snl star trek episode

• Cast & crew

William Shatner/Lone Justice

• Episode aired Dec 20, 1986

William Shatner hosts this episode, and Lone Justice and Buster Poindexter are musical guests. The cold opener is a parody of "The Green Berets" involving former Colonel Oliver North(Shatner... Read all William Shatner hosts this episode, and Lone Justice and Buster Poindexter are musical guests. The cold opener is a parody of "The Green Berets" involving former Colonel Oliver North(Shatner). William Shatner's "infamous" monologue involves his first attendance at a recent Star T... Read all William Shatner hosts this episode, and Lone Justice and Buster Poindexter are musical guests. The cold opener is a parody of "The Green Berets" involving former Colonel Oliver North(Shatner). William Shatner's "infamous" monologue involves his first attendance at a recent Star Trek convention, where he tells Trekkies to get a life. Liz Sweeney (Nora Dunn) sings a med... Read all

• Paul Miller
• Andy Breckman
• A. Whitney Brown
• E. Jean Carroll
• Dana Carvey
• Phil Hartman
• 4 Critic reviews

• Trek Convention Announcer …

• Weekend Update Anchor …
• Themselves - Musical Guest

• Self - Bandleader

• Buster Poindexter
• (as Buster Poindexter)

• Self - Host …

• Self - Announcer
• Self - Lone Justice Keyboardist
• (uncredited)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia William Shatner used his famous line from the Star Trek convention sketch, "Get a Life!", as the title for his memoir.

William Shatner : [at a Star Trek convention] You know, before I answer any more questions there's something I wanted to say. Having received all your letters over the years, and I've spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled... y'know... hundreds of miles to be here, I'd just like to say... get a life, will you people? I mean, 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, that I did as a lark for a few years, into a colossal waste of time! I - I mean, how old are you people? What have you done with yourselves?

[pointing to a man wearing Spock ears]

William Shatner : You, you must be almost 30. Have you ever kissed a girl?

[the man hangs his head in shame]

William Shatner : I didn't think so. There's a whole world out there. When I was your age, I didn't watch television, I lived. So move out of your parents' basements, and get your own apartments, and grow the hell up! I mean it's just a TV show, damn it. It's just a TV show!

Charlie : Are - are you saying then we should pay more attention to the movies?

William Shatner : No! That's not what I'm saying at all! Hey, you guys are the lamest bunch of - I've never seen - I can't believe these people - I mean, I really can't understand what's...

[Shatner walks off stage and argues with the emcee. They start to shove each other]

Second Emcee : Uh... that was William Shatner, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, I'd like to remind you Trekkers that we have some fine refreshments from all over the galaxy... Coke, Diet Coke, Bubble Up, Orange, I believe. We...

William Shatner : [the emcee waves the contract in front of Shatner who comes back on stage]

William Shatner : Of course that speech was a recreation of the Evil Captain Kirk from episode - um -

[emcee whispers]

William Shatner : 37. Uh... the name -

[emcee whispers again]

William Shatner : "The Enemy Within".

[the crowd applauds]

William Shatner : Yeah, yeah, yeah. So thank you and - and Live long and prosperous. So everybody, set your phasers on stun 'cause this convention's ahead warp factor 9. Y'know? Right! All right. Warp factor 9.

• Connections Edited into Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary (1989)
• Soundtracks Ballad Of The Mute Marine Performed by Phil Hartman and choir

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• December 20, 1986 (United States)
• United States
• Official Site
• Studio 8H, NBC Studios - 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
• Broadway Video
• NBC Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 30 minutes

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William Shatner Defends 1986 “Get A Life” SNL Skit After Criticism From Rod Roddenberry

| September 6, 2021 | By: Anthony Pascale 90 comments so far

A late-night comedy skit William Shatner did 35 years ago is once again making news, with Shatner defending himself against criticism from the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

1986: Shatner, SNL and “Get a Life”

In December 1986—one month after the release of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home— William Shatner hosted an 8th season episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live . One of the skits, called “Star Trek Convention”—but more often known as the “Get a Life” skit—poked fun at fans at Star Trek conventions.  The skit (which you can see below) was written by SNL mainstay Robert Smigel with help on the nerdy details from SNL staff writers Jon Vitti and George Meyer. It featured Shatner becoming exasperated with the increasingly nitpicky fan questions until he disparaged the fans, saying (in part):

You know, before I answer any more questions there’s something I wanted to say. Having received all your letters over the years, and I’ve spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled… y’know… hundreds of miles to be here, I’d just like to say… GET A LIFE, will you people? I mean, 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, that I did as a lark for a few years, into a COLOSSAL WASTE OF TIME!

Robert Smigel had pitched the idea to Shatner directly; in 2018, Smigel told The Ringer Shatner was sold by the “Get a life!” tagline. “That’s what made him laugh,” he said.

While controversial for some fans at the time, it was embraced by many, who also appreciated the detailed understanding of the Trek lore it included (like references to Yeoman Janice Rand and Leslie Thompson and the episode “The Enemy Within”). Shatner himself acknowledged how he respected Star Trek fans. During his monologue for the show, he said, “I mean they’re truly incredible, and I hope they have a sense of humor about the show tonight, or I’m in deep trouble.”

William Shatner in Saturday Night Live ‘s “Get a Life” skit (NBC via Getty)

2021: Rod Roddenberry weighs in

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote the upcoming Star Trek Day, Rod Roddenberry took issue with the 1986 skit:

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.

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

On Sunday in response to a tweet from THR about the Roddenberry comments, Shatner responded with “Isn’t presentism just wonderful?” along with an eye-roll emoji.

Isn’t presentism just wonderful? 🙄 #getalife https://t.co/kX6tj5hP7I — William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) September 5, 2021

Shatner followed that up with some clarification, explaining how “presentism” applied today’s value system to moments in the past.

It’s presentism because it applies today’s value systems & beliefs about what is “bullying” & what is “disrespectful” to a time when those were not the values or opinions and nobody was really offended but the mindset people have is that it makes them look intelligent & caring.🤷🏼‍♂️ https://t.co/yIFT8IDGVe — William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) September 5, 2021

1999: Shatner reflects with “Get a Life!”… the book about fans

At the time of the sketch, Shatner actually wasn’t active on the Star Trek convention circuit. The actor had experienced tense moments with some fans; in 1968, one fan even tried to rip his shirt off as he came out of 30 Rockefeller Center. But after appearing at a number of conventions in the 90s, the actor became more fascinated with Trek fandom, leading to his 1999 book Get a Life!

In the book, Shatner explains how he learned he had fans all wrong:

Who were these people? Were they sane? Were they sober? Did they really need to ‘get a life’? To be brutally, humiliatingly honest, that now-infamous ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch was for me, at that time, equal parts comedy and catharsis. I was oblivious to the facts. I bought into the ‘Trekkie’ stereotypes. In a nutshell, I was a dope.

However, in the same book, Shatner says that in 1986, he trusted that fans would not be offended by the SNL skit because it was “SO exaggerated and SO stupid and SO cartoonish.” And he was relieved to learn how Gene Roddenberry reacted to it:

In the weeks to come I do get some criticism for that sketch, but far more praise, from fans, castmates, even Gene Roddenberry, which surprises me. No one was ever more protective of Star Trek’s fans than Gene, and I really expected he might take me to task.

Shatner’s SNL episode came as Gene Roddenberry was developing the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Shatner’s  Get A Life! book includes a passage from Richard Arnold retelling how Roddenberry, along with D.C. Fontana, David Gerrold, and Bob Justman, all watched a tape of the sketch together the following Monday. According to Arnold, “We were all in stitches, and no one was laughing harder than Gene.”

A decade after the book, Shatner followed up with the documentary William Shatner’s Get a Life! which also explored the world of Star Trek fandom. In the video below from Comic-Con 2012, Bill talked to The Hollywood Reporter about how that one sketch spawned the book and then the documentary.

After 35 years, people are still talking about this SNL sketch. As Smigel told The Ringer, it “may be the most resonant sketch I ever wrote there.”

Watch the skit

Find more stories about Star Trek history at TrekMovie.com .

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At the very least… I learned a new word today. Thanks, Bill!

Well, nice to see the people who actually came with and wrote it got a pass.

Maybe I should’ve listened to him..

This particular skit could just as easily be done today using a group of a few ridiculously-dressed, enthusiastic Star Wars fans or Marvel fans with one of the actual actors from those franchises, and it would still get the same reaction from me….a bellylaugh overall.

