George Takei, 85, has added further fuel to the flames of his almost 60-year feud with his Star Trek co-star William Shatner by branding him a ‘cantankerous old fossil’.
Takei recently claimed he found questions about Shatner ‘tiresome’.
He claimed that ‘everyone’ had issues with the actor including Jimmy Doohan as he revealed he would no longer be discussing their almost 60-year feud during a recent TV appearance as he attempted to put their long-running feud to bed.
But just a month later he has once again branded his co-star ‘cantankerous’ as he discussed his dislike for the Captain Kirk actor star during an interview with The Times.
Responding to Shatner’s recent comments, where he claimed Takei’s remarks about him are a ‘sickness’, and claimed: ‘George has never stopped blackening my name.’
Takei said: ‘Shatner is a cantankerous old fossil. All of us have had problems with him. Jimmy Doohan, who played Scotty, back when he did conventions used to go on and on about Bill Shatner.
‘There is this fiction that Bill and Leonard [Nimoy, aka Spock] were good friends, but we know better — Leonard privately expressed his irritation with Bill. Bill is an egocentric, self-involved prima donna.’
During the interview, Takei, who played the role of Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, branded Shatner a ‘cantankerous old man’ and claimed that he used their row as publicity.
While discussing his musical Allegiance, which is based on his childhood experience and family history, Takei was asked by Graham, 59, about his feud with William.
Clearly fed-up with the narrative, he said: ‘You are the last chat show host to be allowed to ask that question as it has become so tiresome to talk about.
‘When Bill has a book to sell he needs publicity and accuses us of using him. My subject is more substantial and important.’
Takei then went on to add one last jibe before attempting to end the ongoing tensions one and for all.
He added: ‘He is a cantankerous old man and I will not talk about him anymore. I vow that this is the very last time I talk about him.’
When asked if Shatner was ‘cantankerous’ in his younger years, Takei said that Shatner ‘was self-involved,’ ‘enjoyed being the center of attention’ and ‘wanted everyone to kowtow to him.’
Shatner made headlines when he told The Times he feels his former co-stars on the 1960s sci-fi series bashed him to make headlines for themselves.
