There's not a lot of time left, I don't think. Which is not a good thing, and I'm not happy about it, but it's pretty much how it is. I saw him at a convention last year, and he's not all there....
There's not a lot of time left, I don't think. Which is not a good thing, and I'm not happy about it, but it's pretty much how it is.
I saw him at a convention last year, and he's not all there. Took a lot of time to find and form words, complete sentences. I mean tens of seconds. He'd start a sentence, get two or four words in, and then just ... trail off. And stare blankly at the audience for ten, fifteen seconds before a few more words would come to him. On and on like that. Sometimes the sentences wouldn't even finish, he'd just start others.
And he wasn't drunk. I had access, I work that convention behind the scenes. We've had drunk panelists sometimes, and he wasn't on a hangover or slurring his words, staggering, or anything like that. Didn't smell of booze, didn't have problems with balance. Just ... couldn't get his head to work all the way right.
He's old. 90+ is a hell of a run. But he's not the Shatner we all think of anymore. He's the final twilight years Shatner. He'll always be a legend, but it doesn't look like he'll ever be who he was again.
Not necessarily. Alzheimer's isn't a guarantee, even if death is. Personally I'd rather go out with something more sudden than a degenerate neurological disease though.
Not necessarily. Alzheimer's isn't a guarantee, even if death is. Personally I'd rather go out with something more sudden than a degenerate neurological disease though.
That's sad to hear. I have never yet had the chance to meet him in person, but I will say that he sounded quite sharp and vibrant when he was on Marc Maron's podcast last year. He's been keeping...
That's sad to hear. I have never yet had the chance to meet him in person, but I will say that he sounded quite sharp and vibrant when he was on Marc Maron's podcast last year. He's been keeping very active with plenty of projects on the go.
Thank you for that, I had the same first thought. That being said, I'm just gonna put this here (YouTube link to a song) and say that I want it played at my funeral, and I hope he has plans for...
Thank you for that, I had the same first thought.
That being said, I'm just gonna put this here (YouTube link to a song) and say that I want it played at my funeral, and I hope he has plans for the same.
The man has had an incredible ride, and such a long one. But I can’t help but think of him in tragic terms. Shatner was a very promising young actor in the 50s, appearing on Twilight Zone and in...
The man has had an incredible ride, and such a long one. But I can’t help but think of him in tragic terms. Shatner was a very promising young actor in the 50s, appearing on Twilight Zone and in The Brothers Karamazov. A genuinely talented actor with all the looks and charisma to be a real star.
But those were basically the last substantial roles he was ever offered. He became Kirk, and then nothing more than a meme about blowhards.
I still prefer the energy and decisive quality of his (non Trek) acting to Patrick Stewart, an opinion which always makes other actors and Star Trek geeks question my sanity. And I’ve even met Patrick Stewart, and was complimented on my acting by him!
I do think shatner is an incredible actor, and Patrick Stewart hasn't done a whole lot else that compares to Jean Luc Picard. But it would be very, very difficult to argue that Picard isn't an...
I do think shatner is an incredible actor, and Patrick Stewart hasn't done a whole lot else that compares to Jean Luc Picard.
But it would be very, very difficult to argue that Picard isn't an infinitely more interesting and fleshed out character than Kirk.
Kirk is a perfect hero thats compassionate, emotionally aware, brave, confident, attractive, blah blah blah. Later on as he ages in the movies, he starts gaining a bit of complexity, but for the most part the character is very paint by numbers.
Picard on the other hand has flaws. He has limitations, some of which he understands, and some of which he's blind to. He's still a brilliant leader, but he has his own style that is different than the typical machismo of a leading man in a science fiction show. He doesn't personally beam down to planets and fight bad guy aliens. He understands that he has younger, more capable, better trained people under his command for that, and that his strengths lie in the big picture.
He's uncomfortable with heavy emotion and children. He has his guard up at all times, but isn't afraid to show vulnerability in situations where it's vital.
He's just a really well written, interesting character in a way that Kirk is not. It's probably the main reason why so many people say TNG is their favorite star trek show.
I agree about their characters. As an old guy who predates TNG, I always considered the original Star Trek series to be one of the only successful American melodramas of the late 20th century....
I agree about their characters. As an old guy who predates TNG, I always considered the original Star Trek series to be one of the only successful American melodramas of the late 20th century. Quite a feat in a time when melodrama was completely out of style.
TNG was a more TV-standard affair, with the nuance you describe. I saw it at the time as a real betrayal of the Roddenberry style, a decision which many people ended up liking more.
I do enjoy Patrick Stewart as an actor. They are both great. They just hardly exist in the same universe.
You bet. One challenge with acting is that the role of a lifetime can get you typecast. My understanding is that Shatner really struggled in the time between the original series and the first...
You bet. One challenge with acting is that the role of a lifetime can get you typecast. My understanding is that Shatner really struggled in the time between the original series and the first movie and even lived out of his car at times.
