Summary
- Celebrating
Star Wars Day
, William Shatner playfully teases fans to “grow up” and join the Federation in
Star Trek
. - Shatner’s documentary
You Can Call Me Bill
sheds new light on his life and career with high praise from fans. - Despite regrets over
Star Trek V
, Shatner’s legacy remains strong, forgiving his misstep due to his lasting contributions.
As Star Wars fans celebrated “May the Fourth” with several franchise-related trailer releases, posters and more, William Shatner offered his support for the cause – with a playful sideswipe at the “children” who follow the Lucasfilm saga. As he has done several times in the past, Shatner shared a social media post to both help fans along in their celebration, and also remind them that there is always the Star Trek franchise waiting for them to “grow-up” into.
Star Wars Day is a long-standing tradition among fans of the tales of Jedi and Sith lords, and it has become expected that several reveals about the future of the franchise will be shared by Lucasfilm to mark the occasion. However, along with this, the event has become known for William Shatner’s lighthearted homages to the space saga while keeping the friendly rivalry between the sci-fi giants alive.
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Related Fans Celebrate Star Wars Day Reacting to Final Trailer for The Acolyte, Sith Revealed Along with Official Poster May the Fourth Be with You as fans are treated to a brand-new trailer, artwork and a glimpse of a red lightsaber-wielding figure.
On his X/Twitter account, Shatner shared a tongue-in-cheek post that gently teased Star Wars aficionados with a call to eventually “grow up” and join the Federation, the interstellar government from Star Trek.
Last year, when asked about the lack of a dedicated day for the Star Trek franchise , the former Captain Kirk star wittily remarked that Star Trek is celebrated “364 days of the year,” and that the Star Wars fans could “have their day.”
William Shatner Recently Released a New Documentary About His Life
As someone with a 70-year career under his belt, William Shatner has earned himself the right to do things his way, and he often does. Last month, the sci-fi icon released the new documentary William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill, which finally sees the actor opening up about his life and career as only he can.
As someone who has been the focus of many documentaries over the years, this was a chance for Shatner to take a deep look at himself and the life he has lived. While the actor had to be coaxed into making the documentary, it became a hit among fans of the icon, landing a Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 87% and an even more impressive 94% approval rate from audiences. Many praised the documentary for finally revealing the man behind the myth, with even die-hard Star Trek fans making note that they learned a lot they did not know about Shatner from the biography that did not just follow the regular narrative of such documentaries.
Related The “Cursed” Movie That Doomed William Shatner’s Career as a Serious Actor William Shatner could have had a very different public image in the present day if it weren’t for this comically bad arthouse movie from the ’60s.
Of course, there will always be one main thing that William Shatner continued to be associated with, and that is the character of Captain James T. Kirk. Even now, the actor continues to share his thoughts and stories about his time as the Captain of the USS Enterprise, even recently opening up about one of the biggest Star Trek regrets relating to his highly criticized directorial effort, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
“I wish that I’d had the backing and the courage to do the things I felt I needed to do. My concept was, ‘Star Trek goes in search of God,’ and management said, ‘Well, who’s God? We’ll alienate the nonbeliever, so, no, we can’t do God.’ And then somebody said, ‘What about an alien who thinks they’re God?’
Then it was a series of my inabilities to deal with the management and the budget. I failed. In my mind, I failed horribly. When I’m asked, ‘What do you regret the most?,’ I regret not being equipped emotionally to deal with a large motion picture. So, in the absence of my power, the power vacuum filled with people that didn’t make the decisions I would’ve made.”
In the grand scheme of things, Shatner’s small misstep has been mostly forgiven thanks to his many other contributions to the franchise over the decades. For those who have not yet heard Shatner’s story from his own mouth, William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill is available now on VOD.
Release Date March 22, 2024
Director Alexandre O. Philippe
Runtime 1h 36m
Writers Alexandre O. Philippe
Studio(s) Legion M , Falling Forward Films , FilmFrog
Distributor(s) Vortex Media
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