George Takei refuses to mention William Shatner, but then mentions him anyway

Star Trek icon George Takei is really just doing harm to his legacy at this point.

Is it the hate for each other that is keeping George Takei and William Shatner alive, or are both men just trolling all of us? I’m half expecting to read the lyrics of Rick Astley’s iconic hit, “Never Going Give You Up” at some point in one of these quotes. That’s not happening, however, though that would be hilarious.

Nope, instead, we have Takei yet again not keeping Shatner’s name out of his mouth, even though he claims he’s not going to mention him. If this man goes an entire interview without mentioning Shatner, I fear the space-time continuum will eat itself.

Takei spoke to the UK outlet, the Guardian, and once again, Shatner came up, but not before once again taking a pop shot at him. When asked about the cast, Takei spoke glowingly about everyone but buried Shatner, calling him a prima donna;

"Yes. Yes. YES [there was camaraderie on set of Star Trek]. Except for one, who was a prima donna. But the rest of us shared a great camaraderie. One of the gifts from Star Trek was not just longevity but colleagues that became lasting friends. My colleagues were part of my wedding party in 2008. Walter Koenig, who played Chekov, was my best man. We asked Nichelle [Nichols] to be our matron of honour but she said: ‘I am not a matron! If Walter can be the best man, why can’t I be the best lady?’ So she became the best lady."

So it’s great that Takei sees his crewmates so wonderfully, but the needless digs at Shatner’s expense just had to be worked in. The saddest part is, Shatner may be right, Takei can’t stop talking about him, even when he actively tries not to;

George Takei can’t keep from mentioning William Shatner

Takei actively proved Shatner right, by not being able to refrain from bringing up Shatner in an interview.

"I know he came to London to promote his book and talked about me wanting publicity by using his name. So I decided I don’t need his name to get publicity. I have much more substantial subject matter that I want to get publicity for, so I’m not going to refer to Bill in this interview at all.” He grins. “Although I just did. He’s just a cantankerous old man and I’m going to leave him to his devices. I’m not going to play his game.”"

It’s very sad that on a tour of the UK, all Takei can do is belittle and lambast a man he once considered a friend. Sure, Shatner hasn’t helped matters either, but that further reinforces the whole point that both men are being perpetually childish.