Slashdot Mirror
Ask William Shatner
At long last William Shatner has volunteered himself to be strapped into the Slashdot Interviewee Victim Chair. You know the gig: Post your questions for the man, the moderators do their thing, and in a week or so we post the answers. So here's your chance to ask questions to the star of Iron Chef USA, Miss Congeniality and TJ Hooker!
Do you like the Star Wars movies?
Why...do...you...talk...so.........slowly?
Mr Shatner,
What is the scariest experience you have ever had with one of your adoring fans?
----- Documentation is worth it just to be able to answer all your mail with 'RTFM' - Alan Cox.
You appear to have a healthy level of distain for "Trekkies" who become obsessed with the series. Where does this stem from, and what would you recommend that these people do instead.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
Do you think you take Patrick Stewart in a fight? =)
"Yeah, well, Dracula called and he's coming over tonight for you and I said okay."
Wil Wheaton asks William Shatner questions on SLASHDOT?! It'd be like... Slashdot: Generations! My head might explode!
I'd love to hear William talk about the Transformed Man LP. How seriously did you take the project at the time, and how do you feel about the way it's metamorphosed into a camp classic?
...about being reponsible for the nickname 'captain' being given to all of us named Kirk in real life?
Who bagged more babes in the 60's, you or Roddenberry?
Table-ized A.I.
I (and my family) really thought you were good in "The Defenders." Any plans to revive it?
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
If Mr. Shatner had the choice, would he prefer to have his current acting status as a main character in a cult classic? Or would he rather have been a consistently good actor in "normal" tv-shows/movies/theatre?
Has he started using pricelie.com YET?
the Priceline.com server? Judging from all those lights and monitors it must be wicked powerful!
LETS DECOMPOSE & ENJOY ASSEMBLING
A) What was your personal favorite episode of the Original Star Trek series and why?
B) What did you honestly think of TNG, not as as a tv property but as a continuation of the philosophy of your original series?
"The pie shall be cut in half and each man shall receive.....death. I'll eat the pie."
Did you get to keep any tribbles? Or did they just burn them?
How many shares of Priceline.com do you own? Any comments on the whole dot-com thing?
there's no place like ~
It seems that much of your fame today continues to be good-humored self-mockery: the Star Trek Futurama episode, playing yourself in Showtime, singing for Priceline. I'm sure this brings in the bucks, but what are you doing today that challenges you creatively and for which you would rather be remembered? Of what are you most proud? What have you done that's just for the money?
----------
I am an expert in electricity. My father held the chair of applied electricity at the state prision.
Over the years, much parody has been made of your apparent "overacting" on the original Star Trek series. How do you feel about this, does it bother you?
"Shatner, I'd fight William Shatner." --Fight Club
People who have witty things here blow.
Does Starship Command run Open Source? How about the Klingons? I think we need to know who we should be rooting for.
Virtually serving coffee
Will Wheaton has showed up on /. several times, and proved himself to be as geeky as any of the slashdot editorial staff.
How much of a geek are you, Mr. Shater? Do you build your own PC from scratch and put Linux on it, or do you not even pay attention if your PC is Windows or Mac?
How does it feel knowing that you, amongst others, have helped to inspire four decades of technically minded people to apply themselves to bring some portion of reality to the fiction you have portrayed?
slashdot: where everyone yells sarcastic metaphors to themselves to understand the issue
When you said on episode #18739 of Saturday Night Live: 'Get a life ... will ya, people? I mean, for cryin' out loud, it's just a TV show.', were you really reprising 'Evil Kirk' as Phil Hartman's (RIP) character suggested or did your motivation run deeper than that, say to 'Amok Time' when you had to battle Spock? ;)
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
Mr. Shatner: What made you finally decide to allow us to question you?
What work would you say you are most proud of? And then what do you wish you hadn't done or could redo?
Des
Since they've finally killed off Captain Kirk, how do feel about not really being able to be part of any new Star Trek movies?
when bare-chested?
Kirk
Pickard
Sisco
Janeway
Archer
We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
Since Star Trek you've written a great deal of sci-fi novels. Did you have a leaning towards science fiction before your career as captain of the USS Enterprise? What are your most important sci-fi influences?
I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it. I don't buy software, I grow it.
Seriously who's idea was it to come up with the new-guy-in-the-red-shirt dies every time you, Bones, and Spock went to the surface?
Was it one of you guys or was it a writer? If so, which writer/writers was it?
Are you planning on releasing any new songs soon?
(Anyone ever heard him sing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?)
2 Part question really, with a renewed popularity and, from what I gather, a content life, how has you affliction (I have forgotten the name) that causes the ringing in your ears been? I had heard that stress can cause it to act up. As of late has presence of the ailment been reduced or eliminated?
-=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-
Did you really learn Esperanto for your role in "Incubus"? If so, do you still speak it?
..how was the green chick?
