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Do you think the feud between Shatner and Takei is fake?

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The Rock

Fleet Captain
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I'm starting to think so. I mean, for one thing, at Shatner's Comedy Central's Roast, Takei was one of the roasters. Somehow, I think that if Shatner really disliked Takei, he wouldn't have allowed Takei to roast him. Why? Cause you only let your friends or acquaintances to roast you. You don't invite your enemies to be a roaster (unless you don't have any friends, which was the case for Chevy Chase's Roast). Also, on the "To Be Takei" documentary, Shatner is interviewed. I can't imagine that Takei would've let Shatner be involved with the documentary if he still disliked Shatner.

Personally, I think that they used to dislike each other, and then buried the hatchet at some point. But they secretly agreed to keep a fake feud going to 1) keep both of their names out there and 2) give people something to talk about. I think it's somewhat similar to the Andy Kaufman/Jerry Lawler feud where for years people thought that they really hated each other but in reality, they were friends.

How about you?
 
Austin 3:16 said:
I'm starting to think so. I mean, for one thing, at Shatner's Comedy Central's Roast, Takei was one of the roasters. Somehow, I think that if Shatner really disliked Takei, he wouldn't have allowed Takei to roast him. Why? Cause you only let your friends or acquaintances to roast you. You don't invite your enemies to be a roaster (unless you don't have any friends, which was the case for Chevy Chase's Roast). Also, on the "To Be Takei" documentary, Shatner is interviewed. I can't imagine that Takei would've let Shatner be involved with the documentary if he still disliked Shatner.
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Their documentaries and other interviews for each other's projects are what convince me it's all a ruse. Why show up in each other's projects if there's so much disdain? You'd only be giving the other person a forum to spout the same things over and over again. And even if it's done for a paycheck, can it really be worth it if 1. it just musters up old demons and 2. both Shatner and Takei are wealthy and raking in more cash and roles than they ever did with Trek? Takei has that huge social media audience, and Shatner has a wall of post-Trek Emmys and trophies at home. Neither of them are hurting after Trek.

And speaking of which, it used to be that Trekkies would hear the same ol' insults. Now it's not just Trekkies anymore, but fans in general. That's how much it's perpetuated.

Personally, I think that they used to dislike each other, and then buried the hatchet at some point. But they secretly agreed to keep a fake feud going to 1) keep both of their names out there and 2) give people something to talk about. I think it's somewhat similar to the Andy Kaufman/Jerry Lawler feud where for years people thought that they really hated each other but in reality, they were friends.

How about you?
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Sure, it wouldn't surprise me if they genuinely did dislike each other in the past and then buried the hatchet. But as to the reason to keep the feud going, I'd posit to think even a simpler reason: they're doing it just for shits and giggles.
 
Cyke101 said:
But as to the reason to keep the feud going, I'd posit to think even a simpler reason: they're doing it just for shits and giggles.
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I can easily imagine them getting together for a laugh and saying "Wait until you hear what I'm going to say after you're dead!"
 
The question occurs to me with regular frequency. Shatner, especially, impresses me as someone who would do anything to continue this kind of "performance art" (such as Shia Labeouf with a paper bag over his head with "I'm not famous anymore" written on it). Takei is more dignified, but obviously likes to have fun. So I don't put it past the both of them. Even if they do have some amount of disdain toward each other, it is something they've found mutually amuses them - like teasing friends. Males are especially like that - abusive bonding. Bro love.

Every once in a while, such as on Stern, you'll hear of an effort to get them together to have it out once and for all. It doesn't happen. Why? For the same reason sexual tension on a TV show should never be consummated. Because once the deed is done, there's no sexual tension and no ratings and no interest. It's a macrocosm of men falling asleep after they get theirs. Shatner and Takei don't want to ruin a good thing.
 
Hollywood relationships all seem so superficial. I don't expect them to be anything but what they are, which is celebrities. If it puts more money in their pocket, they'll hate, they'll love, they'll worship, they'll condemn ... it's not even all that interesting, these grumpy old men sending snarky messages from afar. George Takei always bitched about how STAR TREK anchored Sulu to that helm for so many years, when the fact was ... nobody forced him to keep reprising the role. His agent would get pissed, no doubt about that, but I mean ... he did kind of make himself look foolish continually taking on a role which made him feel demeaned, somehow. So, no ... I don't think the Bill & George thing is any more fake, really than any of the other fake nonsense Hollywood prints or puts out.
 
