JJ Abrams started shooting his Star Trek reboot a couple of weeks ago, with Chris Pine filling the tight yellow jumper that once belonged to William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk.
Yet, though Abrams has cast both Leonard Nimoy and Heroes’ Zachary Quinto as older and younger versions of Spock, the director was regrettably unable to find room in his storyline for a cameo from The Shat – and boy, don’t we know it.
Since Abrams informed The Shat of his decision, the man who is arguably the world’s greatest actor/singer/author/raconteur has been pretty vocal about it – and he’s at it again!
In an interview with Extra TV, reported on The Huffington Post, The Shat sounded off about his non-inclusion in the new Trek. “How could you not put one of the founding figures into a movie that was being resurrected?,” he asks. “That doesn't make good business sense to me!"
Well, perhaps not, The Shat, but then we’d argue that: a) the brand name of Star Trek alone carries plenty of appeal; b) Kirk flaming well died in Star Trek: Generations, so unless Abrams’ reboot happens to feature ravenous zombies, it’s unlikely that Kirk would be able to beam up from his current resting place.
Empire loves and adores The Shat, and is gutted that there’s no place for him in the new movie. However, it’s hard to see how his appearance wouldn’t have been cheesy or – to use Spock’s favourite word – illogical.
Mind you, The Shat did go on to praise the movie, perhaps mindful that, with a couple of months of filming left, Abrams could yet find room for him. “They are going in a different direction, and it will be a wonderful film.”
So, readers, what do you think? Has Abrams dropped the ball by not finding a place for The Shat? Or has he done the right thing? Leave your comments below...