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William Shatner, 95, and George Takei, 89, looked back on 60 years of Star Trek, the television series that sparked the imaginations of generations since premiering in 1966. The two longtime veteran actors who played Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Sulu, respectively, reflected on their long journey pioneering pop culture as we know it for AARP Movies for Grownups.
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When the show premiered, Takei recalled his baby nephew sleeping through it on his lap, “It wasn’t an overwhelming smash debut,” Takei said of the show's humble initial 3-season run before breaking into a 7-feature film franchise with beloved films such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. “The fans who discovered it gave us this totally unexpected, undreamed-of longevity,” Takei told AARP.
Shatner added, “Although the background was futuristic, the foreground was what happens because you’re a human being."
Takei expanded on that aspect of how the show created by Gene Roddenberry, which Lucille Ballgave a chance to and produced, really broke barriers for its cast members by reflecting a society operating for the greater good of all: “Star Trek is a family show,” he explained. “Our most steady audience members are grandpas and grandmas,” and lovingly referred to all of the following spin-off series and crews as the “children and grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren” of the original show.
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Shatner reflected on their original crew, many of whom have passed on: "My memory of Star Trek is filled with the lovely people in it,” he said, “Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, to name two. They were beautiful people that were good friends of mine, all dead now," and expressed how he felt that his crew was the gift, while the show's impact on his career trajectory was motivated by his ambition to be "good," sharing, “The definition of success varies from moment to moment. Whatever it was, I was trying to be good at what I did. I don’t recall, like, I’ve got to be successful, but I’ve got to be good at what I’m doing."
Overall the duo fondly look back on their Star Trek legacy: “‘Live long and prosper’ should include gratitude,” Takei said. “Gratitude for the blessings we have.”