I’ve no issue with Bill agreeing to doing it then, just as I’d have no issue if he’d just done it yesterday. I’d have been more impressed if Bill had actually written the entire thing himself, but he certainly performed it with gusto.

I couldn’t agree more!

It’s no secret William Shatner doesn’t like Star Trek and doesn’t really know anything about it beyond what he needed to know. He’s an actor, he doesn’t need to be a fan. I find that skit funny and I have no doubt there is a truth to it for him.

“It’s no secret William Shatner doesn’t like Star Trek and doesn’t really know anything about it beyond what he needed to know.”

I don’t for a second believe he writes those books that display his name as the author.

“It’s demeaning and disrespectful … but I don’t condemn it in any way and it’s all fun .” These would be categorized as contradictory nonsense statements that are perhaps better left ignored. Also, Robert Smigel is a great American.

Yes, he actually IS condemning it but just to save his own a$$ he tempers it by saying it’s just fun. That way he covers all the bases. He gets to have people talk about him. Complete BS.

I don’t know, it’s nowhere near as demeaning and disrespectful to the fans as the garbage that’s been churned out by Paramount/CBS since 2009

“the fans”. Ignoring all the fans that liked Star Trek 09? Fans that like the new streaming series? Or are they not real fans? If anything, that’s demeaning and disrespectful. Please don’t gatekeep.

Cool Story bro

As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I never had an issue with this skit. It was funny. I have never heard of anybody having an issue with it. Until now.

Well, I didn’t know it was a “skit”… I have taken it as an actual honest comment up until today. And that “misunderstanding” certainly induced a very strong rebellion against that attitude and incresed the intensity of my fanaticism :-) Ironic, isn’t it. The very skit that made me was just that… a joke. But I am utterly grateful for that misunderstanding. I stand by my decisions concerning Trek.

This is truly a deep dive from Shatner. I thought I was the only person reading up weird academic papers on “presentism” — Presentism is  the doctrine that only the present is real . … A presentist thinks that everything is present; more generally, that, necessarily, it is always true that everything is (then) present. Presentism is the temporal analogue of the modal doctrine of actualism, according to which everything is actual.

Another meaning of presentism is closer to what Shatner means: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presentism_(literary_and_historical_analysis)

It’s a pertinent point he’s making and elevates the conversation a little. Shatner surprises me sometimes. I never took the skit personally. There are aspects of fandom that I roll my eyes at as well. In any event, he’s a stalwart presence at many conventions and was very kind to me when I got his autograph. It’s not like he really NEEDS to go to these things.

He doesn’t need to go, but I am sure he doesn’t go for his love of the fans.

Sounds like a good concept for a Star Trek story.

“Presentism is  the doctrine that only the present is real .”

Wow, that concept seems to be deeply flawed on many levels. First of all, the present doesn’t even exist. Each and every future moment becomes past in an inconcievable instant. And that very brief moment defies us entirely. Unless you are a trained Jedi :-)

Second, even if you apply a broader sense of “present”: Nothing that is would be if it hadn’t been born by the past. And nothing that is would have any sort of purpose if it didn’t have a future. The present would be utterly pointless.

That is not to say that I cannot accept a certain level of abrogation, for example regarding the retconning of Trek canon or values (e.g. female captains) for giving leeway to creative purposes…

I don’t see why Roddenberry even needed to dredge up a 10 minute comedy sketch from 35 years ago for a fluff piece; it came across as a half hearted attempt to manufacture a little artificial conflict for the sake of attention and I think even he realized it as he was saying it, thus his walk back.

As to the sketch itself, I though it was funny back then and still think it’s funny today. Having attended a few conventions back in the early 1980s, it was also more accurate than some fans may want to admit.

To be honest, I found Denise Crosby’s Trekkies documentaries to be more demeaning, with their long looks at the more outlandish corners of fandom like a bunch of people dressed as Klingons eating at a McDonalds. Now that was eye rollingly cringeworthy.

@ TonyD – I have a sudden hankering to rewatch ‘Galaxy Quest’ all over again now.

It was The Hollywood Reporter which “dredged up” the sketch, not Roddenberry. Did you even bother to *read* the article, homeboy?

And Roddenberry could have easily taken the high road, said that it was 35 years ago, that it was all for laughs and moved on. He didn’t quite do that, now did he. He dredged up tired old arguments about how it was disrespectful, etc., then said inexplicably said it was all good. Talk about a clueless, mealy moused answer to an equally shallow question. Of course, I guess I should expect as much from someone whose only claim to fame is having a recognizable last name and only accomplishment is riding on and profiting from the coattails of others.

Happy, homeboy?

What’s great about that sketch is that it’s still funny today as it was back in ’86. I been seeing this article show up on my feed (gee, wonder why) and I never clicked on it once. Since it made it to TM, I finally did and its much ado about nothing. It’s totally fine for Rod Roddenberry to feel that way but I think most fans enjoyed the joke. And I wasn’t a even a teenager at the time but still a very big fan of Trek then and I thought it was funny. Of course I had no idea 35 years later I would STILL be a fan (I was also a big fan of Knight Rider and The A-team that year too ;)) and here we are! And like Star Trek, SNL is just a TV show too that’s famous for poking fun at everything and yes maybe had a (small) point. And it was really funny.

Oh thanks Tiger2, now I can’t get the A-Team’s theme out of my head!

Sorry about this, but I couldn’t help it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdyYvwcybzg

Yeah the skit, like SNL overall in the 1970s and 80s, was fun to watch and generally harmless. That said, I think Shatner at the time was totally on board with the theme of the skit and it probably also reflected his personal character and opinion of Star Trek and the fans (as I noted in my comments below).

All respect to Rod, but the sketch was funny, and the satire spot-on. It stung because it was true, and still is true.

Look at any long discussion thread about the franchise, especially the newest shows in the franchise, and you will see many people who do, indeed, need to “get a life.”

Humor about Star Trek, In Star Trek, about the stars of Star Trek and the fans of Star trek has always been part of Star Trek. Rod “Needs to Get a Life”

I like Rod just fine. He seems to be a thoughtful, well-intentioned person who cares about Star Trek and his father’s legacy. From what I can tell though, he’s never had to work a day in his life. So I don’t find his criticism of those that are actually in the arena to be particularly credible and am not interested in his opinion.

“From what I can tell though, he’s never had to work a day in his life.”

Unfortuantely, money is the only thing that still keeps me attached to that sort of normality. But I really, really hope that the Solana-Class Starship Etherprice will soon free me from those obligations :-) Bitcoin to the Moon and Cardano to Cardasssia!

We’re shipmates 😀. Sadly the USS Bitcoin struck a quantum filament today. 🥲

Well I mean, MOST rich people don’t have to work a day in their life, but to give them credit most do anyway (if only to make MORE money lol). He has definitely worked, but yes most of it has been around his father’s endeavors. But hey, no different than the Trump kids and people still listen to their opinion too. ;)

actually his dad made him work on TNG as a intern when he was a kid. he never appreciated it until later, a job many would have killed to do.

Working for Star Trek isn’t work! That I would pay money for… I’m talking about your average 9to5 job. And that is still in my way of becoming a full-time geek :-)

Anyway, I hope that’ll have been dealt with around Christmas… But honestly, I shouldn’t post this. The crypto market took a significant dip after my last post. It’s obviously bad karma…

I feel the same about the need to dig up that sketch. Seems like trend-bait. From a very pessimistic perspective – pretensim could be what Rod is doing as an exec for all the new live action shows and how far afield from the original vision they have gone Talk about cashing in on a legacy that until recently he had wanted nothing to do with. The Mission Log podcast is greatness so all due credit there, but even the premise at the time it started was that Rod had no real idea of what the point or meaning of Star Trek was.

This is so interesting on many many levels.

First of all, I didn’t even know this comment back in 1986 was a scripted, exaggerated sketch. I always thought of it as an honest, spontaneous remark.

Second, my lifelong rebellion against that sort of attitude expressed back then, stands tall. Trek is – like any other movie (franchise), literature, architecture etc – a piece of art, one that outlives its creator(s) and persists even beyond my own life. I consider such persistance of vision as superior to the frail and fragile nature of reality… Unfortunately, Nimoy is dead. But Spock lives on forever…

Third, it is isn’t “just” a TV show. It is a TV show and therefore exists, as a TV show. There is no place for “just” in that sentence. For me, sci fi and fanatsy franchises are “my life”.. and Trek is my home soil. I know the content isn’t real, there is no Federation, no Enterprise, no Warp Drive… Doesn’t have to be… because the bridge designs are real, the uniforms, the colors, the musical scores, the SFX, the box office numbers…

Being a “Homo Aspergensis” I can fully immerse in such minute details. The audio-visual tapestry, the music, the money numbers…even a plain and simple list of episodes! And all of that is real… The history of that fiction, that piece of art transcends reality just like Shakespeare, DaVinci or Homer… It will prevail. I cannot understand how any of this can be deemed a “colossal waste of time”…

There are people risking their lives in extreme sports, others live in the woods to be one with nature… I cherish Star Trek trailers, soundtracks, ship models. So what?

