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December 20, 1986 S12E8 #221

Cold opening ballad of the mute marine, sketch 16th annual star trek convention, sketch christmas party sweeney sisters, show t.j. hooker little blue riding hood, musical performance "shelter", weekend update, sketch star trek v: the restaurant enterprise, sketch look at that, miscellaneous christmas memories, sketch it's a wonderful life, musical performance "i found love", film the true life story of frankie toussaint, musical performance "zat you, santa".

• Cast & crew

William Shatner/Lone Justice

• Episode aired Dec 20, 1986

William Shatner hosts this episode, and Lone Justice and Buster Poindexter are musical guests. The cold opener is a parody of "The Green Berets" involving former Colonel Oliver North(Shatner... Read all William Shatner hosts this episode, and Lone Justice and Buster Poindexter are musical guests. The cold opener is a parody of "The Green Berets" involving former Colonel Oliver North(Shatner). William Shatner's "infamous" monologue involves his first attendance at a recent Star T... Read all William Shatner hosts this episode, and Lone Justice and Buster Poindexter are musical guests. The cold opener is a parody of "The Green Berets" involving former Colonel Oliver North(Shatner). William Shatner's "infamous" monologue involves his first attendance at a recent Star Trek convention, where he tells Trekkies to get a life. Liz Sweeney (Nora Dunn) sings a med... Read all

• Paul Miller
• Andy Breckman
• A. Whitney Brown
• E. Jean Carroll
• Dana Carvey
• Phil Hartman
• 4 Critic reviews

• Trek Convention Announcer …

• Weekend Update Anchor …
• Themselves - Musical Guest

• Self - Bandleader

• Buster Poindexter
• (as Buster Poindexter)

• Self - Host …

• Self - Announcer
• Self - Lone Justice Keyboardist
• (uncredited)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia William Shatner used his famous line from the Star Trek convention sketch, "Get a Life!", as the title for his memoir.

William Shatner : [at a Star Trek convention] You know, before I answer any more questions there's something I wanted to say. Having received all your letters over the years, and I've spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled... y'know... hundreds of miles to be here, I'd just like to say... get a life, will you people? I mean, for crying out loud, it's just a TV show! I mean, look at you, look at the way you're dressed! You've turned an enjoyable little job, that I did as a lark for a few years, into a colossal waste of time! I - I mean, how old are you people? What have you done with yourselves?

[pointing to a man wearing Spock ears]

William Shatner : You, you must be almost 30. Have you ever kissed a girl?

[the man hangs his head in shame]

William Shatner : I didn't think so. There's a whole world out there. When I was your age, I didn't watch television, I lived. So move out of your parents' basements, and get your own apartments, and grow the hell up! I mean it's just a TV show, damn it. It's just a TV show!

Charlie : Are - are you saying then we should pay more attention to the movies?

William Shatner : No! That's not what I'm saying at all! Hey, you guys are the lamest bunch of - I've never seen - I can't believe these people - I mean, I really can't understand what's...

[Shatner walks off stage and argues with the emcee. They start to shove each other]

Second Emcee : Uh... that was William Shatner, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, I'd like to remind you Trekkers that we have some fine refreshments from all over the galaxy... Coke, Diet Coke, Bubble Up, Orange, I believe. We...

William Shatner : [the emcee waves the contract in front of Shatner who comes back on stage]

William Shatner : Of course that speech was a recreation of the Evil Captain Kirk from episode - um -

[emcee whispers]

William Shatner : 37. Uh... the name -

[emcee whispers again]

William Shatner : "The Enemy Within".

[the crowd applauds]

William Shatner : Yeah, yeah, yeah. So thank you and - and Live long and prosperous. So everybody, set your phasers on stun 'cause this convention's ahead warp factor 9. Y'know? Right! All right. Warp factor 9.

• Connections Edited into Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary (1989)
• Soundtracks Ballad Of The Mute Marine Performed by Phil Hartman and choir

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• December 20, 1986 (United States)
• United States
• Official Site
• Studio 8H, NBC Studios - 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
• Broadway Video
• NBC Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 1 hour 30 minutes

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Author: Don Roy King

Don Roy King has directed fourteen seasons of Saturday Night Live. That work has earned him ten Emmys and fourteen nominations. Additionally, he has been nominated for fifteen DGA Awards and won in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. View all posts by Don Roy King

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When William Shatner Told ‘Star Trek’ Fans to ‘Get a Life’

On Dec. 20, 1986, William Shatner took a joking swipe at Star Trek fans during his appearance on Saturday Night Live . Unfortunately, few Trekkies found it funny.

The actor was hosting the late-night staple as part of the promotion for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . The film seemingly proved a belief held among Star Trek fans that only the even-numbered motion pictures were any good. The first feature, 1979’s The Motion Picture , was a disappointment, 1982’s The Wrath of Khan  delivered, 1984’s The Search for Spock  underperformed but the fourth installment was a hit with its tale of Capt. Kirk and his colleagues traveling back in time to save the world by transporting a pair of humpback whales to the 23rd century.

The stage was set for Shatner, who’d been playing Kirk on TV and in film for 20 years by that time, to host SNL on the night of Dec. 20. Writer Robert Smigel came up with what he felt was a strong sketch idea, and, as he reported later, the key line made Shatner laugh. The six-minute sketch takes place at a Star Trek convention, where the attendees barrage Shatner with questions that prove they know more about Trek and the actor’s private business than he knows himself. Taken aback, he asks for silence and tells them he’s lived through the experience for too long. “Get a life!” he tells them, using a phrase that wasn’t yet the conversational staple it later became.

Fan power based around Trek and other shows was still something that TV networks failed to understand at the time. The constant blitz of support letters from Trekkers saved the original series from cancellation in 1968; the development of fan conventions helped encourage studio bosses to bring back the show as a movie series; and the continuing interest – and merchandise profit – would later lead to the launch of The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , Voyager and many other shows, movies and products.

Back then, however, studio execs and even many actors regarded Trekkers with some bemusement, unhappy that the consumers had become aware of their own power and adding an additional link in the uncomfortable relationship among producers, artists and advertisers. That’s why Shatner – and SNL writers Smigel, Jon Vitti and George Meyer – thought the sketch would work, and why “Captain Kirk” was seen telling fans, “You know, before I answer any more questions, there’s something I wanted to say. Having received all your letters over the years, and I’ve spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled, you know, hundreds of miles to be here, I’d just like to say: Get a life, will you people? I mean, for crying out loud, it’s just a TV show! I mean, look at you – look at the way you’re dressed! You’ve turned an enjoyable little job, that I did as a lark for a few years, into a colossal waste of time!”

Smigel recalled that the unusually long script raised laughs at the read-through stage and at rehearsal, but that he had challenged Shatner to raise his game. “[He] was playing it a teeny-weeny bit jokey,” the writer told The Ringer in 2018. “I was pretty fearless back then about talking to actors if I was certain it would help the end result. Life had not yet beaten me down enough to suggest that some fights aren’t worth fighting.” So he asked Shatner to “play it more serious,” and that’s what happened.

It  was all in jest, or at least mainly – in his SNL monologue, Shatner called his fans “truly incredible,” adding, “ I hope they have a sense of humor about the show tonight. Or I’m in deep trouble.” In a later memoir – tellingly titled Get a Life! – he revealed that it was an important moment in his life. “To be brutally, humiliatingly honest, that now-infamous Saturday Night Live sketch was for me, at that time, equal parts comedy and catharsis," the actor admitted. "I was oblivious to the facts. I bought into the ‘Trekkie’ stereotypes. In a nutshell, I was a dope.”

Some fans – who describe themselves as “Trekkies” rather than “Trekkers” – agreed that the actor had indeed been a “dope.” Among the comments stored at FanLore are a depiction of “Get a Life” as an “uneasy mix of hyperbole, inside jokes, some genuine humor and cruelty.” Another claimed that Shatner himself was being parodied, noting, “I do find that too many professional media/celebrity cons fit that SNL parody. And though I believe Shatner's heart was in the right place, I also believe that he should've had his head examined for appearing in it.” Another fan said a few years after the broadcast that it “haunts us,” adding that James Doohan, who played Scottie in Trek , had “expressed his disapproval of the skit” at a convention “and a large number of the audience loudly agreed.”

On the other hand, one Trekkie said that the script “captured the stereotypical convention and fans, and I laughed until my sides ached.” Another didn't feel insulted but said, “I just want to say, I have a life, and Star Trek has enriched it tremendously!” Someone else made the point that the stereotypical male nerd fan, living a single life in his parents’ basement, “is better off with Trek than without it. ... With Trek , he has friends and a shared vision of what life could be at its best. Without Trek , he's just a lonely fellow stuck in the cellar.”

Intriguingly, it’s the kind of multifaceted discussion that a good (or indeed bad) episode of the franchise might be expected to generate. Smigel later called it “maybe the most resonant sketch I ever wrote there,” while Vitti argued that it represented a turning point in the relations between franchises and their fans. “You’re not really picking on the weak anymore,” he observed about modern-day interactions.

