Ask William Shatner 1097
At long last William Shatner has volunteered himself to be strapped into the Slashdot Interviewee Victim Chair. You know the gig: Post your questions for the man, the moderators do their thing, and in a week or so we post the answers. So here's your chance to ask questions to the star of Iron Chef USA, Miss Congeniality and TJ Hooker!
Are you Star Wars Fan? (Score:5, Interesting)
Trekkies (Score:5, Interesting)
What is the scariest experience you have ever had with one of your adoring fans?
Scary Vietnam Vet (Score:5, Interesting)
Shatner said he was picked up by a limo in the 70's to go to some function. The driver suddenly pulled over and said, "Mr. Shatner, I've been waiting a long time to talk to you." Shatner thinks uh-oh. "You see, I'm a Vietnam vet and was held as a prisoner of war." Shatner thinks, oh shit.
The vet goes on to explain that while he and his buddies were held under torturous conditions, they used Star Trek to stay sane. They could speak to each other in the darkness and would try to reconstruct the scripts from memory, one person playing Spock, another Kirk, and so on.
It was one of the oddest bits of Trek trivia I had ever heard, and related with sensitivity by a man infamous for being a dick in public and private. I still think he's an egomaniac, but not one incapable of turns of humanity.
Re:Trekkies (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't know about danger, but they sure can get annoying.
I was at a Trek convention once, and a pesky fan somehow got ahold of the microphone and kept saying, "Please please Mr. Shatner, my life dream is to have my picture taken with you, please please oh please fullfill my dream!"
Shatner looked like he was thinking about it, then pointed to the autograph line and said, "No, I'm sorry, it would be unfair to these people who waited in line all this time." People then started shouting things at both the geek and Shatner things like, "Just do it and get it over with", and "Beam the f__ dweeb outta here!" and "skip the stun setting!".
A bit later during another audience question, the person said, "You are my favorite captain. You are brave, you have big guts, uh, I mean lots of guts." Mr. Shatner was looking at his stomach and giving the guy a funny look. He was a good sport about it though. He seemed to enjoy playing along and getting into it, both praising the Trek series and telling about funny inside situations.
People kept asking about books by other cast members who said bad things about him. He said something like, "I remembered that we mostly got along on the sets. I don't remember all those alleged battles in those books. I think they wrote them simply to sell books and make money. That is the only explanation I can think of that could explain our different memories of the studio times."
He expressed dissapointment that the top effects studio went on strike during the filming of "Final Frontier". He felt it would have done better at the box office if they had full effects. Hmmmm. Perhaps they can re-release it and edit in better effects, like Lucas did to Star Wars. Should I ask him if that has ever been considered?
How sad would you rate Trekkie fans ? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:How sad would you rate Trekkie fans ? (Score:5, Funny)
-1 : Troll
-S
Re:How sad would you rate Trekkie fans ? (Score:5, Funny)
Settle it once and for all! (Score:5, Funny)
Do you think you take Patrick Stewart in a fight? =)
What if... (Score:5, Funny)
Wheaton (Score:5, Interesting)
Tragically for Wil's semi-playful vendetta, he had a very pleasant encounter with Shatner at a television taping and, at least temporarily, suspended the jihad.
The Transformed Man (Score:5, Interesting)
How do you feel... (Score:5, Funny)
Gotta ask (Score:4, Funny)
cult vs. normal (Score:4, Interesting)
Has he started using pricelie.com YET?
Two questions... (Score:5, Interesting)
B) What did you honestly think of TNG, not as as a tv property but as a continuation of the philosophy of your original series?
Re:Two questions... (Score:5, Funny)
What was your personal favorite episode of the Original Star Trek series and why?
Oh, please. He's probably been asked this question a billion times. He'll probably give you some bullsh*t answer just because he's sick of it.
How about: What was your favourite T.J. Hooker episode, and why?
(Yes... this is a joke.)
360 degree view (Score:5, Interesting)
What happened to all those tribbles?? (Score:4, Funny)
Priceline.com (Score:4, Interesting)
Do you take yourself seriously? (Score:5, Interesting)
Overacting???? (Score:5, Interesting)
"Shatner, I'd fight William Shatner." --Fight Club
Re:Overacting???? (Score:5, Interesting)
Hey, speaking of this line from Fight Club, has Edward Norton or Brad Pitt challenged you to some sort of Celebrity Boxing type thing?
