News Shatner: Nimoy Planned Spock’s Death

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A new news article has been published at TrekToday:

According to William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy “planned” Spock’s death and had good reasons for doing so. “I believe it was all planned,”...

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[Timewalker]

Hasn't this been common knowledge for the last 35 years?

 

[Nebusj]

Hasn't this been common knowledge for the last 35 years?

Yeah, I don't understand the news article. Did Shatner finally get to see the movie or something?

 

[Tosk]

I believe Shatner's point is that Nimoy planned for Spock to die specifically so that he could direct the next one. He has no evidence, he just thinks it. And says that Nimoy and Bennett came up with it. Awfully convenient to pin your theory on two people who aren't here any more to argue or confirm.

 

[Timewalker]

If that's what he's getting at, it's pretty damned petty. And it makes absolutely no sense, either. By that time Shatner and Nimoy both had contracts that basically said that whatever special perk one of them got, the other would also get. Directing a movie is definitely a perk.

By Shatner's "logic" Kirk would also have to be killed off in order for Shatner to get to direct.

 

[Isolar]

Shatner talked about that during the TWOK pre-interview. It sounded like he was just having fun. He also said that it showed Nimoy was smarter than him and he was glad because it led to him directing V. I think his tone is lost when you see his comments in print. That's always been true, IMO.

 

[Timewalker]

But why bring it up again 35 years later, as though it's some great new revelation? This is something everyone knew back then.

 

[Isolar]

Well, he was being asked questions about TWOK, so he told the story. Tongue was firmly in cheek.

 

[Trekker4747]

Shatner was great in that little interview.

 

[dub]

I'm sure Nimoy would laugh at this, as I remember him laughing about this in previous interviews years ago. And Shatner clearly isn't angry about it (even if he is wrong about it), because he was able to direct TFF thanks to Nimoy directing TWOK due to their contracts. I think Shatner genuinely believes Nimoy devised this plan earlier than everyone thinks, but he also thinks Nimoy was "so smart" for it. Either that, or he started this story to pick at Nimoy, and now he continues telling this story because it's cute. I don't believe for a moment that there is anything petty about this. It's also not news.

 

[Noname Given]

But why bring it up again 35 years later, as though it's some great new revelation? This is something everyone knew back then.

Why re-watch a 35 year old film in a theater that you've seen MANY times before?

He was being asked questions about his experience in making the film so he told what he recalled - and what he realized afterwards. Are you upset because he didn't preface it with "I'm sure this is something every 'REAL fan' already knows..."?

 

[Timewalker]

Why re-watch a 35 year old film in a theater that you've seen MANY times before?

He was being asked questions about his experience in making the film so he told what he recalled - and what he realized afterwards. Are you upset because he didn't preface it with "I'm sure this is something every 'REAL fan' already knows..."?

Oh, please. I may consider some things to not be real Star Trek, but I've never gone in for the "real fan" thing, unless it's more than obvious that the person involved is in it for a completely different reason than being a fan.

Of course Shatner has been asked about his experiences over and over and over, a bazillion times. What I don't get is why it's "News."

It's not news. This is something the vast majority of people have known for 35 years. We know it, Shatner knows it... apparently whoever did the interview has been living in a cave on Mars and didn't know it.

Calling it "news" at this point is just really dumb. And awkward, since it makes Shatner look like an idiot.

 

[Isolar]

He's doing a press junket for the studio to promote the re-release/blu ray. It's just a little publicity. That's what studios do.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm sure Nimoy would laugh at this, as I remember him laughing about this in previous interviews years ago. And Shatner clearly isn't angry about it (even if he is wrong about it), because he was able to direct TFF thanks to Nimoy directing TWOK due to their contracts. I think Shatner genuinely believes Nimoy devised this plan earlier than everyone thinks, but he also thinks Nimoy was "so smart" for it. Either that, or he started this story to pick at Nimoy, and now he continues telling this story because it's cute. I don't believe for a moment that there is anything petty about this. It's also not news.

I agree, I think of all the original cast members Nimoy and Shatner had the best relationship. Shatner is more amused by Nimoy's actions than anything else.

 

[2takesfrakes]

I think it's cool that The Shat brings this kind of shit up, because after yay, these many, many decades, who's going to know the politics behind Spock's death in TWoK? Nobody. So it's interesting, trivia-wise, at least, to have someone like Shatner offer another glimpse back on what factors were involved in getting a TREK movie made, back in the day. It's so easy to just watch it and not be moved to question or care about the behind-the-scenes reasons why Spock's death's even there. But when you do, it's ... I don't know ... it's kind of a cool story, if you can get to anything resembling what was the truth behind it.

 

[Charles Phipps]

The story I always heard was simply, "Leonard Nimoy hated being typecast as Spock and was very happy to have him die in the Wrath of Khan to be rid of him ("I am not Spock") but the second movie was a lot more comfortable, fun, and relaxing so he let it be known he'd be up for more movies."

The fact it was enormously critically successful didn't hurt.

Mind you, I've heard this story from people involved in the production and in books so I take Shatner's word with a grain of salt.