Trek creator Gene Rodenberry’s son Rod, who also worked on the franchise, had his own view on the matter. “I never really appreciated that skit,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. "Because I think it was demeaning to the fans. I think it was disrespectful, especially for a character who was an open-minded, intelligent leader.” He added: “But I don’t condemn it in any way. It’s Saturday Night Live , and it’s all fun.”

In 2009, when Chris Pine took over the role of Kirk for a new series of  Star Trek movies, SNL paid homage to “Get a Life,” bringing in the original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, and the new Spock, Zachary Quinto, to face hard-line Trekkers of the 21st century with a script that unequivocally nodded toward the power switch that occurred between movie studios and “nerds” since Shatner unwittingly took a bigger risk than he had realized 23 years earlier.

Watch SNL's 2009 'Star Trek' Sketch

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Tag: William Shatner

December 20, 1986 – william shatner / lone justice (s12 e8).

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING “Ballad Of The Green Berets” variant lauds mute Marine Ollie North (host)

— Funny idea, and I love the melody of the song. — I like how the lyrics are explaining all the important details of the Oliver North story, which in hindsight provides full context for any future viewers (like me) who wouldn’t have much familiarity with the story. That ages this cold opening better than some other overly-topical things SNL has done over the years, though as much as I’m enjoying this cold opening, I’m sure it hit even harder with viewers in 1986. — I got a good laugh from the “What a great plan!” lyric. — Good bit with Shatner holding his hand up as if to speak, only to remain mute. STARS: ***½

OPENING MONTAGE — Nice touch with the theme music briefly being interrupted early on with a snippet of “Joy to the World” before the regular theme music continues. — There used to be some SNL fans that claimed comedian Kevin Meaney is credited as a one-episode-only featured player in this episode, but nope. In the live version I’m reviewing of this episode, and in all the rerun versions I’ve seen, he’s credited as a special guest.

MONOLOGUE (no synopsis available)

— This was very short before he segued into the related next sketch. The jokes in this monologue weren’t really working for me, so it’s probably a good thing that they transitioned out of this early. STARS: N/A (not a rateable segment)

16TH ANNUAL STAR TREK CONVENTION at a Star Trek convention, host tells loser attendees to “get a life”

— Some laughs from Dana and Jon making fun of Kevin for getting a trivia question wrong. — All the little details throughout this are a funny and probably accurate recreation of a Star Trek convention. — And there goes Shatner dropping the legendary “Get a life, will you people?” bomb. — Great cutaway to Jon looking down in disappointment when Shatner asks “Have you ever kissed a girl?” — Shatner’s harsh reality check to the Star Trek fans is a riot. — I like the fight between Phil and Shatner in the background, leading to Shatner playing off his whole “Get a life” speech as a recreation of evil Captain Kirk from a Star Trek episode. — Overall, a true classic. STARS: *****

CHRISTMAS PARTY at a party, Liz & Candy Sweeney sing a Christmas medley about bells

— First time a Sweeney Sisters sketch has begun with either of the sisters already present in the scene, instead of both of them being introduced into the sketch by someone. — Nothing much to say about the overall piece, but the medley was fun as usual, had a great Christmas spirit feel, and featured the usual solid interplay between Jan and Nora. STARS: ***½

T.J. HOOKER “Little Blue Riding Hood” features the cop on a car

— Fun visual of Shatner on the hood of the driving car. — Shatner’s dialogue sounds strangely muffled so far in this sketch. — Okay, Shatner’s dialogue is now sounding clearer. — Funny bit with him reading the license number with his foot. — I like the way this is escalating, with it now being dusk outside as a still-on-the-hood Shatner is writing a sentimental letter. — Boy, that is one fake-looking snow backdrop. — An overall decent sketch, though I was expecting it to be a little stronger. STARS: ***

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE musical guest performs “Shelter”

WEEKEND UPDATE describing Ronald Reagan’s prostate surgery makes ALF uncomfortable

— LOL at the audience reaction to the brain tumor joke about CIA director William Casey. — Al Franken makes what I believe is his first appearance of the whole season, despite receiving no credit in the opening montage tonight (nor does he receive one for any other episodes this season). — A lot of laughs from Al wincing, squirming, and making a variety of other uncomfortable sounds and gestures while going into explicit detail about the surgical prostate procedure. STARS: ***½

STAR TREK V: THE RESTAURANT ENTERPRISE Khan (DAC) tries to shut it down

— Very funny concept for a Star Trek parody. — I liked Dr. McCoy’s “For god sake, Jim, be careful!” when Captain Kirk is simply heading to a table. — First time I’ve spotted Kevin Meaney tonight, this time in a non-speaking role as a choking victim. — Kirk: “Dr. McCoy, this man needs medical attention.” McCoy: “Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a– Oh, oh, sure.” — First time Akira Yoshimura has reprised his role as Sulu since SNL’s original Star Trek parody in season 1, starting a decades-long running gag. — Hilarious how so many mundane restaurant issues are being treated so dramatically by the Star Trek crew. — Very memorable part with Captain Kirk pointing out how Sulu has put on weight. — Dana is freakin’ hilarious as Khan. — I like Dana’s Khan stopping in the middle of his rant to also question Sulu’s weight. Also, something about Yoshimura’s monotone delivery of his explanation “We all get older, Khan” always amuses me. — Kevin as Spock: “Would you do me the very great honor of eating my shorts?” STARS: ****½

LOOK AT THAT! narcissistic (host) admires his physique in front of the mirror

— Shatner’s really funny in this with his self-admiring in the mirror. — Overall, a simple but fairly charming sketch. STARS: ***

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES KEN relates the dark side to his classic Christmas experiences

— Kevin: “Over the river and through the woods… that’s the way my grandmother used to drive.” — I’m loving the increasingly ridiculous things he misses about Christmas. — Not sure the “Save your receipts” joke at the end worked for me — Overall, a solid and a very quintessential Kevin Nealon piece. For some reason, I’ve always kinda considered this a sister sketch to Steve Martin’s Holiday Wish sketch from two episodes earlier, to the degree that I sometimes misremember this Nealon sketch as being performed in front of a dark background while he sits in a chair, like the Steve Martin sketch. STARS: ****

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE lynch mob attacks Potter (JOL) in lost ending of It’s A Wonderful Life

— Good to see Dana’s hilarious Jimmy Stewart back. — Kevin Meaney in another small role, only this time, he gets an actual line. Strange that they would bring him in as a special guest to just play bit roles all night. Why not give him a stand-up segment? — Phil’s voice as Uncle Billy is cracking me up. — Love the dark turn this has taken with the whole town angrily coming after Old Man Potter. — If you listen, Dana can be heard muttering “Why, I oughta pound you” when tipping Old Man Potter out of his wheelchair, which is starting to become a go-to phrase of his in these black-and-white sketches. — LOL at the reveal that Potter’s been faking his crippled state. — This is getting even funnier now with Potter being replaced with an obvious dummy as the beatdown starts to get particularly brutal. — I like the citizens randomly breaking out into “Auld Land Syne” while Potter’s beatdown is still occurring. — Overall, this sketch was freakin’ priceless. A true SNL classic. STARS: *****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE musical guest performs “I Found Love”

THE TRUE LIFE STORY OF FRANKIE TOUSSAINT Frankie Toussaint (Griffin Dunne) pays for others’ job dissatisfaction

— Random Griffin Dunne-starring film. — I like Tom Davis as the doctor casually explaining there were things he should’ve done to save Dunne’s friend’s life, but didn’t because he was simply distracted by other ambitions. — I like the way this is quickly escalating, with all the cuts to subsequent scenes. — Overall, a good film and featured a strong performance from Griffin Dunne. I used to joke to myself that SNL cast Dunne in this film as an apology to him for the crappy episode they gave him when he hosted the previous season. Who knows, maybe there’s some truth to that. STARS: ***½

BUSTER POINDEXTER Buster Poindexter [real] performs “Zat You, Santa?”

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS: — A very strong and memorable episode, and one of my personal favorite Christmas episodes the show has ever done. The quality was very consistent with solid sketches throughout the whole night, two sketches were all-time classics (Star Trek Convention and It’s A Wonderful Life), and William Shatner was a fun and very game host.

HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Steve Guttenberg): — a big step up

My full set of screencaps for this episode is here

TOMORROW: We enter 1987, with hosts Joe Montana and Walter Payton

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Get a Life!

What a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch from 1986 can teach us about the ongoing battle between superfans and the people behind the TV and movie franchises that they love

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On December 20, 1986 , one month after the release of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , William Shatner hosted Saturday Night Live . By that point, the actor had been playing Captain Kirk for 20 years. More than anyone else (except maybe Leonard Nimoy), he understood what it was like to live under a discerning subculture’s microscope.

Knowing this, Robert Smigel approached Shatner early in the week with an idea. The writer, who was in the middle of his second season at SNL , pitched a sketch in which the sci-fi icon visits a Star Trek convention. The twist? Instead of warmly greeting the attendees, he’d make fun of them. What sold him on the scenario were three words that Smigel suggested he say to the mostly bespectacled crowd: “Get a life!”

“That’s what made him laugh,” Smigel said. The phrase wasn’t yet the ubiquitous insult lobbed at know-it-alls, but he’d heard it before. Smigel, whose lengthy SNL résumé includes the creation of both the long-running, oft-quoted “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans” and the animated short series TV Funhouse , went as far as calling Shatner’s dork roast “maybe the most resonant sketch I ever wrote there.”

