William Shatner May appear on Enterprise.

[Capt.Rene D'Hondt]

This is a chat transcript the Shatner appeared on on Sept.3/2003.Its from a german based Chat room

Shatner

September 3rd, 2003

The Star Trek Fan Association would like to take the opportunity to sincerely thank Mr. William Shatner for taking the time to visit our chat room and converse with fans. Taking a break from his morning routine and breakfast, Mr. Shatner was kind enough and generous to answer many of the fans questions both about his current projects as well as his opinion on the current state of the Star Trek Franchise. Below is an excerpt of the chat transcript.



NOTE: For ease of reading, certain posts have been removed from the transcript. None of the questions or answers were edited or deleted. Some have been rearranged for better viewing.





STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) Welcome to our first big Guest Chat session in honor of "Star Trek Month".
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) The STFA is proud to welcome William Shatner to our chat room... Mr. Shatner --?
.....william_shatner has entered the room......
william_Shatner Thank you. Hello everybody!
moondragon Hi Mr. Shatner
Sarek Good morning, Mr. Shatner!
1701 it's a pleasure for us to be *g*
moondragon ditto
william_Shatner Well, I'm glad to be here and I'm certainly looking forward to answering all of your questions to the best of my ability.
Sarek I was all excited to speak with you, and now I am tongue tied...
william_shatner i can understand that, sarek
william_shatner if you're tongue is tied in a bow, take the long end and pull
jos thanks for chatting to us - first of all - how are you?
sarek
william_shatner I'm very well. I've just come back from a rather intense weekend from the Finger Lake area in upstate NY. I arrived on Friday -- did a ST convention on Saturday, played 8 hours of paintball on Sunday, and did a motor cycle tour on Monday -- all to raise money for needy children.
jos wow - heavy schedule
sarek you are an outstanding person, mr. shatner:)
1701 so i'll begin: do you know anything new about your appearance in germany ? is it in 2004 / 2005 ?????????????? we're dying for news ....
william_shatner i've signed a contract to appear in november of 2004 in germany -- we'll keep our fingers crossed that they can make it work
1701 I hope so.
jos hope so too........
moondragon mr. shatner, are you going to be at the slanted fedora convention in chicago in march?
william_shatner i don't know yet, moon. we're playing it by ear
sarek as you may know, i do have a passion for the effort of your return as kirk . bbk will truly not rest until we have exhausted all efforts ... we truly feel that you are important in that role!
william_shatner thank you sarek. I'm certainly ready to return -- i'm keeping tuned up by playing paintball -- keeping in good shape. which by the way, we'll do again next labor day weekend
1701 i agree to sarek.... it would be sooooo cool *g+
william_shatner there was a contingent of st people who joined the paintball squad this past weekend and i encouraged them to try and engage alot of st people to come to the event and be uniquely there.
1701 and then at the next labor day weekend we'll be there (qg&me) perhaps *g*
ariel hello mr.shatner, is there any chance that you will come to israel in the near future? you have at least one big fan here!
william_shatner i was just in israel before intafida and i expect to be back as quickly as possible
jos any chance to see you in enterprise?
william_shatner jos -- rick berman did ask me if i would be willing to appear in enterprise, and i indicated that if it was a good idea and script, yes. but i have not heard any further from them,
sarek then maybe he needs a good idea anc script
jos wow, that sounds good... i so hope to see you in that series
sarek mr. shatner , it would be *extraordinary* if you appeared on enterprise!!! please help them to effect that if at all possible! your character needs to return!
1701 yes, that would be real cool !!
quantumgirl i agree, enterprise is a good show but with you as a guest, it would be even better!
sarek kirk stood for things that are so lacking in scifi today!
tburkhead in the novels, kirks father, george is a great character. would ws consider playing him on 'enterprise'?
william_shatner burkhead -- actually, the thought was to play my grandfather, which was the idea pitched originally by mr. berman
