You’d think Star Trek originally aired on the E! network with all the behind the scenes drama that has/had/will go on in the history of the franchise. Most fans of the franchise will surely point to the William Shatner and George Takei feud that had existed since the original franchise launched in the 1960s.
They’re not the only ones though as was shown in TrekCulture’s 10 Biggest Feuds in Star Trek History video. Before you get excited, no, this isn’t about the on-screen rivalries. Though, my sleeper for that category would be Chakotay and Tom Paris; especially in those early seasons.
Those two had beef.
No, this is talking about the behind the scenes drama that helped define the unique backstage drama that is Star Trek. From rival stars, to franchise legends, there have been numerous and outlandish feuds that have stemmed from a series that is so focused on future harmony.
Some of the feuds that the video documents are pretty obvious to long time fans. The Takei and Shatner feud is obvious, plus the unfortunate issues between Shatner and Leonard Nimoy; the one man from the franchise Shatner considered a friend. Plus the video touches on the issues between Voyager co-stars Kate Mulgrew and Jeri Ryan, both of whom had issues with one another due to the treatment Mulgrew was known to give to Ryan.
There are other lesser known feuds; like did you know Nimoy and franchise creator Gene Roddenberry didnt’ get along? In fact, for a man whose vision of the future helped spearhead a million creators, Roddenberry was kind of hard to work with.
That’s not surprising though, he was the boss and often times the guy running things will often be everyone’s least favorite colleague. The video does a great job highlighting some of the biggest issues the franchise has had backstage and is well worth checking out yourself to see who made the list and why.