Trolling is a art,
how do you think your career would have been different? (Not that the career that you have is bad in any way, just curious what you were gunning for originally.)
We all know you started out as a Shakesperian actor, and I wonder what you learned from those rolls that you later applied in your science fiction career? What do you think of Shakespeare's place in the acting canon? Do you still stage act?
Who are you, really?
Look a monkey!
Hi:
I'm interested in an early film you were in, called Incubus, in which all the dialogue was in Esperanto.
Did you have to learn any Esperanto for this? If so, how much did you learn and do you still remember any? If not, were any of the actors speakers of language, or was most of it receited by heart from the sounds?
I have to say that my one of my favorite characters you've been was the villian in "Loaded Weapon." Of your many rolls, which was or which were some of the most fun or most satisfying? Do you have a particular genre (sci-fi, comedy, drama) that you most prefer?
Moderation: Put your hand inside the puppet head!
What do you think of that T-Shirt on Wil Wheaton 's site, with the name tag, "Hello, my name is William Fucking Shatner".
I am !amused.
as a actor you portrayed the leader of a crew that got to do an AMAZING thing - explore the galaxy/universe for new forms of life. what are your views on intelligent life? do you think there is OTHER intelligent life in the galaxy/universe? do you think humanity will last long enough to ever be able to explore the galaxy/universe? if so, do you think the 'star trek' universe captures that process accurately?
smd4985
P.S. I enjoyed your portrayal of the talk show host on Columbo!
White Commanche, OTOH, I didn't finish seeing - sorry.
"Provided by the management for your protection."
As a young actor, you showed great promise in such films as Judgment at Nuremberg. Ever since Star Trek, however, it seems you have never stepped out of the role of Captain Kirk. Do you ever regret the decision to take on that role?
You had me at "dicks fuck assholes".
Did you really mean those things you said in that famous SNL skit?
It took several years of therapy to get over those horrible comments.
There is one! After looking through several masks to use for Michael Myers, John Carpenter settled on the William Shatner mask! Any comments?
Mr. Shatner,
Do you ever look back on your show with regard to how your character treated women and find it offensive? Kirk boinked anything with 2 legs and a pretty face, often pursuing them in a cave man-like fashion.
And if you didn't find it offensive, do you think you're cursed to have been born way too early and not had your chance to lay the kirk-mack down on 7 of 9? Hell, cursed my ass, God singled you out for that heinous joke.
Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
Mr.Shatner, may I call you Bill?
Which alien/enemy/foe made you laugh the hardest on set when you saw it?
My personal favourite was the 'Pizza' that ate people - I think Spock mind-melded with it to save the day.
Seriously it must have been a wheeze on set for Star Trek! Spock in dungarees!
Seriously, Kirk just got many more women than any other ST character in any series. Where did that mojo come from, and where can I buy it online?
BTW his official site is: www.williamshatner.com/ (predictably). It answeres many of the "what have you been up to" questions.
Mr. Shatner,
Star Trek has been parodied many times in many different formats; other television shows, movies, comics and so on. You yourself have probably been parodied as much or more in people's "Captain Kirk Impression" stand up skits and the like. My question is, do you recall a favourite parody for it's comedy or cleverness of either yourself or the series?
Thank you.
After all this Star Trek biz and such, what's up for you in the future? Do you see yourself continuing your relationship with PriceLine and other commercial opportunities, or do you envision (or have planned) a larger project? Do you have plans to lay back and relax or to push forward into something else?
Blog,Twitter
There must be an incredible sense of pride at having been associated with a series responsible for so many high quality spinoffs (Next Generation, Enterprise, etc). What did Trek have that other TV shows didn't to make it so ripe for evolution/adaptation into other series? Do you like/dislike any of the series in particular?
Thanks. We're big fans here.
-FC
In the near future (10 or 20 years or so) computer graphics are going to be nearly indistiguishable from live-action films. You know when that happens hundreds of Trekkers are going to start using your voice and image and create new episodes of the original Star Trek series. Many will probably do this anonymously just for the fun of it, despite legal issues. How do you feel about the possibility of your voice and image being used this way?
The Moore-Murphy Law: The number of things that will go wrong will double every 2 years.
Republican or a Democrat?
Why?
ATH0 Bitcoin: 1DnwFLXczVZV8kLJbMYoheUrpqHesjxrSi
I happened to have seen both of your Twilight Zone episodes (the famous "something on the wing of the airplane" one and the less-famous-but-no-less-interesting one where you are obsessed with a prophecy-dispensing toy in a diner) recently. I have to say that in both episodes I was taken aback at the unexpected quality of your portrayal. Even though everyone associates your face with Captain Kirk, the characters in the TZ episodes came through loud and clear, drowning out my preconceptions.
For this reason, I'd like to ask what you think of your humorous reputation for bad acting. Would you blame some of the egregious hamminess of some of ST on the perception that TV (or SF) wasn't "real" acting or was it directing? Or some other thing?