If you were to go on Celebrity Boxing, who would you fight?
Enterprise IT policy (Score:4, Funny)
How much of a Geek are you, anway? (Score:5, Interesting)
How much of a geek are you, Mr. Shater? Do you build your own PC from scratch and put Linux on it, or do you not even pay attention if your PC is Windows or Mac?
how does it feel (Score:5, Interesting)
Getting a life... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Getting a life... (Score:5, Funny)
A wizard did it.
Why? (Score:5, Interesting)
Looking back over your career (Score:5, Interesting)
What work would you say you are most proud of? And then what do you wish you hadn't done or could redo?
Des
What ST captain would look best (Score:5, Funny)
Kirk
Pickard
Sisco
Janeway
Archer
Your input (Score:5, Interesting)
The new-guy-in-the-red-shirt formula (Score:4, Funny)
Was it one of you guys or was it a writer? If so, which writer/writers was it?
Music Career (Score:4, Funny)
(Anyone ever heard him sing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?)
Niche Popularity and Affliction (Score:5, Interesting)
Esperanto? (Score:4, Interesting)
Mr. Shatner.. (Score:4, Funny)
..how was the green chick?
If you weren't part of Star Trek... (Score:5, Interesting)
Shakesperian Influences? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Shakespearian Influences? (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyone familiar with the history of the theater knows the names of great actors like Richard Burbage (a member of Shakespeare's company) and Sarah Bernhardt. We know their work only by reputation, however; their performances are of course lost to history.
You are one of the very first group of actors in history whose performances are, barring some cataclysm, going to be preserved forever. When you showed up to perform at Studio One or Playhouse 90, on anthology series like "The Outer Limits" and "The Twilight Zone," or later on series television like "Star Trek," did it ever occur to you that work you may have done with little or no rehearsal would have that kind of persistence? If so, did it affect your work? If not, is there anything you would have done differently?
(What I'm trying to get at here is that while most everyone recognizes that some early television ranks with the classics, the fact of the matter is that television in the early days was very much a sausage factory: there was no backlog of syndicated material, and a lot of content had to be churned out. People generally didn't sit around saying, "Gee, we're creating a new genre of theatrical art, how should we think about that?" -- there was too much work to be done. Even years later people didn't appreciate the significance of the early years of television; a lot of film was thrown out or left to rot. So maybe the question I'm trying to get at here is really, "Now that we recognize that significance of the early years of television, do you think about your work as an actor differently now than you did then, and if so how?")
Favorite Movie Roll (Score:5, Interesting)
Honestly, what do you think? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Honestly, what do you think? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Honestly, what do you think? (Score:5, Funny)
Would William Shatner appreciate a signed T-shirt from Wil Wheaton?
Would Wil Wheaton appreciate a signed T-shirt from William Shatner?
And if they were on Celebrety Boxing - who would win?
This is what I think about when I'm home alone and the TV is broken.
question for both Wils (Score:5, Interesting)
My favorite directors have to be veteran Cliff Bole ("Best of Both Worlds", "Silicon Avatar", Voyager's "Dark Frontier") and Les Landau ("Chain of Command II", "Family", "Night Terrors").
Did you have any favorite directors, or did they all seem interchangeable like the old days of movies? Since "Best of Both Worlds" is better than some of the Trek movies, I'd really like to see Bole helm a feature. No such luck. Is there any particular reason? Can I get in touch with him?
Re:question for both Wils (Score:5, Interesting)
Okay. Here's my answer, based on my experience: When you're working in television, the director rarely has much room for "vision." The studio expects things delivered on a certain (usually unrealistic) timetable, and the director had better meet that schedule if he wants to come back.
When you see the same director over and over again, it's usually because he or she gets things delivered on time, and "gets" the show.
Less important, but still considered, is how well that director gets along with the cast. We had more than one director who raced through the schedule, but was a tool, and didn't get asked back. Conversely, we had some directors who we absolutely loved, but they were just too damn slow, so they suffered a similar fate.
By comparison to TOS, we had a bit of latitude on TNG, because we were first-run syndication, and our directors were more or less answering to Gene, and then Rick, who were answering to Paramount. I'd suspect that it was different back on TOS, because they were first-run network. AFAIK, we were both considered "low budget," but I'm not sure how that factored into the studio's expectations.
