Star Trek: The Left Out Generation
William Shatner is shocked - shocked, I say - that his services are not required for the next Star Trek movie. (This story has popped up several times in the last few days in various media outlets. Seems like a PR blitz on Shatner's part.)
Veteran Star Trek actor William Shatner - who played Captain Kirk in the original series and six films - is stunned by the news that he has been usurped by a virtual unknown in the new movie.
The role of Captain Kirk will be taken by Chris Pine, while engineer Scotty will be played by Simon Pegg, star of the film Hot Fuzz.
Veteran actor Shatner said he "can't believe" he has been excluded.
In a further blow to the original Star Trek star, it has been revealed that Leonard Nimoy, who played 'Spock' in the long running TV series, has a cameo role in the Hollywood film which is due to be released in 2008.
Shatner said: "I can't believe it, I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me.
"I thought, 'what a decision to make', since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office figures. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision."
That last quote may have a bit to do with why the director decided not to hire Shatner. I was a big fan of the original series and watched every episode when it was first televised. But even then, my friend Rick and I, who made it a weekly ritual to watch the show, recognized one thing: Shatner always had a really, really big ego. We used to call him the rocket-powered Romeo. (Galaxy Quest did such a good job of savaging Shatner.) So maybe the director decided what he didn't want on the buffet:
By Mwalimu Daudi, Sunday, 28 October , 2007 @ 6:41 pm
They should have William Shatner in the Star Trek movie - and the galactic uber-babe Nichelle Nichols (the most beautiful woman ever to appear in science fiction).