Takei's Claims About Shatner

[Therin of Andor]

This doesn't ring true to me either. No way that a director is regularly going to have a messed up take and just move on and leave himself with no usable take. Perhaps it goes unnoticed once or twice, but as an ongoing thing? Not a chance. Plus, if Shatner was deliberately messing up take after take on a regular basis, you can bet he would be called on the carpet by the studio. He may be the star, but proper professionalism would still be expected.

Ok, then George, Grace and Yvonne lied to me. But it was a very consistent tale, told by three people in three different places.

And I didn't say he did it all the time. Let's say he did it three times. But it was always passed off as a gag. His shtick.

A "closeup" is by definition a "single" on a single actor. Shatner couldn't mess up a someone else's single because he wouldn't be in shot. Think about it.

Yes he could. He does it off screen and they ruin their take.

 

[Tosk]

And I didn't say he did it all the time. Let's say he did it three times. But it was always passed off as a gag. His shtick.

And we know he did this kind of thing for sure at least once, the incident filming Devil in the Dark where he pissed off Nimoy with his flippancy.

 

[Methuselah Flint]

Who knows?!

I do recall, as I type, when Sulu calls battle stations on the bridge in Balance of Terror, we focus on shots of Kirk and Spock. Whether this was Shatner's doing or not, the exchange of looks was most effective.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Takei's performance in TUC never stood out to me as particularly good or particularly bad. But once "Flashback" came along, I thought his performance in TUC was really, really good in comparison.

Kor

Comparing what he's done today with what he did back during TOS, I believe that Takei has grown as an actor considerably since the TOS days.

 

[Push The Button]

Water under the bridge, George. Please just let it go.

 

[Warped9]

Water under the bridge, George. Please just let it go.

He can’t. It’s now his reason for being and his grudge keeps him warm at night.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Did Shatner stick around and, off screen, ruin takes so the editors would favor him? Sounds like bullshit because, sooner or later, a director or the line producer would just say "Bill knock it off we have to get this shot in the can." I can't imagine the directors would throw up their hands and say "well, George, Grace or Yvonne can't stop laughing so let's go with Shatner because that's obviously what he wants us to do." Shatner was a clown. That's common knowledge. He could have been lightening the mood and making a long day more fun. Some people were happy to go with the laugh and consider it a fun set. Others had a stick up their asses and took it personally. Not saying the three actors were lying but they may very well have taken it wrong or are favoring the negative for more entertaining stories or to keep old stories more interesting.

After decades, really, did these people remember every day on the job? Or did they tell a story so often they wound up believing that story? Or did they hear someone relating the tale and think "hey that happened to me too" even if it didn't? But they thought it did? I don't remember 90% of my everyday life from last year, let alone 40 - 50 years back.

Yvonne Craig seemed to hate her time on Star Trek. So did John Feidler, John Crawford and other actors. They all badmouth Shatner. But then, you get guys like Roger Carmel, William Campbell, Robert Brown and others who loved the experience and say Shatner was a joy.

Was he a dick? I'm sure he was. I can be a dick at times too. Was it personal? I seriously doubt it. He was the star, he did the heavy lifting, and he responded as a human to whatever was going on around him (father passing away, marital trouble, Nimoy getting the spotlight, taller actors in the same shot, etc.) .

Bottom line: Shatner continues to have a career at 91 without any help from anyone who badmouths him. How many of those people could have said the same?

The sad part is, Takei can be a wonderful advocate for so many groups. If he focused entirely on that, he'd be doing his legacy a real service.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

What the post above says is pretty much it. If Shatner would make a goofy face to ruin someone else's closeup and get them to break from their lines, it would be taken over again until the take was right.

Takei says these things and gets the gullible to gasp and agree with him, without an ounce of thought as to how filming something is done, or even common sense into the process.

