The science-fiction world has its fair share of feuds between notable names, though few I think are as legendary as the one between William Shatner and George Takei. The two actors from Star Trek: The Original Series have often feuded throughout their careers, and there’s been a sense they may never reconcile. However, Shatner has now publicly tweeted a birthday message to Takei.
A little under a month after William Shatner celebrated his own birthday, he decided to play nice and wish George Takei a happy 85th birthday. Check out what Shatner shared on Twitter (or maybe an assistant did this on his behalf) below, and wonder, along with many Star Trek fans, if this marks a reconciliation between the two and the start of a beautiful friendship.
@GeorgeTakei Happy Birthday George!April 20, 2022
The tweet at least hints the two aren’t hanging out together for some birthday celebration (considering there’s no picture and he’s posting the message on Twitter), though I doubt anyone would see William Shatner and George Takei together unless they were watching Star Trek: The Original Series or one of the follow-up movies with their Paramount+ subscription. To see William Shatner wish his former co-star a happy birthday now is strange, especially since it wasn’t that long ago Takei took a jab at Shatner's fitness following the latter’s space journey.
For anyone wondering if this is an olive branch being extended by William Shatner for peace, that’s up for debate. In fact, I dug up another instance in which Shatner sent out a birthday tweet for George Takei in 2020, so this has happened before.
@GeorgeTakei Happy Birthday George 🎂! I hope you are safe and well! 👍🏻April 20, 2020
Months after that prior message, William Shatner called George Takei jealous after responding to a claim Takei made about Shatner’s alleged feud with Leonard Nimoy. So while there are the occasional niceties shared by both men over the years, there’s also a lot of drama. For anyone hoping this is the start of the two putting their long feud to rest, I wouldn’t get optimistic. Takei did post about his birthday, but as of this writing, he didn’t mention Shatner.
Today is my 85th birthday, thank you for so many well-wishes! Tonight, I'm celebrating with a b-day dinner in beautiful Salt Lake City with my niece Akemi and her husband David. Then tomorrow I speak at the University of Utah MUSE Project. More info: https://t.co/u40beV47ba. pic.twitter.com/vfaqRKbty0April 20, 2022
George Takei also isn’t the only Star Trek person who allegedly had issues with William Shatner over the years. Shatner recently expressed frustration after learning about Wil Wheaton including a past encounter where Shatner was rude to the young actor in his new book. It’s also speculated that Leonard Nimoy and Shatner did have their differences later in life, though CinemaBlend learned from the Nimoy family in 2021 that Shatner was a big supporter in maintaining Nimoy’s legacy. At the end of the day, no person is perfect and people can change. It’s also true that some relationships can be complex, and that definitely seems to be the case when talking about George Takei and William Shatner.
Star Trek is available to stream on Paramount+. Those who are fans of the franchise should absolutely consider subscribing, especially with all the new Star Trek shows arriving in 2022 and beyond.