To my knowledge, SNL has always discouraged ad-libbing in their sketches, so there was little chance it could’ve ever been spontaneous. Especially when, you know, it’s the punchline.

Oh, and no offense intended, but you might want to lighten up just a little about this stuff. Laughing at the things you enjoy is another level of enjoyment, after all.

What was it Picard said about the space Irish, “Sometimes you have to bow to the absurd.” Something like that. And Star Trek and its fandom has plenty of the absurd.

Really like what you wrote here. Let’s put this another way. Imagine that Zuckerberg participates in a sketch and make comments about how stupid people using FB are. It might be funny (and true), yet it would be disrespectful to his “customers”. Same for Tim Cook participating in a sketch and saying that Apple users are mostly dumb and snob rich people. Again may be funny to some, but very disrespectful. The point here is that the message came not from SNL, but from Shatner, who AFAIK makes a living from ST and its fans. So I agree with Roddenberry. But then, I have stopped admiring Shatner a long time ago. I don’t have to like the actor just because I like the character.

It was all the self-admitted comedy bully writer Robert Smigel’s sentiments. Shatner might have thought the phrase funny, but, according to Seth Myers in an SNL anniversary special, one of the funniest tales told by SNL writers of the era was Shatner was unfamiliar with the US colloquialism and had no idea how to say it properly, so he tried various sorts of dramatic readings of it that had them rolling in the aisles, until Smigel put him out of his misery, showing him how to say it.

He was 100% right. I just have to read some of the essays in the comments section here to feel the same way !

The skit is hilarious, as much today as then. ( Lower Decks shows it has a point.) Galaxy Quest parodied the rabid fans as well.

I have no issue with the skit. I have no issue with Roddenberry having (or not having) an issue with the skit. I have no issue with Shatner having an issue with Roddenberry having an issue with the skit.

Move the f–k on.

Bryant, that’s what I say when I see people crying over silly stuff. “Got an issue? Here’s a tissue!”

I think in the skit there was kind of a nod to the idea of realism vs fantasy and my personal belief is that if you are a science-fiction fan of any kind then yes, some of these fantastic concepts may seem real to you especially if you have a good imagination and there is nothing wrong with this. I don’t think it is a waste of time if you want to spend your time immersed in everything Star Trek. I believe that not everything in life should be based on work or earning money, if being an intense Trek fan makes that person happy, so be it. That is a freedom people should have.

It’s not even that. It isn’t about real world vs fantasy at all for me. The contents of genre shows are ficticious for sure but the shows and movies AREN’T. I do not believe there are Klingons out there or there will ever be a Starship Enterprise going to Warp 9. And even the tech that has exceeded Trek’s predictions doesn’t interest me that much. I haven’t even got a smartphone…

I KNOW it’s a TV and movie franchise and that very fact makes it more accessible to me than reality. In reality people you love die. In reality girls and women have always been far beyond reach. In reality you become old and eventually die. How is that reality preferable to something you can revisit time and again as long as you live?

For almost 30 years I’ve been watching Trek. Not just the movies and TV eps… The actual show is sth. special. But I listen to scores every day, I watch trailers on a regular basis, I love looking at stats or episode lists, collecting ship models, comparing bridge designs and more recently watch Trek-related stuff on YouTube…

All of that matters BECAUSE it is a TV show. If that was reality I’d be scared to death… I don’t want any Klingons or Borg in reality. I even don’t want to upgrade to Trek-like tech. It is the self-contained TV and movie franchise that matters… all its designs, sounds, shapes, actors, music, ep titles, YouTube content and trailers…

None of that stuff is any less real than cars, food or sports… It is part of reality. TOS having 3 seasons and 79 episodes… that IS reality… the contents, stories aren’t but that’s true for every book, every play, every movie ever written unless it’s a historical documentary.

I’m a collector and I’m an Asperger who dwells in numbers, title lists, designs, colors, collector’s items, names and music. I live in my own world and that world is utterly different. I do not perceive time the way you do. I’ve always been here.

Back in 1986, Shatner asked that poor guy if he had ever kissed a girl. Well, I haven’t and I certainly don’t want to. I’m supersensitive, you cannot even touch me without tickling me to death. I cannot connect to people the way you do. I cannot compromise, I cannot share my life with others on an everyday basis. It’s impossible for me to “get a life”…

Yeah, I had to move out of my parent’s “basement” when they died recently. I have my own apartment, Mr Shatner. But still I have been and always shall be a geek, Trekkie, nerd… I am what I am… And I won’t apologize for that…

Rod Roddenberry takes issue with a harmless skit but continues to help Kurtzman destroy his father’s creation as long as he keeps getting paid lol.

Rod only cares about money. The fact that without Shatner the series may not have ever got to where it was.

Because we know that Shatner has been involved with ST for all those years because of his love for the fans….

“Presentism,” Bill? How about “revisionist history”? That skit didupset a lot of fans at the time, but it’s fun to see your ego rewrite the past as if being upset by it was some new phenomenon based on today’s value system. This guy never ceases to prove what an egotistical blowhard he is.

All that said, I never was upset with the sketch, and found it amusing. I can understand how people might not have appreciated their fandom hero mocking them, though. Roddenberry was right that it WAS disrespectful of the fans.

Contrary to Bill though, I actually think this is a case of reverse presentism (pastism?)– a sketch like that would probably play better today. Self deprecating humor, humor that mocks its own audience, is something we see a lot of these days, especially as genre fandom has grown far beyond the small niche, geeky circles.

I watched it when it aired live with a bunch of friends who were huge fans then and are still huge fans now. We all thought it was hysterical. It upset some fans, it didn’t upset the overwhelmingly majority of them. Those who were upset by the skit weren’t in on the joke but became a part of it.

That’s not revisionist history. That’s just the way it was.

Those were the days! When people could still say what they meant and make fun of people, without being canceled or some other BS.

Shatner makes some valid points and I might even agree with him to a very limited extent.

That said, the skit and his recent comments probably also give us some insight into his personal character and the limited way he views the world and the people around us. It is no surprise that none of his TOS co-stars seemed to consider Shatner as a close personal life-long friend.

It is also not a huge surprise that producers and directors have never gone to Shatner to work on anything significant in the Star Trek universe since Generations. Meanwhile Doohan and Takei were both in Berman Trek shows along with Nimoy who was also in the JJ movies. Nimoy seemed to be well respected and genuinely reverred by almost everyone he ever worked with on Trek, I was especially impressed by actors who had limited exposure to Nimoy, like Kim Catrall who is more known for her role in Sex in the City, had nothing but insightful and glowing comments about Nimoy, following his passing.

I am not sure how much of this is true, but supposedly Patrick Stewart took Shatner aside one day. He apparently recommended that he learn to embrace the fact that the TOS show and movies were so reverred by so many people and that is why he eventually started to do conventions and other fan events.

Why did Nimoy decide to do the reboot movies. He walked away from playing Spock in Generations, even refused to direct it. Everyone assumed he was done with the character after Unification.

Shatner was doing conventions well before Patrick Stewart was even cast.

But he had *stopped* doing them (for a long time). Did you read the article, homeboy?

This is such a non-issue on every level. Rod wasn’t even criticizing him, and Shatner did nothing wrong. The villain here is The Hollywood Reporter for trying to turn people against each other.

You’d think Shatner would be smart enough not to take the bait.

Because let’s be honest: this skit DID spur a lot of anger from fans at the time, but similar bits done in the years since–such as when he appeared in Futurama, in an episode that similarly mocked the geekiness of Trekkies–have been beloved by fans. Big Bang Theory spent a decade mocking comics fans, Trekkies, and the like, and it too has become a favorite of those same fans.

This is definitely NOT a case of “presentism” as he seems to think. If anything, attitudes towards this kind of humor have softened over the years and become less offensive.

I watched it as it aired. I wasn’t offended. I suspect Rod said it to get some clicks and a response out of Shatner.

