Shatner 'Had A Good Argument With Berman' On Kirk's Death

William Shatner (James T. Kirk) has been an actor, a singer, and an amateur jockey... now he's worse than that, he's web-Jim - as he tackles online fan questions and reveals what he thought about shooting Kirk's death.

When asked during a Q&A session on his official site just how he reacted to news of the iconic character's death scene in Star Trek: Generations had to be reshot (as test audiences had rejected the original ending), Shatner said "First, I had a good argument with [Trek executive producer] Rick Berman. Then I had to rearrange my thoughts because I had assumed we were done, especially with that terrible location. It required fortitude. And verisimilitude." The location in question, the "Valley of Fire" north of Las Vegas, was so inhospitable with blazing sun and bitter sand storms that film director David Carson had to be treated after cutting his eye in a particularly fierce storm.

Shatner also regaled readers with an amusing experience when asked what the clumsiest thing he'd ever done by himself and not told anybody was. "Once I took a friend’s horse into a pasture to ride. I was alone and urged the horse to go faster. He proceeded to buck me off. I fell with a thud, then got back up and continued on my way. When I finally returned to the stable, I never mentioned anything about the fall. Later that night, however, I looked in the mirror and saw a giant manure stain on my forehead."

Shatner has a renowned affection for horses. He has spearheaded the Hollywood Charity Horses Show for the past eleven years, and is a show horse breeder himself. It was reported that horse-riding scenes in Generations were suggested by Shatner, who did a number of his own stunts whilst on horseback.

Posted yesterday on WilliamShatner.com, Shatner answered a total of thirteen fan questions ranging from his underwear preferences to his experiences on Trek and everything inbetween. A second Q&A article will be posted next week, with the site reporting that Shatner will speak up on rumours of his possible debut on Enterprise. To read more of the article, including just which underwear Shatner does prefer, check it out here at WilliamShatner.com.

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