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
...of all these beeping lights and flashing buttons? That's all we have here are beeping lights and flashing buttons and no one knows what they're FOR and they're BEEPING and THEY'RE FLASHING AND BEEPING AND FLASHING AND BLINKING... I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE! Will there be an Airplane III?
according to the Adam Sandler song. What was your religious upbringing? Do you consider yourself a religious or spiritual person? Has this had any affect on your creativity, particularly your SF writing?
Mr. Shatner:
What is your single biggest regret over your entire professional career (actor, author, cult figure, etc.) and why?
GMD
watch this
The Enclycolpedia Shatnerica states the following tale:
" Ron Asheton, the gutarist for punk rocker Iggy Pop, claims that, in the summer of 1975, Shatner made a pass at him in an L.A. bar.
Shatner supposedly approached him in the Hyatt House pub. "He wanted me to sit down, then he got kind of grabby," Asheton claims.
Horrified that Captain Kirk might be anything less than straight, he fled the scene. "Probably if I'd been drinking I would have sat down just for the weirdness of seeing what would happen," Asheton says.
(From "The Encyclopedia Shatnerica" by Robert E. Schnakenberg)"
Now, we know that both you and your alter-egos are straight, including your bizarre turn as a muderous hooker in Impulse. You have had beautiful wives.
Asheton himself has been the guitarist for a bisexual rock n roller. Yet HE denies any homosexuality. I've never heard your comments on it.
Answer, if you will, the truth behind this bizarre and probably untrue story: it's possible origins, and such. It's such a weird urban legend. I'd love to hear where it got started if you know.
dave
Harlan Ellison has always been bitter about the rewrites to City on the Edge of Forever and how his story was taken away from him. In the book about it he wrote that you had come over and counted the words in the script and had it torpedoed for due kirk having less lines than spock.
My question is what is your take on what happend with his script and your response to his accusations in the book? There is plenty out there about this that I'm sure has never come to light and I was wondering what your point of view on this issue is.
What was the locker combination in episode 25 after you left your quarters the last time and opened your safe?
You're mixing up "Star Wars", which is imaginary, with "Star Trek", which everybody knows is real!
That's like saying Superman can beat up Jesus! It's a total non-sequiter.
If you could fight in hand-to-hand combat with anyone in the world, who would it be?
I heard that you strongly opposed the Sci-Fi channel re-release of the 1965 movie Incubus, which is entirely in Esperanto. If so, why?
Slashdot's first reaction to VMware
I know you have stated many times that ST:5 was not waht it could have been because of production problems? So my Question is how would you go about fixing it? What was wrong in your eyes with the film? Personally I thought the bad guy pretending to be God could have used more backstory. Perhaps you could somehow retroactively connect it with the Q continum books that came out in the ST:TNG series a couple years ago...the entity playing God reminds me alot of the antagonists in those books.
Power Corrupts,Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely, leaving one person(group)in charge is absolutely corrupt.
Dear Mr. Shatner,
... not to mention Star Trek became the stuff of legend. Not bad for a gig.
.. different actors have enjoyed varying amounts of popularity. George Takei, Walter Koenig, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart and yourself have enjoyed very robust post-trek careers. Others such as Wil Wheaton, James Doohan, seem to have tremendous problems making it work in a post-trek acting environment.
Over a generation ago, you landed an acting job on a show being produced by someone that wanted to make a cowboy show in space. The show was wierd, the pay was good, and the publicity was fantastic.
Since then, and after a long pause (mostly filled with shows like Dr. Who and Space 1999), viewing audiences have been treated to five perspectives on the Star Trek universe.
Other shows have come out with varying degrees of sucess. Babylon 5, V, Farscape, and Firefly have come out to rave reviews, while others like Space Rangers and the TekWorld series have met unfortunate ends.
What do you think is the formula for a successful science fiction show on television today? Why do you think the Star Trek series has enjoyed such a phenomenal and sucessful run?
Finally
What has enabled you to remain robustly and diversely employed as an actor post-star-trek?
Sincerely,
Martin Bogomolni
Science Fiction Fan
"Don't worry about the problems you have in mathematics, I assure you mine are much greater." - Einstein c.1919
What was it like to do the first on-screen interracial kiss? How much effort did it take to make the studio go along with it, and how much of an effect did it have on you and the show as a whole?
After the tragic and untimely death of your wife Nerine, a recovering alcoholic, you took the courageous step of establishing a fund in her name to benefit Friendly House, an organization for recovering alcoholics. How is that work progressing, and has your involvement with this effort helped you work through this loss?
I know that this subject must be painful for you, but I'm sure there are many in the slashdot community who would benefit from your experience and insights here.
Years ago, when you hosted SNL, you participated in the now classis Trekkie sketch (actually, one of my all time favorite SNL sketches).
