movies, and it was mainly on Doohan's part, I'm sad to say. And I agree, they had terrific on-screen chemistry.
I heard the same thing, people fight all the time, they realise it was over something stupid and they patch things up. If I find a link to anymore on the story I'll post it here
I always thought too much was made of the rivalries on the set. Shatner was, in fact, the star, and he probably felt (and probably rightly so) that he was entitled to a more prominent role in the episodes than anyone else. I'm sure when he signed on it was pitched to him as "You are the star" and not "you are the leader of an ensemble cast."
The famous story about GR having to admit in front of both Shatner and Nimoy that "Bill is the star" sums it up for me.
I am sure that on most shows the stars garner some resentment, so why should it be so different with TOS? They are actors, and they want fame and recognition, just like everybody else in Hollywood.
Do you dislike anyone at your workplace? Do you suspect anyone there dislikes you? How'd you like to hear repeated exit interviews from them, conducted in public, before conventions of rabid fans?
Some of the comments I read from Doohan (whom I love) were nothing short of vile. Shatner -- love him or hate him -- was silent, except to express regret and a desire for reconciliation in his autobiographical books.
I like to think that, in the end, everyone forgot and forgave. Life is too short, even in the 23rd century.
Some of the comments I read from Doohan (whom I love) were nothing short of vile. Shatner -- love him or hate him -- was silent, except to express regret and a desire for reconciliation in his autobiographical books.
I like to think that, in the end, everyone forgot and forgave. Life is too short, even in the 23rd century.
Interestingly enough, in the early development of the first season, George Clayton Johnson pushed that Kirk and Scotty have a close friendship instead of Kirk and Bones. According to him, in an interview in one of the Trek issues of Cinefantastque, it made sense that the Captain and the engineer would be close comrades since they both had the most vested interest in the ship. Roddenberry, however, felt that it would've been better for Kirk and Bones to be close friends.
If things had gone another way, perhaps we would've seen a Big Three of Kirk, Spock and Scotty.
Shatner's failing, if he has/had one, is that he sometimes is oblivious to what other people are "really" thinking and feeling. "Clueless" rather than "meanspirited." I'm not aware of a single time that Shatner ever did anything or said anything with the INTENTION of hurting another person, and even those "second bananas" who took such a dislike to him haven't ever claimed otherwise. (See George Takei, for instance).
Shatner, if he's guilty of anything, is guilty of being an actor... that is, he tends to think about HIMSELF far more than he thinks about others.
On the other hand, the stuff that I saw come from Doohan turned me from a fan of his into a detractor of his. James Doohan, sadly, became embittered. He never really had a career to speak of after Star Trek, and he blamed Bill Shatner for that. But that's TOTALLY unfair. He might have been "typecast" but it may also be that he simply mismanaged his own career, too. It's easy to blame someone else.
Walter Koenig is a perfect example of this. He was also strongly critical of Shatner... until he got his B5 gig and finally broke out of the "Star Trek Trap." It was enlightening to note how he became much more gracious after that...
Now that Takei is seeing some non-Trek interest in him, I wonder how he'll respond. I can only say that, having seen his "performance" at the Shatner Roast... and having sat through his entire autobiography... I find the guy to be a far worse human being that Shatner ever could be.
See... Shatner may have been insensitive but he was never INTENTIONALLY VICIOUS. If anything, he seems a bit sad and bewildered by how he seems to be seen (and I'm sure that's a large part of why he's transformed himself into the "new Shatner" who makes a living making fun of himself).
Takei and Doohan just got vicious, however... and that has basically permanently ruined them in my eyes. And the saddest part is that Scotty was my favorite when I was a kid... :\
As I've related on this site before, I have a friend who had to work with Shatner, and she says he's basically an ass... literally expecting the little people to do such petty things as turn the dial on the TV in his trailer when it's right in front of him. That's just rude. As such, I don't buy clueless.
On the other hand, who cares if he and Doohan got along? It was a job. I don't and haven't gotten along famously with everyone I've worked with. Let's not confuse the actors with the characters.
On the other hand, who cares if he and Doohan got along? It was a job. I don't and haven't gotten along famously with everyone I've worked with. Let's not confuse the actors with the characters.
The situation was all the sadder when you realize DOOHAN was the genesis for the bad relationship. To be sure, Shatner stepped on a lot of fellow actors' lines and could be tremendously self-centered, but if Doohan hadn't taken such a bilious and personal offense to Shatner's egotism things would never have gotten as bad as they did. Doohan made it personal and petty, which Shatner never did.
I think we can all agree that, if forgiveness were not offered in life, all too soon all will meet in oblivion, or heaven, or -- wherever. Some final understanding will occur there.
I don't feel right in prolonging or even settling workplace differences that now, because of death, can never be resolved.
We're human. We all fight. We love, we hate, we take others for granted -- every one of us. That's the best and worst that can be said of Shatner, Doohan and any of us.
I don't feel right in prolonging or even settling workplace differences that now, because of death, can never be resolved.
We're human. We all fight. We love, we hate, we take others for granted -- every one of us. That's the best and worst that can be said of Shatner, Doohan and any of us.
As bad as their relationship was, at LEAST they turned out very good work that will last forever and be remembered.
Nah, it's impossible for us as outsiders to know who started what. It's one of those complex interpersonal conflict things. Each side thinks the other is wrong and could give you a long list of reason.
Doohan things Shatner started it while Shatner things Doohan started it. Who knows? Certainly not you or I. We've got maybe one-hundreth of the necessary details to figure that out! Shoot, the participants don't even agree!
Mr Awe
Well, not only that, but I think Shatner was about 30 when all this happened. So as someone about the same age as he was in Trek, I can only thank god or whoever that no one will ever make a big public deal about all the stupid stuff I'm doing now. I'm sure somebody thinks I'm an asshole, and I'm sure I'll grow out of it eventually. I hope Shatner did, but it's hard to tell.
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