kurgan yes, i think everyone here would agree, we'd be overwhelmed with joy to see a return of kirk.
pc are you pitching a new series based on star trek to paramount?
william_shatner pc -- the first idea pitch has been to the book publishers (pocket books). now we have to see how paramount would react, which is happening right now. As for telling you the ideas, that would be a little premature. Sorry.
jos what do you think about nemesis - do you think this is the end of star trek movies?
william_shatner sisko -- i did see nemesis. i thought it was a decent film, but when people break into psalm, the pulse of star trek seems to have been lost.
thesisko so what kind of ideas do you have for the future of trek? can we look forward to seeing you in possible star trek movie
william_shatner Sisko, it would be a bit premature for me to discuss my idea pitches for Paramount yet. As for a possible new movie -- I have not heard anything on that topic yet.
moondragon what do you think is mr. bermans biggest fault, when it comes to the future of star trek
1701 Yes, what do you think of Star Trek today?
william_shatner star trek has always been cyclical, and my expectation is that st will renew itself in time. but for the time being it is pretty much dead -- and when it does renew, we should all be part of it
jos yes we will mr. shatner!
julias mr. shatner, do you think star trek should take a hiatus from the small and large screen for a while?
william_shatner julia -- i think the hiatus is being enforced by the economic current. It is obvious from the lack of movie sales and TV ratings that the people, the fans, are just not interested in what they're producing right now. So the fans have basically taken a hiatus from Star Trek, but yes I would agree that should be a strong possibility.
davidQ What would you say is the reason behind this 'current'?
william_shatner Well, Star Trek has always had an underlying theme about humanity. After so many years now, it would seem that Paramount may have lost that focus.
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) Having been around the industry and franchise for so long, what do you think is necessary to return Star Trek to it's ideals?
william_shatner I think Paramount management seriously needs to get back to the focus of Star Trek -- why it was created, what it meant to people. They need to take a good long hard look at who is in charge of that ST destiny -- It would also seem that new juice is needed within paramount
connie1701 the "kirk" energy and spirit is what's been missing from all the recent incarnations of star trek
connie1701 mr shatner, you have more energy and drive than anyone i know. we are counting on you to help push for the real star trek to come back.
julias amen to that, mr. shatner!!!
sarek you have that juice !
moondragon who would you suggest be that juice
william_shatner moon -- i don't have any suggestions to share about who could be new juice, but there are wonderful imaginative people hovering around the st "honeypot".
julias i happen to know many aspiring writers (myself included) who would love to have a chance to get star trek back on track again!
tburkhead any "visions" regardin ST's future?
sarek Yes, what is the vision of Star Trek?
william_shatner sarek -- star trek is about people. who are in conflict, in a sci-fi environment. they must deal with issues that are internal, like truth, and love, and greed. when we veer from that course, and get too fancy (like we have now), i think ST gets diluted
pippa i think the original idea behind startrek has faded all together
kurgan overcoing adversity and the maturation of the human race took a back seat in recent trek series to political correctness. that was sad.
william_shatner pippa, kurgan-- yes, i would agree with that
tburkhead enterprise is good product. what is needed is to make the connection to tos
moondragon i would think people who share, and or know more about what mr. roddenberry was trying to accomplish.
william_shatner burkhead -- i am really no authority on enterprise, having seen only pieces of it. i am afraid that any comment i might make would be potentially uninformed.
kurgan hey bill, i've got a question. gene r. was a friend of mine, and i get asked the same question a lot, and would be curious how you would answer. that is: what would gene think of trek today (and over the last ten years, or so)?
william_shatner kurgan -- i think gene would have had much better other ideas of how to sustain star trek.