:)
Was that sketch a catharsis for you, a means of finally casting off some chains and letting the world know what you think and feel, or was it just a sketch? I am not dissing you, your work, or Trek fans, but, let's be honest here, some people do need to, in your words, "Get a life!". Do you/did you feel that way, or was it just an act? Come on, be honest.....
Remember when you were elected weakest link by the rest of the Star Trek cast, and you put the moves on Anne Robinson? On the fineness scale of 1-10 where 1 is fine and 10 is supah-fine, where would you rate her?
I will preface this by saying I am a mild trekkie and as such, I immensely enjoyed the 1999 film Galaxy Quest.
I think everyone who has seen Galaxy Quest will agree that the show that it is based upon is, in essence, "Star Trek". It follows that Tim Allen's Character was essentially meant to be you.
So my two part question is this:
Did you enjoy the show, and, how accurate was their portrayal of life after Trek?
One of the few times I have seen Shatner sympathetically was in an anecdote he told in part of a video shown at the Smithsonian Museum of Air & Space's gratuitous Star Trek retrospective.
Shatner said he was picked up by a limo in the 70's to go to some function. The driver suddenly pulled over and said, "Mr. Shatner, I've been waiting a long time to talk to you." Shatner thinks uh-oh. "You see, I'm a Vietnam vet and was held as a prisoner of war." Shatner thinks, oh shit.
The vet goes on to explain that while he and his buddies were held under torturous conditions, they used Star Trek to stay sane. They could speak to each other in the darkness and would try to reconstruct the scripts from memory, one person playing Spock, another Kirk, and so on.
It was one of the oddest bits of Trek trivia I had ever heard, and related with sensitivity by a man infamous for being a dick in public and private. I still think he's an egomaniac, but not one incapable of turns of humanity.
How does Shatner feel about Wheaton's success selling T-shirts emblazoned "I'm William Fucking Shatner"? see wilwheaton.net
:)
Tragically for Wil's semi-playful vendetta, he had a very pleasant encounter with Shatner at a television taping and, at least temporarily, suspended the jihad.
Ask him. Go on. I dare you. I double dare you.
As a normal everyday guy from Canada, it seems hard for "the public" to grasp the diparity between "Bill Shatner, age 61, three adult children, loves horses" and "Actor/Singer/Producer/Writer William Shatner blah blah blah fourth wife ... blah blah blah personal tragedy .... blah blah blah inside scoop" that Hollywood and the Tabloid press seem to turn everyone's life into.
At the end of the day, has the fame been worth the price? Is knowing that you've raised three daughters and entertained people for several decades worth the cost of your privacy? Do you feel that overall, you've gotten a fair shake, even after all the public airings of your alleged failings as a person? Are you going to continue to live in the limelight during your golden years, or settle in and call it good, letting the cards land where they may?
Do you feel you've finished your professional legacy and are ready to leave it for media history, or do you fret over whether or not that legacy is "good enough?" And the same regarding your personal legacy as a man, a husband, a father, a son? What advice can you give to others so that they don't have any regrets?
SlashSigTheorem: Humorous, Political, Critical, Constructive- If you have a
I never got that episode with the fortune machine:
1 -- Where did you get so many pennies? Your slacks seemed awfully snug and I did not notice and penny roll bulges
2 -- Were the forunes real or were you making them real?
This
Hi Bill,
I'm curious to know what you think of the "modern day" Star Trek shows that come out every now and then. I feel the shows have degraded in quality, and have become less reminiscent of the original series with each new series that comes out. The Next Generation was generally good, but following shows seem to be progressively less interesting and engaging. Granted, it's a tall order to create a show that surpasses the original Star Trek, but I think they could have done a lot better.
At the risk of biting the hand that feeds (or fed) you, I'd like to hear the honest truth as you see it. What do you think of the four Star Trek spinoffs? Is the franchise still kicking after so many years, or is it time to put it out to pasture?
By the way, I have to tell you that you were my idol growing up. I learned everything I needed to know about women from Captain Kirk!
Concerning the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Do you consider them to be a boon or a bane to actors and actressess?
42 - So long and thanks for all the fish.
The Onion AV Club just had an interview with Shatner. Besides being rather interesting, it's a list of questions that you can avoid reasking.
GET YOUR WEAPONS READY! --DR.LIGHT
You've been involved in numerous high-profile animated series (from Star Trek:TAS to Futurama and Family Guy). How does work on shows like these compare to live-action acting for someone as well-known as yourself ?
I alternate between posting +5 and -1 Comments. Karma: +53 -47 = 6
Hey Bill,
Are we cool, or what? I mean, I always thought you didn't like me, but I had a good time with you at Weakest Link watching the World Series.
So are we cool, or was that just pre-game strategy?
Wil
Alternatively, If you could be remembered for a single project or work, what would it be?
