The Truth About Carrie Fisher's Feud With William Shatner
Carrie Fisher and William Shatner are both legends of space. The actors rose to prominence thanks to their participation in two of the most popular sci-fi franchises of all time, "Star Wars" and "Star Trek." Fisher played the role of Princess Leia in the galaxy far, far away, while Shatner starred as James Kirk, or Captain Kirk, in the "Star Trek" cinematic universe.
Considering how both of these franchises operate in space, there always has been some sort of rivalry between the fans. "Star Trek" fans think it's better because the story is realistic and relatable, while "Star Wars" fans believe that it's far superior because it has more interesting and complex characters and storylines than the former, as noted by a fan on Quora.
The rivalry between the two camps will likely persist until the end of time. Even the actors in these movies weigh in on the matter, but no one is more vocal than Fisher and Shatner. At one point in the space-time continuum, the actors had a friendly banter as to which media franchise is better. This is what they had to say.
Carrie Fisher and William Shatner once joined the Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate
Actors seem to usually brush off any banter regarding which movie or show they have starred in is better than the last or better than another actor's work. But in the case of Carrie Fisher and William Shatner, they both joined in on the fun. It all started when Shatner shared a video of his thoughts on the competing franchise in 2011 — and he made it clear that he wasn't a fan of "Star Wars" at all.
"'Star Trek' had relationships and conflict among the relationships and stories that involved humanity and philosophical questions," he said. "'Star Wars' is derivative of 'Star Trek.'" But the actor did admit that "Star Wars" is better in terms of one factor only: special effects. However, he explained he sees a "resurgence" of "Star Trek" (there have been three movies released since 2009, per Screen Rant) with better special effects. "'Star Wars' has nothing to stand on," he said.
It didn't stop there. Shatner also took a jab at the beauty of the actors in the series, which was a seemingly pretty low blow. "Princess Leia, as beautiful as she was, and as wonderful an actress as she is, can't compare to the marvelous heroines we had on 'Star Trek,'" Shatner added. "['Star Trek' girls] were prettier than the girls in 'Star Wars.'"
Carrie Fisher and William Shatner's feud was all just friendly banter
If there's one thing to know about Carrie Fisher, it's that she was incredibly feisty. When she got wind of the news that William Shatner chimed in on the "Star Wars" vs. "Star Trek" debate, she didn't hesitate to give her two cents.
"They're not in the same league," Fisher said in a video posted to YouTube in 2011. "I mean, they have the word 'star' in the title, and there's space travel, right? Where did they go to? Klingon? It just sounds like a laundry detergent." She also made fun of the competing franchise's apparent lack of special effects and subpar merchandise. "There are no sunsets in Star Trek. They couldn't afford it in their budget ... Our merchandise is so better." And to put a nail in the coffin, Princess Leia made one mic drop-worthy statement. "My space buns — they're so much better than [Leonard] Nimoy's ears."
Of course, this is all just friendly banter, and both actors were actually good friends in real life. When Fisher died in 2016, Shatner was one of the first people to rally for her to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "Hey @starwars is it true that @carrieffisher does not have a star on the walk of fame?" he said on his Twitter page. "If it is what are we going to do about it?"