The two guys you mentioned, Les and Cliff, were really good guys, but vastly different. Cliff tore through the schedule, never wasting shots or over-covering scenes. He was a little gruff with me, but I'm sure I deserved it. I seem to recall the other cast members really liking him.
Les started out as a First Assistant Director in our first season, and worked his way up to director (Star Trek has a long history of promotion from within...it's pretty cool).
Everyone liked Les, but boy was he slow! We usually referred to his episodes as "Late Night With Les," because we'd go into overtime so much. I think they cut him some slack, though, because he was part of the family, and his episodes were always pretty good.
When I was working on "Nemesis," Patrick and I walked past our old stages where they now film "Enterprise" on our way back to the make-up trailer one night. We saw some people we knew who were still at work, even though it was nearly 10PM on a Friday night.
We asked how it was going, and the reply was, "Oh, you know...having fun on 'Late Night With Les.'"
I was happy to hear that he was still in the family.
Director's Control in TV (Score:5, Informative)
Directors do have creative some degree of creative control, and they are able to influence the tone and mood of their episodes. You wouldn't see an X-files director bringing the same style to, say, Hidden Hills...though it would make for an interesting story!
I know what you're talking about, in reference to shot composition and whatnot. That's usually all the director. Lighting, however, is all the Director of Photography. Usually the DP on a TV show that uses the same sets will have preset lighting (that's why the bridge and Ready Room always look the same, for instance) because it saves time. But! When a creative director tells the DP that he's going for something very dark and moody, or very bright and joyful, the DP will usually jump at the chance to do something creative...as long as it doesn't take too much time.
If I made it sound like TV directors are just point-and-shoot people, I really did them a grave disservice. They are afforded creative freedoms, and encouraged to make an episode their own, to be sure...just as long as it doesn't take too much time.
intelligent life (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:intelligent life (Score:5, Insightful)
Granted, actors are people too *cough*, and they're entitled to their incorrect opinion just like the rest of us. But to ask them questions on subjects based on their acting resume is just plain foolish. Shatner doesn't have some keen insight into the nature of the Universe because he played a star ship captain.
OK (Score:5, Interesting)
P.S. I enjoyed your portrayal of the talk show host on Columbo!
White Commanche, OTOH, I didn't finish seeing - sorry.
Roles (Score:5, Interesting)
SNL skit (Score:4, Funny)
It took several years of therapy to get over those horrible comments.
Your connection with John Carpenter's Halloween.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Times change (Score:4, Funny)
Do you ever look back on your show with regard to how your character treated women and find it offensive? Kirk boinked anything with 2 legs and a pretty face, often pursuing them in a cave man-like fashion.
And if you didn't find it offensive, do you think you're cursed to have been born way too early and not had your chance to lay the kirk-mack down on 7 of 9? Hell, cursed my ass, God singled you out for that heinous joke.
Funniest foe... (Score:5, Interesting)
Which alien/enemy/foe made you laugh the hardest on set when you saw it?
My personal favourite was the 'Pizza' that ate people - I think Spock mind-melded with it to save the day.
Seriously it must have been a wheeze on set for Star Trek! Spock in dungarees!
What's the secret of your Mojo? (Score:4, Interesting)
BTW his official site is: www.williamshatner.com/ [williamshatner.com] (predictably). It answeres many of the "what have you been up to" questions.
Favourite Parody (Score:5, Interesting)
Star Trek has been parodied many times in many different formats; other television shows, movies, comics and so on. You yourself have probably been parodied as much or more in people's "Captain Kirk Impression" stand up skits and the like. My question is, do you recall a favourite parody for it's comedy or cleverness of either yourself or the series?
Thank you.
What's Next? (Score:5, Interesting)
spin offs? (Score:5, Interesting)
Thanks. We're big fans here.
-FC
Computer Simulations of You (Score:5, Interesting)
In the near future (10 or 20 years or so) computer graphics are going to be nearly indistiguishable from live-action films. You know when that happens hundreds of Trekkers are going to start using your voice and image and create new episodes of the original Star Trek series. Many will probably do this anonymously just for the fun of it, despite legal issues. How do you feel about the possibility of your voice and image being used this way?