I had to look up the cast of the original series. It’s wild how many of the cast lived to old age. Takei, Shatner, and Koenig are still alive. As someone with parents who are in their 70s, you...
I had to look up the cast of the original series. It’s wild how many of the cast lived to old age. Takei, Shatner, and Koenig are still alive.
As someone with parents who are in their 70s, you have to treasure these memories. Hitting 90s is wild.
This scared me, I thought it was something about him dying. But no he's still alive.
There's not a lot of time left, I don't think. Which is not a good thing, and I'm not happy about it, but it's pretty much how it is.
I saw him at a convention last year, and he's not all there. Took a lot of time to find and form words, complete sentences. I mean tens of seconds. He'd start a sentence, get two or four words in, and then just ... trail off. And stare blankly at the audience for ten, fifteen seconds before a few more words would come to him. On and on like that. Sometimes the sentences wouldn't even finish, he'd just start others.
And he wasn't drunk. I had access, I work that convention behind the scenes. We've had drunk panelists sometimes, and he wasn't on a hangover or slurring his words, staggering, or anything like that. Didn't smell of booze, didn't have problems with balance. Just ... couldn't get his head to work all the way right.
He's old. 90+ is a hell of a run. But he's not the Shatner we all think of anymore. He's the final twilight years Shatner. He'll always be a legend, but it doesn't look like he'll ever be who he was again.
That's a damn shame that we all will be like that someday if we make it that far... So sad
Some people have minds give out before their bodies do. Others are sharp but disabled at the end. It's a crapshoot.
Betty White was a razor blade, all the way to the end. RIP Betty.
Not necessarily. Alzheimer's isn't a guarantee, even if death is. Personally I'd rather go out with something more sudden than a degenerate neurological disease though.
That's sad to hear. I have never yet had the chance to meet him in person, but I will say that he sounded quite sharp and vibrant when he was on Marc Maron's podcast last year. He's been keeping very active with plenty of projects on the go.
I don't know, he seems alright here. Not as quick as his younger self but seems with it.
Shatner on turning 93
Thank you for that, I had the same first thought.
That being said, I'm just gonna put this here (YouTube link to a song) and say that I want it played at my funeral, and I hope he has plans for the same.
The man has had an incredible ride, and such a long one. But I can’t help but think of him in tragic terms. Shatner was a very promising young actor in the 50s, appearing on Twilight Zone and in The Brothers Karamazov. A genuinely talented actor with all the looks and charisma to be a real star.
But those were basically the last substantial roles he was ever offered. He became Kirk, and then nothing more than a meme about blowhards.
I still prefer the energy and decisive quality of his (non Trek) acting to Patrick Stewart, an opinion which always makes other actors and Star Trek geeks question my sanity. And I’ve even met Patrick Stewart, and was complimented on my acting by him!
I do think shatner is an incredible actor, and Patrick Stewart hasn't done a whole lot else that compares to Jean Luc Picard.
But it would be very, very difficult to argue that Picard isn't an infinitely more interesting and fleshed out character than Kirk.
Kirk is a perfect hero thats compassionate, emotionally aware, brave, confident, attractive, blah blah blah. Later on as he ages in the movies, he starts gaining a bit of complexity, but for the most part the character is very paint by numbers.
Picard on the other hand has flaws. He has limitations, some of which he understands, and some of which he's blind to. He's still a brilliant leader, but he has his own style that is different than the typical machismo of a leading man in a science fiction show. He doesn't personally beam down to planets and fight bad guy aliens. He understands that he has younger, more capable, better trained people under his command for that, and that his strengths lie in the big picture.
He's uncomfortable with heavy emotion and children. He has his guard up at all times, but isn't afraid to show vulnerability in situations where it's vital.
He's just a really well written, interesting character in a way that Kirk is not. It's probably the main reason why so many people say TNG is their favorite star trek show.
I agree about their characters. As an old guy who predates TNG, I always considered the original Star Trek series to be one of the only successful American melodramas of the late 20th century. Quite a feat in a time when melodrama was completely out of style.
TNG was a more TV-standard affair, with the nuance you describe. I saw it at the time as a real betrayal of the Roddenberry style, a decision which many people ended up liking more.
I do enjoy Patrick Stewart as an actor. They are both great. They just hardly exist in the same universe.
You bet. One challenge with acting is that the role of a lifetime can get you typecast. My understanding is that Shatner really struggled in the time between the original series and the first movie and even lived out of his car at times.
I guess TJ Hooker was a substantial role. It ran for 4 years. I guess it wasn't considered a very good show though.
I had to look up the cast of the original series. It’s wild how many of the cast lived to old age. Takei, Shatner, and Koenig are still alive.
As someone with parents who are in their 70s, you have to treasure these memories. Hitting 90s is wild.
It varies a lot. I have a number of relatives who lived to be 90, but others who died in their 70's. I know people who died in their 40s and 50s.
I think Shat's version of Rocket Man is, quite genuinely, better than Elton John's.