For decades now, there has been an intense rivalry betweenStar Warsand Star Trek, with original Star Trek legendWilliam Shatnerdoing his best to stoke those fires over the years. And it has only intensified since he joined Twitter. Earlier this year,William Shatnermade a bold statement that hasn’t sat well with fans excited to seeStar Wars: The Force Awakens, in theaters next week. He compared new ball droidBB-8to one of the most annoying franchise creations of all time. Yes, he basically said BB-8 was the next Jar Jar Binks!
This, of course, did not sit well with new Star Wars: The Force Awakens cast additionJohn Boyega, who plays the AWOL Stormtrooper Finn. Confronted withWilliam Shatner’s remarks during aYahoo interview, the youngAttack the Blockstar told Bill to zip it. Here’s what the star had to say in response to BB-8 being compared to Jar Jar.
“What did he say about BB-8? That’s my boy! Here’s what you need to do. Take a seat. Have a nice tea. And keep your mouth closed.”
John Boyega wasn’t previously aware ofWilliam Shatner’s tendancy to be a Star Wars troll. It’s a badge of honor the former Captain of the Star Trek Enterprise wears proudly. And when word got back exactly what John Boyega had said to him in response to his catty outbursts, the original James T. Kirk shot back with this, hinting that Finn might be more embarrassing to the Star Wars franchise than BB-8.
“I wear the Star Wars Troll mantle with honor! Was @JohnBoyega trying to tell us HE is the most annoying character?”
It doesn’t help matters thatStar Trekreboot directorJ.J. Abramsbailed ship on that franchise so that he could instead direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which he’s never been shy about calling his first sci-fi love. The move didn’t sit well with Trekkies. That’s for sure. Speaking withYahoo! Movies, the filmmaker had this to saw when asked to describe the differences between both series.
“They’re so different. Star Trek has always felt like, to me, a science fiction story brilliantly conceived by Gene Roddenberry. And told in such an amazing way with that original cast. Star Wars has always been a fairy tale and a fantasy. So they both feel like very different things despite having space ships and star fields.”
We won’t know until next Thursday ifWilliam Shatner’s comments have any merit. For all we know,Kylo Ren, a big villainous nerd on a scavenger hunt for a piece ofStar Wars memorabilia, could end up being the most embarrassing and annoying character since Jar Jar Binks. We really don’t know at this point, and even with 9 days left until thislong awaited sequelis finally in theaters, we’ll have to wait until we actually get to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens before we can pass final judgement.William Shatner, on the other hand, is ready to lay waste to this latest installment right now without having seen much more than a couple of trailers.
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