MovieChat Forums > Star Trek (1973) Discussion > Shatner VS The Bible

Shatner VS The Bible

posted 13 years ago by Loneright
4 replies | jump to latest

I was viewing Star Trek the animated series for the first time on DVD. I checked one of the special features where people who made the animated series talked about it. A comment by Lou Scheimer who had this to say about William Shatner, “Shatner had one thing that was important immensely important to him. And that was to be true the original show. To make sure that we didn’t do anything in our show that would… Not really work with the—the bible"

I don't really get what he meant by that. Was Lou Scheimer refering to using the Holy Bible. Meaning no Christian themes in animated series of TOS? What William Shatner had something against religion?

[–] ZetaTauri 13 years ago

The writer's guide for any series is called "the bible" for that series. What Scheimer was saying is that Shatner wanted TAS to stay true to TOS.

FYI in the original writer's guide for TOS, Dr. McCoy had a daughter named Joanna and she is the one who gave him the pinky ring we see him wear throughout the series. TOS never mentioned her (not even once), though McCoy does mention her in TAS - because they followed the TOS bible.

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[–] Loneright 13 years ago

Okay, I thank for that bit of info. I was wrong but did suspect that was Scheimer was refering the bible meaning series. Well I seems Scheimer and his staff did not listen to William Shatner because they put things in that were apart of the original canon. However, I did like tge episode "Counter Clock Indcident" that had Commodore Robert April. I wish there was a sixth installment to Star Trek with Robert April as the first Captain of the Enterprise NCC 1701. With the new movies of Kirk Spock I think Paramount could do another series on UPN. What do you think?

[–] Porpoise01 13 years ago

"Bible" is a generic word for a text that is inviolable, unalterable. Religion coopted the word for their book, much like they coopted the word god, making it a name.

The point being that there's npothing sacriligous in referring to something as "a bible." In fact, I believe the proper name for the religious book is "The Holy Bible.

At least that's how i understand it. if anyone says different... he's probably right.

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[–] Spifflock_Holmes 13 years ago

"Bible" is a generic word for a text that is inviolable, unalterable. Religion coopted the word for their book . . .

Almost. The Greek root from which "Bible" comes means merely "books" or "library." However, the use of the word "Bible" in English to refer specifically to the Christian scriptures dates from around the eleventh century; the sense you mention ("authoritative text") is derived from it and doesn't appear until about three centuries later. So in English, "Christian scripture" is the older sense.

Either way, of course you're right that there's nothing sacrilegious in referring to a TV show's "bible."

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