Subject: RE: BS: Shatner-less Captn. Kirk Star Trek movie
From:
Don Firth
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 03:50 PM
I hate to drop a cigar butt in the punch bowl, but as I recall, it wasn't Kirk the the female Romulan commander had the hots for, it was Spock. The episode is called, "The Enterprise Incident."
As hard-core Trekkies know, it was Jeffrey Hunter that Gene Roddenberry wanted in command of the Enterprise—as Captain Christopher Pike. But Hunter's wife had a hissy-fit over the idea of her husband starring in some trashy sci-fi series (dumb broad!), and when they finally sold the series and went into production, Hunter was unavailable.
The network execs also had a cow at the idea of a woman on the bridge at all, much less as second in command of a starship, and they especially didn't like Number One (played by Majel Barrett, who was later cast as Nurse Chappell), because she was brainy, competent, and highly logical, hence, "unfeminine." She was intended to be the "Spock character," and Spock was originally going to be a minor character. But because of his supposed "resemblance to the Devil," the network nutballs thought he might offend some of the religious viewers and didn't like him either.
Roddenberry had used Shatner before in a series (half-hour episodes) called "The Lieutenant," and he was available. Hunter would have been very good, I think, but Shatner, despite his slicing the ham very thickly, was—okay.
I'm with Patrick Stewart. Very commanding presence, he and I have the same hairline, and like most English actors with a background in Shakespeare, he can really act!
I think it's a mistake to cast someone other that Shatner as Captain Kirk, but before we phaser him into a puddle of slime, let's give the new kid a chance.
Don Firth
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sj