Galaxy Quest (Score:5, Interesting)
The Four Shatners MTV video clip (Score:5, Interesting)
I remember once seeing a quick, confusing video clip on MTV that showed four different Shatner-acted roles, including Kirk, the Rescue 911 host, T.J. Hooker, and another that I can't remember. They all got into a car together and drove, then proceeded to argue on different issues. I'm sure there is an interesting story behind the clip. What do you know about it?
your reputation (Score:5, Interesting)
For this reason, I'd like to ask what you think of your humorous reputation for bad acting. Would you blame some of the egregious hamminess of some of ST on the perception that TV (or SF) wasn't "real" acting or was it directing? Or some other thing?
Re:your reputation (Score:5, Interesting)
What did you think of John Lithgow's portrayal of your character in the film adaptation of the "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" for the Twilight Zone movie?
Also, any Rod Serling anecdotes you'd like to share?
There's more (Score:5, Funny)
Shatner gets off an airplane and comments how he thought he saw something outside on the wing. Lithgow says Yeah, the same thing happened to him.
For that and much more, it was all around one of the best 3rd Rock episodes.
Capt. Kirk and Spock are both Jewish ... (Score:5, Interesting)
Biggest professional regret (Score:5, Interesting)
Mr. Shatner:
What is your single biggest regret over your entire professional career (actor, author, cult figure, etc.) and why?
GMD
You and Ron Asheton? (Score:5, Interesting)
" Ron Asheton, the gutarist for punk rocker Iggy Pop, claims that, in the summer of 1975, Shatner made a pass at him in an L.A. bar.
Shatner supposedly approached him in the Hyatt House pub. "He wanted me to sit down, then he got kind of grabby," Asheton claims.
Horrified that Captain Kirk might be anything less than straight, he fled the scene. "Probably if I'd been drinking I would have sat down just for the weirdness of seeing what would happen," Asheton says.
(From "The Encyclopedia Shatnerica" by Robert E. Schnakenberg)"
Now, we know that both you and your alter-egos are straight, including your bizarre turn as a muderous hooker in Impulse. You have had beautiful wives.
Asheton himself has been the guitarist for a bisexual rock n roller. Yet HE denies any homosexuality. I've never heard your comments on it.
Answer, if you will, the truth behind this bizarre and probably untrue story: it's possible origins, and such. It's such a weird urban legend. I'd love to hear where it got started if you know.
dave
The City on the Edge of Forever (Score:4, Interesting)
My question is what is your take on what happend with his script and your response to his accusations in the book? There is plenty out there about this that I'm sure has never come to light and I was wondering what your point of view on this issue is.
But seriously, though... (Score:5, Funny)
Fight Club (Score:5, Interesting)
Fixing ST:5 (Score:5, Interesting)
The spectre of Star Trek... (Score:5, Interesting)
Over a generation ago, you landed an acting job on a show being produced by someone that wanted to make a cowboy show in space. The show was wierd, the pay was good, and the publicity was fantastic.
Since then, and after a long pause (mostly filled with shows like Dr. Who and Space 1999), viewing audiences have been treated to five perspectives on the Star Trek universe.
Other shows have come out with varying degrees of sucess. Babylon 5, V, Farscape, and Firefly have come out to rave reviews, while others like Space Rangers and the TekWorld series have met unfortunate ends.
What do you think is the formula for a successful science fiction show on television today? Why do you think the Star Trek series has enjoyed such a phenomenal and sucessful run?
Finally
What has enabled you to remain robustly and diversely employed as an actor post-star-trek?
Sincerely,
Martin Bogomolni
Science Fiction Fan
First Interracial Kiss. (Score:5, Interesting)
Nerine Shatner Memorial Fund (Score:5, Interesting)
I know that this subject must be painful for you, but I'm sure there are many in the slashdot community who would benefit from your experience and insights here.
Saturday Night Live (Score:5, Interesting)
Was that sketch a catharsis for you, a means of finally casting off some chains and letting the world know what you think and feel, or was it just a sketch? I am not dissing you, your work, or Trek fans, but, let's be honest here, some people do need to, in your words, "Get a life!". Do you/did you feel that way, or was it just an act? Come on, be honest.....
Anne Robinson (Score:4, Funny)
Remember when you were elected weakest link by the rest of the Star Trek cast, and you put the moves on Anne Robinson? On the fineness scale of 1-10 where 1 is fine and 10 is supah-fine, where would you rate her?
Galaxy Quest (Score:5, Interesting)
I think everyone who has seen Galaxy Quest will agree that the show that it is based upon is, in essence, "Star Trek". It follows that Tim Allen's Character was essentially meant to be you.
