William Shatner – alias Capt. James T. Kirk of “Star Trek” – has nothing but nice things to say about Detroit.
“Detroit has been in a slump for years and watching the city revive is incredible. I’m watching Detroit revive itself and it’s a joy to watch. Every time I come back, it’s a little bit different, a little more invigorating – it’s a delight and such a great thing,” said Shatner, 93.
Shatner is hosting a screening of 1982’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” as part of his “William Shatner Live On Stage” tour at the Fisher Theater in Detroit on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Detroit is the first of a 5-city tour. Shatner will introduce the movie and answer questions from the audience.
“When it’s over, I’ll come out onstage. (Given) the age difference between when the movie was made and now, there’s gonna be a laugh,” said Shatner. “It’s interesting what happens being in front of a live audience: It becomes a magical thing… it’s enlivening, it’s invigorating,”
This is Shatner’s second trip to Michigan this year, having appeared at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi this past May. He also appeared at the historic Redford Theatre in Detroit last year, hosting a “Khan” screening.
The second film in the “Trek” film series, following 1979’s “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” “Khan” is also a sequel to 1967’s “Space Seed,” the “Star Trek: The Original Series” episode where Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán, “Fantasy Island”), a genetically-engineered superman, debuted. At the end of “Space Seed,” Kirk exiled Khan and his followers to the planet Ceti Alpha V.
“Khan” opens with Kirk – now an admiral – depressed because he’s getting older. Meanwhile, Khan has highjacked the U.S.S. Reliant. Kirk must prevent Khan from acquiring a powerful terraforming device called Genesis, which creates life from death. In the end, Kirk is victorious, but the price is (SPOILER) the death of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) (END SPOILER).
Both Shatner and “Khan” director Nicholas Meyer (1979’s “Time After Time”) praised Montalbán.
“(Montalbán) was a fine gentleman,” said Shatner. “He lost the use of his legs after a while, but he continued to perform. He was a wonderful guy. I loved him.”
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Added Meyer: “He was really smart. There are actors who are very good actors whom you’d not describe in the conventional sense as being intelligent, but they have an artist’s intuition about things… Once they act, they display an emotional intelligence that is well and sufficient in delivering a good performance. Ricardo was intelligent independent of all that. He was really smart. He could finish your sentences. When you’re directing and the actor can finish the first half of your sentences and run with it, that’s really great.”
For many, “Khan” is where the “Trek” movies truly begin after the 1979 movie, which was financially successful but not well-received by critics and fans alike. Due to the 1979 movie’s lackluster reception, “Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry wasn’t involved in “Khan” (and all subsequent “Trek” movies) and only received a creator credit.
Ironically enough, Meyer wasn’t familiar with “Trek.” He had seen “TOS” when it initially aired but wasn’t impressed.
“Everything looked cheesy, there was a guy with pointy ears, and the sets looked like cardboard…” he confessed. “When (I met ‘Khan’ executive producer/writer) Harve Bennett… I started looking at it more closely. Harve showed me episodes and the (first) movie. I thought, ‘This actually reminds me of something that I do like, but what the hell is it?’ I finally woke up at 3 a.m. – ‘This is Capt. Horatio Hornblower in outer space!’… I can do the Navy in outer space, so that’s what I did.”
Meyer wrote the final draft of the script in 12 days but didn’t accept a writing credit.
“You have to understand how credits work. It was a little complicated because I was writing without a contract. As a member of the (Writer’s Guild of America), that’s a no-no. It was a desperate situation. When I said I’d do the rewrite, (WGA’s) comment was, ‘We couldn’t even make your deal in 12 days.’ That’s when I said – rightly or wrongly – ‘Forget about my deal. Forget my credit. Forget about the money because if we don’t do this now, there isn’t going to be a movie,’” he recalled.
Meyer took the best elements of previous drafts and worked them into his final draft.
“I fiddled with them like a Rubik’s Cube and was madly jumbling things together and hoping it would add up,” he explained. “I sure didn’t have time to ascertain whether this was – or was not – authentic or congruent ‘Trek.’ I was just pulling it out of my tush, you might say.”
“Khan” is also considered the beginning of what has been unofficially dubbed the “Spock Trilogy,” which continues with 1984’s “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” and concludes with 1986’s “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” “Khan” grossed $97 million at the box office on a $12 million budget and reinvigorated “Trek.” It was the first movie to feature a scene created with CGI.
“We filmed a much larger version (in 1979) and it was semi-successful, but not a big box office success,” recalled Shatner. “Management said, ‘That’s it,’ then they decided to turn it over to the TV department and try once more to make a movie with less ambition and more story. That’s what the TV department did… and it was a great success. It was a formative film. It begat all the other things that came after it. It’s a lovely film. I chose it because it’s very personal for me.”
When asked if it’s his favorite of all six “Trek” movies featuring the original cast – including 1989’s “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier,” which Shatner directed – Shatner stated it very well may be.
“I haven’t seen all six movies in a very long time, but I’m sure this qualifies as a favorite movie,” he said. “(Meyer) is a wonderful writer and wonderful director.”
Meyer spoke about working with Shatner.
“It’s the director’s job to get the best performances out of the actors that you know how to get,” he said. “With different actors, you may have to employ different techniques. What I discovered with Bill, when he had to do (scenes) again and again, he would become either bored or fatigued. When he did… he would not put so much effort into striking attitudes. The result was he became more authentic… I liked working (with Shatner) fine. The thing about (‘TOS’), they had been doing this one way or another for years, and they are really professional. They were used to different writers and directors. They made me feel welcome and grew to trust me.”
Meyer also spoke about working with Nimoy.
“Nimoy was a thorough professional, very hardworking who had struggled mightily to make a go of this acting career that he wanted so badly since he was a very young man. He didn’t suffer fools gladly,” he said. “A lot of times we had a mutual respect. Other times, it was like oil and water. I had the feeling I always said or did the wrong thing with him – sometimes, I’m sure I did – so we went from warm and cordial to prickly. I’m sure he knew more than I did. He was very good at getting the best out of me. It wasn’t confrontational, but he’d say, ‘Isn’t there a possibility here of doing X?’ or ‘Is there any way we could…’ and he’d bring out more stuff, which I came to admire.”
“Khan” is New York Times bestselling author Greg Cox’s favorite “Trek” movie. Cox has appeared in the bonus features on the “Khan” DVD, talking about his “Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars” novels, which chronicle Khan’s origin.
“One of the smartest things that movie does is acknowledge that over a decade had passed since ‘TOS’ for Kirk as well as us, and turning that into an asset rather than a liability by finding the poignant human drama in Kirk realizing that he’s not as young as he used to be and wondering if his best, most heroic years are behind him – SPOILER: they’re not,” said Cox. “Shatner rises to the challenge, showing us a whole new side of Kirk – older, a bit more rueful, painfully coming to terms with his past – while also recapturing the same charm, swagger, compassion and daring that made Kirk an icon in the first place. It’s one of Shatner’s finest performances as Kirk, both new and familiar at the same time.”
At the Fisher Theater
“William Shatner Live On Stage” with a screening of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” will be at the Fisher Theater, located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd. in Detroit, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). Ticket prices range from $59.75 to $146.75. VIP tickets include a post-show photo op with Shatner. To purchase tickets, visit williamshatnertour.com. For questions or more information, call (313) 887-1256.
Nicholas Meyer’s latest “Sherlock Holmes” novel
Nicholas Meyer is also known for his work on another icon, Arthur Conan Doyle’s unflappable detective Sherlock Holmes. His latest novel, “Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram from Hell” (Mysterious Press $26.95) was recently released. It is available for sale at local bookstores and online.
