Mike Sussman speaks out about what he believes went down behind the scenes when trying to cast William Shatner as the evil Captain Kirk in the fourth and final season of the franchise's underrated series, Star Trek: Enterprise. Tiberius, as he is referred to in Shatner’s Mirror Universe Trilogy of books (Spectre, Dark Victory, Preserver) would have shown up in the short-lived UPN series if Shatner hadn’t asked for too much money, right?
Well, Sussman does not believe Shatner’s salary demands were the issue at the heart of the matter — not entirely at any rate. And it looks like Rick Berman may have played a part in disrespecting Captain Kirk yet again. Sussman said in an interview while appearing on the All Access Star Trek podcast (via TrekMovie.com):
“I don’t think he was [asking for too much], but I think from the standpoint of the studio—had it happened earlier—maybe in season 3—they would have been more likely to go for it. But by this point [in season 4], I think the writing was on the wall. So, the feeling was, 'Well, why spend the money?'”
Once Sussman’s time on the podcast came to an end, he discussed having visited Rick Berman’s office, which may reveal what really went down when trying to get Shatner's evil Captain Kirk, who first appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Mirror, Mirror," onto Enterprise. Sussman continued to lay out what he thought really happened behind the scenes concerning Shatner not being cast to appear on the show. Following the podcast, Sussman said:
“I was in [executive producer] Rick Berman’s office for notes or something, and Rick had a DVD. He said, ‘I want to show you something.’ It was a short promo the studio was using for market research, trying to figure out how much interest there might be if we brought Bill onto the show. They tested it in Vegas, showing the promo to a cross-section of regular people.”
“The narrator said something like, ‘A legend returns to Star Trek,’ over a slow-motion clip from Wrath of Khan—the scene where Kirk walks onto the bridge simulator, dramatically backlit with light and smoke,” Sussman continued. “I never heard about the results of those focus groups but suffice it to say the studio ultimately decided that whatever Shatner was asking wasn’t worth the potential bump in ratings.”
After considering Sussman's recollection, does it seem like Berman might have once again made a boneheaded decision concerning William Shatner's Captain Kirk? For those who may be new to the fandom, this wouldn't be the first time Berman did James T. Kirk dirty, if he in fact heeded what must have been skeptical opinions from a focus group over how Trekkies feel about the beloved character.
Berman is one of three people, the others being Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore, who decided that killing off Captain James T. Kirk — most unceremoniously at that — in the disappointing 1994 film Star Trek Generations was a good idea. If Berman made the call after listening to a focus group about Shatner showing up on Enterprise, what do you think of his decision?
Do you think it would have been amazing to see Shatner appear as Tiberius in Star Trek: Enterprise? Or are you satisfied with the way the Mirror Universe played out in the show’s fourth season episodes “In a Mirror, Darkly” and “In a Mirror Darkly, Part II?” What are your opinions on the matter? Share your comments and thoughts with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!