George Takei calls William Shatner 'a cantankerous old man' in latest salvo in long-running feud - Daily Mail

George Takei called erstwhile Star Trek co-star William Shatner 'a cantankerous aged man' successful a caller interview, marking the latest swipe successful the showbiz stalwarts' ongoing feud.

The 85-year-old histrion told The Guardian on Monday that helium didn't privation to proceed engaging with Shatner, 91, aft the Captain Kirk histrion said his ex Star Trek co-stars criticized him successful interrogation for publicity in a barbed interrogation earlier this month.

'I cognize helium came to London to beforehand his publication and talked astir maine wanting publicity by utilizing his name,' said Takei, who played the relation of Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu connected Star Trek. 'So I decided I don't request his sanction to get publicity.'

Takei, who reprised the relation of Sulu for aggregate films and shows successful the Star Trek franchise, told the outlet that helium had 'much much important taxable matter' that he'd sought publicity for.

'I'm not going to notation to Bill successful this interrogation astatine each ... though I conscionable did. He's conscionable a cantankerous aged antheral and I'm going to permission him to his devices. I'm not going to play his game.'

When asked if Shatner was 'cantankerous' successful his younger years, Takei said that Shatner 'was self-involved,' 'enjoyed being the halfway of attention' and 'wanted everyone to kowtow to him.'

Shatner, earlier this period made headlines erstwhile helium told The Times he feels his erstwhile costars connected the 1960s sci-fi bid bashed him to marque headlines for themselves. 

'Sixty years aft immoderate incidental they are inactive connected that track. Don't you deliberation that's a small weird? It's similar a sickness,' said Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk successful the deed bid arsenic good arsenic successful 7 films. 'I began to recognize that they were doing it for publicity.'

Even erstwhile Shatner precocious went into abstraction acknowledgment to billionaire Jeff Bezos, Takei said helium was a being sent arsenic a 'guinea pig' to measure the interaction of abstraction connected an 'unfit' specimen.

'George [Takei] has ne'er stopped blackening my name,' helium said. 'These radical are bitter and embittered. I person tally retired of patience with them. Why springiness credence to radical consumed by envy and hate?'

In his memoir Boldly Go: Reflections connected a Life of Awe and Wonder, Shatner said that helium was shattered erstwhile precocious costar Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura, accused him of being 'cold and arrogant'.

He wrote: 'I was horrified to larn this, ashamed that I hadn't realized it.'

Shatner was besides adjacent friends with Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock, nevertheless their narration became strained earlier his decease successful 2015 - for reasons unbeknown to the Kirk actor.

According to Giant Geek Robot, friction began betwixt the 2 erstwhile William made a 2011 Star Trek Documentary and interviewed galore actors who person been isolated of the franchise, nevertheless failed to see Nimoy. 

It comes aft William said said seeing Earth from abstraction aboard Jeff Bezo's Blue Origin rocket was a profoundly sorrowful experience, but 1 which inspired him to cherish the quality of our planet.

In an excerpt from his memoir helium writes helium was was struck with 1 of the 'strongest feelings of grief' helium had ever experienced.

Going connected to accidental that alternatively than being filled with awe, arsenic helium expected to be, the show of Earth's lukewarm bluish glow surrounded by the acold achromatic of abstraction near him feeling similar helium was astatine 'a funeral.'

The excerpt was published by Variety writer Marianne Williamson, and offered a deeper penetration into Shatner's absorption to his abstraction formation with Blue Origin than helium has antecedently revealed. 

The revelations travel a twelvemonth aft Shatner was seen to beryllium visibly moved instantly aft stepping retired of the Blue Origin capsule successful October 2021, erstwhile helium broke down successful tears telling Bezos: 'Everybody successful the satellite needs to bash this.'

William wrote that helium ne'er realized however precious beingness connected Earth was until helium near it behind.

'I discovered that the quality isn't retired there, it's down here, with each of us,' helium said. 'Leaving that down made my transportation to our tiny satellite adjacent much profound,' helium wrote successful his memoir.

He said seeing the Earth truthful fragile filled him with sorrow to deliberation astir however antheral benignant is truthful flippant astir its destruction.