William Shatner has kind of interesting and definitely
confusing things to say about apparently not being invited to fellow “Star
Trek” cast member George Takei’s wedding last month.
“Star Trek” star William Shatner appears in a YouTube video
this week bashing George Takei during the 4-minute material for not having
invited him to his wedding last month. George Takei and longtime partner Brad
Altman were among the first couples to take advantage of the new California law
legalizing same-sex marriage.
Shatner does not explain why he waited a month before
venting his anger in the video but then again, he does not explain what exactly
is wrong between him and Takei either.
“The whole thing makes me feel badly, poor man,” Shatner
says in a somewhat condescending tone, adding that there is “such a sickness”
and a “patently obvious psychosis” there. The actor himself says he doesn’t
know what Takei’s “original thing about me was.”
The rant continues, with Shatner expressing his pity for the
actor who played Mr. Sulu on the 1960s sci-fi series, for the decades through
which he hid his homosexuality and for Takei’s apparent dislike of him. Shatner
appears to believe that Takei has spoken badly about him over the years and has
complained that Capt. Kirk asked for more than his fair share of close-ups.
Takei, 71, for his part, says he most certainly invited
Shatner, 77, to his wedding. In a video response posted on his website
Wednesday, Takei says an invitation was sent and that it was unfortunate the
actor could not attend. Altman himself told the New York Daily News that an
invitation was sent to Shatner through his manager and suggested that the actor
threw it out, mistaking it for junk mail.
Takei and Altman’s nuptials in mid-September occasioned a
bona fide “Star Trek” reunion, as Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lt. Uhura,
and Walter Koenig, who played Chekhov on the series, both attended. They were matron
of honor and best man, respectively.
Takei first revealed his sexual orientation in 2005. Earlier
this summer, when same-sex marriage was legalized, Takei posted a message on
his website professing his love for his partner of more than two decades,
Altman, and saying that they now could enjoy “the dignity, as well as all the
responsibilities” of marriage.
Shatner, who currently stars on ABC’s “Boston Legal,” ends
his video rant with one interesting comment, suggesting that perhaps he did
somehow upset Takei years ago. He says he would have expected “an epiphany at
some point,” where Takei realized that the reason “poor Bill Shatner” did all
those “terrible” things to him was because he [Bill] was “such a lonely,
desperate, unhappy man.”