William Shatner’s James T. Kirk starred in every episode of the original Star Trek television series and in the first seven Star Trek movies. After donning the role for almost two decades, Shatner followed in the footsteps of co-star Leonard Nimoy to direct a Star Trek film. Shatner directed the fifth film in the franchise, Star Trek: The Final Frontier, which received mixed to negative receptions. Shatner revealed that he has one big regret about making the film.
Shatner’s directorial venture was plagued with several problems, mostly arising from the cast & crew’s opinions about Shatner’s storyline. However, the T.J. Hooker star took all the responsibility for his failure, sharing that he was not emotionally equipped to handle the big-budget film.
William Shatner’s Biggest Regret Was How He Failed To Take Charge Of His Directorial Venture
William Shatner‘s Star Trek V was released in 1989 and followed the crew as they confront Spock’s half-brother Sybok, who was searching for God at the center of the galaxy. Shatner had a high-concept storyline planned for the film, but his job was made difficult by those involved in the project. Multiple members of the cast & crew of the film objected to his script and plot.
When he was asked about the film during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Miss Congeniality actor revealed his biggest regret about making the film. Shatner shared that he wished he dared to put his foot down and held on to his premise of “Star Trek goes in search of God”. However, he shared that he was not emotionally capable of dealing with a large franchise like Star Trek.
He revealed that he couldn’t deal with the management who kept on suggesting alternatives. They hated his initial premise, stating that it would alienate the non-believer. He also shared that he couldn’t deal with the massive $30 million budget for the film. When Shatner couldn’t establish his voice at the helm, other people took over and overlooked the decisions that he would’ve made. He shared with THR:
“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.”
Shatner’s Star Trek V had the highest opening gross in the franchise at that point, but the numbers quickly dropped due to the poor reviews. The film nearly killed the franchise, before the positive reception of Star Trek VI saved it.
However, the film and Shatner received lots of love recently, with observers stating that the film would’ve knocked it out of the park with more budget and backing. Shatner is deserving of this fan love as he was one of the first comic-con celebrities in the 1970s.
William Shatner Did Not Receive Enough Backing To Make Star Trek V
William Shatner’s primary inspiration was televangelism and its potential fraud practitioners. This idea did not sit well with many including series creator Gene Roddenberry. Other stars Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley also took objection to some of the plot points. Executives from Paramount Pictures also provided Shatner with several suggestions. The script eventually underwent multiple revisions to satisfy all these people.
There were several production problems during the shooting of the film, mainly due to budgetary constraints. The film’s ending was reworked multiple times due to poor test-audience scores and the failure of certain practical effects. Even the effects house, Industrial Light & Magic, was replaced because they were too expensive for the film (via ScreenRant).
The film grossed $70.2 million at the worldwide box office (via The Numbers). Star Trek V and other films in the franchise are now available for streaming on Max.
