I was in a thrift store today and I came across Shatner's book Star Trek Memories. Perusing through it I noticed that Shatner ends the acknowledgement page by mentioning the whole gang... except Doohan! I know they never got along, but that would seem a horrible slight to not even mention his name. Was that just a typo or did Shatner really not acknowledge Doohan?
Why Didn't Shatner Acknowledge Doohan?
- Thread starter The Boy Who Cried Worf
- Start date
Actually, James Doohan refused to take part in any way.
What? By not even allowing his name to be printed on a page...?
Well, it was his name. And he had the right not to allow its use, if he were so inclined.
Shatner acknowledged people who helped him with the book and who contributed their memories. He approached Doohan, who refused. It's not like he never mentioned him in the book, quite the contrary. He even goes so far to ask Doohan to call him and discuss their problems.
It's not a slight, there's just no reason to thank a man who didn't do anything to help with the finished product.
It's not a slight, there's just no reason to thank a man who didn't do anything to help with the finished product.
Doohan detested Shatner until practically the end of his life, when they finally reconciled. There has been a lot of speculation, but let's face it, Shatner and Nimoy were the stars (with Kelly third). The show revolved around them and Doohan resented it and the "fact" that Shatner supposedly stole lines originally meant for Scotty. Plus Shatner pulled more girls than Doohan, add in fans pumping Jimmy up at conventions as to how great he was and presto! WAR!
"It was fun....Oh my." = best last words, ever. I dream of dying from a faultily structured bridge because a man I've never met told me he was from the future and that bad things would happen to unknown people if I didn't do what he said. Why would anyone make a fuss about a death as epic as that?
Saving a few billion people from certain death isn't a bad way to go. How ego-ridden and small would you have to be, to kvetch about none of them being among your personal friends?
Oh, you mean those billions of people we had zippy reason to give a rat's ass about?
Let's face it. Kirk's death was not profound.
Anyway.
Shatner acknowledged everyone who contributed to the book. Doohan didn't.
As far as ego: fairly or unfairly, Shatner decided Kirk, Spock and McCoy were the stars (which by their credits, they were) and that's where he put his focus. What was he supposed to do? If he had written it all from say, Sulu's perspective, would people have complimented or complained about it?
Shatner didn't 'decide it' GR did; and hell when it came to a head between Shatner and Nimoy, they went to GR's office, asked, and (after some attempts to wrangle out a non-answer because he knew no matter what was said, someone would be upset); GR stated - "Shatner".
As others have said, over the years, the "big 4" got swelled heads from meeting fans at conventions who idolized them. Most of the 'big 4' had worked TV in that era before; so they knew how the 'game' was played - and that the 'star' got lead billing.
I think it's honestly true that Shatner didn't think much of the 'regular extas'; but to be fair, most other stars didn't either. As for Dohan, I think he just didn't like Shatner's attitude on set (and that type of attitude was comon); and later over the years, Dohan (for whatever reason) built up a lot of resentment toward Shatner.
As for the rest of them, I think they tell the stories because it sells 'behind the scenes' books, and gives them something interesting to say at conventions when fans ask about some minute detail they can't recall. Hell, Nichelle Nichols has three different versions of her "Meeting with Dr. King" that convinced her to stay with the show after season one, that to this day, she tells interchangeably.
As for Shatner 'stealing lines'; hell he did that to Nimoy on The Doomsday Machine if William Windom's recollection of his days spent working on that episode are to be believed (and I do, as he wasn't one to restructre his memories like a lot of guest stars seemed to do whe n the show got popular and in later years they were asked to recount their on set experiences.) He honestly stated that no one on the set was particularly friendly with each other, they were all working actors and did the job (and Shatner amd Nimoy were both line counting; with Skatner wanting re-writes for more dialogue as he was the Star).
Does anybody have details about Shatner and Doohan reconciling before Doohan's death?
Only that they did. I think it was shortly before the Grand Slam con a year or so before he died.
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