Shatner
was the reason Saturday at the con sold out. Since he’s a nerd god, I paid the
extra $20 to hear him talk. I liked every other talk I attended better and they
came with the price of admission.
Shatner opened with how he
barely made his flight. The security line was insane and his “Captain Kirk”
routine didn’t work. He then spent the next 10 or so minutes plugging his new
album, book, recording of his one man show, and a documentary. I started to
wonder when the shameless plugs would stop and it would actually get
interesting.
He playfully ribbed the ASL
interpreter about doing questions. “You don’t know. You’re just talking with
your hands.” During the fan questions he announced “Once I’m done here, I’m
going for crabs!” He spent a minute talking crabs with the fan who was asking
him a question.
When asked if he would
change anything about his career: “I've got thighs of steel. I'm in great
health and I'm old. People my age are like "Are you my son or my
daughter?" How dare I challenge my mistakes?” He flexed his arms and said
“I’ve got a muscle.” This became a running gag for the rest of the hour.
Shatner also made an excellent point about how quickly fame is eclipsed by
life. The number of people who’d heard of Gene Kelly were limited.
I want to say at least a
third of the show was spent on plugs and horses. His passion for horses started
when he was a kid in Montreal near a rental stable. He’d muck out stalls in
exchange for rides. Once he had some success as an adult, he bought land and
went to a horse auction. By gesticulating at the wrong time, he bought his
first horse. “Horses are like potato chips.” He kept falling in love with
different breeds, including one he discovered at an equine center while filming
TJ Hooker.
Shatner now works to
support his horses. He met his wife of 14 years because she was a horse
trainer. A horse race in Kentucky was actually why he almost missed his flight,
that an airport security really doesn’t care when you’re flight leaves. On a
segway to planes, Shatner became friends with Brad Paisley. They met on a country
western radio show.
Shatner was offered an
appearance at the CMAs. Lots of country stars have their own planes which is
how they can get from Nashville to New York or Hollywood. Shatner calls up
Paisley and asks to borrow his plane. His plane is down for repairs and he’s
got to fly commercial. Back when he was filming Captains, he asked a Canadian
manufacturer to borrow a plane since flying commercial would have decimated the
budget.
The owner of the air
company started as an engineer. He became an engineer because of Captain Kirk.
Of course he’s happy to lend Shatner a plane. So when he was trying to make the
CMAs and Shatner couldn’t hitch a ride with Paisley, he calls him back and asks
if he wants to ride on Shatner’s plane instead. The story took a while and
wasn’t always told in the best order. Then came the part that really made the
audience unhappy.
He talked about Kate
Mulgrew and when they were first debating the idea of a woman captain. In the
Captains documentary, Mulgrew admits to regrets for what she had to give up
with her children and family for her career. Then Shatner made a really bad
joke (I hope it was a joke) about hot flashes, hormones, and a woman’s ability
to be a Star Trek Captain. “What if you’re in a bad moon and have a gun or
phaser in your hand? Can an individual master those hormones?”
I get he’s from another
era. I get he’s 82. I get he’s a nerd god and doesn’t really have to care what
anyone thinks anymore. It was still such a wrong thing to say. So many face
palms. He fell in my opinion for that statement. Overall it’s cool to say you
heard Shatner talk but I’m glad I didn’t pay for an autograph or picture since
he ended up being disappointing.
Other Quotes:
“On a TV series, directors are mostly traffic cops"
"Nonverbal
language is the most powerful of all."
"In your twenties
you're the dreamer. In your thirties you want those dreams to be concrete.
You're thinking "Do I want to get married? How am I gonna pay the
rent?" You face the working reality before you. When are you gonna wait
for the big moment too long?"
Music: Be a Man – Mulan
cast
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