It was not just about wonky sets and bad fashion; Star Trek was responsible for many ‘firsts’ in television history as well as having the first multi-cultural cast for a show. As the latest Star Trek film is set to open to eager Trekkies let’s take a look at what the original cast are up to now and some trivia as well…
William Shatner (Capt. Kirk): Played Kirk in the series as well as the seven spin-off films. He struggled to find work after the TV series ended and fell into the type-cast trap; fell on hard times and suffered marriage breakdowns and the drowning death of his third wife. Found fame again with the show T.J Hooker and won a Golden Globe for his part in Boston Legal. Now 78, he has moved on from his Capt Kirk persona and wishes his adoring fans would too…
Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura): Nichelle was the first black American woman to feature in a major role on television in the US. Her influence was such that when she considered leaving the show mid-series she was persuaded by Martin Luther King to remain in the role as she was such an example to black women at the time. She followed his advice and went on to share the first interracial kiss on telvision with Capt. Kirk. Nichelle maintained an intense interest in all things cosmic and went on to work at NASA in recruiting women and people from racial minorities. She has even been on a mission to view Mars and Saturn. She is now 76, is divorced with one son and admitted to an affair with Trek producer Gene Roddenberry.
Leonard Nimoy (Spock): Already an established actor when he joined the cast of Star Trek, Nimoy went on to acclaim as a director and producer. He blamed the pressure of the role of Spock for his alcoholism and marriage breakdowns. He penned two autobio’s - ’I am Spock’ and ‘I am not Spock’. Now a published photographer, Nimoy is 78 and plays an older Spock in the new Star Trek film.
DeForest Kelly (Dr McCoy): A veteran of the US Airforce in WW2, Kelley was an actor in Westerns prior to joining the Star Trek cast. He retired after the original series and became a poet; he was also amused to know that many young trek fans became doctors after seeing him in the show. He died of cancer in 1999 and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
George Takei (Sulu): One of the remaining cast members to retain a tense relationship with Shatner, Takei was one of the first asian actors to appear regularly on American television. He admitted to being gay and in 2008 married his partner in a civil ceremony. He has run for Mayor of LA and lost by just over 1000 votes. In 2008 he took part in the reality show ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ which was filmed in Australia.
Walter Koenig (Chekov): With his boyish good looks, Koenig was cast as the heavily accented Russian in the hope he would attract a younger audience at a time when The Beatles and The Monkee’s were idolised by teenagers around the world. He used his Lithuanian roots to draw on for the role. He has since appeared in Babylon 5 and worked as a director/producer. He is the only cast member not to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame - he is 72 and married with two children.
James Doohan (Scotty): A WW2 veteran, Doohan had a remarkable talent for accents and suggested that Scotty be played as a Scotsman because he claimed all good engineers were Scotsmen. He also devised the Klingon and Vulcan languages for the show. After leaving the show he found himself heavily typecast and found it difficult to get other roles. He appeared at Star Trek Conventions around the world and loved meeting the fans - one of whom, a 17 year old girl - he married at the age of 54. Their youngest child was born when he was 80. ‘Scotty’ died in 2005 and 7g of his ashes were sent into space - at his request.
Trivia…
* Many of the innovations in the early series actually inspired invention and have become part of everyday use today:
- the communicator is now the mobile phone
- the PADD (personal access device) is now a tablet PC
- the phaser is now used by police as stun guns
- remember the small flat screen computer terminal used for communications in the show? today they are in common use everywhere.
- the one nifty gadget not reproduced today is of course the transporter - but give it time…
* Walter Koenig was best man at George Takei’s wedding in 2008
* Leonard Nimoy was known for taking himself and his role as Spock quite seriously. When interviewed on Australian daytime TV, ‘The Mike Walsh Show’, he took offence at Mike Walsh’s inference that Trek fans were groupies. “They are not groupies, they are serious fans!” was Nimoys offended reply…
* The Klingon and Vulcan tongues are actually spoken by the really die-hard Trek devotees.
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