William Shatner Addresses Fashionable Star Trek Criticism & Plea For Him To Take Over The Franchise

William Shatner responds to Stephen Miller’s Star Trek criticism and his plea for the Captain James T. Kirk star to take over the franchise. Miller, who’s the White Home deputy chief of workers for coverage and homeland safety advisor, reposted a clip of the brand new present Star Trek: Starfleet Academy and described it as “tragic.” He then mentioned the one option to save the franchise was to present Shatner “complete artistic management” of it.

Now, on X, Shatner has responded to Miller’s unique put up. He says that he’s “on the identical web page” because the political advisor and discusses Paramount+ needing to extend their budgets for his or her Star Trek exhibits, all whereas utilizing a variety of emojis. Try the put up under:

Shatner’s portrayal of Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Unique Sequence and quite a few motion pictures is taken into account iconic and helped form the franchise into a preferred tradition phenomenon. Nevertheless, he has not been complimentary of the extra trendy tales, and even mentioned in 2022 that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry would now “flip in his grave.” In 2024, he clarified what he believed Roddenberry would take subject with.

I’m wondering why some feathers could be ruffled by my saying the man, the gentleman I knew, Eugene Roddenberry, was very strict about navy protocol. So, having an intimate relationship with any individual you are working subsequent to is verboten. You do not do this on the navy factor. They usually [modern Trek shows], you recognize, I do not know in regards to the newest issues, however the couple of issues I’ve famous is that there are relationships, sexual relations, relationships happening between the individuals that will make Gene Roddenberry flip in his grave.

With an 87% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critiques for Starfleet Academy have typically been optimistic. As indicated by the 43% Popcornmeter rating, although, the response from basic audiences has been much more divisive, which was additional amplified by Miller’s controversial put up.

Starfleet Academy is a part of the trendy slate of Star Trek exhibits on Paramount+ that additionally contains Discovery, Unusual New Worlds, Picard, Prodigy, and Decrease Decks. Whereas the response to those collection has various, Starfleet Academy was closely criticized earlier than it premiered as a result of first poster that raised considerations about it being a teenage drama within the vein of a CW present.

Set within the thirty second century, which is referenced in Shatner’s put up, Starfleet Academy focuses on a brand new group of Starfleet cadets coaching aboard the USS Athena. Holly Hunter performs Nahla Ake, captain of the Athena and chancellor of the academy.

Whereas the vital consensus on Rotten Tomatoes states that the collection “marks a refreshing tonal shift that proves this franchise nonetheless has loads of new thematic territory to discover,” ScreenRant‘s evaluation by Gregory Nussen argues, “That is nonetheless Trek, however it lacks the political panache of its forebears.”

As new episodes of Starfleet Academy proceed to be launched, the response will doubtless proceed to be blended. No matter what Miller and Shatner say, although, the unique Captain Kirk star is unlikely to be given artistic reign over all of Star Trek. However given his integral position within the franchise’s legacy, his opinion on the more moderen tales will proceed to carry nice curiosity amongst followers.