No, I didn't get to go to the convention. IGN published a review of the WonderCon Star Trek panel with J.J. Abrams and crew.
This article follows upon their recent interview with William Shatner, who still laments the fact he was not involved in the project.
Not being deeply immersed in the world of Trek fandom, I don't know the ins and outs of these things but I've always felt that Shatner had irritated enough people he would eventually find himself on the outside looking in.
Don't get me wrong -- Captain Kirk was my favorite television character when I was a kid and I gratefully watched every episode of "Barbary Coast" that one season it aired. I even enjoyed watching "T.J. Hooker" before it was cool to complain about all the car hoods he landed on.
William Shatner brought a spirit to Star Trek that no other actor could have contributed -- and I can easily say the same thing about Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Jimmy Doohan, etc. They all brought something unique to the franchise. Time and death have seen to it that some voices are forever frozen in the past, and we have to let go of those jolly days when Kirk, Spock, and McCoy express themselves through Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley.
Nonetheless, it does seem like the excuses for not including Shatner in some capacity are pretty lame. They could have offered him something. Cameos are pretty easy to engineer. Does anyone remember Grace Lee Whitney silently participating in a Trek movie or two? Yeah, I thought so.
I'm pumped about the new movie and looking forward to it, but I'm sorry to see that Shatner and Abrams have not found a way to kiss and make up. Whatever the problem is, the art is suffering. Maybe no one will care because they are "relaunching" the franchise.
That's the big thing in Hollywood these days, isn't it? Playing it safe by re-engineering a time-tested concept. Is that really what Star Trek was all about?
You make the call.
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