The world never used to care about the opinions of nerds. For decades, fanboys and fangirls weren’t considered important enough to acknowledge, let alone listen to. Then things changed. It’s hard to determine exactly when the flip occurred, but the SNL sketch signaled an impending mainstream shift.

The six-minute segment endures because of what it’s poking: the strange relationship between the diehards and the people behind their favorite television shows and movies. In those days, it was one-sided. Hardcore fans held little sway. Now, emboldened by the internet and their own purchasing power, they’ve gained leverage. As former SNL staffer Jon Vitti , who helped Smigel with the Star Trek sketch, put it: “You’re not really picking on the weak anymore.”

In 2018, fan-spurred conflict has grown exhaustingly intense. Consider: Seven weeks after The Last Jedi premiered to critical acclaim, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score sits at 48 percent. (Alt-right trolls naturally took credit for that dip .) A Change.org petition demanding that Disney “strike Star Wars Episode VIII from the official canon” has more than 95,000 signatures. Several interviews that Mark Hamill gave about his initial dislike of Luke Skywalker’s character arc have been employed to cudgel the blockbuster. And in January, a nauseatingly opportunistic misogynist made and uploaded a “de-feminized” edit of the film to the torrent site The Pirate Bay.

Director Rian Johnson has handled the increasingly toxic backlash with the kind of self-aware openness that only a Star Wars fanatic could possess. While refusing to renounce his vision of the franchise, he’s taken to Twitter to engage detractors. That Johnson is able to stay civil is admirable. But blasters don’t always have to be set for stun . Occasionally, a full-on excoriation can be cathartic.

The 1986–87 season of Saturday Night Live was an important one in the history of the show. The year prior, series creator Lorne Michaels had returned after an extended hiatus . Following a disastrous 1985–86 campaign that raised the threat of cancellation, he fired most of the cast. The producer kept Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, and Dennis Miller, and brought on new cast members Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Phil Hartman, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon.

With a bunch of all-time-great SNL performers to write for, Smigel found his groove. In late fall, he devised a funny, well-received sketch featuring Hartman as a much-sharper-than-he-looks version of Ronald Reagan . “Mastermind” played off a question that some Americans were then asking : Beneath his charming façade, was their septuagenarian president still competent? William Shatner obviously wasn’t the subject of that kind of speculation, but he, too, had a well-polished public persona. When the actor arrived at 30 Rock to prepare for his hosting gig, Smigel presented him with an idea that scrubbed off his detached, respectful veneer. That cleanse allowed viewers to see what the (only slightly) fictionalized version of the man behind Captain Kirk really thought of his most dedicated fans.

The star liked the pitch, but there was a small problem: Smigel wasn’t much of a Star Trek fan. Luckily, Jon Vitti was. He’d seen every episode of the original series multiple times. Shatner was one of his childhood heroes. “There is no star as big as a star from when you were a kid,” said Vitti. He geeked out over meeting Shatner, just as he did later when Adam West appeared as himself in a Simpsons episode that Vitti wrote.

Smigel and Vitti, both in their 20s at the time, spent the Tuesday night of Shatner’s week in New York working on the sketch. Vitti’s familiarity with the source material came in handy. He offered up obscure Star Trek details and made sure that the convention sign the audience sees read “Welcome Trekkers,” the term devotees prefer over the pejorative “Trekkies.”

“If it happened today,” Vitti said, “Robert probably would have gone on the internet, picked up the references he needed, and written it himself.” Smigel’s goal was to mock fans’ fascination with minutiae rather than ridicule their physical appearance. “I remember actually asking wardrobe to tone it down a little bit,” he said. “A few less pocket protectors, if possible.” Carvey’s character does end up in an “I Grok Spock” T-shirt, Nealon’s wears a Starfleet uniform, and Lovitz sports a pair of Vulcan ears. Smigel conceded that “they probably came off fairly stereotypical.”

The scene built up to Shatner’s rant. “The whole sketch was written around that moment,” Smigel said. When it was time to come up with the tirade, Smigel consulted George Meyer. Before becoming one of the best Simpsons writers ever, he toiled at SNL . Meyer had the rare ability to transform a hilarious idea into something transcendent. “He could drop three lines in the script,” said Vitti, who also became a prolific Simpsons writer, “and those were the three lines people talked about.” A Meyer gem that made it into Shatner’s diatribe: “You’ve turned an enjoyable little job, that I did as a lark for a few years, into a colossal waste of time!”

After a production assistant passed Smigel and Vitti a typed copy of their sketch, they panicked. While writing it longhand on a legal pad, neither realized how long it had run. Short, unfunny sketches were dismissed and quickly forgotten. But if an overdone dud made it to the episode read-through in the writers’ room, Vitti said, “you could feel the hate.” He recalled even asking coordinating producer Audrey Peart Dickman to pull the sketch before that could happen. But, Vitti said, she calmly told him that it was too late.

It was a wise decision. The sketch got laughs at the read-through and was scheduled to run in a prime slot: right after the monologue. It went well at dress rehearsal, but Smigel thought Shatner hadn’t fully committed to the resentfulness of his role. “Shatner was playing it a teeny-weeny bit jokey,” Vitti said. So before the live taping, the laid-back Smigel gave Shatner a note.

“I was pretty fearless back then about talking to actors if I was certain it would help the end result,” Smigel said. “Life had not yet beaten me down enough to suggest that some fights aren’t worth fighting.” The writer said he asked Shatner to “play it more serious.” In other words: ratchet up the on-screen vitriol.

It wasn’t an easy task for a man who in real life didn’t want to alienate the fans who adored him. In fact, in his monologue Shatner addressed Star Trek aficionados. “I mean they’re truly incredible,” he said, “and I hope they have a sense of humor about the show tonight. Or I’m in deep trouble.”

Playing a comedic version of yourself isn’t easy, but Shatner pulled it off. He even seemed to take Smigel’s advice. When conventioneers ask him to recite the combination of a safe in a particular Star Trek episode and to confirm the number of saddlebred horses he has on his farm, he stops them.

“Before I answer any more questions, there’s something I wanted to say,” he announces from a podium. “Having received all your letters over the years, and I’ve spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled, you know, hundreds of miles to be here, I’d just like to say … get a life, will you, people?! I mean, for crying out loud, it’s just a TV show!”

Soon Shatner asks Lovitz’s character if he’s ever kissed a girl and continues, “There’s a whole world out there! When I was your age, I didn’t watch television! I lived! So move out of your parents’ basements” — bloggers may have Smigel to blame for the spread of that dig — “and get your own apartments and grow the hell up! I mean, it’s just a TV show, dammit. It’s just a TV show!”

When he finishes his broadside, Shatner leaves the dais only to be met by Hartman’s angry emcee. The two shove each other, Hartman waves Shatner’s contract in front of him, and then the actor returns to the stage, licks his lips, and says in his unique cadence, “Of course that speech was a re-creation of the Evil Captain Kirk … from … um … Episode … um … 37 … called ‘The Enemy Within.’ So thank you and … live long and prosper.”

The clever ending still throws Vitti. After all, “The Enemy Within” was the fifth episode of Star Trek , not the 37th. Minor error aside, the sketch was a hit. The same night, Shatner opened a Star Trek –themed restaurant in a sketch and for another bit resurrected another old role: T.J. Hooker .

In the late 1990s, the actor wrote a memoir centering on his quest to finally embrace the fans with whom he hadn’t truly ever personally connected. In reality, his turn as nerd-bashing Evil Kirk on SNL wasn’t exactly a put-on.

“Were they sane?” writes Shatner, who through a spokesperson declined to be interviewed for this article. “Were they sober? Did they really need to ‘Get a life’? To be brutally, humiliatingly honest, that now-infamous Saturday Night Live sketch was for me, at that time, equal parts comedy and catharsis. I was oblivious to the facts. I bought into the ‘Trekkie’ stereotypes. In a nutshell, I was a dope.”

Shatner called the book Get a Life! In it, he credits the writers of the sketch that inspired the title: Judd Apatow and Bob Odenkirk. The misattribution still makes Smigel smile. “How,” he said, “could he get it that wrong?”

Smigel wasn’t done playfully messing with nerds. “It’s been a lifelong pursuit,” he deadpanned. In 1993, the self-proclaimed Saturday Night Live nerd became the first head writer of Late Night With Conan O’Brien . Four years later, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the cigar-chewing, Smigel-voiced puppet, made his show debut. In 2002, the foul-mouthed canine famously sniffed around the premiere of Attack of the Clones . At one point, the pooch looks at the many buttons on someone’s Darth Vader suit and asks, “Which one of these calls your parents to pick you up?”

As it turns out, a bunch of costumed Star Wars fans didn’t mind Triumph berating them. “There’s a big overlap between nerds and comedy nerds,” Smigel said. “This was the first time that I had done Triumph where I was sort of surrounded by people who found Triumph really funny.”

