Some may say he's bitter, and he might be, but that does not mean he's wrong in what he says. In fact, he's absolutely right.

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Right on the mark.

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Modern Trek is non-canon.

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Shatner has become a bitter old man who has not yet understood that nobody is interested in his stories anymore.

Have you seen him on the "Star Trek III" DVD bonus material, when he attacks Nimoy, when he tells it had been him to tell Nimoy everything about acting and directing?
Or when Shatner tells the story about him saving Paramount from a fire?

At first, I thought this was self-ironic. But then I watched it again - OUUCH!
It isn't. Or Shatner is now a better actor than ever before.


Maybe Shatner has some points with his critics.
But we know how Star Trek would look like, when Shatner was in charge.
Just watch "Star Trek V" or "Tek War" again - it would be pathetic C-movie crap.

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He may have a point but I think he's being too hard on the producers. They're not greedy and they're not dumb. They're doing their best and I see noone who could jump in and replace them. Do you?

They could take new people in UNDER their ranks, as they've already done. For example, Nemesis was done almost entirely by new people. How much more fresh can it get? What options are there to do things differently? Is there a magic Merlin who can make the series great? Isn't quality something rare? Why else call it quality?

Would fans accept it when something isn't consistant with the established Trek universe?

All this is quite similar to the "Bush" and "anti Bush", the Iraq etc.. there are no easy fix, there is no agreement that everyone can live with. It's full blown democrazy. 50% or something like that wants Berman off the hair, 50% don't think it's a good idea.

Shatner has the right to say his opinion, but he doesn't have answer, nor does you, nor do I.. We are just people with our opinions.

There are no traces I can see, that Berman and Braga are doing this because of greed. They're doing it because they feel obligated to Trek, they want to deliver good Trek, and they don't know any alternative ways it would work.

I agree with them.

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In pursuit of greed they have lost their way - a totally un C24th thing to do.

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* * § 31 * *

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of that classic quote from Star Trek:

"People have characteristics, just as inanimate objects do. If I let go of a hammer in a planet with positive gravity, I need not to see the hammer fall, to know that it has fallen."

Just like Shatner doesn't have to watch Enterprise and Nemesis, to know they both suck.

People have characteristics. Rick Berman and Brannon Braga's created and Executive produced Star Trek sucks big time.

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It's interesting that Mr. Shatner can be so critical and have all the answers about how to fix Star Trek even though he's NEVER watched a single episode of Enterprise or seen the most recent movies.

Maybe the reason ST:TOS was so popular is because there was NO competition. Today, most of us have hundreds of channels to choose from. The science fiction/action adventure venue is very very competitive.

Star Trek is not relevant to our young people today, but not because it isn't good quality. They don't "get it" because they don't see Star Trek as anything special. Trek Technology isn't a big deal anymore. Space exploration stories have been told over & over again.

What we need is for a professional assesment of what young viewers want in STAR TREK, then a professional application of those ideas that will somehow appeal to a broad audience.

Another thing wrong with TREK these days is that our young people associate TREK with geeks and nitpickers. Trek fans aren't doing enough in the community to dispel that image. The most vocal group of Trekkers is not those doing community service. It's the whiners who sit at home and post negative stuff on the NET and moan & groan about the good old days.

Star Trek is a business. Paramount's execs are surely wracking their brains to come up with a way to do a better job with what has historically been their most profitable franchise.

I wish them luck. In the meantime, Ill watch the shows. Folks who don't watch, like Shatner, don't have any business being critics.

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USS Benevolence: Florida's largest Star Trek Club

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Shatner has never watched any of the new incarnations of trek but with his ghots writers has turned out some great Trek novels. whoever is writing these books has more of an idea of what Trek should be and they are interesting reads.
He is right though that Paramount has been greedy with the franchise and because of this it has become less about creativity and more about the $$!
There has been so much Trek that it is not fun anymore. Its not well written its not worth setting your recorder for.
I think it could keep going on if it had a New Voice and was reinvented.
The writers are so lazy now that we just keep getting the same thing over again, ie: sexy woman with tight outfit, uptight vulcan, One asian, one african american but once they are created, they do almost nothing with them.
Did we ever really get to know Harry Kim? Did we ever get a sense that the relationship between Tom Paris and Torres was real?
How often did we get to see Janeways humanity or Chakotays debth.
The same goes for Enterprise. Empty characters that arent interesting and plots that anyone could write.Who would better serve the franchise?
Peter David? The Ghost writers of Shatners Books that I mentioned above or even Nimoy. Not Shatner, thats for sure and not Spiner who made a mess of Nemesis so he could give himself a juicy part.
Buffy writers? Farscape writers?
Almost anyone would be better than what they are doing to the franchise now.

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You all agree that Shatner's right about the franchise needs new blood but then you want to install him as Emperor of Trek. He is not new blood, nor what the franchise needs. He made a broad generalization about the franchise while lacking any definitive and concrete knowledge of what went wrong. I fear for the franchise if this egomaniac comes to power through a popular revolt.

"They should hearken back to where it was before with good stories..."

