'Star Trek' Creator's Family Says William Shatner's 'Saturday Night Live' Skit Was 'Disrespectful'

The family of Star Trek‘s beloved creator Gene Roddenberry is speaking out.

Rod, Gene‘s son, spoke to THR about the show’s 55th anniversary, and also addressed William Shatner‘s 1986 SNL appearance poking fun at the franchise.
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In the sketch, William appears at a sci-fi convention, in which he yells at fans: “Get a life, will you, people? For crying out loud, it’s just a TV show. I mean, look at you. Look at the way you’re dressed. You’ve turned an enjoyable little job I did as a lark for a few years into a colossal waste of time.”

Rod spoke about that skit in the interview.

“I never really appreciated that skit because I think it was demeaning to the fans. I think it was disrespectful, especially for a character who was an open-minded, intelligent leader,” he said.

“But I don’t condemn it in any way. It’s Saturday Night Live, and it’s all fun,” he added.

Rod also said he wasn’t sure what his father thought about the sketch, as he died in 1991 when Rod was only 17.

“I was a young, immature kid who did not have those kinds of conversations with him,” he revealed, but pointed out that his dad “went through a lot of struggles with Star Trek” and he liked seeing fans at conventions.

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