George Takei predictably insulted William Shatner after his trip on Wednesday.
Star Trek was built on the idea of being kind to one another and working our way through disagreements and differences. It wasn’t a kid’s show but it sure did give fans a near-weekly lesson in accepting one another. George Takei and William Shatner would do well to remember that.
The two men have had issues with one another dating back to their time on the original Star Trek series back in the 1960s. The two’s animosity is as interwoven into Star Trek at this point as Worf’s love of prune juice. Yet, the animosity at this point no longers feels justified and just plain catty.
With Shatner having just gone to space with Blue Origin, many gave him well-wishes and congratulations. Yet, one name was oddly quiet during Shatner’s touchdown back to Earth. So, at the opening of a play on Wednesday night, Page Six caught up with that one name, Takei, who was very candid on Shatner’s trip to space.
"He’s boldly going where other people have gone before. He’s a guinea pig, 90 years old and it’s important to find out what happens. So 90 years old is going to show a great deal more on the wear and tear on the human body, so he’ll be a good specimen to study. Although he’s not the fittest specimen of 90 years old, so he’ll be a specimen that’s unfit!"
The animosity between George Takei and William Shatner is beyond sad
The dislike for one another has been obvious and overwhelming for some time. Takei is constantly taking shots at Shatner, while Shatner seems to be passive-aggressive at least with his dismissals of Takei’s insults.
If you just looked at the outline of their feud, you’d think this is some kind of 20-something YouTube vs. TikTok rivalry. It’s not, it’s an 84-year-old man, and a 90-year-old man, constantly trading barbs with one another for no real reason.
The thing is, the feud is over nothing. Insecurities and professional jealousies at best. There’s no animosity, this isn’t an issue over any type of bigotry. In fact, Shatner was quite upset over being left off Takei’s wedding invite list to his then future-husband.
With Nichelle Nichols’ declining health, this feud should seriously be reexamined for the purpose. There are only four remaining stars of the original series left, with the fourth being Walter Koening. He’s 85. This is not a four-some that will be around much longer, and these two men need to realize that this pettiness needs to end. Time is running out and it’s not doing either man any good.
They are the standard by which every new version of Star Trek is measured. The fact that we’ll never get to see the surviving four members of the series in a convention ever because of this childish feud is heartbreaking.
This feud needs to just end, it’s beyond petty and pointless.