In a startling turn of events, William Shatner, the man who made his name playing Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek , prefers Star Trek to Star Wars .
In a video (below) released last week by the actor, he dismisses the Star Wars movies as “special effects, ILM [Lucasfilm visual effects company Industrial Light Magic] at its best.” He went on to call Star Wars “derivative” of Star Trek , which he argued dealt with human principles and philosophical questions.
In a slightly less serious part of his argument, Shatner also claimed Star Trek had prettier actresses. He did admit, however, that he’d have run off with Princess Leia, a sentiment every red-blooded male born in the last century would agree with.
From 1966, Shatner played Kirk in the Star Trek TV series, the animated series, and numerous films, returning to act in the franchise again and again before the character’s death in 1994’s Star Trek Generations . His loyalties are perhaps understandable.
Personally, I’m going to sit on the fence for this one, because (a) fanboys and fangirls scare me and (b) I feel pretty lukewarm about both franchises. I know, I know, as an ’80s child (just) I’m supposed to say Star Wars made me the person I am today, but I was always indifferent. But hey, which do you prefer, dear reader?
In other news, can you believe Shatner turned 80 this year? Looking at this video, the dude ages well.
