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Shatner "I don't know how they can do (ST 50th) without me"

They've been doing Star Trek without him since the 1990s.

That's a pretty long time. About a generation.

Time to let go, Shat. Time to let go.
 
Yeah, I must admit, shunning the Shat from any 50th anniversary celebration just reeks of foul play. One cannot argue that Star Trek exists because of him. He's the only one of the Big Three still alive. And this isn't like Bond or Batman, where multiple people have played Kirk over the half-century. Up to 2009, like it or not, Shatner was synonymous with Kirk, and will always be so with Star Trek.

They've been doing Star Trek without him since the 1990s.

That's a pretty long time. About a generation.

Time to let go, Shat. Time to let go.

Nope, not in this instance. It's more than just being active in the franchise -- it's being identified with the franchise. He is one of the only surviving players who was instrumental in Star Trek actually being successful in the first place. Shat can let go after the 50th has passed, but don't pass on him for the party.

To paraphrase Spock: "He has been, and always will be, Captain Kirk."
 
Has CBS announced their doing anything outside of the latest movie? If not, that would certainly explain a lack of contact.

Probably not what he had in mind, but I'd kinda like to see his doco on the making of TNG sometime next year. Has it aired anywhere outside of Canada?
 
Despite the New Series announcement, the 50th does seem to be shaping up to be a disappointment for me. Probably because I'm as much a fan of all iterations of Trek and not just Abrams or with the greatest of respect, the Original. 1991 and 1996 were the perfect ways to celebrate an anniversary. But then there were concurrent versions on the big and small screen to crossover with. My generation of this franchise is gone, and so it's probably comparable to the only major landmark prior to the Berman era, the 20th. The Voyage Home and precious little else, save the large reserves of goodwill TNG needed to survive a rocky start.

I'm sure they'll be a 2 hour celebratory TV gig put on by CBS, because that's too good an opportunity to miss. One where Shatner gets to co-host with Stewart or more probably Bakula since he's on their payroll with NCIS. Dropping in some Beyond promotion and first glimpse of behind-the-scenes footage from Series Six, right at the end. Bill won't hear about that for another 6 months, since it'll probably be put together very fast in time for September. That's my guess anyway, but as a film-documentary maker, he's presumably bubbling over with better ideas how to cover the 50th and is restless, wanting to be involved from the beginning.
 
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I thought he was heavily rumoured to be in the next movie?

Shatner is a bit different to the other Original Series cast. He's never stopped being visible since 1966. He's still a big name and still synonymous with Star Trek 50 years later even though he's known for other stuff and a household name. The only other cast member who comes close to Shatner in terms of visibility is Leonard Nimoy and sadly he can't be part of the celebrations. That said, if an older Kirk doesn't fit into the story of the next movie or the next tv show then I wouldn't want him shoehorned in.

The 30th anniversary will probably never be topped. First Contact, Trials And Tribbleations and Flashback. Some of the best Trek material to date.
 
I think he was meant to have spoken to Orci, but evidently things changed since then.
 
I think he was meant to have spoken to Orci, but evidently things changed since then.

I wouldn't be surprised if the idea of Shatner appearing in the next movie was nixed so he can appear in the new show to give it a passing the torch scene.
 
Well, since Shatner has been a dick to pretty much everyone around him, maybe Shatner not being included is just his own past assholishness coming back to bite him. He has burned a lot of bridges in his time, and I think its pretty clear the JJ Abrams era staff can't stand Shatner.

And personally, I never, ever thought Shatner would fail to show up to Leonard Nimoy's funeral. That was probably one of the biggest dick-moves Shatner has ever pulled. Maybe someone finally had enough of his ego, and figured they could do a 50th show without Shatner.
 
His interest here is in his price. Good for him, but the folks at CBS are business people too.

Takei, Nichols and Koenig will be a lot less expensive.
 
Shatner is worth around $100 million. If the only thing that is keeping Shatner is his own greed, then eff him. I really don't want him there then. The 50th anniversary show is as much about the producers and actors of Trek saying thank you to the fans, as celebrating Star Trek itself. If Shatner doesn't get that, then screw him.

It's so sad that I love Shatner's Kirk (one of my all time favorite Trek characters), but think Shatner himself is a pretty disgusting human being.
 
I don't think William Shatner owes me any thanks.

I've never bought one of his albums, and Promise margarine sucked.

I don't have the 50th anniversary tribute penciled in as must-see TV, with or without the Shat. Does anyone remember the 25th anniversary salute?
 
I don't think William Shatner owes me any thanks.

I've never bought one of his albums, and Promise margarine sucked.

I don't have the 50th anniversary tribute penciled in as must-see TV, with or without the Shat. Does anyone remember the 25th anniversary salute?


Anniversary salutes in general are usually pretty lame, sure. But Shatner can't have it both ways: complaining publicly that he can't get a call back for doing the 50th show, while at the same time being the reason they won't call back.
 
Back when I was a fan of things, I would probably have been ecstatic over milestone anniversaries of Trek, Wars, Galactica, what have you.

Now, like most everything else of occasion, every day is just another day for me.

Shat/No Shat. Prime Universe/Alternate Universe. Big deal.
 
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