Maybe it would help if read a story or two from Trek lately rather than having your ghost writers make it look like you're knowledgeable.

"but I have never had a desire to see it, and you'd think I would ..."

Especially since you're showing such a strong interest in changing it lately.

"They need a whole new group of talents to give everyone a fresh approach. By doing too many things, they have lost its way because of greed."

Sorry folks, it isn't new blood if you hire people who were involved with it way back in the beginning. Besides, people bash ENT for having little sense of continuity with the rest of the franchise; any new blood would have to respect what has come before (no matter how bad) while at the same time moving forward. What makes you think that Shatner will respect The Next Generation or Deep Space Nine?

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For some reason, reading this post reminded of a quip about the Great Shatner from the show "In Living Color" back in the late 80s... "He's not fat, he's bloated!"

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"When I was your age, I didn't watch television! I LIVED! So... move out of your parent's basements!"

-- William Shatner on SNL, 1986

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seriously. I've been reading interviews / chat transcripts with actors from ANY series and so far bloody nobody from TOS on down replies with an "I haven't seen it" about whatever current Trek projects are running. TNG, TOS, DS9, VOY, etc. etc. Then stop shooting off at your mouth.

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An elephant never forgets . . .TO KILL!

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Bill speaks of greed being the root of the problem, but then goes on to say that the franchise needs to be "revamped". The only motivation behind Trek's long life has been the money it's made (i.e greed) for Paramount, the producers, the writers and the ACTORS. Shatner shared in this greed on all the Trek films he starred in, did he not?

If you're so against greed Mr. Shatner, why did you and Leonard demand pay raises in nearly every Trek sequel you stared in? You and Nimoy were already making at least a million per picture by TSFS, yet you always demanded a lot more money with each successive movie you did.

If you're so against greed Mr. Shatner, why not simply recommend that Paramount put the franchise to rest once and for all, rather than continuing to drink from a well that went dry long ago?

And on that note, would somebody explain to me what good is being served from continuing with new Trek adventures on our TV screens and in theatres in the first place? Dosn't anyone else think it's time to just cut our losses and find some other franchise to obsess over?

Star Trek should be appreciated for what it's been and finally brought to an end. Why is it so difficult for some people to accept that Trek eventually has to die out? We have nearly 600 episodes (600!!), 10 movies, thousands of novels and so on. That's more enough folks, dont ya think?

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"That's why Jughead wears that crown-looking hat all the time; he's the king of Queen Archie's world."

--Hooper X

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If Bill's statements don't WAKE up the powers that be at Paramount then let's just set the damn auto destruct right now.

They already had their good buddy, TV Guide, say harsh words. Now the Kingpin of Star Trek has chimed in. Bill is an extremely busy man and if he can notice there's a problem without ever seeing Enterprise or Nemesis then maybe Bermagaott is blind, deaf and dumb.

It's only a matter of time before other actors chime in too.

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"If the Apocalypse comes, beep me"- Buffy

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I was going to say it myself but Shatner already he did, he hasn't seen Enterprise or Nemesis.

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Nemesis had all the right buttons there waiting to be pressed, but like Data on a Reman keypad Paramount seem to have pushed the wrong ones. :/

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Shatner concurs with what most people have been saying since the death of Deep Space Nine. The DS9 crew all jumped ship. They were the fresh blood, but they didn't want to stay around with the sinking ship.

Nemesis and Enterprise, bold new ideas, but implemented by the same old people. Sure Nemesis had Baird and Logan, but they wouldn't even let Logan pen the damn thing on his own without the interference of Berman, Stewart, and Spiner.

Enterprise is basically been written by Voyager scribes in Voyager format. They wouldn't even let the guy from the X-Files kill off a character.

It's been run by inadequates, and it is being written by has-beens.

Come on this is 2003. Stop giving us 80's sci-fi!

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Shatner concurs with what most people have been saying since the death of Deep Space Nine. The DS9 crew all jumped ship. They were the fresh blood, but they didn't want to stay around with the sinking ship.

Nemesis and Enterprise, bold new ideas, but implemented by the same old people. Sure Nemesis had Baird and Logan, but they wouldn't even let Logan pen the damn thing on his own without the interference of Berman, Stewart, and Spiner.

Enterprise is basically been written by Voyager scribes in Voyager format. They wouldn't even let the guy from the X-Files kill off a character.

It's been run by inadequates, and it is being written by has-beens.

Come on this is 2003. Stop giving us 80's sci-fi!

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I think that Shatner is right: greed has led to oversaturation and poor stories. I love TOS and TNG. Each series thereafter I have liked less and less. DS9 undoubtedly had its great moments. But for my money it wasn't as good as TOS or TNG. Voyager and Enterprise are both pale comparisons to TOS and TNG.

Shatner should run the franchise. I bet within two years, he would markedly improve the product.

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Bill shatner is right that it needs some new blood,I have an idea,why not let him do it???
hes been there from the early days and knows whats what.
The mistakes on STV-TFF where out of his hands and I believe he could get the staff that a monster like Trek needs!!!

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