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Production assistant said Nicholas Meyer’s “persona” is much larger than William Shatner’s

BBG News

As a long-time Trekkie, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the behind-the-scenes drama of Star Trek’s golden era. However, nothing quite compares to the larger-than-life personality of Nicholas Meyer, a man who single-handedly breathed new life into the franchise with The Wrath of Khan.

According to Deborah Arakelian, who worked as a production assistant for Harve Bennett during the making of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Nicholas Meyer stood out among all, even William Shatner. As stated in The Fifty-Year Mission The First Twenty-Five Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, Arakelian believed that “Nicky” had a more imposing personality than Shatner’s.

In the role of director for The Wrath of Khan, Meyer not only took up the position but also revised the original screenplay. His narrative was highly acclaimed; even Shatner acknowledged, “we were captivated by the script and admired his [Meyer’s] creative prowess.” Consequently, there were no significant revisions requested due to the widespread affection for the script.

As per Arkelian, the outcome wouldn’t have been different because Nicky doesn’t take orders from anyone, and even if Bill had tried, he would have struggled significantly. However, given that The Wrath of Khan was only Meyer’s second film, it seems implausible that no one could challenge Meyer, especially Shatner.

Try telling him what to do. I dare you. Nicky is Nicky. He is larger than life. His persona is much larger than Bill’s. Nobody can tell Nicky what to do. Bill could have tried, but he would have failed miserably.

Deborah Arakelian

In the success of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, both the script and the performances of the actors played significant roles. Even if no substantial changes were made during production, it’s worth noting that had Shatner or Nimoy disliked something, alterations might have been considered. Meyer mentioned that Nimoy wasn’t fond of his cabin on the Enterprise, suggesting a level of comfort with voicing concerns to the director. This is somewhat surprising given that these actors held considerable influence over the film, considering they were the main stars. Given Paramount’s significant investment in this movie, it wouldn’t have been made without these influential actors.

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2024-10-30 02:23

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