william_shatner let me just continue on that -- the real problem is that with years and years to fill with st material, the creators of st are faced with the problem of not repeating themselves -- at least not too many times.and then, the search for new ideas brings you further upfield. and the problems multiply
kurgan heh, i'd say you were being far more polite than i usually am. i think gene would hate where it's been taken.
william_shatner LOL
quantumgirl mr. shatner, are you planning to write another trek book in the near future?
connie1701 mr s. your books are the best trek around since tos went off the air, encompassing all the star trek eras. they should be made into movies and become "canon"
tractorman mr. shatner; i agree with connie's thought. your books should become canon.any chance of you pushing for that?
william_shatner the books i've written were written as "backfill" for the tos stories. with a desire to combine all the cast, i have not had anybody approach me about "canon" yet.
william_shatner paramount essentially owns the books, even though they are worked through pocket books. so therefore, whatever they see fit for canon is up to them
connie1701 their opinion seems to be "if it wasn't in a movie, it isn't so" someone needs to change that
augie bill's book "the return" should be a movie. imo. hi pippa!
tractorman yes. the return should be a movie
crambam monkeys on typewriters can produce better trek than berman and braga. a lot of people would be thrilled to see your books made canon. they keep better continuity than what's onscreen.
kurgan i agree, the return would make a great movie, but they'd have to change the ending (of the series). too much of a downer.
ariel i agree that "the return" should be made into a movie
crambam star trek has faced a massive decline since kirk's death. ratings are down 75% since 1994. the movies have bombed. with that kind of post kirk track record, how come rick berman is still in charge?
william_shatner crambam -- i think paramount management is fearful -- i will leave it at that
crambam fearful of what though? there's no direction to go but up.
fedcon ok..off topic question to mr. shatner. how are the horse raising days going for 'ya?
william_shatner fedcon -- the week before last, my wife and i won 6 world championships between our horses that was at the kentucky state fair with american saddlebreds and we also continue to compete on our reigning horses and we're doing well there. as you may know, we put on an annual charity horse event at the end of every april and we will be doing so this next year as well i hope you can join us.
julias 6 world championships? mazel tov mr. shatner!!
jos congratulations!!
moondragon do you know how mr. doohan is doing, i heard his health was poor.
quantumgirl mr. shatner, when was the last time you met leonard nimoy? are you spendig some of you free time together? and what about another "mind meld"?
tburkhead good question about "mind meld". is it available on dvd?
william_shatner i have not spoken to mr. doohan recently, but leonard is doing just fine -- as mean as ever, and getting richer... lol
william_shatner burk -- As for "Mind Melds" it is indeed availabel on dvd, as well as Room Lake, spplat attack (my paintball competition). you can get them at dvd stores and on my website. I know of no other projects like that in the future, but you never know.
highlander mr shatner..hello from north bay, ontario...just wondering if you think the fans will ever be heard? for example...people have been pushing to brink back kirk? do you think it will make a difference?
william_shatner highlander -- the fans are the most critical part of star trek. if paramount is not listening to you, they've made the biggest mistake.
sarek in case you become inundated and get a chance to read back... i want you to know how important your character is to st. you are the *pale blue dot* in the st universe that we will oneday look upon as where it all began
william_shatner Thank you, Sarek.
fedcon unless they retool the concept of visiting the trek universe before kirk's universe, the franchise will float dead in the water.
pippa i think they wanted to solve the lack of content and meaning with songs and humour
thesisko right but didn't you think that the dialog and charter interaction could have been better formed.
tburkhead i believe a kirk character would bring the current show full circle. does mr. roddenberry's grandson have some input with mr. berman?
1701 good point, bil.... good point,..... ;-((((
william_shatner no, he does not. He should, though.
light_blue_river23 what a bout mr nimoy?
kurgan berman's cut everyone out, majel included.
jos really?
fedcon yep
william_shatner yes, thats true
tractorman how terrible
quantumgirl hey, we all put our money together and buy the rights for st from paramount and make our own show with mr. shatner
tractorman that's a good idea!
1701 yes, qg we'll do *g*
jos lol
augie bill, why don't you buy all the rights to startrek and just do what you think is best. if you don't have the money, i'm sure we would help.
tburkhead too bad about mrs. roddenberry. st needs the computer!
shatnerrocks mr. shatner i am intrested in reading your books. can you tell me which one was the first one you wrote?
william_shatner shatnerrocks -- my first book were the tek war series.
shatnerrocks ok, question for ya . mr. shatner. what did you think of the binghamton convention
william_shatner kurgan -- i felt tek war series got a rough deal on the usa network -- it is being rebroadcast on bravo
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) Final questions please...
crambam thank you indeed. you can see that you're missed greatly in trek by the people that matter most--the fans.
william_shatner thank you all for talking with me.... and i really appreciate your support
1701 thx 4 talking to us
augie thank you, bill.
tractorman thanks for talking with us. what an honor.
moondragon2 thanks for taking the time to be with us.::teeth