I don't think it's fake, but I do think it's been made out over the years to be more than it is. Takei played what was essentially a supporting character who frequently didn't have a lot of lines, while Shatner had top billing (and pay). Any grievance Takei might have towards Shatner stems from that, although it's also possible that Takei might also have disliked Shatner going about his business like he had top billing rather than someone who embraced both all fellow stars and supporting co-stars alike.
 
JWPlatt said:
Every once in a while, such as on Stern, you'll hear of an effort to get them together to have it out once and for all. It doesn't happen. Why? For the same reason sexual tension on a TV show should never be consummated. Because once the deed is done, there's no sexual tension and no ratings and no interest. It's a macrocosm of men falling asleep after they get theirs. Shatner and Takei don't want to ruin a good thing.
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Yeah, once George and Bill sleep together, no one will care anymore. ;)
 
I don't understand why I should care one way or the other. I don't know those people, it's their business.
 
Melakon said:
JWPlatt said:
Every once in a while, such as on Stern, you'll hear of an effort to get them together to have it out once and for all. It doesn't happen. Why? For the same reason sexual tension on a TV show should never be consummated. Because once the deed is done, there's no sexual tension and no ratings and no interest. It's a macrocosm of men falling asleep after they get theirs. Shatner and Takei don't want to ruin a good thing.
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Yeah, once George and Bill sleep together, no one will care anymore. ;)
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Nice setup.

You want me to say, "Don't think George hasn't considered it."

But I'm not going for the bait.
 
C.E. Evans said:
...Takei might also have disliked Shatner going about his business like he had top billing rather than someone who embraced both all fellow stars and supporting co-stars alike.
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This language I think illustrates the problem. Nichelle and George always seem to consider the show as having "seven stars", but, in point of fact, I had TWO and then THREE and everyone else was a supporting player. Shatner had a piece of the show, he had the top billing position at the front, he and Nimoy appeared in every episode. No one else did. The others were not the stars of the show, period.

And, as to the "how could they not have been friends?" question that people sometimes ask, I have worked 5 days a week with people for years and never become "friends" with many of them, merely friend-ly. George and the other supporting players didn't appear in every episode and likely worked only a couple or a few days a week on those segments, so they weren't even around most of the time. As such, how can he be surprised that the star doesn't consider him a "friend"?

The whole thing is childish, real or not.
 
I've always thought that it didn't bother Shatner a bit. Every time Takei bitches about him, Shat's name is out there again. *Cha-ching*

Impressionist Frank Caliendo tells a story about a conversation with Charles Barkley that went something like this:

"You gotta keep doing me."
"What?"
"You gotta keep doing me."
"Ok, but why?"
"Every time you do it, I make more money."
 
Maurice said:
C.E. Evans said:
...Takei might also have disliked Shatner going about his business like he had top billing rather than someone who embraced both all fellow stars and supporting co-stars alike.
Click to expand...
This language I think illustrates the problem. Nichelle and George always seem to consider the show as having "seven stars", but, in point of fact, I had TWO and then THREE and everyone else was a supporting player. Shatner had a piece of the show, he had the top billing position at the front, he and Nimoy appeared in every episode. No one else did. The others were not the stars of the show, period.
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Agreed. And people like to pretend Shatner "snubbed" his co-stars, but Doohan/Takei/Nichols/Koenig were day players. The only co-star Shatner had on Star Trek was Nimoy, and in season two onwards DeForest Kelley.

Also evidence, like the blooper reel tapes and Blackburn's home footage shot on the set, shows Shatner mingling/playing/laughing with his co-stars, so it's not like the set felt like a funeral parlour. He might've gone to the directors and had scenes re-blocked to place Kirk more prominantly in the scene than the other actors, but he was entitled to do that -- he was the star. By all other accounts the set seems to have been a mostly happy one, it wasn't until later IMO that the 70's convention circuit gave the day players the chance to air their so-called greiviences, and boy did they air them (and continue to).
 
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