In a way, they are both sons of the same man, yet not brothers at all.

In all likelihood, mission accomplished.

And yet a lot of people WERE offended at the time, even if you weren’t among them. I do recall it riled up some of the Trek fandom back then, even if they were a vocal minority. To say otherwise is simply disingenuous.

I watched it as it aired as well. When Shatner pointed and Lovitz, asked him if ever kissed a girl, and Lovitz drops his head in shame, I howled with laughter. It was funny then, it’s funny now.

When Bill did originally, we had a different era of Trek and Bill then. However, it was very funny and in no way was it offensive to me as a Trekker. Bill has a great sense of humor and it showed here when he did this. Its true that fans know more about the episodes of (insert Trek series here) than the actors do. Over the years my wife have spoken to a few of actors at the conventions and cruises and they are all amazed at our knowledge. Of course it comes from watching the TV shows and movies over and over again. The actors only see/remember what they shot and few, if any, actually watch the entire episode to gain any knowledge. I had to laugh at the skit photo showing the table of trek collectables… we have that same waste basket. Even a few of the Mego action figures.

Loved that skit when I saw it for the first time in 1986 and still love it now. Great humor.

Hey, Rod…….get a life.

As enjoyable as the Get a Life skit was, the funniest skit in that episode was the long lost alternate ending to It’s A Wonderful Life…

Is that skit online anywhere?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw89o0afb2A

Warp factor 9!!

Trekkies really need a sense of humor.

That’s a tall order.

What does Rod Roddenberry actually Do?

He’s a producer.

That title can mean a bit less than it seems.

He’s an executive producer. Typically that involves handling the business end of a production and not being involved in any creative decisions.

In Roddenberry’s case, it probably means lending his name to the credits of the shows in some shallow attempt to make people think a person from the Roddenberry lineage is still actively involved and then just getting out of the way.

Great to see this story, as it will increase the value of my mint copy of the 45 rpm single of “He’s Dead, Jim” by DeForest Kelley.

The skit is hilarious. Being able to laugh at yourself is something allot more people need to learn now more than ever.

More than ever? I rather quote Kästner again:

„Was auch immer geschieht: Nie dürft ihr so tief sinken, von dem Kakao, durch den man euch zieht, auch noch zu trinken.“

It’s a story guys, you know, fiction? No matter how enjoyable. But it’s not real life!

It was funny then and it’s funny now. People need to lighten up.

Back in ’86 the sketch hit hard, but it’s still pretty funny. Nothing more than Big Bang Theory did every week with “nerds” and sci-fi fans. Have to take issue with the article contending Shatner wasn’t active on the convention circuit — does this refer to that week, month? He did many conventions during the seventies and eighties. He may have slowed down after the success of STIV and the demands of TJ Hooker, though. Also, I wasn’t sure about his feelings for the series, but the Cushman book relates a story concerning the last episode- Turnabout Intruder. The director wanted Shatner to exit the briefing room in a direction suggesting a nonexistent door. Shatner protested there would be complaints because fans knew the ship too well. That and the story about his refusing to use a metal plated Vietnam era walkie talkie as a communicator in STII suggest he did care about the show — as if his high energy performance wasn’t enough.

The only thing that really bothered me about the sketch was the way they referred to the episodes by number. How inaccurate! >;>}

At the time the skit came out, I was 19, in college and had a large group of Star Trek fans at the school; been a fan since first run syndication days for TOS. I can tell you that none of my friends were offended, we all found it funny. Don’t know anyone back then or since that didn’t. Back then we knew how to poke fun at and laugh at ourselves without getting bent out of shape about stuff.

As Rod is at least partially in charge now, getting into a fight with him is *not* a good idea if Shatner wants to be in the next movie…

I’ve seen the sketch before, but I’d forgotten that Shatner was already raising horses in 1986. Four movies must really have turned his fortunes around.

I actually enjoyed the skit quite a bit. The only thing that really bugged me was having the fans use episode numbers. I have never used an episode number and I don’t know anyone who has ever used episode numbers. But that’s just a nitpick. The sketch Was a good sketch from a time when SNL could be funny from time to time. Unlike the last few years were SNL it’s just been complete garbage.

• Cast (current)
• Commercials
• Impressions

December 20, 1986 #8

Sketch star trek v: the restaurant enterprise.

Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live , or SNL for short, is an American late-night television comedy show featuring various comedy sketches, involving both a regular cast and celebrity guests.

SNL has parodied Star Trek many times over the years in addition to appearances by many Trek actors. Since its beginning in October 1975, SNL is produced for, and airs on NBC , the network that had been the original broadcaster of Star Trek: The Original Series .

• 1.1 "The Last Voyage of the Enterprise "
• 1.2 " Star Trek V: The Restaurant Enterprise "
• 1.3 "Get a Life!" sketch
• 1.4 Star Trek Democrats
• 1.5 " Love Boat: The Next Generation "
• 1.6 Rescue 911 spoof
• 1.7 Nerd Chatline
• 1.8 Quinto, Pine, and Nimoy on "Weekend Update"
• 1.9 Worf, M.D.
• 1.10 Star Trek : The Lost Episode
• 1.11 Starcharter Andromeda
• 1.12 Star Trek: Ego Quest
• 1.13 Other mentions
• 2 Star Trek and SNL connections
• 3 External link

Sketches [ ]

"the last voyage of the enterprise " [ ].

John Belushi gives the Vulcan salute

SNL first featured a Star Trek parody in 1976 entitled "The Last Voyage of the Enterprise ". It starred John Belushi as Captain Kirk, Chevy Chase as Spock, and Dan Aykroyd as Dr. McCoy and the voice of Montgomery Scott, with actress Doris Powell as Uhura and SNL set designer Akira Yoshimura in the first of several appearances on the show as Sulu. The premise of the skit finds the Enterprise being pursued through space by a 20th century automobile , "owned by a company that manufactured cookies" (a play on the fact that the full name of NBC – the network that airs SNL – is the National Broadcasting Company, whereas the "cookie company" in question is Nabisco , whose name is short for National BISCUIT Company). A passenger from the vehicle, NBC executive Herb Goodman (played by host Elliott Gould ), boards the Enterprise and informs the actors that Star Trek has been cancelled. Goodman has his assistant Curtis ( Garrett Morris ) and an NBC stage crew break down the set, while Spock (now out of character as Leonard Nimoy and hysterically bemoaning his lost job, as quoted below) frantically wandering the set looking for his ear tips that Goodman has pulled off. McCoy, Uhura, and Sulu (now also having broken character and speaking as DeForest Kelley , Nichelle Nichols , and George Takei ) leave the set despondently. Kirk, sitting in his chair on the now-disassembled bridge, makes one final log entry (quoted below).

• " Most peculiar, captain. I can only assume that they possess some sort of weapons deactivator, in which case I shall merely render him unconscious with my famous Vulcan nerve pinch. " - Chevy Chase (as Spock)
• " I don't believe it! God!!! Everybody I know loves the show when I see the show, huh? I have a contract! I have a contract! I want my... Where's my ears? I want my ears back! I want my ears back! " - Chevy Chase (as a breaking-character Leonard Nimoy)
• " I'm a doctor, not a tailor, dammit. " - Dan Aykroyd (as Dr. McCoy) [a parody of McCoy's famous phase " I'm a doctor, not a... "]
• " Captain's Log, final entry. We have tried to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. And except for one television network, we have found intelligent life everywhere in the galaxy. Live long and prosper... Promise! Captain James T. Kirk, SC 937-0176 CEC. " - John Belushi (as James T. Kirk ) [ NOTE: This is the above-mentioned final log entry depicted in the photo at right; it references Shatner's Promise margarine ads, which aired around the time the sketch was made. ]

" Star Trek V: The Restaurant Enterprise " [ ]

Another parody was aired on 20 December 1986 , when William Shatner hosted. The sketch, which posited what the plot of the fifth movie might be, finds The Enterprise bought out by the Marriott corporation and turned into a seafood restaurant. The crew is threatened when Khan Noonien Singh brings a health inspector to the restaurant, though Kirk resolves the situation by slipping the inspector a bribe. Shatner, of course, played Kirk, Kevin Nealon played Spock, Phil Hartman played McCoy, Victoria Jackson played Janice Rand (now a waitress instead of a yeoman ), and Dana Carvey played Khan and voiced Scott and Chekov. SNL cast members Nora Dunn and Jan Hooks played patrons, as did comedian Kevin Meaney, who played a choking victim who is saved by a "Vulcan Heimlich Pinch" delivered by Nealon's Spock.

