Writer David Gerrold said Star Trek: The Original Series held together because of William Shatner
As a gamer who’s spent countless hours immersed in the Star Trek universe, I can confidently say that the chemistry between Shatner and Nimoy was indeed the beating heart of Star Trek: The Original Series. Their on-screen dynamic was as captivating as Kirk’s command of the Enterprise, and it’s hard to imagine one without the other.
Initially, when NBC rejected the first pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series titled “The Cage,” it wasn’t certain if the series would ever take flight, despite being given another opportunity to demonstrate its worth with a new pilot. Unfortunately, Jeffrey Hunter, who portrayed Captain Christopher Pike in the original version, declined to rejoin the cast, necessitating the search for a new captain. Ultimately, William Shatner was chosen for the role.
Although some actors who collaborated with Shatner on set criticized his frequent camera attention and ego-related matters, one writer, David Gerrold – known for writing “The Trouble with Tribbles” – openly stated that Star Trek: The Original Series and its subsequent films thrived largely due to Shatner.
According to Gerrold, as stated in “The Fifty-Year Mission The First Twenty-Five Years” by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, it’s Shatner who keeps everything, both the movies and the episodes, cohesive.
Gerrold noted that Spock, portrayed by Leonard Nimoy, required a counterpart, and that role was filled by Captain Kirk. Spock felt that when he wasn’t interacting with the captain, scenes seemed less engaging to him.
The scenes where Spock doesn’t have Shatner to play off of are not interesting. If you look at Spock with his mom or dad, it’s very ponderous. But Spock working with Kirk has sthe magic and it plays very well, and people give all of the credit to Nimoy, not to Shatner.
While I agree that the scenes between Kirk and Spock are magical, I don’t agree that the scenes with Spock and his parents are less so. In “The Journey to Babel,” Spock’s interactions with both his mom and his dad are wonderfully played with intensity. When Amanda [Jane Wyatt] slapped her son across the face, it wa just the right shock factor.
In perfect harmony, Shatner and Nimoy brought out the best in each other, while DeForest Kelley was an indispensable team player. The Original Series wouldn’t have been half as remarkable without any of them. To this very day, it’s a challenge to find such a unique camaraderie among actors that made The Original Series as iconic and enduring as it continues to be.
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2024-09-24 04:22