The son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry didn't appreciate William Shatner's infamous SNL convention sketch. Shatner helped bring Roddenberry's original vision to life by playing Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek: The Original Series. He would later go on to appear in six Star Trek movies. But while his co-star Leonard Nimoy made cameos in the rebooted films, Shatner has firmly stayed away from the franchise in recent years. In fact, Shatner said he would only return if he had a substantial role in a project.
Regardless of what else he's done, Shatner's legacy will always remain tied to Star Trek. Case in point: When he hosted Saturday Night Live in 1986, he performed a memorable sketch where he appeared as himself at a Star Trek convention. Fed up with the exuberance of the nerdy fans, Shatner snaps at the crowd. "Get a life, will you, people," he yells. "For crying out loud, it’s just a TV show. I mean, look at you. Look at the way you’re dressed. You’ve turned an enjoyable little job I did as a lark for a few years into a colossal waste of time." The general response to the skit was positive, but there's at least one person out there who didn't find it very funny.
Rod Roddenberry, the son of Gene, recently sat down with THR for Star Trek's upcoming 55th anniversary and shared his thoughts on the SNL sketch. Roddenberry admitted he didn't enjoy it because of how it treated the fans. "I never really appreciated that skit because I think it was demeaning to the fans," he explained. "I think it was disrespectful, especially for a character who was an open-minded, intelligent leader." Roddenberry then added, "But I don’t condemn it in any way. It’s Saturday Night Live, and it’s all fun." As for what his dad might have thought of the sketch, he replied, "Dad passed away when I was 17. I was a young, immature kid who did not have those kinds of conversations with him."
Over the years, fan culture has evolved greatly, and that is in large part to Star Trek. It even inspired the movie Galaxy Quest, which deals with sci-fi fandom on a deep level. As Roddenberry noted, he understands that the Star Trek sketch was really all in good fun at its heart. He may not agree with the overall message, but that's okay. It's his father's creation that was being made fun of, and he has every right to form his own opinion.
In the case of Shatner, though he has largely moved away from Star Trek, it's probably safe to say he doesn't think the same way as his SNL counterpart does. The franchise is still going strong, with numerous shows in various stages of development at Paramount+ and a new film in the works. Shatner has responded to the question of whether he would appear in either Star Trek 4 or perhaps Picard; for now, fans shouldn't hold their breaths. At the same time, stranger things have happened. Seeing as Shatner isn't going around yelling at Star Trek fans at conventions, there's always a chance he could return someday.
Source: THR
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September 06, 2021 at 12:25AM