Perhaps the most memorable exchange is this one, referring to Meaney's character:

Another memorable quote is as follows:

"Get a Life!" sketch [ ]

The most infamous Star Trek sketch was also featured during Shatner's 1986 appearance on the show. Not so much a parody, it featured Shatner as the guest of honor at a Star Trek convention. After being asked a barrage of trivial questions by the audience, Shatner finally berates them to "get a life!", telling them it was only a TV show. After finishing his rant (and being reminded of his contractual obligations by the convention manager) Shatner quickly explains the rant was a reenactment of the "evil" Captain Kirk from " The Enemy Within ".

The scene apparently caused some fans to believe these were his true feeling for Star Trek fans, though he has assured them it was only a sketch. The sketch did, however, inspire the title for his book Get a Life!

In the intro to this edition of SNL, Shatner quipped that he hopes the Trekkies out there have a sense of humor or " I'm in deep trouble! "

• See Get A Life!

Star Trek Democrats [ ]

The cold open of the 14 March 1992 episode did a combined parody of Trekkies and American Presidential campaigns, as the remaining Democratic candidates, former California governor Jerry Brown (Dana Carvey), former Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas ( Al Franken ), and William J. Clinton (Phil Hartman), visit a Star Tre convention, hoping to sway the audience (led by Chris Farley and Mike Myers ) to support them by telling them what great fans they are – but when told that Leonard Nimoy has endorsed Tsongas, Clinton breaks into a rage, screaming " He no better than Shatner!!! " and breaking the podium.

" Love Boat: The Next Generation " [ ]

Patrick Stewart and Rob Schneider

Yet another was done in 1994, when Patrick Stewart hosted, in a skit called "Love Boat: The Next Generation" (parodying both TNG and The Love Boat ). Essentially, it involved the USS Enterprise -D crew running the " Galaxy -class Cruiseship Pacific Princess". (The sketch involved a model of the Enterprise -D with a model cruise ship as part of the saucer section.) [1]

Stewart, of course, played Captain Picard . Chris Farley played Riker , Rob Schneider played Data , Phil Hartman played Worf , Tim Meadows played Geordi La Forge (although he acts more like the character of Isaac from The Love Boat , with his catchphrase, "outta sight!" a double entendre towards La Forge's blindness ), Julia Sweeney was Deanna Troi , Ellen Cleghorne was Guinan (acting more like Whoopi Goldberg than the character), Melanie Hutsell was regular "Love Boat" guest star Charo , Al Franken was Tog the Ferengi (Charo's estranged boyfriend), Adam Sandler was David Brenner, and David Spade was Joan Rivers . Instead of Dr. Crusher, however, the sketch featured a cameo by actor Bernie Kopell , reprising his role as Dr. Adam Bricker from The Love Boat .

The show had also begun with a Trek spoof: Stewart's opening monologue had been a laughably inaccurate "tribute" to TOS. [2]

Rescue 911 spoof [ ]

Another semi-parody, also aired in 1994 involved a spoof of Rescue 911 which was hosted by William Shatner at the time. Michael McKean played Patrick Stewart, filling in for Shatner. Host Roseanne Barr played a 911 operator who keeps blowing off callers. The sketch also featured a brief appearance and the end of the sketch by Tim Meadows as Geordi La Forge.

Nerd Chatline [ ]

In a 2005 episode with guest host Paris Hilton , SNL featured a sketch spoofing erotic chatlines with an offer of "nerd chatlines" for fans of various franchises including Star Wars , Dungeons & Dragons , Lord of the Rings , Doctor Who , and Star Trek .

The Star Trek portion featured Maya Rudolph as Candy, with a " massage license from Rigel VII ", wanting " to go where no man has gone before ". Candy, dressed in a TOS operations division uniform, claimed that it was the time of the Vulcan mating season of pon farr and that she wanted to do something logical to the caller. She also stated that like the eel-bird of Regulus V she needed to find a mate or die. The caller, dressed in a TOS command division uniform, responded that he was "giving himself the Vulcan nerve pinch " and displayed the Vulcan salute .

Quinto, Pine, and Nimoy on "Weekend Update" [ ]

On the 9 May 2009 episode, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto appeared on the "Weekend Update" segment of SNL. They tried to explain that the new film fit flawlessly into Star Trek canon, though two Trekkies in the audience (one, played by Bobby Moynihan , wearing a red TOS-uniform shirt with commander 's stripes, the other a t-shirt with McCoy and Uhura and fake Vulcan ears) are clearly skeptical. Quinto, for instance, mentioned that the movie took the time to explain the origins of the Kolinahr ceremony as it is connected to the fascinating pon farr marriage ritual.

Finally, however, after Pine attempts to explain how the transporter uses the Heisenberg compensator , just as previous Trek transporters did, but is unable to pronounce "Heisenberg", they admitted they actually had no idea what they were talking about. They also mentioned having been harassed by angry fans and having received threats in a language they could not decipher – either Vulcan or Hebrew. Quinto mentioned having found decapitated action figures in his mailbox every morning, and Chris Pine complained about having received notes tied to rocks that were thrown at his windows, but only scratching them, not breaking them, since they didn't throw hard enough – all of which has resulted in death stares from the insulted Trekkies. Finally, they simply express hope that these fans will still come to see the movie.

In the background, a rather familiar voice assures the two that "they will come", and Leonard Nimoy appears – at which point the two previously angered Trekkies are visibly overcome with joy (combining Vulcan salutes with a rather un-Vulcan like display of emotion) – and states that in time Chris Pine will be accepted as equal to the original Kirk, while Zachary Quinto will be viewed as "slightly less" than equal to the original Spock, but "ultimately OK".

Nimoy attempts to assure Quinto that fans will like the movie because to not like it would not be "illogical" as host Seth Meyers suggests (having interrupted Nimoy, beaming at the idea of beating Spock himself to the logic-based punchline), but rather "would make them dickheads" – a sentiment that, coming from their hero, the Trekkies in the audience heartily accept. The appearance ends with Nimoy, Pine, and Meyers doing the Vulcan salute.

Worf, M.D. [ ]

On the 28 February 2015 episode, there is a skit featuring cast member Kenan Thompson as a doctor attempting to get closer to his wife – a Trekkie – by attending Star Trek conventions. He later goes straight from the convention to go and operate on a man while still dressed up as Lt. Worf . After various other off-color gags, he ends up causing the patient to go into cardiac arrest and die due to being unable to have the other doctors look at him with a straight face or without laughing at his ridiculous costume. It ends with NBC announcing a new show called " Worf M.D. "

The skit was subsequently followed by a card paying tribute to Leonard Nimoy, who had died the preceding day.

Star Trek : The Lost Episode [ ]

Kirk and Spocko

Broadcast 6 May 2017 , this sketch features host Chris Pine as Kirk (from TOS instead of the Kelvin timeline), and is presented as a documentary by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Kenan Thompson) on a missing TOS episode titled "Spock's Secret". It depicts the introduction of Bobby Moynihan's Spocko, Spock's stereotypical Italian-American half-brother who was fathered by Sarek with a Human hostess. Tyson closes out the sketch by remarking that at least it was better than Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . (As with the sketches listed above, Akira Yoshimura once again plays Sulu in the sketch, although for the first time, he is not wearing glasses.)

Starcharter Andromeda [ ]

Broadcast 10 April 2021 , this sketch (introduced as a " Star Trek prequel" airing on Paramount+ ) depicted two entitled "rich white kids" (played by guest host Carey Mulligan and Mikey Day ) who are more focused on their own interpersonal drama than the actual crisis onboard the "USS Andromeda ".

Star Trek: Ego Quest [ ]

Broadcast 2 October 2021 , this sketch mocked the recent billionaire space projects by depicting a trailer for a new Star Trek show called " Star Trek: Ego Quest " starring Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos (played by guest host Owen Wilson ) exploring the galaxy on his penis-shaped starship, the SS New Shepard and battling rival billionaires Elon Musk and Richard Branson .

Other mentions [ ]

On the 12 October 2013 episode, SNL spoofed both the film Gravity and the 2013 US government shutdown . In the skit, two astronauts lost in space contact NASA to find that the only remaining employees are two janitors . One of the janitors claims her son can help rescue the astronauts because he is always watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

In a November 2015 episode of SNL, the show presented fictional auditions for the upcoming Star Wars movie Episode VII: The Force Awakens , with an introduction by J.J. Abrams . One of those auditions featured cast member Leslie Jones , in Klingon makeup, reporting that the ship had entered the Neutral zone , although the shields were down to 12%. Jones was then informed her performance was Star Trek , while the audition was for Star Wars .

