Why William Shatner shares regret over working on Star Trek V: “I failed horribly"

On March 18, 2024, William Shatner, expressed his disappointment over Star Trek V, a feature film he had directed back in 1989. Talking to The Hollywood Reporter Shatner said about the movie:

“I wish that I’d had the backing and the courage to do the things I felt I needed to do. My concept was, “Star Trek goes in search of God,” and management said, “Well, who’s God? We’ll alienate the nonbeliever, so, no, we can’t do God.” And then somebody said, “What about an alien who thinks they’re God?”

He further added:

"Then it was a series of my inabilities to deal with the management and the budget. I failed. In my mind, I failed horribly. When I’m asked, “What do you regret the most?,” I regret not being equipped emotionally to deal with a large motion picture. So in the absence of my power, the power vacuum filled with people that didn’t make the decisions I would’ve made."

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What is Star Trek V star William Shatner’s net worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, as of 2024 Star Trek V star William Shatner’s net worth is a mind-boggling 100 million dollars. The 93-year-old’s income avenues include acting, writing, producing, directing, and singing.

William Shatner is best known for his titular role as Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise. He is also well known for his associations with projects such as The Practice, T.J. Hooker, and Boston Legal. In all of these projects, Shatner was cast in lead roles.

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Has Star Trek V's William Shatner ever been married?

William Shatner has been married four times. In 1956 the Star Trek V frontrunner was married to Canadian actress Gloria Rand. With her, Shatner has three children, Leslie, Melanie, and Lisabeth. The two finalized their divorce in 1969.

He then married Marcy Lafferty, daughter of TV producer Perry Lafferty. The two remained married from 1973 to 1996, following which they parted ways. The two did not have any kids together.

Shatner was married for the third time in 1997 to Nerine Kidd who lost her life in a very tragic accident in 1999. Shatner had found her lying dead in their swimming pool on August 9, 1999. The Los Angeles Police Department ruled that the cause of her death was accidental drowning.

The Star Trek V alum was married for the fourth time to Elizabeth Anderson Martin in 2001. After approximately 18 years of marriage, Shatner filed for divorce in 2019. Their divorce settlement was reached in 2020. Following this, based on the prenuptial agreement decided on between the two Shatner had to pay Martin 2 million dollars.

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William Shatner goes to space

In an ironic turn of events William Shatner, star of Star Trek V, on October 13, 2021, got on board Blue Origins, a space shuttle owned by Jeff Bezos. Three other passengers accompanied him on the journey. The same day, he became the oldest person to travel to space. Shatner was 90 years old at the time.

A year later, Shatner released a memoir titled Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder in which he shed light on his conflicting experiences of traveling to space. He wrote:

"I love the mystery of the universe. I love all the questions that have come to us over thousands of years of exploration and hypotheses. Stars exploding years ago, their light travelling to us years later; black holes absorbing energy; satellites showing us entire galaxies in areas thought to be devoid of matter entirely … all of that has thrilled me for years.”

He also added:

"But when I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold … all I saw was death. I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness.”

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William Shatner's documentary You Can Call Me Bill premiered in theatres across the U.S. on March 20, 2024.