Cameos and “Star Trek” go collectively like cake and ice cream, largely as a result of celebrities are massive followers of the franchise themselves and need an opportunity to be part of it. Whether or not it is superfan Seth MacFarlane, who created the “Star Trek”-inspired collection “The Orville” starring in two episodes of “Star Trek: Enterprise” as a Starfleet officer, or traditional Dracula actor Frank Langella taking part in a Bajoran politician on “Star Trek: Deep Area 9” as a result of his youngsters had been such followers, it is all the time nice when individuals simply wish to be part of the huge sci-fi franchise.
For one severely intense “Star Trek” fan, getting the possibility to play a tiny function in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Nation” was greater than only a dream come true, it was additionally a very fortunate break courtesy of some good previous nepotism. Actor Christian Slater may most likely speak his manner right into a small function in a “Star Trek” film or TV collection lately with out a lot bother, however when he performed “Excelsior Communications Officer” in “The Undiscovered Nation,” he wanted somewhat assist to get the half. Fortunately, he had somebody very near him working because the film’s casting director: his mom, Mary Jo Slater.
From Pump Up the Quantity to a Starfleet uniform
Slater has been vocal about his “Star Trek” fandom for a while, and when talking with Graham Norton’s BBC Radio 2 present, he admitted that he obtained the function in “Star Trek VI” due to “a little bit of nepotism.” He elaborated a bit additional whereas talking with late night time host Conan O’Brien, revealing simply how that complete expertise felt for him as a younger man:
“In fact I like ‘Star Trek’ … that is one of many issues I get acknowledged probably the most for, really, is I did an look in ‘Star Trek VI,’ my mommy solid that. And I was about 20 years previous, and I obtained to be in a scene with Captain Sulu, George Takei. […] Within the film he is the captain of the Excelsior, and that was an enormous deal, it was one of many scarier days of my life.”
Whereas Slater had some success by that time, having starred in movies just like the satirical highschool black comedy “Heathers” and the unimaginable and deeply underrated coming-of-age movie “Pump Up the Quantity,” he was nonetheless younger and constructing his profession, and moreover, it must be nerve-wracking sharing a soundstage along with your sci-fi heroes. Later in life, Slater would get to gather some fairly spectacular “Star Trek” swag, together with a Captain Kirk chair from “Star Trek: The Unique Sequence,” however when Conan requested if he had ever worn a “Star Trek” uniform whereas sitting within the chair, Slater was dodgy, saying: “I can not actually verify or deny that!”
The actor will surely have the chance, nonetheless, as he owns the “Star Trek” uniform that he wore on set in “The Undiscovered Nation,” and it has a sensational backstory.
Stepping into Shatner’s pants
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell,” Slater revealed that he found one thing unimaginable about his uniform when checking the wardrobe tag:
“I needed to put on one of many uniforms and I had a scene with Sulu, and I put the garments on and appeared within the wardrobe, within the little tag in there, and it mentioned ‘William Shatner, worn from “Star Trek II.”‘ So I used to be carrying his outfit that he wore in “Star Trek II.” So that they recycled his outfit for the lowly Ensign after which I snuck off the Paramount lot with it.”
Slater additionally joked on Norton’s radio present that he felt fortunate to “get into William Shatner’s pants,” and it is fairly wild to consider Christian Slater carrying Kirk’s actual uniform from “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” (For what it is price, he is removed from the one star to steal from wardrobe, as each Christopher Walken and Gary Oldman have executed so, and these had been fairly unimaginable circumstances.) If he can nonetheless match into the identical measurement garments he wore when he was 20, then it’s very attainable that Slater may put on Captain Kirk’s screen-worn uniform whereas sitting within the official captain’s chair, which is as near the final word Trekkie dream as you may get. All because of somewhat assist from his “mommy” and good old style Hollywood nepotism.