The cast and crew of Star Trek have seen some furious feuds exposed over the years – and working together on a tiny starship, it might not be wholly unexpected.
Even William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, stars of The Original Series, sadly had a falling out before Nimoy’s death in 2015, despite starting off as close friends. Spock star Nimoy reportedly became upset with Captain Kirk star Shatner after he used footage of him in a documentary without permission.
William said at the time: “I thought he was kidding. It was such a small thing.” Later, the actor admitted: “One of my greatest regrets is that Leonard and I were not as close as we had been during those last few years of his life.” The pair never spoke again after that, and in one of Nimoy’s final TV interviews with Piers Morgan, he was asked about their relationship.
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Asked if he had seen Shatner recently, Nimoy said: “Not in a while… we don’t have that kind of relationship anymore. We used to.” Shatner tried to reach out to his former friend, writing him a letter that begged: “I have had a deep love for you, Leonard—for your character, your morality, your sense of justice, your artistic bent. You’re the friend that I have known the longest and the deepest.”
He never received a response. And that’s just the start when it comes to the furious Trek feuds over the years…
‘Prima donna’ Shatner
(Image: Getty Images)
According to Sulu star George Takei, who has a long-running feud with Shatner, the actor was a “prima donna” who none of the cast got along with. Asked by The Guardian whether there was camaraderie on set, Takei admitted: “Yes, yes, yes. Except for one, who was a prima donna.
“But the rest of us shared a great camaraderie. One of the gifts from Star Trek was not just longevity but colleagues that became lasting friends.” He said “none” of the cast got along with Bill, adding: “He was self-involved. He enjoyed being the centre of attention. He wanted everyone to kowtow to him.”
(Image: CBS via Getty Images)
Shatner, meanwhile, branded Takei “bitter” in an interview with The Times, fuming: “George has never stopped blackening my name. These people are bitter and embittered. I have run out of patience with them. Why give credence to people consumed by envy and hate?”
In his essay collection Boldly Go, Shatner admitted that Uhura star Nichelle Nichols told him his co-stars found him “cold and arrogant” on set, writing: “I was horrified to learn this, ashamed that I hadn’t realised it.”
Creative differences
(Image: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
For The Next Generation star Diana Muldaur, the cast of the show was allegedly “unwelcoming” when she signed on to replace the fired Gates McFadden. Fans didn’t react well to her cold character, and Muldaur’s contract was ultimately not renewed for a second season.
While it has been suggested a “clash of personalities” caused the rift, Diana admitted she did “some very good work” on the programme, but added: “It was a rough show to do. It was a marvellous show, I think it’s well loved.”
She added: “Gene [Roddenberry] died during my season and there was no reason to be there. He was the creative one, he was the genius. Paramount more or less was just business.”
Pay row
(Image: CBS via Getty Images)
Though Leonard Nimoy became the face of the half-Vulcan Mr Spock, a pay row meant he almost didn’t return for season two of The Original Series. His agent asked for an outlandish $9,000 per episode – though the actor himself said he only wanted $2,500.
Nimoy also wanted to have more input on his character and have his say on the scripts, and eventually he was given that – though he only got his original request of $2,500 per episode. And as Nimoy wanted more scenes and focus on his character, Shatner argued his own role was diminished – and led to a short spat between the pals.
‘Hated her’
(Image: Paramount Pictures)
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The Next Generation showrunner Maurice Hurley allegedly “hated” actress Gates McFadden, who played Dr Beverly Crusher in the sci-fi series. It eventually led to her exit – and eventual return – with executive producer Rick Berman eventually asking the fan-favourite to come back.
He admitted in the oral history The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: “Maurice [Hurley] hated Gates. He disliked the whole character of Dr. Crusher and he wanted to get rid of Gates and replace her. He didn’t like her acting and he didn’t like her. He went to me at the end of season one, and I said I thought it was a bad idea.
“Then he went to Gene [Roddenberry] and he managed to convince Gene. It was all part of the fact that he was the last man standing at the end of the first season and he was going to be moving into the second-biggest chair over in the writing area next to Gene. This was a request he was making, and Gene decided he would honour it.”
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