In 2008, Smigel brought Triumph to the San Diego Comic-Con. “Nerds. Dorks. Geeks. Mouth-breathers. Loners. Mama’s boys. Noobs. Droids. Druids. Trekkies,” he began a long panel speech . But after thoroughly ripping the audience, he acknowledged — in the most predictably offensive way possible — the power that geeks now wield. “Move over, Jews, the nerds control the media,” said Triumph, whose owner is indeed a Member of the Tribe. “Praise to the nerds.”

Tasteless joke aside, he was right about nerds. They finally had a say. “The explosion of the media and the internet have definitely empowered the quote-unquote nerd,” said Smigel, who knows this from experience. In the early 2000s he was asked to write a comedic Green Lantern script. Warner Bros. envisioned Jack Black as the star. But when Smigel’s draft leaked online, fans revolted. Then the studio went in a … different direction .

“Advertising and the opinion of your local critic used to basically dictate how people responded to the idea of a movie,” Smigel said. “And now it’s so democratic that everybody’s opinion can be heard fairly equally. You can just go to IMDb and read 1,000 opinions.”

On the surface, that sounds nice. But among those mostly innocuous opinions are extremes. Those tend to be amplified. Just look at the ongoing bickering about The Last Jedi . The nasty trolls making noise now are nothing like the gentle Trekkers in the “Get a life!” sketch, which these days would have much more deserving targets.

Smigel, however, doesn’t think a similar premise would induce nearly as many laughs now as it did originally. “I wouldn’t have even thought to write it,” he said. “Anything that reeks of obsession is still funny but it’s certainly not as foreign as it used to be.”

While Shatner was delivering his cathartic rant back in 1986, Smigel decided to do something that he normally didn’t: He stood right next to Lorne Michaels. When the audience applauded, he made eye contact with his legendarily reserved boss. “I remember us sharing a look,” Smigel said. “Just contained excitement.”

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William Shatner Defends 1986 “Get A Life” SNL Skit After Criticism From Rod Roddenberry

| September 6, 2021 | By: Anthony Pascale 90 comments so far

A late-night comedy skit William Shatner did 35 years ago is once again making news, with Shatner defending himself against criticism from the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

1986: Shatner, SNL and “Get a Life”

In December 1986—one month after the release of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home— William Shatner hosted an 8th season episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live . One of the skits, called “Star Trek Convention”—but more often known as the “Get a Life” skit—poked fun at fans at Star Trek conventions.  The skit (which you can see below) was written by SNL mainstay Robert Smigel with help on the nerdy details from SNL staff writers Jon Vitti and George Meyer. It featured Shatner becoming exasperated with the increasingly nitpicky fan questions until he disparaged the fans, saying (in part):

You know, before I answer any more questions there’s something I wanted to say. Having received all your letters over the years, and I’ve spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled… y’know… hundreds of miles to be here, I’d just like to say… GET A LIFE, will you people? I mean, for crying out loud, it’s just a TV show! I mean, look at you, look at the way you’re dressed! You’ve turned an enjoyable little job, that I did as a lark for a few years, into a COLOSSAL WASTE OF TIME!

Robert Smigel had pitched the idea to Shatner directly; in 2018, Smigel told The Ringer Shatner was sold by the “Get a life!” tagline. “That’s what made him laugh,” he said.

While controversial for some fans at the time, it was embraced by many, who also appreciated the detailed understanding of the Trek lore it included (like references to Yeoman Janice Rand and Leslie Thompson and the episode “The Enemy Within”). Shatner himself acknowledged how he respected Star Trek fans. During his monologue for the show, he said, “I mean they’re truly incredible, and I hope they have a sense of humor about the show tonight, or I’m in deep trouble.”

William Shatner in Saturday Night Live ‘s “Get a Life” skit (NBC via Getty)

2021: Rod Roddenberry weighs in

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote the upcoming Star Trek Day, Rod Roddenberry took issue with the 1986 skit:

I never really appreciated that skit because I think it was demeaning to the fans. I think it was disrespectful, especially for a character who was an open-minded, intelligent leader.

However, he also added, “I don’t condemn it in any way. It’s Saturday   Night   Live,  and it’s all fun.”

On Sunday in response to a tweet from THR about the Roddenberry comments, Shatner responded with “Isn’t presentism just wonderful?” along with an eye-roll emoji.

Isn’t presentism just wonderful? 🙄 #getalife https://t.co/kX6tj5hP7I — William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) September 5, 2021

Shatner followed that up with some clarification, explaining how “presentism” applied today’s value system to moments in the past.

It’s presentism because it applies today’s value systems & beliefs about what is “bullying” & what is “disrespectful” to a time when those were not the values or opinions and nobody was really offended but the mindset people have is that it makes them look intelligent & caring.🤷🏼‍♂️ https://t.co/yIFT8IDGVe — William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) September 5, 2021

1999: Shatner reflects with “Get a Life!”… the book about fans

At the time of the sketch, Shatner actually wasn’t active on the Star Trek convention circuit. The actor had experienced tense moments with some fans; in 1968, one fan even tried to rip his shirt off as he came out of 30 Rockefeller Center. But after appearing at a number of conventions in the 90s, the actor became more fascinated with Trek fandom, leading to his 1999 book Get a Life!

In the book, Shatner explains how he learned he had fans all wrong:

Who were these people? Were they sane? Were they sober? Did they really need to ‘get a life’? To be brutally, humiliatingly honest, that now-infamous ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch was for me, at that time, equal parts comedy and catharsis. I was oblivious to the facts. I bought into the ‘Trekkie’ stereotypes. In a nutshell, I was a dope.

However, in the same book, Shatner says that in 1986, he trusted that fans would not be offended by the SNL skit because it was “SO exaggerated and SO stupid and SO cartoonish.” And he was relieved to learn how Gene Roddenberry reacted to it:

In the weeks to come I do get some criticism for that sketch, but far more praise, from fans, castmates, even Gene Roddenberry, which surprises me. No one was ever more protective of Star Trek’s fans than Gene, and I really expected he might take me to task.

Shatner’s SNL episode came as Gene Roddenberry was developing the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Shatner’s  Get A Life! book includes a passage from Richard Arnold retelling how Roddenberry, along with D.C. Fontana, David Gerrold, and Bob Justman, all watched a tape of the sketch together the following Monday. According to Arnold, “We were all in stitches, and no one was laughing harder than Gene.”

A decade after the book, Shatner followed up with the documentary William Shatner’s Get a Life! which also explored the world of Star Trek fandom. In the video below from Comic-Con 2012, Bill talked to The Hollywood Reporter about how that one sketch spawned the book and then the documentary.

After 35 years, people are still talking about this SNL sketch. As Smigel told The Ringer, it “may be the most resonant sketch I ever wrote there.”

Watch the skit

Find more stories about Star Trek history at TrekMovie.com .

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At the very least… I learned a new word today. Thanks, Bill!

Well, nice to see the people who actually came with and wrote it got a pass.

Maybe I should’ve listened to him..

This particular skit could just as easily be done today using a group of a few ridiculously-dressed, enthusiastic Star Wars fans or Marvel fans with one of the actual actors from those franchises, and it would still get the same reaction from me….a bellylaugh overall.

I’ve no issue with Bill agreeing to doing it then, just as I’d have no issue if he’d just done it yesterday. I’d have been more impressed if Bill had actually written the entire thing himself, but he certainly performed it with gusto.

I couldn’t agree more!

It’s no secret William Shatner doesn’t like Star Trek and doesn’t really know anything about it beyond what he needed to know. He’s an actor, he doesn’t need to be a fan. I find that skit funny and I have no doubt there is a truth to it for him.

“It’s no secret William Shatner doesn’t like Star Trek and doesn’t really know anything about it beyond what he needed to know.”

I don’t for a second believe he writes those books that display his name as the author.

“It’s demeaning and disrespectful … but I don’t condemn it in any way and it’s all fun .” These would be categorized as contradictory nonsense statements that are perhaps better left ignored. Also, Robert Smigel is a great American.

Yes, he actually IS condemning it but just to save his own a$$ he tempers it by saying it’s just fun. That way he covers all the bases. He gets to have people talk about him. Complete BS.

I don’t know, it’s nowhere near as demeaning and disrespectful to the fans as the garbage that’s been churned out by Paramount/CBS since 2009

“the fans”. Ignoring all the fans that liked Star Trek 09? Fans that like the new streaming series? Or are they not real fans? If anything, that’s demeaning and disrespectful. Please don’t gatekeep.

Cool Story bro

As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I never had an issue with this skit. It was funny. I have never heard of anybody having an issue with it. Until now.

Well, I didn’t know it was a “skit”… I have taken it as an actual honest comment up until today. And that “misunderstanding” certainly induced a very strong rebellion against that attitude and incresed the intensity of my fanaticism :-) Ironic, isn’t it. The very skit that made me was just that… a joke. But I am utterly grateful for that misunderstanding. I stand by my decisions concerning Trek.

This is truly a deep dive from Shatner. I thought I was the only person reading up weird academic papers on “presentism” — Presentism is  the doctrine that only the present is real . … A presentist thinks that everything is present; more generally, that, necessarily, it is always true that everything is (then) present. Presentism is the temporal analogue of the modal doctrine of actualism, according to which everything is actual.

