Today, the Prime Minister of Israel gave a historic speech before Congress. Also, a vocal critic of the Russian president was shot to death recently near the Kremlin.
But if you’re a nerd like me, the big issue on your mind is:
WAS WILLIAM SHATNER IN THE WRONG FOR NOT ATTENDING LEONARD NIMOY’S FUNERAL?
Shatner, who played Capt. Kirk on Star Trek opposite Nimoy’s Mr. Spock, stated he was unable to attend the funeral of his longtime co-star as he had already committed to a Red Cross fundraiser in Florida. Over the weekend, he was bombarded on Twitter by critics claiming he should have dropped everything to make it to the service of the man who portrayed his highly logical science officer.
Was Shatner wrong for not going?
No. In no particular reason, here are some reasons why:
- Shatner is 83 years old – I don’t claim to know what’s on his mind. I’m not a mindreader. All I know is the older I get, the more accepting I become of the fact that death is an inevitable part of life. Every funeral I attend, the less debilitated I am when I lose someone dear to me. Loss of a loved one never becomes less painful, but one eventually grows steeled to the fact that death happens. Therefore, I know that by the time I (hopefully) reach eight decades of life, I’ll be able to soldier on while still feeling bad about the loss of a dear friend. In other words, for a person who has lived a long life, it is possible to keep a stiff upper lip and attend a planned fundraiser while still feeling bad about the loss of a friend at the same time.
- Logistics – Again, Shatner is 83 years old. To drop everything, charter an expensive jet at the last minute, fly all the way back to California and then attend a funeral? That’s going to take a lot out of a young person, let alone an old timer. (Capt. Kirk I apologize for calling you old but what the heck, it’s a defense).
- Commitment – Shatner had committed to a fundraiser. Would the people involved with the event have understood had he left? I don’t know. I assume so, but I can’t speak for them. Obviously, the Red Cross is a cause that’s important to Shatner and he didn’t want to leave people who worked hard on a special event holding the bag. That’s admirable.
- Friendship – Shatner and Nimoy worked together since the 1960’s. I have no idea what their friendship was like behind the scenes, but I have to imagine there was enough respect there to get them through a TV series and several films. Again, I’m not a mindreader. Neither are the critics. Bottomline – I’m sure Shatner loved and cared about his colleague very much. No one has the right to tell him he doesn’t.
Finally, what would a Vulcan say about all this?
ME: Hello Mr. Vulcan. Should William Shatner drop a charity event he committed to, spend a ton of money on a last minute private jet charter to fly across the country only to attend a funeral that in the end, probably won’t make him feel any better about losing his friend anyway?
VULCAN: No. That would be highly illogical. Stay at the charity event. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
There you go nerds. Let’s give our Captain a break.
Bookshelf Battle 
I had had similar thoughts but not articulated them, so thank you. We all want our heroes to do the thing that will make the MGM orchestra swell in our hearts, but in the end, he DID have a contract and it WAS a logistical nightmare. And Leonard of all people would have understood. Showbiz.
I mean had Shatner been in LA and his excuse was he didn’t want to cancel dinner plans then ok, have at him twitter. But to get across the country at the last minute when you’re 83 is no easy feet.
My feet don’t feel easy even at sixty, and I’m a fitness freak.
Loved the ending with your question to the Vulcan. Do you know if they were still good friends? I’m trying to remember seeing them together recently, and I haven’t, so I do have to wonder if they weren’t the *closest* of friends. Since, like you said, they filmed together in the 1960s. That was a long time ago. But then again, Star Trek is not my forte at all.
And yes, like sledpress says, as an Assistant, I can tell you it would have been a nightmare to get him there and back…or even cancel the charity event.
I don’t know if they were or weren’t close. Shatner did a show for a little while where he interviewed people, and Nimoy was one of the interviews. That was within the past few years so I assume if they didn’t like each other they wouldn’t have done that.
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