Why William Shatner’s SNL “Get A Life” Sketch Was So Controversial To Star Trek Fans

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.

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.

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