Star Trek and SNL connections [ ]

Roy Orbison and the Beastie Boys , whose music has been played by Trek characters, have also appeared on SNL.

Teri Hatcher , Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (once as "The Rock", four times as "Dwayne Johnson"), Kirsten Dunst , Winona Ryder (Dunst and Ryder hosted consecutive episodes), and Seth MacFarlane have also hosted.

External link [ ]

• Saturday Night Live at Wikipedia
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)

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SNL  spoofs Star Trek  with lost episode that introduces Spock's half-brother

With host Chris Pine as William Shatner's Captain Kirk

Chris Pine got back in the Star Trek saddle for a Saturday Night Live sketch in which astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (Kenan Thompson) unveiled a lost episode from the sci-fi series.

That episode shows Captain Kirk (Pine) and Spock (Kyle Mooney) enlisting engineering help from Spock’s half-brother named none other than Spocko (Bobby Moynihan). The role was played by actor and nightclub singer Sal Delabate, who was brought in as a ratings’ grab to attract a “far-out audience.”

Needless to say, with his brash nature, Delabate doesn’t exactly fit in with the group. But, when it became clear the episode would never air, he was left to his own devices during the shoot. “Live long and party,” he exclaims, then sets a dance party into motion to the tune of his song “Pizza Beach.”

Of note here beyond the laughs: SNL crew member Akira Yoshimura played Sulu in the sketch, reprising his role as the Star Trek character from the first time Saturday Night Live spoofed the show back in season 1 .

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SNL Transcripts Tonight

For Die Hard Saturday Night Live Fans

SNL Transcripts: William Shatner: 12/20/86: Star Trek V: The Restaurant Enterprise

Star Trek V: The Restaurant Enterprise

Captain Kirk…..William Shatner Mister Spock…..Kevin Nealon Doctor “Bones” McCoy…..Phil Hartman Mister Sulu…..Akira Yoshimura Khan and the Voice of Scottie…..Dana Carvey The Health Inspector…..Jon Lovitz Cranky Customer…..Nora Dunn Crewwoman/Waitress…..Victoria Jackson

Voiceover by Kirk : It has been six months since the Enterprise has been sold to Marriott Corporation as a revolving theme restaurant. It has been difficult for my crew but they have adjusted admirably.

Kirk : Gentlemen, what’s going on? I left specific instructions that the special today was to be flounder.

Spock : Captain, we ran out of the flouder two hours ago.

Kirk : Then what have you been serving?

Spock : Bluefish.

Kirk : Bluefish?

Spock : [Pause.] Humpback whale, Captain.

McCoy : It’s good fish Jim, really.

Crewwoman/Waitress : Captain, we’re having a problem with one of the customers over here. She’s complaining about her order.

Kirk : Don’t worry. I’ll care of it.

McCoy : JIM! BE CAREFUL!

Kirk : Good evening madam. I am the manager of this establishment. How can I help you?

Cranky Customer : I thought we were supposed to get fries with this.

Kirk : No ma’am, that’s a Klingon. You want a Romulan.

Cranky Customer : Well, you must have changed the name.

Crewwoman/Waitress : We didn’t change the name, ma’am…

Kirk : I’ll take care this for you. [Flips open his communicator.] Romulan with fries and…what would you like to drink, madam?

Cranky Customer : A Chocolate Scottie.

Kirk : And a ChocScot.

McCoy : [Dramatically.] That was a close one, Jim!

Kirk : McCoy! This man needs your assistance!

Kirk : Bones, can you take a look at this?

McCoy : [Whirring sound and he waves his medical device over the sandwich.] Jim! This sandwich is completely dry!

Kirk : [Aghast.] What happened to the Special Sauce? [Looks around.] Mister Sulu!

Sulu : Captain! It’s the condiments bar. There’s a problem with the Special Sauce. The dispenser is jammed. It will take days to repair.

Kirk : [Appears deep in thought for a moment.] Okay…here’s what I want you to do. Mix a little mustard together with a little relish.

Sulu : [Starts pumping the dispensers.] It’s working Captain!

Kirk : Keep at it, Mister Sulu…I want full relish!

Kirk : Mister Sulu, we’ve put on a bit of weight, haven’t we?

Sulu : [Hanging his head shamefully.] Yes, Captain.

Kirk : Don’t make me regret my policy of free food for the crew.

Kirk : [Flipping open his communicator.] Scottie, why have we stopped revolving?

Scottie : [Voice from offstage.] I doan’t knooow Cap’n, but she canna take much moooorrrrrrr…

Spock : Captain, my tricorder indicates that someone is coming this way.

Khan : Kiiiirrrrrkkkkk. I have waited for my revenge for twenty-five yeeeeaaaarrrsss.

Kirk : Khan!

Sulu : [Shrugs.] We all get older, Khan.

Kirk : Khan…stop it! You board my ship, you insult my crew. What is it you really want?

Khan : Ahhhhh, very well Kiiiiiirrrkkkk. I shall get to the heart of the matter.

Khan : This is the health inspector. Your establishment has many infractions. You have dirty silverware stored next to clean. No sneeeeezzzeeeguard on the saaaaalllaaad baaaaarr.

McCoy : He’s got us, Jim.

Kirk : Maybe, maybe not. Bones, Spock…do you have any money?

McCoy : A few dollars, Jim, but why?

Kirk : Just give it to me.

Health Inspector : [Glancing at the cash.] Well, seeing as this is your first offense and that you’re willing to rectify the situation, I don’t see why we can’t just let this one go.

Khan : Oooooohhhhhh Kirk! You may have won this time, but I will be back. And next time…you…will…be…cited! Inspector…come!

Spock : Captain, it seems quite illogical that Khan was betrayed by the very health inspector he recruited to defeat you.

Kirk : Never underestimate the power of human greed, Spock.

McCoy : What he means, Spock, is that sometimes your vaunted Vulcan logic fails you.

Spock : Doctor…would you kindly do me the honor of eating my shorts?!

McCoy : Wha-wha-wha-whhhhaaaaaatttt!?

Kirk : Mister Spock, I believe you’re getting more human all the time.

Kirk : Mister Scott…full revolve!

Submitted by: Kevin McGuinness

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Author: Don Roy King

Don Roy King has directed fourteen seasons of Saturday Night Live. That work has earned him ten Emmys and fourteen nominations. Additionally, he has been nominated for fifteen DGA Awards and won in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. View all posts by Don Roy King

May 6, 2017

• Edit source

The 827th episode and 19th episode of Saturday Night Live 's 42nd season premiered on May 6, 2017, hosted by actor Chris Pine , star of the Star Trek reboot film series, Disney's films Into the Woods and A Wrinkle in Time , and the DC Extended films Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 , and the hit films Unstoppable , Hell or High Water , Just My Luck , Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit , The Finest Hours and Outlaw King , with musical guest LCD Soundsystem , who performed "Call the Police" and "American Dream". LCD Sounsystem made their musical guest debut on SNL and this is the 2nd appearance, as well as the first hosting stint for Chris Pine.

• 1.1 Repertory
• 1.2 Featured

Repertory [ ]

• Vanessa Bayer
• Beck Bennett
• Aidy Bryant
• Michael Che
• Pete Davidson
• Leslie Jones
• Kate McKinnon
• Kyle Mooney
• Bobby Moynihan
• Cecily Strong
• Kenan Thompson
• Sasheer Zamata

Featured [ ]

• Alex Moffat
• Melissa Villaseñor

Cameos by Alec Baldwin (voice only) and Akira Yoshimura .

Sketches [ ]

 Cold Open   Sketch   Pre-recorded   Weekend Update   Music Performance   Other 

• 2 Season 50
• 3 Season 49

Watch 'Spocko' Save Chris Pine's 'Star Trek' Crew in SNL Spoof

In a new spoof "lost" episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series," the USS Enterprise is saved not by Kirk, Scotty or Spock, but by Spock's half brother, who hails from Queens, New York 

The May 6 "Saturday Night Live" skit portrayed Captain James T. Kirk — played by Chris Pine, star of the last three "Star Trek" movies — sitting In the captain's chair, dealing with the effects of a Romulan attack that damaged his ship.

"I'm not familiar with the mechanics of plasma systems," says "SNL's" Kyle Mooney, playing Spock, a Vulcan alien. "But I do know someone who is — my brother." [ The Evolution of 'Star Trek' (Infographic) ]

"You have a brother?" Kirk says, doing his best William Shatner (Kirk in the original series) impression.

