William Shatner became a household name and a pop cultural icon when he starred as Captain James T. Kirk in the sci-fi series Star Trek. The original series ran for three seasons before being canceled. However, a reinvigorated enthusiasm for sci-fi brought him and his co-stars back for seven successful movies.
Shatner shared the screen with his trusted first officer, Spock, i.e., Leonard Nimoy, throughout his tenure in Star Trek. However, the two reportedly had a feud on set initially as the show found its footing. After the death of Nimoy in 2015, Shatner clarified the real reason behind their feud.
William Shatner Reveals Reason For Feud With Star Trek Co-Star Leonard Nimoy
William Shatner is known best for his role as Captain Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. The actor starred with Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock, for three seasons and seven films, propelling them into global stardom. Shatner would go on to direct multiple documentaries centered on the show.
While Shatner had mentioned in his memoir about his relationship with Nimoy that he was his only friend, the two famously had a feud in the initial days of Star Trek. Many reports indicated that the two had ego clashes while filming the series. Shatner mentioned that he could not recall particular incidents but he had a reason for the ‘feud’.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Shatner revealed the cause of the clash was that he felt the increasing popularity of Spock might shift the show’s perspective to him rather than Shatner’s Kirk. He said,
I remember going to the producers and wondering whether they were going to change the thrust of the show as a result of the popularity of Spock. So my anxieties were never directed at Leonard per se, it was about ‘How was the show going to go?’
The actor also mentioned that when he realized what Nimoy had done with the character of Spock, he began to admire him and they remained friends for over fifty years.
William Shatner Clarified What Caused Leonard Nimoy To Stop Speaking To Him
While William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy shared a lifelong friendship, they were reportedly not on speaking terms in the final years of Nimoy’s life. In fact, they remained estranged when Nimoy passed away in 2015. Shatner also reportedly did not attend Nimoy’s funeral and instead went to honor his commitment at a Red Cross fundraiser (via Variety).
While there have been many speculations regarding their feud in the latter years, Shatner mentioned in his memoir that it might have been related to Nimoy’s refusal to be in a documentary Shatner was directing. He told THR,
I thought he was joking at first and treated it as a joke because he sometimes would pretend and say, ‘No, I’m not going to do that’ and then say, yes,’ so that’s what I thought he did. But that time he really meant, no. … I just don’t know, and it is sad and it is permanent. I don’t know why he stopped talking to me.
In the book Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder by Shatner, the actor recounted an incident where Nimoy was unhappy with a footage of him and Shatner attending a convention being included in a documentary as he had not consented to it.
Star Trek: The Original Series is available to stream on Paramount+.
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