Another meaning of presentism is closer to what Shatner means: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presentism_(literary_and_historical_analysis)

It’s a pertinent point he’s making and elevates the conversation a little. Shatner surprises me sometimes. I never took the skit personally. There are aspects of fandom that I roll my eyes at as well. In any event, he’s a stalwart presence at many conventions and was very kind to me when I got his autograph. It’s not like he really NEEDS to go to these things.

He doesn’t need to go, but I am sure he doesn’t go for his love of the fans.

Sounds like a good concept for a Star Trek story.

“Presentism is  the doctrine that only the present is real .”

Wow, that concept seems to be deeply flawed on many levels. First of all, the present doesn’t even exist. Each and every future moment becomes past in an inconcievable instant. And that very brief moment defies us entirely. Unless you are a trained Jedi :-)

Second, even if you apply a broader sense of “present”: Nothing that is would be if it hadn’t been born by the past. And nothing that is would have any sort of purpose if it didn’t have a future. The present would be utterly pointless.

That is not to say that I cannot accept a certain level of abrogation, for example regarding the retconning of Trek canon or values (e.g. female captains) for giving leeway to creative purposes…

I don’t see why Roddenberry even needed to dredge up a 10 minute comedy sketch from 35 years ago for a fluff piece; it came across as a half hearted attempt to manufacture a little artificial conflict for the sake of attention and I think even he realized it as he was saying it, thus his walk back.

As to the sketch itself, I though it was funny back then and still think it’s funny today. Having attended a few conventions back in the early 1980s, it was also more accurate than some fans may want to admit.

To be honest, I found Denise Crosby’s Trekkies documentaries to be more demeaning, with their long looks at the more outlandish corners of fandom like a bunch of people dressed as Klingons eating at a McDonalds. Now that was eye rollingly cringeworthy.

@ TonyD – I have a sudden hankering to rewatch ‘Galaxy Quest’ all over again now.

It was The Hollywood Reporter which “dredged up” the sketch, not Roddenberry. Did you even bother to *read* the article, homeboy?

And Roddenberry could have easily taken the high road, said that it was 35 years ago, that it was all for laughs and moved on. He didn’t quite do that, now did he. He dredged up tired old arguments about how it was disrespectful, etc., then said inexplicably said it was all good. Talk about a clueless, mealy moused answer to an equally shallow question. Of course, I guess I should expect as much from someone whose only claim to fame is having a recognizable last name and only accomplishment is riding on and profiting from the coattails of others.

Happy, homeboy?

What’s great about that sketch is that it’s still funny today as it was back in ’86. I been seeing this article show up on my feed (gee, wonder why) and I never clicked on it once. Since it made it to TM, I finally did and its much ado about nothing. It’s totally fine for Rod Roddenberry to feel that way but I think most fans enjoyed the joke. And I wasn’t a even a teenager at the time but still a very big fan of Trek then and I thought it was funny. Of course I had no idea 35 years later I would STILL be a fan (I was also a big fan of Knight Rider and The A-team that year too ;)) and here we are! And like Star Trek, SNL is just a TV show too that’s famous for poking fun at everything and yes maybe had a (small) point. And it was really funny.

Oh thanks Tiger2, now I can’t get the A-Team’s theme out of my head!

Sorry about this, but I couldn’t help it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdyYvwcybzg

Yeah the skit, like SNL overall in the 1970s and 80s, was fun to watch and generally harmless. That said, I think Shatner at the time was totally on board with the theme of the skit and it probably also reflected his personal character and opinion of Star Trek and the fans (as I noted in my comments below).

All respect to Rod, but the sketch was funny, and the satire spot-on. It stung because it was true, and still is true.

Look at any long discussion thread about the franchise, especially the newest shows in the franchise, and you will see many people who do, indeed, need to “get a life.”

Humor about Star Trek, In Star Trek, about the stars of Star Trek and the fans of Star trek has always been part of Star Trek. Rod “Needs to Get a Life”

I like Rod just fine. He seems to be a thoughtful, well-intentioned person who cares about Star Trek and his father’s legacy. From what I can tell though, he’s never had to work a day in his life. So I don’t find his criticism of those that are actually in the arena to be particularly credible and am not interested in his opinion.

“From what I can tell though, he’s never had to work a day in his life.”

Unfortuantely, money is the only thing that still keeps me attached to that sort of normality. But I really, really hope that the Solana-Class Starship Etherprice will soon free me from those obligations :-) Bitcoin to the Moon and Cardano to Cardasssia!

We’re shipmates 😀. Sadly the USS Bitcoin struck a quantum filament today. 🥲

Well I mean, MOST rich people don’t have to work a day in their life, but to give them credit most do anyway (if only to make MORE money lol). He has definitely worked, but yes most of it has been around his father’s endeavors. But hey, no different than the Trump kids and people still listen to their opinion too. ;)

actually his dad made him work on TNG as a intern when he was a kid. he never appreciated it until later, a job many would have killed to do.

Working for Star Trek isn’t work! That I would pay money for… I’m talking about your average 9to5 job. And that is still in my way of becoming a full-time geek :-)

Anyway, I hope that’ll have been dealt with around Christmas… But honestly, I shouldn’t post this. The crypto market took a significant dip after my last post. It’s obviously bad karma…

I feel the same about the need to dig up that sketch. Seems like trend-bait. From a very pessimistic perspective – pretensim could be what Rod is doing as an exec for all the new live action shows and how far afield from the original vision they have gone Talk about cashing in on a legacy that until recently he had wanted nothing to do with. The Mission Log podcast is greatness so all due credit there, but even the premise at the time it started was that Rod had no real idea of what the point or meaning of Star Trek was.

This is so interesting on many many levels.

First of all, I didn’t even know this comment back in 1986 was a scripted, exaggerated sketch. I always thought of it as an honest, spontaneous remark.

Second, my lifelong rebellion against that sort of attitude expressed back then, stands tall. Trek is – like any other movie (franchise), literature, architecture etc – a piece of art, one that outlives its creator(s) and persists even beyond my own life. I consider such persistance of vision as superior to the frail and fragile nature of reality… Unfortunately, Nimoy is dead. But Spock lives on forever…

Third, it is isn’t “just” a TV show. It is a TV show and therefore exists, as a TV show. There is no place for “just” in that sentence. For me, sci fi and fanatsy franchises are “my life”.. and Trek is my home soil. I know the content isn’t real, there is no Federation, no Enterprise, no Warp Drive… Doesn’t have to be… because the bridge designs are real, the uniforms, the colors, the musical scores, the SFX, the box office numbers…

Being a “Homo Aspergensis” I can fully immerse in such minute details. The audio-visual tapestry, the music, the money numbers…even a plain and simple list of episodes! And all of that is real… The history of that fiction, that piece of art transcends reality just like Shakespeare, DaVinci or Homer… It will prevail. I cannot understand how any of this can be deemed a “colossal waste of time”…

There are people risking their lives in extreme sports, others live in the woods to be one with nature… I cherish Star Trek trailers, soundtracks, ship models. So what?

To my knowledge, SNL has always discouraged ad-libbing in their sketches, so there was little chance it could’ve ever been spontaneous. Especially when, you know, it’s the punchline.

Oh, and no offense intended, but you might want to lighten up just a little about this stuff. Laughing at the things you enjoy is another level of enjoyment, after all.

What was it Picard said about the space Irish, “Sometimes you have to bow to the absurd.” Something like that. And Star Trek and its fandom has plenty of the absurd.

Really like what you wrote here. Let’s put this another way. Imagine that Zuckerberg participates in a sketch and make comments about how stupid people using FB are. It might be funny (and true), yet it would be disrespectful to his “customers”. Same for Tim Cook participating in a sketch and saying that Apple users are mostly dumb and snob rich people. Again may be funny to some, but very disrespectful. The point here is that the message came not from SNL, but from Shatner, who AFAIK makes a living from ST and its fans. So I agree with Roddenberry. But then, I have stopped admiring Shatner a long time ago. I don’t have to like the actor just because I like the character.

It was all the self-admitted comedy bully writer Robert Smigel’s sentiments. Shatner might have thought the phrase funny, but, according to Seth Myers in an SNL anniversary special, one of the funniest tales told by SNL writers of the era was Shatner was unfamiliar with the US colloquialism and had no idea how to say it properly, so he tried various sorts of dramatic readings of it that had them rolling in the aisles, until Smigel put him out of his misery, showing him how to say it.

He was 100% right. I just have to read some of the essays in the comments section here to feel the same way !

The skit is hilarious, as much today as then. ( Lower Decks shows it has a point.) Galaxy Quest parodied the rabid fans as well.

I have no issue with the skit. I have no issue with Roddenberry having (or not having) an issue with the skit. I have no issue with Shatner having an issue with Roddenberry having an issue with the skit.

Move the f–k on.

Bryant, that’s what I say when I see people crying over silly stuff. “Got an issue? Here’s a tissue!”

I think in the skit there was kind of a nod to the idea of realism vs fantasy and my personal belief is that if you are a science-fiction fan of any kind then yes, some of these fantastic concepts may seem real to you especially if you have a good imagination and there is nothing wrong with this. I don’t think it is a waste of time if you want to spend your time immersed in everything Star Trek. I believe that not everything in life should be based on work or earning money, if being an intense Trek fan makes that person happy, so be it. That is a freedom people should have.

