Rod Roddenberry and William Shatner seem to have differing opinions about modern Star Trek

"Rod Roddenberry" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 and "William Shatner" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

AUGUST 2, 2022 - It has been widely reported that at San Diego Comic-Con this year, Star Trek’s original Captain Kirk, William Shatner, had a few choice words about the current series in the franchise. “I got to know Gene Roddenberry in three years fairly well,” he told a fan. “He’d be turning in his grave at some of this stuff.”

In fairness to Shatner, the fan asked if the 91-year-old actor thought any of the current series would rival the original. Nobody suggests the current crop of Treks are better than the original to the man who first occupied the center seat unless they want to get an earful. (The question of whether Shatner has even seen the latest series is debatable.)

The Great Bird of the Galaxy’s son, Rod Roddenberry, has a different opinion. “I think he’d be very proud of it,” he told Screen Rant in a recent interview, speaking specifically of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. He went on to say that the uniqueness of each episode impressed him, but “It kind of shocked me at first, because we’ve got some comedic episodes - or at least, some comedic moments.” He said that when he initially read the scripts, he would comment that he wasn’t sure if the audience would accept it.

“But they’ve nailed it,” he proclaimed. “And fans are going crazy for it. And I’m so proud of all the creators. They’ve done an incredible job with Strange New Worlds.”

If you haven’t checked out the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds creators’ job, you really should. Every episode of the first season is playing on Paramount+.