tburkhead thank you very much, and good luck! think cg!
shatnerrocks thanks for talking to us,
jos thank you
tractorman we're doing what we can to get you back in trek.
jos we just love you
connie1701 thanks for spending time with us, mr shatner. some of us long time fans feel as close as family. take care
augie you will always have our support.
william_shatner i know that in the past, i have been a little rough on the fans, but i have come to realize that the fans are what made everything possible for all of us
crambam that's great, though we've been at it for a long time, and it's frustrating we haven't made much of a dent with paramount bringing back your character.
tractorman many fans have been way too overzealous, too.
tburkhead that's your human side coming out <grin>
sarek we really appreciate you ; what you have brought and what you are striving for and wish to be:)
shatnerrocks um, one last question. what did you think of the binnghamton event
julias mr. shatner: you and the cast of the original series have been and always will be family to us.
highlander all i can say is that i hope that paramount wakes up...
william_shatner cram, all i can say is this -- never give up hope. just like the "star trek" spoof called "galaxy quest", where they say -- "nevery give up -- never surrender..."
william_shatner shatner rocks -- i had fun. it was great to get out and get back in touch with the fans
sarek surrender- we will never do so!
crambam the best thing in the fans' corner is that mr. shatner wants to return as kirk.
moondragon2 we will not be assimilated
fedcon love 'ya bill!
crambam mr. shatner, no doubt. we've been at it since 1994, and we haven't shut up since.
tburkhead don't believe in any no-win scenario!
william_shatner i have to say that mr. sickle here and the stfa embody everything that i am driving for in my return to paramount
julias we here at the stfa will continue to do so, mr. shatner.
william_shatner mark's favorite phrase (which i have heard a hundred times by now) is "keep on trekkin!" -- and it is so true
fedcon thx mr. sickle
sarek "return to paramount" i love hearing that!
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) lol, thanks
william_shatner when paramount starts to listen to you (the fans)
1701 i agree , sarek !! -....> we've got to be a little louder . than paramount will listen !!! *g*
quantumgirl they will listen if the ratings of ent keep on dropping
augie i still say we should buy them out.......
william_shatner one good thing you can do is seriously help the stfa in what they're trying to accomplush
shatnerrocks i hope so, if this bad trend keep up the unthinkable will happen
fedcon no prob
jos we will.....
1701 we will !!!
crambam i can't understand why berman and braga are not on the chopping block. my fear is that they will conclude that trek is simply dead, but i don't believe that's the case. my belief is that there hasn't been any good trek in a long time, and all star trek needs is good writers.
sarek help the stfa- * the word is given*
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) thank you so much, Mr. Shatner
thesisko before anything else i want to say thanks for talking with us and i look forward to seeing you in the future.
1701 yes, thanx a lot --- it was a big pleasure to speak to you !!!!
ariel thank you for being here, mr.shatner! you're the best!
duendesu yeas, i agree that star trek need better writers...
william_shatner yes, i apologize -- i know this was suppoed to run an hour, but i have to get going.
tburkhead can you return in the near future?
julias thank you for taking the time out to speak with us, mr. shatner.
duendesu thank you mr shatner!
william_shatner i would love to, but that will have to be between the stfa and my schedule book
augie take care bill, and thank you again for taking time with us.
tractorman thanks so much for talking with us today.
william_shatner no problem, i am very happy to come by and speak with you
kurgan no kidding, bill; you're my hero. thanks for being you.
tractorman yeah, i sure hope i'm going as strong as you at 72!
sarek thankyou , sir! you are greatly loved and appreciated!
.....william_shatner has left the room.....
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) so thank you all for coming
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) i hope you had a good time
sarek thankyou for hosting this, mark!
crambam thanks for doing this.
jos wow
fedcon lol
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) please make sure to tune in for all our other star trek month guest chats, as well as our friday night open chats
duendesu thank you stfa!!!
crambam what i liked about this was that it wasn't as hectic as aol. it was a real chat, not one of those let the moderators pick questions gimmicks
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) and please, feel free to lend your support both to the campaign as well as to the stfa in any way you can.
augie thank you stfapres....
1701 thx stfapres...
connie1701 hope you can set up another session with him. he's great to talk with.
moondragon2 thank you mark.::teeth
quantumgirl by marc
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) if you are interested, please donate at least $1.00 to the cause so we can help mr. shatner and the fans reach our goal
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) i'm sure we'll be seeing him here again
augie where do i go to donate?
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) www.stfanassoc.com/id330.htm, augie
augie thank you stfapres.
crambam this was by far the best format of a celebrity chat i've seen. small enough that you could actually talk to the man.
stfapres anything i can do in the service of the fans and star trek, i would love to do
1701 cya all and another time: thx 4 that possibility...
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) sure
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) have a nice day
tburkhead i usually don't do chat rooms, but you all were very friendly and made this access very easy. i'm looking forward to meeting with you all again, after i establish my membership. thanks again and goodbye. tb
julias nice full room we had. wonderful!
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) we do have more special guest chatters this month. please feel free to check out our schedule at www.stfanassoc.com/id183.htm
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) as well as our special friday night open chat sessions, every friday night
STFAPres
(Mark Sickle) Thanks again for coming and "Keep on Trekkin!"

