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The concept of space and the vast emptiness that lies beyond what our eyes can see has fascinated us for as long as time itself. Our fascination has given birth to the sci-fi genre, where franchises likeStar WarsandStar Trekexplore the possible theories of life away from our own solar system.
And yet, there are philosophical attributes of space that are often linked to religion – for example, the existence of God. Most religions believe that Heaven lies somewhere in space, andStar Trekonce tried to dabble in that concept. As expected, it didn’t turn out so well.
William Shatner looks back at his onlyStar Trekdirectorial feature
To a lot of Trekkies today,William Shatneris a name that evokes respect. Shatner was the leader of the original crew, playing Captain James T. Kirk, and belonged to the golden age ofStar Trekmedia.
In 1989, Shatner tried his hands at directing withStar Trek V: The Final Frontier. He looked back at it in an interview withTHR:
I wish that I’d had the backing and the courage to do the things I felt I needed to do. My concept was, “Star Trek goes in search of God,” and management said, “Well, who’s God? We’ll alienate the nonbeliever, so, no, we can’t do God.” And then somebody said, “What about an alien who thinks they’re God?”
Then it was a series of my inabilities to deal with the management and the budget. I failed. In my mind, I failed horribly. When I’m asked, “What do you regret the most?,” I regret not being equipped emotionally to deal with a large motion picture. So in the absence of my power, the power vacuum filled with people that didn’t make the decisions I would’ve made.
“The fights that went on… were big”: William Shatner Claims Star Trek: TNG Writers Openly Dissed Gene Roddenberry, Called His Work ‘Claustrophobic’
Despite Shatner and fans’ hopes,Star Trek Vfailed to create the magic he intended to. And it would remain his one and onlyStar Trekfeature as a director to date.
William Shatner takes the blame forStar Trek V‘s failure
Star Trek V‘s failure remains theonly regret of Shatner’s career. He looked at all the things that he could’ve done better with the film, and often blames himself for its box office crash landing. He added:
It is on me. [In the finale,] I wanted granite [rock creatures] to explode out of the mountain. The special effects guy said, “I can build you a suit that’s on fire and smoke comes out.”
I said, “Great, how much will that cost?” They said, “$250,000 a suit.” Can you make 10 suits? He said, “Yeah.” That’s $2.5 million. You’ve got a $30 million budget. You sure you want to spend [it on that]? Those are the practical decisions. Well, wait a minute, what about one suit? And I’ll photograph it everywhere [to look like 10].
“You can’t make out with the lady soldier”: William Shatner Says Gene Roddenberry Will be ‘Twirling in His Grave’ With What Star Trek Has Become
While there may have been plenty of reasons for the movie’s failure, it has gone on to become a cult classic in recent times. Shatner might not have a fond memory of it, but the fans surely do.
Sayantan Choudhary
Senior Editor
Articles Published :108
Sayantan is a Senior Editor at FandomWire. His tingling for pop culture began at a tender age of 4 with a Superman: The Animated Series lunch box, which blossomed into his love for TV shows, films, anime, gaming, and comics. Having previously worked with reputed websites like Wiki Of Thrones and Collider over the past 5 years, his zeal has only multiplied manifold. When he’s not working or scrolling through fan debates and theories, you can find him memorizing workout videos (but never actually doing them).
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William Shatner
