Strange Shatner Factoid

[Crewman47]

On BBC's Radio 2 there's a show on from 2pm hosted by Steve Wright and part of the show is where the host and cohosts spout off random facts about different things. Now one of these facts happened to mention William Shatner and the fact that he has never watched an episode of Star Trek, implying any Trek at all in the last 40 years.

Does anyone know if there's any truth to this or do youthink he does watch or has watched any Trek. Also, opemning it up to all the rest of the Trek cast, do any of them watch any Trek on a regular basis?

 

[misskim86]

I doubt it's true.

Even if he has zero interest he must have catched an episode here or there

 

[John Picard]

There are many actors who do not review/watch their finished work. This sounds very fanwankish.

 

[OmahaStar]

Yeah, I heard him say that in an interview a few weeks ago. Thing is, when TNG was on, there was an interview where he said he'd watched episodes of it and the original Trek when he had time.

Memory faulty there, Bill?

 

[captcalhoun]

it's in today's daily mirror, he says he's never seen any that he's in and doing TFF was horrible because he's so self-critical.

 

[Galactic Alignment]

captcalhoun said:it's in today's daily mirror, he says he's never seen any that he's in and doing TFF was horrible because he's so self-critical.

There's a snippet of the story on the Mirror's website here.

From what I gather from my brief experiences of convention-going, actors not watching the shows they star in may be a pretty common occurrence.

 

[UnknownSample]

Watching the finished product with original Trek might have given him more respect fot the program, and might have helped him take the acting more seriously in the films.

I would think, though, that his ego would compel him to watch, and it might also compel him to pretend to be aloof and above it all, by claiming he doesn't watch.

 

[M'Sharak]

OmahaStar said:
Yeah, I heard him say that in an interview a few weeks ago. Thing is, when TNG was on, there was an interview where he said he'd watched episodes of it and the original Trek when he had time.

Memory faulty there, Bill?

As others have stated, there are plenty of actors who never watch the finished productions in which they've acted. However, for someone who's acted in a series as microscopically-examined as Trek series have come to be, it may also be simple self-preservation and sanity control to pretend that he hasn't watched any of it. Can you imagine having people constantly buttonholing you about some trivial detail of a scene you weren't even in, in an episode you shot thirty or forty years ago? (See also: Galaxy Quest, which hits exactly this sort of thing with pinpoint accuracy.)

 

[Ethros]

Well if the Daily Mirror says it it must be true........

 

[EnsignJulka]

I'd have nightmares if I saw myself act on TV....

 

[M'Sharak]

Ethros said:
Well if the Daily Mirror says it it must be true........

They weren't hoaxed this time, I guess...

 

[EnsignJulka]

I never read the Mirror anyway...

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I find this hard to believe.

It wouldn't surprise me if he hasn't seen very many episodes or if he never sought them out...but I think it would have been close to impossible to not have seen a few...especially back in the 70's when there were so few TV channels and TOS was in heavy rerun rotation.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

It's a mild exaggeration of statements by Shatner, who himself habitually exaggerates for effect. Shatner has said that he "never watches himself in TV or movies," but has also said that he "finds it painful" to watch himself in TV or movies. Of course he has, from time to time.

 

[SFRabid]

I think Shatner is really a closet Trekker.

 

[egonbeeblebrox]

I just re-read "Star Trek Memories" and he states he re-watched a few of the episodes specifically for the book, so, either he's forgotten, or he's exaggerating. Or, of course, he was lying about re-watching them for the book.

 

[OmahaStar]

egonbeeblebrox said:
I just re-read "Star Trek Memories" and he states he re-watched a few of the episodes specifically for the book, so, either he's forgotten, or he's exaggerating. Or, of course, he was lying about re-watching them for the book.

... or lying about ever having written a book.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Starship Polaris said:
It's a mild exaggeration of statements by Shatner, who himself habitually exaggerates for effect. Shatner has said that he "never watches himself in TV or movies," but has also said that he "finds it painful" to watch himself in TV or movies. Of course he has, from time to time.

Pretty much what I figured.

In this case, 'never' most likely means 'almost never'. Which is fine. Plenty of people use 'never' in the same manner.

 

[Plum]

Oh man... The Shat doesn't care! Haaaaaa!!!

 

[Noname Given]

egonbeeblebrox said:
I just re-read "Star Trek Memories" and he states he re-watched a few of the episodes specifically for the book, so, either he's forgotten, or he's exaggerating. Or, of course, he was lying about re-watching them for the book.

OR...he doesn't remember re-watching them for the book.