It’s not even that. It isn’t about real world vs fantasy at all for me. The contents of genre shows are ficticious for sure but the shows and movies AREN’T. I do not believe there are Klingons out there or there will ever be a Starship Enterprise going to Warp 9. And even the tech that has exceeded Trek’s predictions doesn’t interest me that much. I haven’t even got a smartphone…

I KNOW it’s a TV and movie franchise and that very fact makes it more accessible to me than reality. In reality people you love die. In reality girls and women have always been far beyond reach. In reality you become old and eventually die. How is that reality preferable to something you can revisit time and again as long as you live?

For almost 30 years I’ve been watching Trek. Not just the movies and TV eps… The actual show is sth. special. But I listen to scores every day, I watch trailers on a regular basis, I love looking at stats or episode lists, collecting ship models, comparing bridge designs and more recently watch Trek-related stuff on YouTube…

All of that matters BECAUSE it is a TV show. If that was reality I’d be scared to death… I don’t want any Klingons or Borg in reality. I even don’t want to upgrade to Trek-like tech. It is the self-contained TV and movie franchise that matters… all its designs, sounds, shapes, actors, music, ep titles, YouTube content and trailers…

None of that stuff is any less real than cars, food or sports… It is part of reality. TOS having 3 seasons and 79 episodes… that IS reality… the contents, stories aren’t but that’s true for every book, every play, every movie ever written unless it’s a historical documentary.

I’m a collector and I’m an Asperger who dwells in numbers, title lists, designs, colors, collector’s items, names and music. I live in my own world and that world is utterly different. I do not perceive time the way you do. I’ve always been here.

Back in 1986, Shatner asked that poor guy if he had ever kissed a girl. Well, I haven’t and I certainly don’t want to. I’m supersensitive, you cannot even touch me without tickling me to death. I cannot connect to people the way you do. I cannot compromise, I cannot share my life with others on an everyday basis. It’s impossible for me to “get a life”…

Yeah, I had to move out of my parent’s “basement” when they died recently. I have my own apartment, Mr Shatner. But still I have been and always shall be a geek, Trekkie, nerd… I am what I am… And I won’t apologize for that…

Rod Roddenberry takes issue with a harmless skit but continues to help Kurtzman destroy his father’s creation as long as he keeps getting paid lol.

Rod only cares about money. The fact that without Shatner the series may not have ever got to where it was.

Because we know that Shatner has been involved with ST for all those years because of his love for the fans….

“Presentism,” Bill? How about “revisionist history”? That skit didupset a lot of fans at the time, but it’s fun to see your ego rewrite the past as if being upset by it was some new phenomenon based on today’s value system. This guy never ceases to prove what an egotistical blowhard he is.

All that said, I never was upset with the sketch, and found it amusing. I can understand how people might not have appreciated their fandom hero mocking them, though. Roddenberry was right that it WAS disrespectful of the fans.

Contrary to Bill though, I actually think this is a case of reverse presentism (pastism?)– a sketch like that would probably play better today. Self deprecating humor, humor that mocks its own audience, is something we see a lot of these days, especially as genre fandom has grown far beyond the small niche, geeky circles.

I watched it when it aired live with a bunch of friends who were huge fans then and are still huge fans now. We all thought it was hysterical. It upset some fans, it didn’t upset the overwhelmingly majority of them. Those who were upset by the skit weren’t in on the joke but became a part of it.

That’s not revisionist history. That’s just the way it was.

Those were the days! When people could still say what they meant and make fun of people, without being canceled or some other BS.

Shatner makes some valid points and I might even agree with him to a very limited extent.

That said, the skit and his recent comments probably also give us some insight into his personal character and the limited way he views the world and the people around us. It is no surprise that none of his TOS co-stars seemed to consider Shatner as a close personal life-long friend.

It is also not a huge surprise that producers and directors have never gone to Shatner to work on anything significant in the Star Trek universe since Generations. Meanwhile Doohan and Takei were both in Berman Trek shows along with Nimoy who was also in the JJ movies. Nimoy seemed to be well respected and genuinely reverred by almost everyone he ever worked with on Trek, I was especially impressed by actors who had limited exposure to Nimoy, like Kim Catrall who is more known for her role in Sex in the City, had nothing but insightful and glowing comments about Nimoy, following his passing.

I am not sure how much of this is true, but supposedly Patrick Stewart took Shatner aside one day. He apparently recommended that he learn to embrace the fact that the TOS show and movies were so reverred by so many people and that is why he eventually started to do conventions and other fan events.

Why did Nimoy decide to do the reboot movies. He walked away from playing Spock in Generations, even refused to direct it. Everyone assumed he was done with the character after Unification.

Shatner was doing conventions well before Patrick Stewart was even cast.

But he had *stopped* doing them (for a long time). Did you read the article, homeboy?

This is such a non-issue on every level. Rod wasn’t even criticizing him, and Shatner did nothing wrong. The villain here is The Hollywood Reporter for trying to turn people against each other.

You’d think Shatner would be smart enough not to take the bait.

Because let’s be honest: this skit DID spur a lot of anger from fans at the time, but similar bits done in the years since–such as when he appeared in Futurama, in an episode that similarly mocked the geekiness of Trekkies–have been beloved by fans. Big Bang Theory spent a decade mocking comics fans, Trekkies, and the like, and it too has become a favorite of those same fans.

This is definitely NOT a case of “presentism” as he seems to think. If anything, attitudes towards this kind of humor have softened over the years and become less offensive.

I watched it as it aired. I wasn’t offended. I suspect Rod said it to get some clicks and a response out of Shatner.

In a way, they are both sons of the same man, yet not brothers at all.

In all likelihood, mission accomplished.

And yet a lot of people WERE offended at the time, even if you weren’t among them. I do recall it riled up some of the Trek fandom back then, even if they were a vocal minority. To say otherwise is simply disingenuous.

I watched it as it aired as well. When Shatner pointed and Lovitz, asked him if ever kissed a girl, and Lovitz drops his head in shame, I howled with laughter. It was funny then, it’s funny now.

When Bill did originally, we had a different era of Trek and Bill then. However, it was very funny and in no way was it offensive to me as a Trekker. Bill has a great sense of humor and it showed here when he did this. Its true that fans know more about the episodes of (insert Trek series here) than the actors do. Over the years my wife have spoken to a few of actors at the conventions and cruises and they are all amazed at our knowledge. Of course it comes from watching the TV shows and movies over and over again. The actors only see/remember what they shot and few, if any, actually watch the entire episode to gain any knowledge. I had to laugh at the skit photo showing the table of trek collectables… we have that same waste basket. Even a few of the Mego action figures.

Loved that skit when I saw it for the first time in 1986 and still love it now. Great humor.

Hey, Rod…….get a life.

As enjoyable as the Get a Life skit was, the funniest skit in that episode was the long lost alternate ending to It’s A Wonderful Life…

Is that skit online anywhere?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw89o0afb2A

Warp factor 9!!

Trekkies really need a sense of humor.

That’s a tall order.

What does Rod Roddenberry actually Do?

He’s a producer.

That title can mean a bit less than it seems.

He’s an executive producer. Typically that involves handling the business end of a production and not being involved in any creative decisions.

In Roddenberry’s case, it probably means lending his name to the credits of the shows in some shallow attempt to make people think a person from the Roddenberry lineage is still actively involved and then just getting out of the way.

Great to see this story, as it will increase the value of my mint copy of the 45 rpm single of “He’s Dead, Jim” by DeForest Kelley.

The skit is hilarious. Being able to laugh at yourself is something allot more people need to learn now more than ever.

More than ever? I rather quote Kästner again:

„Was auch immer geschieht: Nie dürft ihr so tief sinken, von dem Kakao, durch den man euch zieht, auch noch zu trinken.“

It’s a story guys, you know, fiction? No matter how enjoyable. But it’s not real life!

It was funny then and it’s funny now. People need to lighten up.

Back in ’86 the sketch hit hard, but it’s still pretty funny. Nothing more than Big Bang Theory did every week with “nerds” and sci-fi fans. Have to take issue with the article contending Shatner wasn’t active on the convention circuit — does this refer to that week, month? He did many conventions during the seventies and eighties. He may have slowed down after the success of STIV and the demands of TJ Hooker, though. Also, I wasn’t sure about his feelings for the series, but the Cushman book relates a story concerning the last episode- Turnabout Intruder. The director wanted Shatner to exit the briefing room in a direction suggesting a nonexistent door. Shatner protested there would be complaints because fans knew the ship too well. That and the story about his refusing to use a metal plated Vietnam era walkie talkie as a communicator in STII suggest he did care about the show — as if his high energy performance wasn’t enough.

The only thing that really bothered me about the sketch was the way they referred to the episodes by number. How inaccurate! >;>}

At the time the skit came out, I was 19, in college and had a large group of Star Trek fans at the school; been a fan since first run syndication days for TOS. I can tell you that none of my friends were offended, we all found it funny. Don’t know anyone back then or since that didn’t. Back then we knew how to poke fun at and laugh at ourselves without getting bent out of shape about stuff.

As Rod is at least partially in charge now, getting into a fight with him is *not* a good idea if Shatner wants to be in the next movie…

I’ve seen the sketch before, but I’d forgotten that Shatner was already raising horses in 1986. Four movies must really have turned his fortunes around.