"A half brother," Spock continues, saying that his relative happens to be one of Starfleet Academy's best engineers.

Then, "Spocko" ("SNL's" Bobby Moynihan) appears on the bridge, flashing the Vulcan "live long and prosper" signs with both hands.

"My name's Spocko, reporting for duty over here," the character says in an exaggerated New York accent. "I was in the wrong hallway, opened the door, and I almost got sucked into space. Now that's a Star Trek!"

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"Set your phasers to 'Oh, snap"'

The episode is meant as a spoof of the original "Star Trek" series' third season, which is notorious among fans for being the worst season in the three-year run. 

As the skit continued, Kenan Thompson of "SNL," playing science popularizer Neil deGrasse Tyson , noted that in the third season, "the quality faded quicker than the solstice moon." As a laugh track plays, he adds, "Sorry, science makes me silly."

The addition of Spocko, Tyson adds, came because the "actor" Sal Delabate — also a nightclub crooner — was a "big hit" on the dance charts due to his 1968 album, "Pizza Beach."

"The producers were trying to appeal to a far-out audience," the fake Tyson says. "So, in a ratings grab, Spocko was created."

The "SNL" skit continues with Spocko starting to fix the plasma problem, but being distracted when Uhura ("SNL's" Sasheer Zamata) stands up. Spocko makes a sexually suggestive remark about her bottom, adding again, "Now, that's a 'Star Trek'!"

"After Sal sexually harassed Uhura," the spoof Tyson says, "producers knew the episode would never air. So they just let Delabate do what he wanted."

The skit closes with Kirk remarking that a "strange Vulcan from Queens" saved the ship, but the important thing is his crew is safe. Delabate then suggests the crew set a course for "pizza beach," at which point the crew breaks into a dance number.

"Yes, I know it was a disaster," Tyson says at the end. "But it was still better than 'Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.' Oh, set your phasers to 'Oh, snap!' "

You can watch the entire skit here .

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Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller ?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace

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Why william shatner's snl "get a life" sketch was so controversial to star trek fans.

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William Shatner's 1986 Saturday Night Live  sketch, known as the "Get a Life" skit, recently resurfaced as the source of some controversy among Star Trek fans. Shatner is known for his role on Star Trek: The Original Series as Captain James T. Kirk. In the sketch, Shatner plays a version of himself attending a  Star Trek convention and hosting a Q&A for a crowd of dedicated Trekkies. After a few too many over-specific questions, Shatner breaks down and lights into the crowd, shouting, " Get a life, will you people? For crying out loud, it’s just a TV show. " He gets blunter from there, with roasts like, " You must be almost 30. Have you ever kissed a girl? "

Thirty-five years later, the sketch is being brought up again as a source of some contention. Though most at the time found it funny, a recent interview with  Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry 's son, Rod Roddenberry, suggested that some fans may have found the sketch offensive and mean-spirited. Roddenberry described Shatner's comments in the skit as " demeaning " and " disrespectful ." From there the debate went to Twitter, with Shatner defending the sketch as all in good fun, with young and old Trekkies weighing in as well.

Related:  Star Trek: Generations' Plan For Kirk Had William Shatner Refused To Return

The deeper story behind this controversy is that it isn't really as contentious as it was made out to be. The original interview title overstated how much of a problem Rod Roddenberry actually has with the sketch, and the overwhelming majority of responses from self-proclaimed Trekkies called it hilarious and chastised Roddenberry for being too sensitive, though, in fairness to Roddenberry, his actual comments on the sketch were pretty mild. Though he stated that he didn't personally enjoy it, he also noted, " I don’t condemn it in any way. It’s  Saturday Night Live , and it’s all fun. "

This was Shatner's take on the "controversy" as well—the skit was just supposed to be fun. While some SNL sketches over the years have certainly failed to find the humor, the "Get a Life" sketch was meant to show appreciation for Star Trek fans and to be a joke they could also be in on. The fans that took to Twitter to defend the sketch clearly understood this. Shatner has said many times throughout the years that he has a lot of respect for Trekkies and that they've helped him appreciate his own work in the franchise. The bond between the fans and the jaded former star that Shatner portrays in the sketch runs deep enough that it may have even been the inspiration for the classic comedy  Galaxy Quest .

The fact that this so-called controversy is occurring today also helps to debunk it.  Star Trek is one of many components of the thriving "nerd culture" of the present moment. What was once written off as highly geeky is now mainstream, with content like Star Wars, Marvel and DC comics, and even Dungeons & Dragons taking center stage in popular media. The term "nerd" has essentially lost all its insult and is now worn as a badge of honor. To imply that Shatner's ribbing of his dedicated fans in 1986 should be seen as mean-spirited today is a misread, and one that doesn't give Trekkies nearly enough credit for being able to take a joke. Given that the Saturday Night Live  "Get a Life" sketch is still beloved by  Star Trek fans today, it's safe to say they can, and the controversy isn't what it was made out to be.

Next:  Why Star Trek: Enterprise Turned Down a William Shatner Return

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Get a Life!

What a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch from 1986 can teach us about the ongoing battle between superfans and the people behind the TV and movie franchises that they love

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On December 20, 1986 , one month after the release of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , William Shatner hosted Saturday Night Live . By that point, the actor had been playing Captain Kirk for 20 years. More than anyone else (except maybe Leonard Nimoy), he understood what it was like to live under a discerning subculture’s microscope.

Knowing this, Robert Smigel approached Shatner early in the week with an idea. The writer, who was in the middle of his second season at SNL , pitched a sketch in which the sci-fi icon visits a Star Trek convention. The twist? Instead of warmly greeting the attendees, he’d make fun of them. What sold him on the scenario were three words that Smigel suggested he say to the mostly bespectacled crowd: “Get a life!”

“That’s what made him laugh,” Smigel said. The phrase wasn’t yet the ubiquitous insult lobbed at know-it-alls, but he’d heard it before. Smigel, whose lengthy SNL résumé includes the creation of both the long-running, oft-quoted “Bill Swerski’s Super Fans” and the animated short series TV Funhouse , went as far as calling Shatner’s dork roast “maybe the most resonant sketch I ever wrote there.”

The world never used to care about the opinions of nerds. For decades, fanboys and fangirls weren’t considered important enough to acknowledge, let alone listen to. Then things changed. It’s hard to determine exactly when the flip occurred, but the SNL sketch signaled an impending mainstream shift.

The six-minute segment endures because of what it’s poking: the strange relationship between the diehards and the people behind their favorite television shows and movies. In those days, it was one-sided. Hardcore fans held little sway. Now, emboldened by the internet and their own purchasing power, they’ve gained leverage. As former SNL staffer Jon Vitti , who helped Smigel with the Star Trek sketch, put it: “You’re not really picking on the weak anymore.”

In 2018, fan-spurred conflict has grown exhaustingly intense. Consider: Seven weeks after The Last Jedi premiered to critical acclaim, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score sits at 48 percent. (Alt-right trolls naturally took credit for that dip .) A Change.org petition demanding that Disney “strike Star Wars Episode VIII from the official canon” has more than 95,000 signatures. Several interviews that Mark Hamill gave about his initial dislike of Luke Skywalker’s character arc have been employed to cudgel the blockbuster. And in January, a nauseatingly opportunistic misogynist made and uploaded a “de-feminized” edit of the film to the torrent site The Pirate Bay.

Director Rian Johnson has handled the increasingly toxic backlash with the kind of self-aware openness that only a Star Wars fanatic could possess. While refusing to renounce his vision of the franchise, he’s taken to Twitter to engage detractors. That Johnson is able to stay civil is admirable. But blasters don’t always have to be set for stun . Occasionally, a full-on excoriation can be cathartic.

The 1986–87 season of Saturday Night Live was an important one in the history of the show. The year prior, series creator Lorne Michaels had returned after an extended hiatus . Following a disastrous 1985–86 campaign that raised the threat of cancellation, he fired most of the cast. The producer kept Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, and Dennis Miller, and brought on new cast members Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Phil Hartman, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon.

With a bunch of all-time-great SNL performers to write for, Smigel found his groove. In late fall, he devised a funny, well-received sketch featuring Hartman as a much-sharper-than-he-looks version of Ronald Reagan . “Mastermind” played off a question that some Americans were then asking : Beneath his charming façade, was their septuagenarian president still competent? William Shatner obviously wasn’t the subject of that kind of speculation, but he, too, had a well-polished public persona. When the actor arrived at 30 Rock to prepare for his hosting gig, Smigel presented him with an idea that scrubbed off his detached, respectful veneer. That cleanse allowed viewers to see what the (only slightly) fictionalized version of the man behind Captain Kirk really thought of his most dedicated fans.

