Is William Shatner ruining his legacy by constantly taking shots at the Star Trek cast?

Star Trek’s William Shatner may be in his last chapter but he’s not going quietly.

When it comes to William Shatner, he’s a genuine living legend. He’s one of those names that you see out there in the world and are both shocked, yet grateful, to still see alive at the age of 91. Not only that, but he’s still very active too. He’s a certified astronaut, someone who rides horses and still stars in films. He’s done everything he can to make sure his legacy extends beyond Star Trek.

With all this goodwill constantly coming his way, you’d think it’d be hard to tarnish a legacy so late in life, yet that seems to be exactly what he’s doing. For whatever reason, Shatner has gone in on his past castmates from the 1960s franchise creator that was the original Star Trek series.

Most of the cast from that show, and crew for that matter, have passed away. The three most notable names are Shatner, Walter Koenig, and George Takei. While Koenig and Shatner have not really had that many public dustups, Shatner and Takei can’t stop talking about one another.

They despise each other, even if they play coy about it. From Deadline (Via Times of London;

"Sixty years after some incident, they are still on that track. Don’t you think that’s a little weird? It’s like a sickness. I began to understand that they were doing it for publicity."

While it’s not up to him what he gets asked in interviews, for the most part, how he answers them are entirely up to him.

Star Trek fans need not pick a side

Shatner’s obsession with Takei and the drama is pretty obvious, though I want to make it abundantly clear; both men are acting rather childish. Takei is in his late-80s, and he still takes pop shots at Shatner for no reason. At a certain point, let the damn dog lie.

Both Shatner and Takei are ruining their legacies by keeping a petty rivalry alive and for what? The constant needling, the perpetual shots, the need to one-up one another. It’s exhausting.

All the while, Koening is popping up in fan films, just doing his thing. Good for you, Chekov.

I don’t expect the Shatner and Takei rivalry to end anytime soon, I’m just hoping they don’t take their reputations and legacies with them as they continue to dive deeper and deeper into the gutters.