Star Trek: George Takei Responds to

We were wondering when George Takei (Sulu) would respond to what William Shatner (Kirk) had to say recently about his “bitter and embittered” Star Trek co-stars. As many of you know, Shatner hadn’t exactly earned himself a great rep for being someone you’d want to be around on the set, with Takei, the late Leonard Nimoy (Spock) & Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), and others on record about the issues they had with TJ Hooker’s real-life alter-ego. Earlier this month, Shatner spoke with The Times to promote his memoir Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, and that’s when the 91-year-old actor decided to take some shots. “Sixty years after some incident, they are still on that track. Don’t you think that’s a little weird? It’s like a sickness. I began to understand that they were doing it for publicity,” Shatner countered. And though he speaks broadly at times, it’s clear that there’s no love lost between him and Takei. “George [Takei] has never stopped blackening my name. These people are bitter and embittered,” Shatner charged. “I have run out of patience with them. Why give credence to people consumed by envy and hate?” Now, Takei has something to say…

Speaking with Mirror Online in support of his upcoming London run in the musical Allegiance (based on his personal experiences in the U.S. internment camps during WWII), Takei responded to Shatner’s comments by doubling down on his views on working with Shatner in the past. “Nobody got on with Bill. He was and is a prima donna. He likes to be the center of attention,” Takei countered. “Yes, he started out as the star of the show, but he was overshadowed by Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, a much more compelling character. Sadly, Leonard isn’t with us anymore.” As for Shatner’s charge that he and the others are doing it for “publicity,” Takei made it clear (as evident by the reason he was doing this interview in the first place) that he doesn’t need him for his career th thrive. “Bill says I talk about him to get publicity… nonsense! I don’t need him for publicity, so I’m not going to play his game by talking about him,” he added.