--- title: "George Takei Roasts “Star Trek” Costar William Shatner After Rocket Trip" description: "George Takei, who was on \"Star Trek\" alongside Captain Kirk actor William Shatner, wasn't impressed with his costar's trip to \"space\" earlier this week." date: "2021-10-15" modified: "2021-10-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/george-takei-roasts-william-shatner" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "blue origin" - "george takei" - "the digest" - "william shatner" --- # George Takei Roasts “Star Trek” Costar William Shatner After Rocket Trip ![George Takei, who was on "Star Trek" alongside Captain Kirk actor William Shatner, wasn't impressed with his costar's trip to "space" earlier this week.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Guinea Pig George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu on hit TV show "Star Trek" alongside Captain Kirk actor William Shatner, wasn't impressed with his costar's trip [to "space"]() earlier this week. "So 90-years-old is going to show a great deal more on the wear and tear on the human body, so he’ll be a good specimen to study," Takei [told tabloid *Page Six*](). "He’s boldly going where other people have gone before." Shatner blasted through the upper atmosphere on board Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft on Wednesday, experiencing several minutes of weightlessness — which he spent [staring out of one of the capsule's windows]() instead of doing somersaults or watching objects float by. It's a rather strange lashing out, as Takei seems to be mostly concerned with Shatner's age, calling him a "guinea pig" being used to study what happens to older folks in microgravity. ## Years of Bickering Unsurprisingly, the two "Star Trek" stars have had a bit of a falling out and aren't on the greatest of terms. According to Takei's 1994 biography, Shatner [ignored him on the set of "Star Trek"]() and allegedly changed the script to that his character Hikaru Sulu would never take command of a spaceship. Defending himself this week, Shatner shot back, telling *Page Six* that "there’s a psychosis there... There must be something else inside George that is festering, and it makes him unhappy that he takes it out on me." "Why would he go out of his way to denigrate me? It’s sad, I feel nothing but pity for him," he added. Shatner's rocket trip wasn't without drama itself. Shortly after Wednesday's landing, Blue Origin co-founder Jeff Bezos [outright interrupted the actor]() to spray staff with champagne. **READ MORE:** [George Takei calls William Shatner an ‘unfit’ guinea pig after spaceflight]() \[*Page Six*\] **More on Shatner:** *[William Shatner Takes Blue Origin Joyride, as Scandals Plague Company]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()