Trekkers join William Shatner to relive ‘The Wrath of Khan’ at NJPAC

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Space. The final frontier. These are the seemingly endless voyages of pop culture icon William Shatner, who made a brief but memorable May 19 rendezvous at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in downtown Newark. It felt just like 1982 all over again as a nearly packed house inside Prudential Hall re-experienced the action, awe, heartbreak and wonder of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” Fans of the revered 1966-1969 NBC science fiction adventure series, as well as the six big-budget motion pictures that were released over the subsequent decades, were treated to a large-screen viewing of “Wrath,” considered by most film aficionados to be the strongest and most enjoyable of the bunch. The movie was immediately followed by an unscripted and very entertaining 65-minute question-and-answer segment with Shatner holding court on center stage. The all-ages audience encompassed a wide array of ticket holders, ranging from the mildly curious to the more intensely devoted followers of the franchise, known affectionately as “Trekkers,” many of whom were dressed in full character garb.

The durable Canadian-born Hollywood legend opened the session with a few well-received self-deprecating zingers. Slightly shorter, grayer and chunkier than his glorious Starfleet Command days, the 87-year-old actor humorously lamented over the uncomfortable reactions he often receives from less informed members of the general public. Mimicking the undeniable disappointment of a recent taxi cab driver, he deadpanned, “You’re not really William Shatner, are you?”

Although most of the pre-submitted NJPAC fan questions dealt with his many years of portraying the stalwart USS Enterprise Capt. James T. Kirk, Shatner graciously fielded several queries that dealt with real life universal concerns such as family, love, responsibility and his beloved horses that he so famously breeds then rides at charitable events. Big laughs came from humorous anecdotes chronicling his “unique” style of singing, celebrity race car driving tips and awkward speeding ticket encounters with the California Highway Patrol, but the loudest ones were triggered by an explosive incident he suffered during his critically acclaimed 2012/2013 one-man “Shatner’s World” tour. A terrible case of food poisoning culminated in the queasy performer pooping his pants onstage halfway through his sold out Broadway debut. NJPAC audience members were rolling off their seats as the wildly animated Shatner re-enacted the horrific mishap in side-splitting detail.

Here are just a few of the more interesting “Star Trek”-themed questions from that evening:

Q: Who was your favorite co-star?

A: Over the years, Leonard Nimoy (Spock) became the brother I never had. We were bonded together by all of our shared experiences. DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy) was a true southern gentleman. Genuine and classy but so predictable that he frequently became an easy target for our many off-screen pranks.

Q: If you hadn’t been cast as Capt. Kirk, what other role would you have taken on the original series?

A: Hmm. I guess the part of Mr. Sulu … so I wouldn’t have had to deal with George Takei. Oh my!
(The crowd erupts in laughter over his lightning fast reply; an obvious reference to the decades-old and still-simmering feud between castmates Shatner and Takei.)

Q: What did you do after the TV show was cancelled in 1969?

A: It was a rough time. “Star Trek” had given me celebrity status but it didn’t pay very well. I was newly divorced with three children and struggling with alimony payments. I took parts in summer theater across the country just to pay the bills. For a while, my home was actually a small trailer that sat in the middle of a Long Island meadow until things started to improve.

Q: Did you personally feel any public backlash from being one half of TV’s first inter-racial kiss with series co-star Nichelle Nichols way back in 1968?

A: No, but I sure did enjoy it.

Q: What was your “Star Trek” audition like?

A: Based on my previous theater and movie work, I didn’t have to audition. The studio had already filmed a pilot episode with the late Jeffrey Hunter as Capt. Christopher Pike but they wanted something a bit different. I watched that original pilot and saw the promise and magic of what the writers and producers were attempting to do. We filmed another pilot with minor but significant changes and the network bought it.

As the long evening concluded, the actor-turned-equestrian reminded the delighted audience members that he and his Hollywood Charity Horses Show will be returning to Burbank, Calif., on June 2. His annual horse-powered charity event raises funds for disabled young children as well as injured military veterans. Schedule and donation information can be found at www.horseshow.org. Bright NJPAC houselights illuminated the interior of Prudential Hall, accompanied by the surreal sounds of Shatner’s trippy, 1968 rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” as the energized octogenarian departed the stage. More than 100 excited VIP ticket holders would soon join him upstairs for a pre-paid meet and greet photo session that continued well past 11 p.m. More than fifty years ago, Capt. Kirk proudly declared at the beginning of each “Star Trek” episode that he would boldly go where no man has gone before. And for the man who first portrayed that fearless space-age explorer — William Shatner — the adventure boldly continues.
David VanDeventer is a frequent entertainment content provider for Worrall Media and can be contacted at pics@thelocalsource.com.