William Shatner thinks 'Star Trek' wouldn't be possible without 'Star Wars' - even though the show came first
CBS Television Distribution/Lucasfilm
The actor who played Captain James T. Kirk says that "'Star Wars' created 'Star Trek,'" even though the original television series premiered more than a decade before "A New Hope" hit theaters.
William Shatner made the initially puzzling statement while speaking at the "Star Trek" convention in Las Vegas over the weekend, though he quickly clarified what exactly he meant.
While the original "Star Trek" series premiered in 1966, it was canceled in 1969 after its third season. It wasn't until the success of "Star Wars: A New Hope" in 1977 that "Star Trek" really became the cultural juggernaut we know today.
"Every year, there was the threat to be canceled," Shatner recalled, according to CNN. "The third year, we were canceled, and everybody accepted it."
That is, until "Star Wars" happened.
"At Paramount Studios, they were running around bumping into each other," Shatner said of the executives behind "Star Trek."
"'What do we got?!'" he imagined them saying. "'What do we got to equal 'Star Wars'? There was this thing that we canceled, under another management, it was called 'Star Trek'? Let's resurrect that!'"
Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images
Shatner went on to explain what he saw as the crucial difference between the two Sci-Fi franchises.
"'Star Trek,' at its best, tells human stories," he said. "'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 Trek' [episodes] were."
Still, according to Shatner, without "Star Wars," the crew of the Starship Enterprise would never have gotten the chance to boldly go where no one has gone before ... even though they had already gone there first a decade earlier.
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
- JNK India IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more
- Indian Army unveils selfie point at Hombotingla Pass ahead of 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market