[Capt.Rene D'Hondt]

Shatner also stressed that Paramount isnt doing enough to keep the General ideaof Startrek alive and he wasnt to impressed with Enterprise.

[Capt.Rene D'Hondt]

Posted: Sep 7 2003, 07:50 PM




Administrator


Group: Administrators
Posts: 1695
Member No.: 1
Joined: 8-September 02



William Shatner took place in an online chat at the STAR TREK Fan Association Wednesday, revealing that ENTERPRISE producer Rick Berman has approached him to appear in the prequel series.
"Rick Berman did ask me if I would be willing to appear in ENTERPRISE," Shatner said. "And I indicated that if it was a good idea and script, yes. But I have not heard any further from them."

STAR TREK's #1 captain told fans that at the time, Berman had proposed the idea of playing 'James Kirk's grandfather. He says that the venerable sci-fi franchise has seen far better days.

"Well, STAR TREK has always had an underlying theme about humanity," he said. "After so many years now, it would seem that Paramount may have lost that focus."

To another fan, Shatner elaborated.

"I think Paramount management seriously needs to get back to the focus of STAR TREK -- why it was created, what it meant to people," he explained. "They need to take a good long hard look at who is in charge of that ST destiny -- It would also seem that new juice is needed within Paramount."

The actor/director/author says that the current TREK productions are not close enough to the idea's core.

"STAR TREK is about people. Who are in conflict, in a sci-fi environment. They must deal with issues that are internal, like truth, and love, and greed. When we veer from that course, and get too fancy (like we have now), I think ST gets diluted."

Shatner, who years ago had a somewhat antagonistic relationship with STAR TREK fans, says he's far beyond that.

"I know that in the past, I have been a little rough on the fans, but I have come to realize that the fans are what made everything possible for all of us."

For the full transcript, visit this page.

Source: TrekWeb

[Capt.Rene D'Hondt]

Posted: Sep 7 2003, 07:50 PM




Administrator


Group: Administrators
Posts: 1695
Member No.: 1
Joined: 8-September 02



William Shatner took place in an online chat at the STAR TREK Fan Association Wednesday, revealing that ENTERPRISE producer Rick Berman has approached him to appear in the prequel series.
"Rick Berman did ask me if I would be willing to appear in ENTERPRISE," Shatner said. "And I indicated that if it was a good idea and script, yes. But I have not heard any further from them."

STAR TREK's #1 captain told fans that at the time, Berman had proposed the idea of playing 'James Kirk's grandfather. He says that the venerable sci-fi franchise has seen far better days.

"Well, STAR TREK has always had an underlying theme about humanity," he said. "After so many years now, it would seem that Paramount may have lost that focus."

To another fan, Shatner elaborated.

"I think Paramount management seriously needs to get back to the focus of STAR TREK -- why it was created, what it meant to people," he explained. "They need to take a good long hard look at who is in charge of that ST destiny -- It would also seem that new juice is needed within Paramount."

The actor/director/author says that the current TREK productions are not close enough to the idea's core.

"STAR TREK is about people. Who are in conflict, in a sci-fi environment. They must deal with issues that are internal, like truth, and love, and greed. When we veer from that course, and get too fancy (like we have now), I think ST gets diluted."

Shatner, who years ago had a somewhat antagonistic relationship with STAR TREK fans, says he's far beyond that.

"I know that in the past, I have been a little rough on the fans, but I have come to realize that the fans are what made everything possible for all of us."

For the full transcript, visit this page.

Source: TrekWeb

[jbi507]

who is ever gonna read all that?, i sure didnt.

[Lindley]

Its a somewhat long post, but I've seen longer.

[Capt.Rene D'Hondt]

Sorry it was so long...i pasted a transcript from a live chat with Shatner on a german based webhost.

[sabertooth1217]

not really to long.

[The Delta Flyer]

Besides, alot of the information is interesting stuff.

[Slash_Gordon]

Capt.Rene D'Hondt....

Thnx for posting the chat with Shatner... interesting!

- Slash_Gordon

[Capt.Rene D'Hondt]

Ur very welcome.