I actually enjoyed the skit quite a bit. The only thing that really bugged me was having the fans use episode numbers. I have never used an episode number and I don’t know anyone who has ever used episode numbers. But that’s just a nitpick. The sketch Was a good sketch from a time when SNL could be funny from time to time. Unlike the last few years were SNL it’s just been complete garbage.

Why Star Trek Producers Didn’t Want William Shatner Playing a Villain

Star Trek writers considered bringing William Shatner back as an evil version of Captain Kirk; here is why those plans never materialized.

• Kirk is one of the most iconic Star Trek characters, forever linked to William Shatner, whose role even crossed timelines.
• Shatner almost reprised his role in a prequel series of Star Trek: Enterprise, cancelled due to budget issues and lack of interest.
• Despite Kirk's character's fate in Star Trek: Generations, newer iterations of the franchise keep exploring the legacy of the original series.

Star Trek is a massive multimedia franchise with various characters and stories told throughout it, but the character of Captain Kirk is easily one of the most famous characters in the franchise's history. While actors like Chris Pine and Paul Wesley have taken on the role in recent years, it is a role that will forever be linked to William Shatner . Shatner played the role in Star Trek: The Original Series from 1966 to 1969 and then reprised his role in six feature films released from 1979 to 1991 alongside the original crew. The seventh film, Star Trek Generations , focused on the crew from The Next Generation series but also had the long-awaited moment where Patrick Stewart's Captain Jean Luc-Picard finally met Captain Kirk .

Star Trek: Generations saw Kirk's character finally die in the franchise, but despite that, writers and creatives kept trying to find ways to bring Shatner back to the beloved franchise. The closest came in Star Trek: Enterprise , a prequel series that was set before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series . This raises the question: how was Shatner expected to reprise his role as Kirk in a prequel series set before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series but also factor in that Shatner had aged almost forty years since? The creators looked to reuse a concept from The Original Series , but the concept never made it to air. Here was how William Shatner almost returned as an evil Captain Kirk and why it never happened.

What Was The Original Plan

The idea for bringing Shatner back as Captain Kirk was the creatives building off an old episode from Star Trek: The Original Series , specifically Season 2, Episode 4, "Mirror, Mirror." The episode revolves around a transporter malfunction that swaps Captain Kirk and his companions with their evil counterparts from a parallel universe, which the franchise would later dub The Mirror Universe . Manny Coto, the showrunner of Star Trek: Enterprise during its final season, explained in the book The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek by Peter Holmstrom his plans for bringing Shatner back as Captain Kirk. He said:

"In the original 'Mirror, Mirror,' the evil Kirk had a device that was called the Tantalus field, which you press a button and his enemies would vanish. Now, it was implied in there, in that episode, that they just kind of died, but what the Reeves-Stevenes were saying [was], 'What if what this field did was transport everyone who was opposed to him into this pocket universe?' So, they were all on this planet surviving. [...] But they’ve forged this kind of community in basically a prison."

The plan then would be for Admiral Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew to find their way into the pocket universe and come across the older evil Kirk. Later reports suggest to explain Shatner's Kirk being older. The explanation was the device would transport victims back in time to a penal colony. The Evil Kirk (known as Tiberius) seeks to use the transporter to return to his own universe but discovers that it has not yet diverged from the main universe and does not exist. The episode would then have explored the creation of the mirror universe through actions by Tiberius and Captain Archer, making the episode both a sequel and prequel to "Mirror, Mirror."

Why It Didn't Happen

The creatives were excited about the idea of Shatner returning to Star Trek . Yet Paramount decided against bringing Shatner back for Star Trek: Enterprise . While some might think the studio got cold feet about the star of the franchise playing an evil version of the popular character would be a factor, Paramount didn't actually care about that factor. Reportedly, the studio did not want to pay Shatner the money he was asking for at the time, as they deemed it too high a price for the series. Coto, however, believes there was another factor. He said, "[Paramount] wanted [Enterprise] to die." He added that the decision likely had little to do with money but that they had lost interest in the series, and "not because he was too expensive, but because they might've saved the series."

This episode was scheduled for Season 4 of Star Trek: Enterprise , which would ultimately be its last. Despite being one of Paramount's biggest franchises, Star Trek was facing some tough times as a brand. Star Trek: Nemesis was a huge flop at the box office in December 2002, and Star Trek: Enterprise struggled to gain the massive ratings that other past series had. After years of continuity, only the hardcore fans could keep up, and Star Trek was a franchise. Casual fans could not just jump on board the series anymore.

Star Trek: The 20 Most Controversial Episodes from the Franchise

The episode was later reformatted into the two-part "In a Mirror, Darkly". The episode revisited the Mirror Universe and was a prequel to "Mirror, Mirror" while also acting as a sequel to the Original Series episode "The Tholian Web." The episode was entirely set within the Mirror Universe and showed the cast of Star Trek: Enterprise playing evil versions of themselves set in this alternate militaristic timeline. The episode was also intended to set up a plotline for Season 5 of Star Trek: Enterprise , which would see the return of the Mirror Universe crew. While filming the two-part episode, the crew got the news that Star Trek: Enterprise had been canceled by UPN, and this would be its final season.

"In a Mirror, Darkly Part I" aired on April 22, 2005, and "Part II" aired on April 29, 2005. Three weeks later, Star Trek Enterprise would air its final episode. While the final season could not bring Kirk back, for the final episode, they brought back Star Trek: The Next Generations characters William Ryker (Jonathan Frakes) and Deanna Tori (Mariana Sirtis) for a major role in a move that was highly criticized for taking away the attention of the Enterprise characters for cheap fan service.

Star Trek Revisited Many of These Ideas Years Later

In 2005, Paramount Pictures started developing a new Star Trek feature film, which would eventually become 2009's Star Trek by director J.J. Abrams. Like the plans for the Mirror Universe episode of Enterprise , Star Trek involved exploring an alternate reality from the original series, but instead of an evil universe, this time one with younger versions of the main crew that splintered off from the main timeline.

J.J. Abrams did consider bringing back William Shatner as Captain Kirk in Star Trek but opted out of it, seeing his death in Star Trek: Generations as pretty definitive. To bridge the gap between the original Star Trek franchise and his reboot, he instead opted to bring back Leonard Nimoy as an older version of Spock, picking up from the storyline fans saw play out in Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Star Trek is both a prequel to the original series but also a sequel to films and stories like The Next Generation , as the film involves an older Spock meeting the younger versions of the Star Trek crew. This is very similar to how the Star Trek: Enterprise episode would have been both a sequel and prequel to "Mirror, Mirror." This is not to suggest that the creators of the Star Trek film took this idea, as exploring alternate realities and timelines has been a long part of the franchise's history, but it is interesting that the two creative teams had similar approaches to doing Star Trek prequels.

Star Trek Movies in Order: How to Watch Chronologically and by Release Date

Star Trek would revisit Captain Kirk multiple times in the era. Not only did Chris Pine play a version of the character in the Kelvin timeline set films, but the character would make his return in the main Star Trek canon on Star Trek: Strange New World . Paul Wesley first played an alternate version of Captain Kirk in the Season 1 finale, "A Quality of Mercy," which showed how the story of the Original Series episode "Balance of Terror" might have gone down if Kirk was not Captain of the Enterprise. Meanwhile, another alternate Kirk would appear in the season two episode "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," which saw a version of Kirk in a timeline that the Federation had never formed. Wesley would finally get to appear as the actual Captain Kirk in the sixth episode of Season 2, "Lost in Translation," and return for the musical "Subspace Rhapsody".

Despite Star Trek: Enterprise not getting to bring back William Shatner as Captain Kirk, it is interesting to see how the franchise has gone on in the years since. When Star Trek: Enterprise was on the air and trying to bring back William Shatner, it was at a low point in the franchise. Now, many of the ideas have been remixed, reimagined, or re-explored in newer Star Trek material when the series is now more widespread than ever. It is clear that they might have just been ahead of their time.

Fans can see Shatner in William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill , a documentary where Shatner recounts his life and career and is currently playing in theaters.

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William Shatner's Height Insecurity Forced A Change To Star Trek's Court Martial Episode

W illiam Shatner is known for a lot of things, including but not limited to embodying the role of Captain Kirk with an impressively hammy sense of machismo in "Star Trek: The Original Series," playing a man haunted by a figure on the wing of a plane in one of the most famous episodes of "The Twilight Zone," and penning a /Film column one time (yes, seriously) .

The mythos surrounding Shatner and his legendarily big personality still grows, as the actor has remained a popular presence on TV and in film even into his 90s. Plenty of delightful Shatner apocrypha floats around the internet, along with some chaotic set stories and confirmed instances of him being a tool . One anecdote from his "Star Trek" co-star Win De Lugo, which appeared in the book "These Are The Voyages: Season One," falls somewhere in the middle of the delight-to-tool spectrum. In it, De Lugo recalls a scene in which Shatner conspicuously called "Cut!" only to seemingly request a reconfigured scene to make himself appear taller.

