Why Star Trek's Gene Roddenberry Made William Shatner Apologize To Wil Wheaton

There was a time in the late 1980s and early 1990s when production on various "Star Trek" movies and the making of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" overlapped. Leonard Nimoy's film "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" was making mad bank in the summer of 1986, right when Gene Roddenberry was heavily developing "Next Generation," a series that debuted in 1987. Principal photography on William Shatner's "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" similarly began in October 1988, right about when filming started up on the second season of "Next Generation."

Both the film and the TV series were being shot on the Paramount lot, and a wistful Trekkie may be able to picture the bustling period in late 1988 when the original "Star Trek" cast and the cast of "Next Generation" could have potentially bumped into one another in the hallways. The production offices must have been full of energy, and actors from both eras of the "Star Trek" franchise must have been honored to finally shake hands for the first time.

The young Wil Wheaton, who was only 16 at the time, can recall 1988 quite well. Wheaton played Wesley Crusher on "Next Generation," but he was already an avowed Trekkie himself. He grew up watching the original "Star Trek" series and was thrilled to pieces that Shatner, et al, were going to be filming literally across the street from him. Wheaton wrote about the experience in detail in a 2021 entry on his long-running personal website, WilWheaton.net.

The entry goes into great detail about Wheaton's thrill over the possibility of meeting Shatner ... and the crushing humiliation the 16-year-old experienced when he actually did. It seems Shatner, in the middle of directing, flippantly dismissed Wheaton without paying him much regard or bothering to be polite.

The experience was devastating to Wheaton. Luckily, Roddenberry and the rest of the "Next Generation" cast heard about Shatner's behavior and had Wheaton's back 100%. Indeed, Roddenberry insisted that Shatner write a letter of apology.

Wheaton recalled the day with the utmost clarity, including how shy he felt. Wheaton, to reiterate, was only 16, and he wasn't yet bold enough to ask if he could meet Shatner. "Word got around our set that I was too chicken to introduce myself to the original series actors," he wrote. "It became something of a joke, and the crew began to give me some good-natured ribbing about my reluctance." Wheaton needn't have felt shy, as he was on the covers of many teen magazines and was enjoying a lot of acclaim for his performance in the 1986 film "Stand By Me."

Wheaton was in costume the day he met Shatner, wearing the gray jumpsuit that his character was outfitted with for "Next Generation" season 2. He noted that he had been outfitted with fake musculature for the show, which was something that he found kind of embarrassing; he didn't like that the series' costume designers had been instructed to cover up his naturally slim physique with a fake one. But when he saw Shatner across the street (Wheaton could quite literally see into the set of the troubled "Final Frontier"), he decided to gather up his courage and go introduce himself.

Nervous, Wheaton approached Shatner. A conversation was facilitated by a nearby crew member. Their exchange, as Wheaton transcribed it, was curt to say the least. Shatner began with:

"”So, you're the kid on that show?' My throat and mouth were dry, and my palms were sweating. My heart pounded in my ears, as I answered. 'Uh, yes, sir. My name's Wil.' He continued to look at me. I carefully wiped my hand on the hip of my spacesuit, and extended it. 'Nice to meet you,' I said. He didn't take my hand. 'What is that, your spacesuit?' He said, and made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a cough." 

It got worse.

Wheaton continued, stating that the space suit was something the show's costume designers were making him wear. Shatner seemed a little unsure as to what he was supposed to say to this young actor, so he elected to say very little. As Wheaton recalled, though, he was so nervous at that moment that Shatner asked him a question, and he didn't really hear it. The rest of the conversation ran thus:

"'Well?' He asked.Oh no. He'd asked me a question, and I'd missed it. 'Excuse me?' I replied. 'I said, what do you do over there?' he asked. There was a challenge in his voice. 'Oh, uh, well, I'm an acting ensign, and I sometimes pilot the ship.' Maybe he'd be impressed that I'd already logged several hours at the helm of the Enterprise D, all before the age of 16. 'Well, I'd never let a kid come onto my bridge,' he said, and walked away."

When Wheaton returned to the "Next Generation" set, everyone had already heard what had happened. The makeup artist said that Shatner was a jerk and not to worry about it. Wheaton's co-star, Brent Spiner, had also heard and reminded Wheaton that Shatner wears a toupee. The tension was starting to dissipate. Then Wheaton was asked to call Roddenberry's office. Shockingly, the news had already made its way to the head honcho ... and Roddenberry was also appalled. He reassured Wheaton that "Bill Shatner is an ass." That was a shocking thing, Wheaton felt, for Roddenberry to say.

The following day, Wheaton received a typed letter in his trailer "From the Office of William Shatner." It seemed that Roddenberry had called Shatner the previous day and demanded a written apology for his behavior. The note read: "Dear Wil, You are a fine young actor, and I would be honored to have you on my bridge any day. Sincerely yours, Bill."

When Roddenberry called to make sure Wheaton got the note, it was confirmed. The Great Bird had stuck up for Wheaton.

He was astonished.