For folks of a certain age, say the words “Star Trek” and two figures spring to mind: William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, Kirk and Spock. For the 60′s generation, Star Trek was something of a revelation. Among other things, it portrayed a world of racial equality [relatively, since white faces still prevailed] and featured network television’s first interracial kiss. It was also a world where earthly political divisions had vanished and there was no hint of great disparities in wealth or privilege.
Yeah, in retrospect, a lot of what we saw was a projection of our own hopes, often exceeding what was actually happening on screen. But the show still represented a hopeful break with the past [as did the Smothers Brother’s Comedy Hour, which aired during the same timespan].
So I was delighted when Metafilter linked to this charming bit of banter between Shatner and Nimony, videotaped during one of those Trekker conclaves years ago. The pair may have missed their calling, since they make the perfect bromantic comedy duo.