Mr. Shatner:
Considering that Star Trek was supposed to be a serious show about the future, there were an awful lot of gorgeous women running around in skimpy outfits on the set and you had your shirt off half the time. How did you, the other actors, and Roddenberry feel about the sexual undertones in Star Trek? Was it something forced on you by the studio? Or did you feel it was a legitimate part of the show?
GMD
watch this
Mr Shatner,
If you went back in point to the moment you were offered the role of Captain Kirk, would you still take it? If so, why? If not, why and what would you have done differently?
Also, given that you agreed to a Q&A, I have to ask; are you a regular reader of Slashdot?
My
Limekiller
I saw Incubus a while back on Sci-Fi, and thought the idea of having dialog in esperanto was neat. I hope someone mods the parent to this up.
"Weapons should be hardy rather than decorative" - Miyamoto Musashi
I think that goes for OS's too
It's fairly well known (at least here in Canada) that you attended McGill University for some time. They even went so far as to rename the Student Union building the Shatner Building.
I've heard that you were invited to the renaming ceremony, but refused to attend. I've also heard that you generally speak very poorly of your time at McGill. What was it about McGill that was so dreadful/horrible/annoying/etc that has made you so sour on the subject?
Karma: Excellent (Mainly due to Bill & Ted's Karma Adventure)
If you search for "william shatner" "wil wheaton" in google, the first hit is ... indeed the WWDN T-shirt!
Can Wil send CmdrTaco a T-shirt so he can pass it on to Shatner during the interview?
How much of the Captain Kirk character was developed by you, and how much was developed by Roddenberry?
Go here for teh [sic] funny.
I understand that your celebrity has allowed you to do more than just television since that famous show in the 60s; and I freely admit having read or watched quite a bit of it. My wife has even gotten me a lot of audio of "Star Trek Memories" and some other material including the Trek fiction for Christmas; though I know she doesn't want me to realize that quite yet. I like your version of the Iron Chef and while I don't make it a huge fanboy point to grab the latest Shatner imprint; your books and music are well received by me. Maybe I'm not a proper critic or something but I don't care.
In any case, I just want to know what you have liked doing best. Were the films - not just Trek and not just your parodies of yourself in films like "Free Enterprise" (the 'Caesar rap' at the end is a hit at my house) - more fun to do than the television series you have been in? Or has writing or music been better? I can imagine the ravaging crowds of fans (or detractors) at conventions or premiere events being a down side to your career; but I want to know what project you have most enjoyed doing - or even if they are all equally enjoyable from a personal and professional view. Thank you for some great (and some corny) entertainment over the years.
I think with the interesting people, their lives can't possibly be wrapped up into a nice little package.
Some Film and TV roles seem to transend themselves and take on a life of their own. Michael Landon is Charles Ingalls from Little House on the Prarie, Yule Brenner is the King of Siam, George Scott is Patton, and you are, of course, Captain James T. Kirk. I know you lampooned the trekkies on SNL, telling them to "Get a Life", but how much does the Star Trek genre affect your life and career. Even now, is it difficult to land roles without someone imagining you as Captain Kirk? Can you remember a time before you heard the word "Romulan" or do you envision a future where you can forget it? Also, can you give a sense of how annoying it is to be given Star Trek references while trying to run your everyday errands?
"This isn't a study in computer science, its a study in human behavior"
You've had, to say the least, a very interesting life with many ups, downs, and detours. So I have a two part question.
1) Based on your life experience, what is one thing you'd advise no one EVER do, and why?
2) Based on your life experience, what is one thing you'd advise everyone to definitely do (at least once), and why?
"The Sage treasures Unity and measures all things by it" - Lao Tzu
Mr. Shatner, I would ask you what you thought of the captains that followed in your footsteps: Captain Picard, Captain Sisko, Captain Janeway and Captain Archer, of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise respectively. What sort of input did you have, if any, in the four series? Are you planning to do any more scifi TV shows? I enjoyed your Tekwar series. Which do you like portraying more, a good guy, a bad guy, or an anti-hero? Thanks for allowing us to pester you with questions you've probably answered many times over. =)
Julie Moult is an idiot.
One of the best Saturday Night Live shows I can remember was when you appeared on it as a host. I thought the skit of you at the Star Trek convention was excellent, BTW. Especially when you tore into the Trekkies who seem like the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons.
Though your diatribe ("Get a life people") was brushed aside as the talk of the "Evil Kirk", what's your real opinion of the die hard fans? Granted many are a bit excessive, but do you appreciate the attention or do you find it annoying at all?
The 911 recording from your call reporting your wife's tragic pool accident, has been played, re-played, and played again on radio stations throughout the country. In fact, I heard it just the other day. In the weeks following the accident, the recording was played almost constantly.
Usually when I hear the recording, its associated with classless humor, usually radio talk show hosts trying to be funny, cracking "shatner jokes" and similiar.
I know personally that if my wife met a tragic and untimely death, I would despise all those making jokes about it!