Read more: Star Trek's Gene Roddenberry Always Regretted Cutting One Character From The Show

A Conspicuously Tall Guest Star

De Lugo appeared in the season 1 "Star Trek" episode "Court Martial," playing a Starfleet officer named Timothy. According to "These Are The Voyages: Season One," a 2013 book by Marc Cushman and Susan Osborn, De Lugo recalled being called to set to film a scene in the Officer's Lounge without much preparation. "[Director] Marc Daniels says, 'Win, you stand here. Now, all the guys in the red shirts are your crew,'" De Lugo explained. "'You're the same as Kirk; a commander of a Starship and you're meeting him at this bar far out in space.'" The actor says he didn't actually know any of the backstory Daniels was telling him, as he had only been given his character's script pages. It was years later, when he was featured on a trading card with the title of Lieutenant, that De Lugo says he found out the rank he was meant to be playing.

The former "Star Trek" guest star continued: "It was clear that my character is trying to intimidate Kirk ... Shatner comes in and we do a rehearsal, and I was surprised how small he is compared to me." The way De Lugo recalls it, Shatner was in the middle of a line in which Kirk spoke to Timothy when he suddenly stopped the shot. "He says, "Timothy,' and starts to say something about the old gang at the Academy, and then, as he looks up at me, he calls, 'Cut!' He calls it," De Lugo reminisced. He said that Shatner then "just reaches out and grabs Marc Daniels and pulls him over and whispers to him," and whatever the actor whispered inspired Daniels to call for a break and send the actors to their trailers so "some changes" could be made.

Bring In The Stools!

Hilariously, the only change upon De Lugo's return seemed to be one that allowed for a smaller height difference between Shatner and his co-star. "When they called me back, I see they've changed the set around a little and all of a sudden there's a number of bar stools," he told interviewers. "And Marc says, 'Win, you sit here.' I'm thinking, 'Okay, I get it; I'm too tall." Shatner undoubtedly is neither the first nor the last actor to request a more even sightline, but the encounter was no doubt memorable for De Lugo -- in part because Shatner seemed to have a level of control over the scene one would expect from the filmmaker alone.

As "These Are The Voyages: Season One" points out, Shatner himself spoke on the record about his tendency to take charge on set. "I've gotten a great insight into the omnipotence of the series lead," Shatner apparently told TV Guide at the time. "Everybody does his best not to upset the star." Shatner called his lead role on the show "an almost unique position few in the entertainment world achieve," before noting that "it's like absolute power." That sounds more like Kirk's evil doppelganger talking to me, but the "Trek" tome generously points out that Shatner was experiencing problems in his marriage and a demanding work schedule at the time, and De Lugo says he sometimes also called "cut" when his eyes got watery on set. Still, it's kind of incredible to know that the actor once allegedly used his absolute power for something as simple as trying to look a few inches taller.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

Screen Rant

William shatner said new star trek would make roddenberry "turn in his grave" - what he meant.

William Shatner clarifies a statement he made in 2022 that Gene Roddenberry wouldn't approve of the current Star Trek on Paramount+ shows.

• William Shatner clarifies 2022 remark that modern Star Trek would make Gene Roddenberry "turn in his grave."
• Shatner's comment was specifically about intimacy among Starfleet characters in the current Star Trek series.
• Shatner highlights how Roddenberry's military background influences his views on relationships among Starfleet Officers.

William Shatner clarified a 2022 statement he made that the new Star Trek series on Paramount+ would make Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry "turn in his grave." Mr. Shatner said so at his San Diego Comic-Con “Shatner On Shatner” panel, and his quote made the rounds with fans taking sides for and against the modern Star Trek series. Shatner, who just turned 93, is celebrating his life and remarkable 70-year-career in entertainment with a new autobiographical documentary, William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill.

In an interview with CinemaBlend to promote You Can Call Me Bill, William Shatner was asked about his Gene Roddenberry Star Trek comment from 2022, which "ruffled some feathers" among Star Trek fans. Mr. Shatner zeroed in on what, specifically, he was referring to, which is how Roddenberry, a military man, would have felt about romantic relationships between Starfleet Officers that are featured in the current Star Trek on Paramount+ series . Read his quote below:

I wonder why some feathers would be ruffled by my saying the guy, the gentleman I knew, Eugene Roddenberry, was very strict about military protocol. So, having an intimate relationship with somebody you're working next to is verboten. You don't do that on the military thing. And they [modern Trek shows], you know, I don't know about the latest things, but the couple of things I've noted is that there are relationships, sexual relations, relationships going on between the people that would make Gene Roddenberry turn in his grave.

William Shatner Kirk’s Best Line In 7 Star Trek Movies

Personal relationships are common in new star trek series, there's plenty of romance in current star trek.

William Shatner admittedly doesn't watch Star Trek , but he's also not wrong when it comes to the amount of romance among crew mates in the current Star Trek series. Star Trek: Discovery features multiple love stories aboard the USS Discovery, starting with Captain Michael Burnham's (Sonequa Martin-Green) relationship with Cleveland Booker (David Ajala). Captain Saru (Doug Jones) also has a romance with Vulcan President T'Rina (Tara Rosling), and Discovery features Star Trek' s first loving marriage between a gay couple, Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz).

Gene Roddenberry famously disliked many aspects of Star Trek that became popular and enduring, including the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Meanwhile, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has plenty of love stories on the Starship Enterprise. Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) is in a relationship with Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano), and Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) carried on a love affair with Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush). Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) is attracted to Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), which is canonically years before Kirk becomes the Captain of the Enterprise played by William Shatner. Gene Roddenberry believed in a future utopia, but his vision strangely forced a lack of passion and interpersonal relationships among Starfleet Officers when he was in charge of Star Trek.

Source: CinemaBlend

'Star Trek's Nana Visitor Has Written a Book About the Women of the Franchise

The book consists of interviews and stories from writers, producers, actresses, and more from across the franchise's storied history.

The Big Picture

• Nana Visitor's new book Star Trek: Open a Channel features interviews with women of the franchise.
• The book highlights the impact of Star Trek 's female characters on society.
• Visitor delves into the pioneering stories behind the scenes and challenges faced by women in Trek.

Star Trek 's Nana Visitor is opening a channel to all who have been influenced by the women of Star Trek in her new book Star Trek: Open a Channel: A Woman's Trek . The book consists of interviews with cast, writers, producers and celebrity fans all touching on the highs and lows of women behind the scenes and in front of the camera across the franchise's more than 60 years.

Visitor played Major Kira Nerys on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , which ran from 1993-1999. She's since reprised her role in animated form in Star Trek: Lower Decks . When talking about the making of this book in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Visitor says, "this book was supposed to be 200 pages when it was proposed, grew to 300, and could easily been 1,000." She goes on to say her hopes for the book do exactly as the title says, "opens a channel between all of us."

According to the publisher Simon & Schuster, the book features interviews with Kate Mulgrew , Terry Farrell , Denise Crosby , Mary Wiseman , and Rebecca Romijn to name a few. The publisher says the book is just as much Visitor's story as it is about the women in Trek and the impact they've made on society.

Visitor is not the first Trek actor to pen a book speaking about their experiences with the franchise. Leonard Nimoy , who played Lt. Commander Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series , wrote an autobiography titled I am Spock . His co-star William Shatner , who played Captain James T. Kirk, wrote a memoir called Star Trek Memories . More recently, Wil Wheaton who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation , wrote an annotated and updated edition of his 2004 memoir Just a Geek titled Still Just a Geek.

Opening a Channel and Breaking a Glass Ceiling

Open A Channel details not only the women of Trek and their stories but how those stories impacted the women of the real world. S&S says Visitor interviewed astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti for the book while she was in orbit on the International Space Station.

The book also chronicles the pioneering stories behind the scenes of the franchise, including the groundbreaking casting of Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura as well as the first female captain to lead a show, with Star Trek: Voyager ' s Captain Kathryn Janeway played by Kate Mulgrew. According to the publisher, "Visitor sets out to discover both how Star Trek led the way for women, and how it was trapped in its own era."

Star Trek: Open a Channel: A Woman's Trek comes out October 1, 2024. It is currently available for pre-order with major book retailers.

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The trains and stations of the Moscow Metro

2 Comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Cities , Travel , Video

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

Cellular communication is available on most of the stations of the Moscow Metro. In March 2012, a free Wi-Fi appeared in the Circle Line train. The Moscow Metro is open to passengers from 5:20 to 01:00. The average interval between trains is 2.5 minutes.

The fare is paid by using contactless tickets and contactless smart cards, the passes to the stations are controlled by automatic turnstiles. Ticket offices and ticket vending machines can be found in station vestibules.

Tags:  Moscow city

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The bridge over Zolotoy Rog Bay in Vladivostok

The views of St. Petersburg from the TV tower >>

Tomás · August 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

The Moscow metro stations are the best That I know, cars do not.

Alberto Calvo · September 25, 2016 at 8:57 pm

Great videos! Moscow Metro is just spectacular. I actually visited Moscow myself quite recently and wrote a post about my top 7 stations, please check it out and let me know what you think! :)

http://www.arwtravels.com/blog/moscow-metro-top-7-stations-you-cant-miss

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Moscow Metro Font

Moscow Metro is a multi-line display typeface inspired by the Moscow underground map. It comes in Regular and Color versions.

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