Does Anyone Else NOT Want Shatner in the Film?

This is the true test, here, as to whether this is really going to be a serious attempt to reinvigorate Star Trek. If they haven't written a part from Shatner and they go out of their way to squeeze him in, then we'll know nothing has changed.

 

If it is a "Spock dying" scenario, Shatner showing up at the end to greet Spock into the next life could be a surprise cameo. Or just have a young Kirk serve under Captain Denny "T.J." Crane.

 

Does anyone remember the names of other Shatner series characters? I remember, for instance, a series called "Barbary Coast"... and he made two appearances (as the same guy?) on Columbo... and I'm sure he did some other stuff that got significant (if temporary) recognition...

Am I missing any major roles? I mean, we know TJ Hooker, Boston Legal, and obviously Star Trek...

 

Nope nothing to see here, move along...
I dont think having Shatner in this is a make or break.

 

Either way.

 

Actually, my username and avatar are a tribute to the first role he played in Columbo. He played an actor named Ward Fowler who starred in a tv show as a Police Inspector named Lucerne. It was quite an entertaining performace, if just for the cheesiness of it all. In the Columbo he did in the 90's he played a different character and I'm not sure of his name in that one.

 

I'd rather neither Shatner or Nimoy be in the movie. I'd rather see the new actors playing them standalone. But since Nimoy is going to be it it then if they can find a way to get Shatner in there too then that's ok. If there's no reasonable way to fit him in then leave him out.

 

I agree with you too. As much as I love the character Spock and the selfish part of me is glad they brought him back to life after the events in TWoK, from a dramatic standpoint, I think it would have been better to have let him die and stayed dead.

 

Not probably, definitely.

I don't want Shatner in it either. Or Nimoy. I really don't care for the idea of a framing story. I want them to make a clean break. But it looks like I'm not going to get what I want.


Marian

 

My guess:

The majority of people who want Shatner in this movie simply are not that outspoken about it.

Maybe they dont even have the tendency to use internet forums.

It is always those people who DONT want something to happen who voice their "concerns" the loudest.

 

I think the film would do better if it had neither Shatner nor Nimoy in it. All their presence would do, IMHO, is "suck the oxygen out of the room". They'd be more of a distraction than anything else.

 

I would be upset if Shatner was ever again in a star trek movie or a star trek show period.

Starting out as a federation starship captain and ending his career as the spokesman of priceline.com. It is time to say, let Kirk stay DEAD.

 

Are you opposed to him making money? Keeping his career going? I don't understand why some people seem to have this idea that Shatner should keep the dignity befitting a starship captain. He's an actor. Not being remembered as only a starship captain is really good for the career. That's why none of the others ever did anything else; because they were remembered as only their Trek characters. What's wrong with being a pitchman? He's just making a living.

 

You're in keeping with your namesake's tendency to make entirely wrong predictions...you should check out the current topics at www.trekmovie.com. The "bring back Kirk" crowd are making a mess of that place this week.

 

I do not mind that he wants to make money. But, in my judgment he was never a good actor. Not in the 1950's or in TOS or in any other show. My point is this, he is one of the worst actors I ever had to deal with. The only reason he got the part of Kirk in the first place nobody wanted to waste their career. But, the show lives on but if they had a better actor the show could have been on during the early 1970's

 

To be honest if it fits or is just some sort of voiceover I'm fine with it. If it's some extended cameo where he gets to milk/murder a scene for all it's worth, then absolutely not. Same goes for Nimoy. I don't want them in there unless it's absolutely essential to the plot and is just them setting up the premise for the movie.

 

So you were in on those casting sessions? That's a bold statement from someone not at all in on the goings on during the time of the Original Series.

Sharr

 

The job of an actor, as a general rule, is to be entertaining. Shatner's Kirk was, at LEAST as much as any other reason, why people watched Star Trek. He was the "leading man."

If someone else had held that role, the show we would have gotten would not have been the same show, at all.

The show that we DID get was popular enough to spawn a loyal fanbase that stands to this day, and many attempted sequels (with varying degrees of success).

People who say that the original characters sucked, the original actors sucked, the original ship sucked, the original show sucked... are either saying that they hate all things Trekkish (which is fair, but is inconsistent with hanging on on the TrekBBS, I think!), or they resent that their "preferred, newer shows" owe their existence to something that came before these so-called "fans" came along.

Cause back then, the human race was a totally different thing, right?

When have you had to deal with Shatner? Did you two spend time on a stage play together? Were you a guest on TJ Hooker? C'mon, inquiring minds want to know!

Aha... so you don't only hate Shatner, you hate Kirk, and you hate TOS. I don't see any other way to interpret that line... do you?

So, that means you're either (1) a jealous "nuTrek-only" type fan, or, more likely, (2) you're a troll. As for which... your actions from this point fwd will prove, huh?

If that's so, how do you explain the fact that Shatner is one of the most recognized entertainers in the WORLD?

Nobody's claiming that he's some sort of "arteeest." (Personally, I find actors who think that they're somehow "special" like that to be tremendously annoying, anyway).

But Shatner is an entertainer. He's been entertaining audiences, successfully, for most of his adult life. And he's STILL WORKING STEADILY. Sure, he doesn't take himself too seriously... as far as I'm concerned, that's a GOOD THING. Any actor who thinks that they're somehow IMPORTANT TO THE WORLD needs to be taken down a notch or two, anyway...

Shatner "gets it." He's an entertainer... his job is to make-belief and give the audience a fun time. And he's pretty damned good at that.

So, who do YOU think is a "great actor?" Examples, please?

 

Well, I think the prevailing evidence is that Shatner is a rather good actor. Let's look at the empirical evidence: William Shatner has starred in not one but three popular TV shows: Star Trek, which, as we all know, went on to spawn an animated series and seven movies with him in it. That his books based on the series are pretty much all best-sellers speaks to his popularity. That the show is popular does not prove, but gives evidence toward his being a good actor. After Star Trek, he went on to star in "T.J. Hooker," a show wherein he was originally going to be a supporting player only, but the producers decided that the show would work better if his character was the lead. He may be a scenary-chewer, but I doubt the producers would say, "let's give the *bad actor*, who's gonna want more money than an unknown, to be the lead." That doesn't wash. Years later, he become a star/supporting character (depending on the episode) of Boston Legal, a show that was created due to the popularity of a five-episode guest run Shatner made on The Practice. I just can't hear David E. Kelley saying, "Shatner's a crappy actor, but let's give him a show anyway. Spader can probably compensate." Not to mention that Shatner's won two Emmies for the character. That's certainly not consistent with "one of the worst actors ever."
So, Shatner may not be the best actor in the world, but the empirical evidence does seem to very strongly indicate that the greater population, and the people that make TV shows, seem to think he's a pretty darned good actor.
I've found that most people who really think Shatner's a bad actor are ones who never watch Star Trek.

 

I grew up on TNG, and I really like Enterprise. I've never been too high on TOS, but my dad is a big fan of the original. Anyway, most of the older shows were just boring to me, for lack of a better term. However, there are some that I absolutely adore. Case in point: the other day I watched Balance of Terror again. IMHO one of the best Trek episodes of any of the series, hands down.

Even if you aren't crazy about TOS, there are a few that are essential viewing, and you still have to give it it's due.