How has this public attention (mockery) to the incident effected your life?
Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
I'm wondering what made you decide to accept the various roles you have played in movies and television, particularly after you were established as an actor and money was less of an immediate issue.
Was it the type of role, the people involved in the production, the script, the chance to do something new?
What do you look for currently?
Jon Acheson
All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.
Shatner gets off an airplane and comments how he thought he saw something outside on the wing. Lithgow says Yeah, the same thing happened to him.
For that and much more, it was all around one of the best 3rd Rock episodes.
There is nothing so silly as other peoples traditions, and nothing so sacred as our own.
Do you use priceline.com to book all of your flights?
Or do you no longer fly due to the whole "There's something out on the wing!!" thing?
Much has been made in the popular press over some shaky
relationships that you had with other members
of the Star Trek cast. Do you find those relationships
smoothing out as the years go by?
This is just too funny.
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken - Tyler Durden
Here's a variant but perhaps related question:
Anyone familiar with the history of the theater knows the names of great actors like Richard Burbage (a member of Shakespeare's company) and Sarah Bernhardt. We know their work only by reputation, however; their performances are of course lost to history.
You are one of the very first group of actors in history whose performances are, barring some cataclysm, going to be preserved forever. When you showed up to perform at Studio One or Playhouse 90, on anthology series like "The Outer Limits" and "The Twilight Zone," or later on series television like "Star Trek," did it ever occur to you that work you may have done with little or no rehearsal would have that kind of persistence? If so, did it affect your work? If not, is there anything you would have done differently?
(What I'm trying to get at here is that while most everyone recognizes that some early television ranks with the classics, the fact of the matter is that television in the early days was very much a sausage factory: there was no backlog of syndicated material, and a lot of content had to be churned out. People generally didn't sit around saying, "Gee, we're creating a new genre of theatrical art, how should we think about that?" -- there was too much work to be done. Even years later people didn't appreciate the significance of the early years of television; a lot of film was thrown out or left to rot. So maybe the question I'm trying to get at here is really, "Now that we recognize that significance of the early years of television, do you think about your work as an actor differently now than you did then, and if so how?")
As a tinnitus sufferer (brought on by noise trauma, like you), I take comfort in knowing there are celebrities such as yourself who have overcome this intrusive malady to live a happy life and accomplish great things.
What techniques/treatments have been successful for you in dealing with this disease?
Given your general willingness to have strong opinions and your role in the ever-expanding world of Tek War, not to mention your playing T.J. Hooker, how do you feel about the virtual disappearance of the so-called War on Drugs since September 11th?
Rustin
Data is the lever, rigor the fulcrum, brains the force that drives it all.
Come on. A member of Iggy Pop's band not drinking? In 1975? Surely they could have made up something more plausible.
Aargh!
Free Enterprise was farking AWESOME! Remember, it came out around the same time as Galaxy Quest, so it didn't get nearly the attention that it deserved, but I've always considered it Galaxy Quest's "Evil Twin." It actually had Shatner AS Shatner, doing a much better job at skewering himself than Tim Fucking Allen.
(If I live to be a thousand and have extensive electroshock therapy, it won't be enough to get "the Artist Formerly Known As Shatner" - as he was credited along with The Rated R - RAPPING Mark Anthony's funeral oration out of my head! "Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest -- For Brutus is an honorable man, So are they all, all honorable men ")
It was at once "pee yourself funny", and (if you're a big honking Star Trek geek like me) kinda painful to watch. This movie is for you if you get the reference:
"Coming Soon: The Artist Formerly Known as Shatner in "William Shatner vs. the World Crime League""
Carthago delenda est!
Mr. Shatner,
... meaning are you uncomfortable with your acting career since you are now and forever James T. Kirk?? Do you feel that this may have hindered or limited other opportunites in your life or do you feel this was a once in a life time opportunity?
If you had to do it all over again, would you still do Star Trek
Cheers!
HallmarkOrnaments.Com
Mr. Shatner,
:)
When you first walked onto the set, did you have any appreciation for how much of a part of American Legend Star Trek was going to become?
Also, when did realize that it was going to have a profound effect on your career and life and how did that feel?
GJC
Gregory Casamento
## Chief Maintainer for GNUstep
Galaxy Quest obviously satired not only the characters of Star Trek as they behaved on camera, but also the characters of the on actors that portayed them. Did you like the movie? Do you think the weaknesses of the Star Trek franchise that the film hyperboles are fair? Did friction between you and your co-stars on the convention circuit ever approach the levels suggested in film?
"You can't dissect him, predict him, which of course means he's not a lunatic at all."
Mr. Shatner,
I recently went to a screening of your cult classic film, "Incubus". The most amazing thing about this movie was that all the dialog was spoken in Esperanto! Did you actually learn Esperanto for the role? Or were you simply reading off of cue cards?
I don't think a lot of people take an auteuristic view of Star Trek, but I used to follow which directors were which on TNG and follow their styles.
:)
My favorite directors have to be veteran Cliff Bole ("Best of Both Worlds", "Silicon Avatar", Voyager's "Dark Frontier") and Les Landau ("Chain of Command II", "Family", "Night Terrors").
Did you have any favorite directors, or did they all seem interchangeable like the old days of movies? Since "Best of Both Worlds" is better than some of the Trek movies, I'd really like to see Bole helm a feature. No such luck. Is there any particular reason? Can I get in touch with him?
There are a lot of rumors that NASA and the Russian space program have investigated this, but no one is talking on the record yet. For example, Newton's 3rd law- "for every action, a reaction" complicating movement in zero-G. You are the most famous libidous space-amn and must know the answer :-)
Just recently you took part in a massive paintball charity match in Joliet, IL for your "Ahead with Horses" charity, in which you, as Captain Kirk, led the Federation against a team of Klingons and the Borg. It sounded like an amazing idea!
So, what I'm wondering is, how did it go? Did you enjoy paintball (and reprising your "Captain Kirk" role)? Also, I heard mention of the entire thing being was to be documented in a video. Is that still in the works, and if so, where can one purchase it?
If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan
As I understand it, Jeffery Hunter was originally offered the part of Captain Captain of the Enterprise (he played Christopher Pike in the Pilot), but turned it down after the Pilot was filmed. First, is this accurate, and second:
Obviously, this was your big break into showbusiness, but did it feel like it at the time. How did this part come to you, and when did you realize this show would be this big, when did you realize you had been typecast and that you would be forever known as Captain Kirk, and did you go through any of the disgust with that typecast like Leonard Nemoy did?
What is next for William Shatner?
I mean, you've done just about everything an entertainer can do -- act, write, sing, rap to Shakespeare, TV, movies, commercials.
Do you see yourself retiring anytime soon (and naturally chopping wood in some Northwestern locale)?
thelocust[dot]org
I've seen many actors become typecast (such as yourself and most of the Star Trek crew), but I've seen many others who seem to defy typecasting even when put into popular roles (Tom Hanks in Bosom Buddies comes to mind). Do you think this tendency comes more from acting skill, facial features (recognizable face vs. rather generic face), the nature of the role itself, or some other factor?
Since the majority of questions seem Trek related, here's one that's not:
If a major network came to you and offered you the chance to helm or take the lead in a new series of your choice, what would you want to do? Would you return to your stage roots? More Sci-Fi? TJ Hooker Returns? What would give you the most satisfaction?
and
What did you think of John Lithgow's reprisal of your TZ character in Twilight Zone: The Movie?
The original was one of the few episodes that stuck with me. Despite the goofy looking creature, it had that feeling of paranoia and claustrophobia that one would get when cornered by the unknown.
Everything Wil Wheaton says gets modded up +5! Why you ask? Because he is famous. This then causes his karma to go up! Since when can fame bring you karma? This a true butchering of the concept of karma, and I will not stand for it! Kick Wil off slashdot! Who is with me?
Ps. The preceding mesage is just a joke.
What signature defines me as a person?
What did you think of Galaxy Quest?
When a Ball Dreams, It Dreams it's a Frisbee.
Star Trek made many wonder whether there was intelligent life in the universe. Did Rescue 911 ever make you wonder if there was intelligent life on this planet? A lot of the people on that show were rescued when they did some awfully dumb and dangerous things ...
Which is better, being type cast into a role you can't escape from (yet gaining mass popularity and recognition), or having an assortment of characters from which to draw, but not the degree of prestige? ...which path would you have a new actor avoid?
Actually, he spent a great deal of time at the Toronto Shakespeare Company. He was Christopher Plummer's understudy in fact. All joking aside, Shatner was considered a hot property at that time. His first big break was when Plummer was sick one night, and he had to do the Hamlet role. Audiences said he was magnificent. Serious roles like The Brothers Karamazov followed. He was nabbed for Star Trek because of his classical theater rep, and if you've ever watched the old episodes, some of his performances were damn good. He's went the Leslie Nielson route now, and doing a lot of comedy, but drama was originally his forte.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
Have you heard the song "William Shatner" by The Wedding Present (or are you even aware of it)? In case you haven't heard it, The Wedding Present is a pop band from England, and the song is on their album "George Best," which came out in 1990 (or thereabouts). How do you feel about your name being used as the title for a song? Would you ever object to the use of your name by a group (not necessarily a rock band) or an individual that is completely unaffiliated with you? If that album had been incredibly popular and that song had been a hit single, would you feel differently about the use of your name?
Do you think that John Lithgow did a good job reprising your character in the Twilight Zone episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"? Was this ever a brought up when you guys worked on the together on Third Rock from the Sun?
Actually, Mr. Shatner graduated from montreal's prestigious McGill University in 1952. Although enrolled as a Management student, he spent a lot of time in the theatre, being a member of the Red and White Revue, the Player's Drama Club and the Radio Workshop. In a historic 1993 referendum, the students of McGill voted to name their student union building the William Shatner building, and on a 1999 visit to the university, Mr. Shatner was heard to say that all his experience at McGill taught him "the joy of entertaining, the mechanics of production, how to have empathy to fear and how to enjoy and appreciate talent. It's not difficult to be a failure...[The] extraordinary feeling of success is much more rare than failure."
Oddly enough, after graduating with a BCom, his first job was at a summer theatre-- not as an actor, but as a bookkeeper...
Looking back on the show with a bit of a post-modernist eye there were some really interesting subversive themes laced into the ST plot. The occasional anti-capitalist themes, the concept of the Federation as a nearly perfect communist society, the promotion of secular humanism and multiple episodes where the plot was literally man against god. There were the racial harmony themes, anti-religious themes and the prime directive itself could have been taken as a statement against cultural imperialism. All of this on tv in a world where Joe McCarthy was still a very fresh memory.
Now I know that Rodenberry was responsible for most of it, but how did it feel to be caught up in something like that during the 60's? (This is such a set up for the response, "I was just a tv show.")
There have been numerous parodies of both you and of Star Trek. If you were given carte blanche to parody anyone or anything - star in a Galaxy Quest equivalent of some other series or movie, what would you parody? Why? Any ideas on how you'd approach it?
17 years ago, I worked for a non-profit called "Ahead with Horses" which taught physically disabled children to ride horses, and in some cases to vault on them (think gymnastics on horseback). If I remember right, Mr. Shatner was a generous supporter of the program (with both his time and money).
My question is this Mr. Shatner: which are your favorite charities? What's you favorite story related to one of them?
Thanks!
Personally its not God I dislike, its his fan club I cant stand (bash.org)
he guest-starred on an album released with Ben Folds called "Fear of Pop" a few years ago - it's really friggin' good
Cool, that link has Real Player streaming samples. Shatner's contribution is audible in track 5: "In Love - David Davidson".
AH! Here is Shatner's "Transformed Man" album with a sample of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" for those of you who haven't heard it. Unfortunately the sample is small and doesn't capture the whole performance, but you get the idea.
OMG Amazon says "Transformed Man" starts at US$75!!!
LOL, you have to listen to all the samples.
Do you get a kick when shows/movies make fun of you or your distinctive way of speaking? Shatner jokes seem to pop up in about every form of entertainment, from animated shows (Family Guy) to the dregs of the Internet. Does this sort of attention make you feel like you left your mark on entertainment (I know I would)
Jesus Saves! And takes half damage (shouldn't the Son of God have improved evasion?)
A few questions...
What is the first thing you think of in the morning when you wake up, and the last thing you think of as you are about to fall asleep at night?
I understand that at one point you were (or still are?) working for the American Tinnitus Association (constant ringing in the ears). Are you aware of any medical advances in this area? How is your tinnitus doing these days?
I recently purchased the Special Editions of Star Treks II and III and watched the interviews with you on both disks and thought they were absolutely hysterical (especially the part about Nimoy blessing the crowds on ST III). I know that you have had parts in Airplane 2 and other slapstick comedies, but I was wondering... have you ever considered really jumping into that genre full-force like Leslie Nielsen did a few years back?
Well, let me clarify:
Directors do have creative some degree of creative control, and they are able to influence the tone and mood of their episodes. You wouldn't see an X-files director bringing the same style to, say, Hidden Hills...though it would make for an interesting story!
I know what you're talking about, in reference to shot composition and whatnot. That's usually all the director. Lighting, however, is all the Director of Photography. Usually the DP on a TV show that uses the same sets will have preset lighting (that's why the bridge and Ready Room always look the same, for instance) because it saves time. But! When a creative director tells the DP that he's going for something very dark and moody, or very bright and joyful, the DP will usually jump at the chance to do something creative...as long as it doesn't take too much time.
If I made it sound like TV directors are just point-and-shoot people, I really did them a grave disservice. They are afforded creative freedoms, and encouraged to make an episode their own, to be sure...just as long as it doesn't take too much time.
You're known for your work in technology and science related genres. My question is this: How much technology do you use yourself? Computers, PVR's, PDA's ... etc. I recall that you were quite technophobic back in the day. Are you still?
Any more plans to collaborate with Ben Folds, either on tour (like at The Palace 11/13), or in album form? What was your reaction when he first asked to work with you on Fear of Pop?
Regarded as a historical TV moment, you have had stories related that you forced the 'kiss' between yourself and Nichelle Nichols to be put into the episode. What we're your reasons behind pushing for the inclusion of the kiss - was it purely on a moral basis or did others influence your decision? And, because of this action, we're you ever put into an uncomfortable position (threatened by certain groups, not permitted in a select club, etc.)?