XPost: rec.arts.sf.movies
From Uproxx.com ...
William Shatner Says �Star Trek� Owes A Big Debt To �Star Wars�
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William Shatner must have stones the size of two slightly smaller
William Shatners. On Saturday, the 85-year-old musical genius
made a statement at Las Vegas� 15th annual official Star Trek
convention that was pretty much guaranteed to make die-hard fans
choke on their Romulan Ale.
�First of all, Star Wars created Star Trek. You know that?�
offered Shatner to the crowd according to a CNN report.
Considering that the original series predates Star Wars by over
a decade and Captain Kirk�s making this declaration on Trek turf,
this assessment reads as borderline sacrilege. It�s a bit like
going to a Kim & Kanye meet-n-greet and hearing Kanye say Taylor
Swift made him famous. Bricks were presumably sh*t.
So what�s Shatner getting at? He explained to the crowd that the
arrival of Star Wars in 1977 helped bring Star Trek back to life.
A claim that�s way more palatable to Trekkies/Trekkers than the
�Star Wars created Star Trek.� Shatner recalled how studios were
scrambling after Star Wars proved to be an absolute box office
juggernaut and on the search for a worthy competitor.
�At Paramount Studios they were running around bumping into each
other: �What do we got?! What do we got to equal �Star Wars?�
This is a big thing! There was this thing that we canceled,
under another management, it was called Star �Trek? Let�s
resurrect that!�
Shatner conceded that the first Trek movie was underwhelming
thanks to the rush to get it made and special effects that
weren�t anywhere near in the league of George Lucas� space epic.
The first cinematic go-around wasn�t great, but Star Trek�s
motion picture presence owes Star Wars a debt in Shatner�s eyes.
Mind you, Shatner sees the sci-fi offerings as being different
animals.
�Star Trek at its best tells human stories. It�s philosophical.
There�s humanity. There�s a principle involved. And it�s well
done. It�s about people,� noted Shatner. �Star Wars was grand,
like opera. It was huge with great special effects. It was a
marvelously entertaining film, but it wasn�t specifically about
people the way those Star Treks were.�
So even with that original Wars created Trek mention, things
were sorted out in a way where all parties should be happy with
the result. Put those effigies away, everybody.
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