The feud between George Takei and William Shatner is among the worst aspects of being a modern Star Trek fan.
If you’re new to the world of Star Trek, the feud between George Takei and William Shatner may be an odd thing to you. The thing is, even for us seasoned fans, it’s still an odd thing. See, the whole thing basically doesn’t make any sense. Yes, Shatner was seen by some as being hard to work with but he also has a glowing reputation with other costars outside of Star Trek.
So is Takei telling the truth when he says things like;
"Nobody got on with Bill. He was and is a prima donna. He likes to be the center of attention"
Maybe. Maybe that’s exactly how it was when they worked together, but that was 60 years ago. you’d think someone would have grown up by now. And that’s just it. Everyone seems to blame Shatner for all of this animosity between the two but neither man is behaving like an adult.
Shatner is constantly taking digs at Takei and Takei is taking them right back. You can’t insult a man, and then go on to say you’re not going to talk about him and not come off as a child, just like he did speaking to the Mirror;
"Bill says I talk about him to get publicity… nonsense! I don’t need him for publicity, so I’m not going to play his game by talking about him"
George Takei and William Shatner are both at fault for this petty rivalry
I’m not sure what either man is hoping to accomplish with these persistent and petty digs at one another, but all it’s doing is making fans annoyed. Neither man is long for this world and you’d think that two people in their 80s and 90s respectfully would be more mature than this.
It’d be one thing if both men just stooped down and started flinging mud and not carrying about the perception. That’s not the case, however. Each man denigrates the other and then pretends to be the bigger person after doing it.
Personally, I think it’s the hate for one another that keeps them alive. I think if Takei just said, “Ya know, Bill was a hell of an actor. We didn’t get along but man that guy could act,” I think Takei would drop right then and there. Same for Shanter.
This feud is petty and Takei needs to take responsibility for allowing it to go on for as long as it has just like Shatner needs to. Both men have made immature remarks about the other, and we pray that it stops eventually.