George Takei added fuel to the fire of his long-running feud with William Shatner as he downplayed the importance of the Star Trek actor's trip to space.
Shatner became the oldest man to reach space after he boarded Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin spacecraft and left Earth behind in October 2021.
Accompanied by 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, the youngest person ever to travel to space, and two other passengers, Shatner's venture broke a 23-year record set by 77-year-old John Glenn Jr., who launched into space in October 1998.
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At the time, Shatner, 91, said he was 'so filled with emotion' over his accomplishment, adding: "I hope I never recover from this."
However, Takei doesn't think it's such a big deal.
The 85-year-old actor shared his thoughts on Shatner's space flight during a recent interview with The Mirror, which comes decades after Takei and Shatner fell out while making Star Trek in the 1960s.
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The pair have publicly taken jabs at each other in the years since, with Takei claiming in his 1994 biography that Shatner ignored him on the Star Trek set.
Last year, Shatner told The Times Takei has 'never stopped blackening [his] name', adding of some of his former co-stars: "These people are bitter and embittered. I have run out of patience with them. Why give credence to people consumed by envy and hate?”
The feud has now officially been brought into the new year, as when asked about Shatner's space flight Takei commented: "Well, he wasn’t really in outer space and it wasn’t for very long."
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The 85-year-old continued: "I’ve also been in zero gravity but I did it for longer. I took a parabolic flight and experienced five minutes of weightlessness, whereas William only experienced three minutes. So I’ve spent more time in zero gravity than him.”
In spite of his apparent one-upmanship, Takei went on to claim there was 'no animosity' between himself and Shatner.
However, he then continued: "In Star Trek I was blessed by wonderful and lifelong friends, and we all enjoyed each other’s company… except for the prima donna.
“Let’s just say he’s not the easiest guy to work with and I wouldn’t leap at another opportunity. That’s a universal feeling, although the others have a better sense of restraint and discretion. I believe in being honest and forthright.”
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The former co-stars do 'meet up all the time', Takei claimed, though he indicated their meetings only take place at Star Trek conventions, where the pair 'cross paths and [Takei says], ‘Hi Bill’ and he says, ‘Hi George’, and [they] keep on walking.”
With the feud officially being taken into outer space, I don't think it's going to end any time soon.
Topics: Space, Jeff Bezos, Film and TV, Star Trek
Emily Brown