Amazing how someone who was on a series that promoted acceptance of all, and has claimed to follow that in his own life, is someone who does the exact opposite at many turns.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

Does anyone else find the famous "fuck you and the horse you rode in on" to be pathetic?

 

[BillJ]

The sad part is, Takei can be a wonderful advocate for so many groups. If he focused entirely on that, he'd be doing his legacy a real service.

This. I wish he would let the grudge go.

 

[Maurice]

A "closeup" is by definition a "single" on a single actor. Shatner couldn't mess up a someone else's single because he wouldn't be in shot. Think about it.

Yes he could. He does it off screen and they ruin their take.

Let's review what you said previously, shall we?

[...] Shatner had a way of "jokingly" (har har har) going crosseyed (or similar) during the other actor's closeup in a scene - [...]

Which is exactly what I was addressing. You said he'd do stuff like going crosseyed or whatever in their closeup, so do you mean he was off-camera trying to distract them?

And people's memories are faulty. Stories get better the more they're retold. Remember the time a while back you posted something was one way and I quoted an older post by you where you said something contradictory? We all do it, myself included. Just because someone said something happened doesn't mean it actually happened that way. That's not them lying, it's them being human.

 

[FormerLurker]

And we know he did this kind of thing for sure at least once, the incident filming Devil in the Dark where he pissed off Nimoy with his flippancy.

Nimoy never described his response as being "pissed off". Indeed, during several interviews and appearances, he told the tale himself describing Shatner as having a wicked sense of humor. In the moment he may have felt he'd been had, but afterward he knew it wasn't intended to make him look bad, and graciously accepted the humor as it was no doubt intended. After all, Shatner was the one onscreen at the time.

 

[BillJ]

You sound like you're defending a bully here.

Or accuracy...

 

[Commishsleer]

Let's review what you said previously, shall we?

Which is exactly what I was addressing. You said he'd do stuff like going crosseyed or whatever in their closeup, so do you mean he was off-camera trying to distract them?

And people's memories are faulty. Stories get better the more they're retold. Remember the time a while back you posted something was one way and I quoted an older post by you where you said something contradictory? We all do it, myself included. Just because someone said something happened doesn't mean it actually happened that way. That's not them lying, it's them being human.

You sound like you're bending over backwards defending a bully here.

 

[Tosk]

Nimoy never described his response as being "pissed off". Indeed, during several interviews and appearances, he told the tale himself describing Shatner as having a wicked sense of humor. In the moment he may have felt he'd been had, but afterward he knew it wasn't intended to make him look bad, and graciously accepted the humor as it was no doubt intended. After all, Shatner was the one onscreen at the time.

Nimoy obviously got over it, but as Shatner himself tells it he was out of line and that it took about a week before they smoothed it over.

 

[Maurice]

You sound like you're bending over backwards defending a bully here.

No one's defending a bully, I just dislike hyperbole.

 

[T'Bonz]

Shatner could be charming and Shatner could be a prick. I don't know the man so can't say why he did some unpleasant things, but I can believe that he did.

Takei, I think, is prone to some exaggeration. It's also probable that the memory has changed a bit over the years. TBH, he should let it go. No use letting someone you personally don't like live rent-free in your head.

 

[Phoenix219]

Who knows?!

I do recall, as I type, when Sulu calls battle stations on the bridge in Balance of Terror, we focus on shots of Kirk and Spock. Whether this was Shatner's doing or not, the exchange of looks was most effective.

That early in the series, I doubt anyone was thinking about Sulu as a main character....

 

[Methuselah Flint]

That early in the series, I doubt anyone was thinking about Sulu as a main character....

Totally agree. I was just using that as one of the few times Takei was speaking off screen with a close up of Shatner, that I could recall.

 

[Takeru]

That early in the series, I doubt anyone was thinking about Sulu as a main character....

No one thought of Sulu as a main character during the entire run of the show because he wasn't one, Takei was a day player and Sulu a minor and easily replaceable character. TOS has a main cast consisting of three actors, Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley.