William Shatner and George Takei need to end their petty feud

William Shatner and George Takei have been feuding for decades and it’s time to end this petty nonsense.

William Shatner and George Takei are Star Trek royalty. The original Captain James T. Kirk and Lt. Hikaru Sulu have been at odds for as long as anyone can remember. Over what? No one really knows. Takei claims that everyone had issues with Shatner dating back to their time on the original series, and Shatner claims that he was distant while shooting the show and didn’t really get close to Takei on set.

The two have taken jabs at each other over the years, with both accusing the other of using their feud to promote upcoming projects. Yet despite the insults and anger, they’ve worked together regularly over the years and Takei even invited Shatner to his wedding in 2008. Shatner declined and the whole thing only furthered to add fuel to the pettiness of their rivalry.

Of the original cast, only Shatner, Takei, Walter Koening, and Nichelle Nichols are still with us. All four are in their 80s and as the last remaining links to the original series, the fact that any of them are still at odds after all they’ve lost is beyond sad.

For Shatner, his close friendship with good friend Leonard Nimoy, who played the first Spock in the franchise, ended before Nimoy’s passing. The two were at odds over the last part of Nimoy’s life and the fact they parted ways as friends so needlessly is just too depressing to think about.

With Nichols the center of an elder abuse allegation, time is ticking on curing these wounds the cast have towards one another. With things the way they are in the world right now, you’d hope that forgiveness and reconciliation would be a point of emphasis for many. The worst part is that this feud has bled over into the fanbase. Fans shouldn’t be at odds with each other over who’s right or wrong in a feud that’s stretched decades for no real reason. The amount of guff that both Shatner and Takei get on a daily basis from fans, who demand that each man behave differently, is sad; though not unexpected. Some of the vitriol may be taken out of the situation if both men made a public and appropriate statement of forgiveness of the other. Something that’s meaningful and heartfelt.

Not even an apology, just an admission that the feud is over and that they respect one another. An apology would be grand, but don’t hold your breath for that.

At the end of the day, we’re all Star Trek fans and it’s time that those we have loved watching for so long put aside their pettiness, forgive one another, and embrace their twilight years with a sense of unity.