The star liked the pitch, but there was a small problem: Smigel wasn’t much of a Star Trek fan. Luckily, Jon Vitti was. He’d seen every episode of the original series multiple times. Shatner was one of his childhood heroes. “There is no star as big as a star from when you were a kid,” said Vitti. He geeked out over meeting Shatner, just as he did later when Adam West appeared as himself in a Simpsons episode that Vitti wrote.

Smigel and Vitti, both in their 20s at the time, spent the Tuesday night of Shatner’s week in New York working on the sketch. Vitti’s familiarity with the source material came in handy. He offered up obscure Star Trek details and made sure that the convention sign the audience sees read “Welcome Trekkers,” the term devotees prefer over the pejorative “Trekkies.”

“If it happened today,” Vitti said, “Robert probably would have gone on the internet, picked up the references he needed, and written it himself.” Smigel’s goal was to mock fans’ fascination with minutiae rather than ridicule their physical appearance. “I remember actually asking wardrobe to tone it down a little bit,” he said. “A few less pocket protectors, if possible.” Carvey’s character does end up in an “I Grok Spock” T-shirt, Nealon’s wears a Starfleet uniform, and Lovitz sports a pair of Vulcan ears. Smigel conceded that “they probably came off fairly stereotypical.”

The scene built up to Shatner’s rant. “The whole sketch was written around that moment,” Smigel said. When it was time to come up with the tirade, Smigel consulted George Meyer. Before becoming one of the best Simpsons writers ever, he toiled at SNL . Meyer had the rare ability to transform a hilarious idea into something transcendent. “He could drop three lines in the script,” said Vitti, who also became a prolific Simpsons writer, “and those were the three lines people talked about.” A Meyer gem that made it into Shatner’s diatribe: “You’ve turned an enjoyable little job, that I did as a lark for a few years, into a colossal waste of time!”

After a production assistant passed Smigel and Vitti a typed copy of their sketch, they panicked. While writing it longhand on a legal pad, neither realized how long it had run. Short, unfunny sketches were dismissed and quickly forgotten. But if an overdone dud made it to the episode read-through in the writers’ room, Vitti said, “you could feel the hate.” He recalled even asking coordinating producer Audrey Peart Dickman to pull the sketch before that could happen. But, Vitti said, she calmly told him that it was too late.

It was a wise decision. The sketch got laughs at the read-through and was scheduled to run in a prime slot: right after the monologue. It went well at dress rehearsal, but Smigel thought Shatner hadn’t fully committed to the resentfulness of his role. “Shatner was playing it a teeny-weeny bit jokey,” Vitti said. So before the live taping, the laid-back Smigel gave Shatner a note.

“I was pretty fearless back then about talking to actors if I was certain it would help the end result,” Smigel said. “Life had not yet beaten me down enough to suggest that some fights aren’t worth fighting.” The writer said he asked Shatner to “play it more serious.” In other words: ratchet up the on-screen vitriol.

It wasn’t an easy task for a man who in real life didn’t want to alienate the fans who adored him. In fact, in his monologue Shatner addressed Star Trek aficionados. “I mean they’re truly incredible,” he said, “and I hope they have a sense of humor about the show tonight. Or I’m in deep trouble.”

Playing a comedic version of yourself isn’t easy, but Shatner pulled it off. He even seemed to take Smigel’s advice. When conventioneers ask him to recite the combination of a safe in a particular Star Trek episode and to confirm the number of saddlebred horses he has on his farm, he stops them.

“Before I answer any more questions, there’s something I wanted to say,” he announces from a podium. “Having received all your letters over the years, and I’ve spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled, you know, hundreds of miles to be here, I’d just like to say … get a life, will you, people?! I mean, for crying out loud, it’s just a TV show!”

Soon Shatner asks Lovitz’s character if he’s ever kissed a girl and continues, “There’s a whole world out there! When I was your age, I didn’t watch television! I lived! So move out of your parents’ basements” — bloggers may have Smigel to blame for the spread of that dig — “and get your own apartments and grow the hell up! I mean, it’s just a TV show, dammit. It’s just a TV show!”

When he finishes his broadside, Shatner leaves the dais only to be met by Hartman’s angry emcee. The two shove each other, Hartman waves Shatner’s contract in front of him, and then the actor returns to the stage, licks his lips, and says in his unique cadence, “Of course that speech was a re-creation of the Evil Captain Kirk … from … um … Episode … um … 37 … called ‘The Enemy Within.’ So thank you and … live long and prosper.”

The clever ending still throws Vitti. After all, “The Enemy Within” was the fifth episode of Star Trek , not the 37th. Minor error aside, the sketch was a hit. The same night, Shatner opened a Star Trek –themed restaurant in a sketch and for another bit resurrected another old role: T.J. Hooker .

In the late 1990s, the actor wrote a memoir centering on his quest to finally embrace the fans with whom he hadn’t truly ever personally connected. In reality, his turn as nerd-bashing Evil Kirk on SNL wasn’t exactly a put-on.

“Were they sane?” writes Shatner, who through a spokesperson declined to be interviewed for this article. “Were they sober? Did they really need to ‘Get a life’? To be brutally, humiliatingly honest, that now-infamous Saturday Night Live sketch was for me, at that time, equal parts comedy and catharsis. I was oblivious to the facts. I bought into the ‘Trekkie’ stereotypes. In a nutshell, I was a dope.”

Shatner called the book Get a Life! In it, he credits the writers of the sketch that inspired the title: Judd Apatow and Bob Odenkirk. The misattribution still makes Smigel smile. “How,” he said, “could he get it that wrong?”

Smigel wasn’t done playfully messing with nerds. “It’s been a lifelong pursuit,” he deadpanned. In 1993, the self-proclaimed Saturday Night Live nerd became the first head writer of Late Night With Conan O’Brien . Four years later, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the cigar-chewing, Smigel-voiced puppet, made his show debut. In 2002, the foul-mouthed canine famously sniffed around the premiere of Attack of the Clones . At one point, the pooch looks at the many buttons on someone’s Darth Vader suit and asks, “Which one of these calls your parents to pick you up?”

As it turns out, a bunch of costumed Star Wars fans didn’t mind Triumph berating them. “There’s a big overlap between nerds and comedy nerds,” Smigel said. “This was the first time that I had done Triumph where I was sort of surrounded by people who found Triumph really funny.”

In 2008, Smigel brought Triumph to the San Diego Comic-Con. “Nerds. Dorks. Geeks. Mouth-breathers. Loners. Mama’s boys. Noobs. Droids. Druids. Trekkies,” he began a long panel speech . But after thoroughly ripping the audience, he acknowledged — in the most predictably offensive way possible — the power that geeks now wield. “Move over, Jews, the nerds control the media,” said Triumph, whose owner is indeed a Member of the Tribe. “Praise to the nerds.”

Tasteless joke aside, he was right about nerds. They finally had a say. “The explosion of the media and the internet have definitely empowered the quote-unquote nerd,” said Smigel, who knows this from experience. In the early 2000s he was asked to write a comedic Green Lantern script. Warner Bros. envisioned Jack Black as the star. But when Smigel’s draft leaked online, fans revolted. Then the studio went in a … different direction .

“Advertising and the opinion of your local critic used to basically dictate how people responded to the idea of a movie,” Smigel said. “And now it’s so democratic that everybody’s opinion can be heard fairly equally. You can just go to IMDb and read 1,000 opinions.”

On the surface, that sounds nice. But among those mostly innocuous opinions are extremes. Those tend to be amplified. Just look at the ongoing bickering about The Last Jedi . The nasty trolls making noise now are nothing like the gentle Trekkers in the “Get a life!” sketch, which these days would have much more deserving targets.

Smigel, however, doesn’t think a similar premise would induce nearly as many laughs now as it did originally. “I wouldn’t have even thought to write it,” he said. “Anything that reeks of obsession is still funny but it’s certainly not as foreign as it used to be.”

While Shatner was delivering his cathartic rant back in 1986, Smigel decided to do something that he normally didn’t: He stood right next to Lorne Michaels. When the audience applauded, he made eye contact with his legendarily reserved boss. “I remember us sharing a look,” Smigel said. “Just contained excitement.”

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