So my two part question is this:
Did you enjoy the show, and, how accurate was their portrayal of life after Trek?
Is it a wig? (Score:5, Funny)
The balance between Hollywood and Real Life (Score:5, Insightful)
At the end of the day, has the fame been worth the price? Is knowing that you've raised three daughters and entertained people for several decades worth the cost of your privacy? Do you feel that overall, you've gotten a fair shake, even after all the public airings of your alleged failings as a person? Are you going to continue to live in the limelight during your golden years, or settle in and call it good, letting the cards land where they may?
Do you feel you've finished your professional legacy and are ready to leave it for media history, or do you fret over whether or not that legacy is "good enough?" And the same regarding your personal legacy as a man, a husband, a father, a son? What advice can you give to others so that they don't have any regrets?
Quality of Star Trek decreasing? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm curious to know what you think of the "modern day" Star Trek shows that come out every now and then. I feel the shows have degraded in quality, and have become less reminiscent of the original series with each new series that comes out. The Next Generation was generally good, but following shows seem to be progressively less interesting and engaging. Granted, it's a tall order to create a show that surpasses the original Star Trek, but I think they could have done a lot better.
At the risk of biting the hand that feeds (or fed) you, I'd like to hear the honest truth as you see it. What do you think of the four Star Trek spinoffs? Is the franchise still kicking after so many years, or is it time to put it out to pasture?
By the way, I have to tell you that you were my idol growing up. I learned everything I needed to know about women from Captain Kirk!
MPAA (Score:4, Interesting)
onion av club interview (Score:4, Informative)
Seriously...are we cool? (Score:5, Funny)
Are we cool, or what? I mean, I always thought you didn't like me, but I had a good time with you at Weakest Link watching the World Series.
So are we cool, or was that just pre-game strategy?
Wil
SEXUAL UNDERTONES (Score:5, Interesting)
Mr. Shatner:
Considering that Star Trek was supposed to be a serious show about the future, there were an awful lot of gorgeous women running around in skimpy outfits on the set and you had your shirt off half the time. How did you, the other actors, and Roddenberry feel about the sexual undertones in Star Trek? Was it something forced on you by the studio? Or did you feel it was a legitimate part of the show?
GMD
Time at McGill (Score:5, Interesting)
It's fairly well known (at least here in Canada) that you attended McGill University for some time. They even went so far as to rename the Student Union building the Shatner Building.
I've heard that you were invited to the renaming ceremony, but refused to attend. I've also heard that you generally speak very poorly of your time at McGill. What was it about McGill that was so dreadful/horrible/annoying/etc that has made you so sour on the subject?
You vs. Roddenberry (Score:5, Interesting)
A few things I've always wanted to know: (Score:5, Interesting)
Give us some advice! (Score:5, Interesting)
1) Based on your life experience, what is one thing you'd advise no one EVER do, and why?
2) Based on your life experience, what is one thing you'd advise everyone to definitely do (at least once), and why?
The "new" Captains... (Score:5, Interesting)
Your opinion of hardcore fans (Score:5, Interesting)
Though your diatribe ("Get a life people") was brushed aside as the talk of the "Evil Kirk", what's your real opinion of the die hard fans? Granted many are a bit excessive, but do you appreciate the attention or do you find it annoying at all?
Priceline.com (Score:5, Funny)
Or do you no longer fly due to the whole "There's something out on the wing!!" thing?
Your Tinnitus (Score:5, Interesting)
What techniques/treatments have been successful for you in dealing with this disease?
Galaxy Quest (Score:5, Interesting)
How did you happen to land the role of Kirk? (Score:5, Insightful)
Obviously, this was your big break into showbusiness, but did it feel like it at the time. How did this part come to you, and when did you realize this show would be this big, when did you realize you had been typecast and that you would be forever known as Captain Kirk, and did you go through any of the disgust with that typecast like Leonard Nemoy did?
Your Take on Subversive Themes (Score:5, Interesting)
Now I know that Rodenberry was responsible for most of it, but how did it feel to be caught up in something like that during the 60's? (This is such a set up for the response, "I was just a tv show.")
First Interracial Kiss (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Speech (Score:5, Informative)
"Because I...can't remember....my....lines..."
Re:Speech (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Dr. Mr. Shatner (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:MY ...GOD....MAN!!!!! (Score:5, Informative)