"Chekov" and "Sulu" falling out?

I was under the impression that Walter Koenig (ST’s original Chekov) and George Takei (Sulu) were pretty good friends. Indeed, I looked online and saw that Koenig stood as best man for Takei just a couple years ago.

I heard Koenig speak at a Q&A at a convention this weekend, and when sharing his relationship with the various cast members… of course he said what has become fairly well known the past few years (Shatner had a big ego and was pretty douchey to the “lesser” cast, Nimoy was a very professional and impressive actor to watch/work with)…

Then he said what I (and those around me) heard as “I hope to never speak to George [Takei] again.” with a tone of sadness and completion.

Does anyone know if the two had a blowout of some sort?

No chance he was being funny and you missed the turn? (E.g., he’d just spent three days on stage with Takei, and…)

I once said something very much like that to a convention crowd, which generated an extended laugh. The next day, someone from the crowd asked me how I could say that about ____ - clearly having missed the humorous intent.

No, his sarcasm and quips were pretty clearly delivered in other places. This really seemed to have a tone of “Sucks, but what can ya do”.

Eh. I hold out hope that you misheard/misunderstood. There’s been enough friction between ST cast members; I’d hate to hear of another falling out.

An … *odd *… way to put it… :dubious:

Any search brings up lots of Shatner cites but nothing about this. The Takei wedding was in 2008. Andrew Koenig’s death was in 2010. I wonder if there was some perceived snub from that time.

That would lead to them sharing a con stage… until the last day? That makes little sense.

I don’t see mention of them sharing a stage in the OP.

My bad. I read the recent Philly con material as having them both. It was only Takei there.

So, maybe.

I saw an interview Takei did in 2011 and he was talking about his friendship with Koenig.

That said, the impression I’ve had is that if Shatner was the most difficult person on the show, Takei may have been the second most difficult.

I could see that. Nimoy battled alcoholism but I think that mostly effected his family life not his outside friendships.

are we confusing two different Koenigs? Andrew Koenig and Walter Koenig?

Andrew was Walter’s son. Andrew would be beyond caring about any snub or perceived insult involving the aftermath of his death. His father would not.

Anyway that was just pure speculation about what could be important enough to destroy a decades long friendship.

According to this interview, they were apparently still friends last year (July 2014).

That’s interesting. Because in the 2011 interview I saw, Takei said they were closer than this. He said that Keonig was his closest friend among the cast and that they spoke regularly on the phone and got together for dinner on a regular basis. Takei also talked about how he and his husband had celebrated New Year’s Day together with Koenig and his wife.

It may just be that this is two different perspectives. But the relationship Koenig described in 2014 seems more distant than the one Takei described in 2011.

“Closest friend among the cast” is a pretty limited set, and doesn’t necessarily mean any more than that occasional dinner at a con.

The comment that Takei was difficult is based on what? He was a neighbor of mine growing up. I’d be curious to know what he was like in a professional setting. As a neighbor he was charming, witty, pleasant, and had the weirdest laugh you’ve ever heard.

It actually kind of bothers me that someone would find him “difficult”, which just goes to show that can’t really know your neighbors I guess. Or that you can’t rely on childhood memories. Or something. :frowning:

He seems to be strong willed and strongly opinionated. That doesn’t make you a bad person but it can lead to conflict with other strong willed people.

[quote=“Little_Nemo, post:15, topic:723803”]

That’s interesting. Because in the 2011 interview I saw, Takei said they were closer than this. He said that Keonig was his closest friend among the cast and that they spoke regularly on the phone and got together for dinner on a regular basis. Takei also talked about how he and his husband had celebrated New Year’s Day together with Koenig and his wife.

It may just be that this is two different perspectives. But the relationship Koenig described in 2014 seems more distant than the one Takei described in 2011.

[/QUOTE]

Maybe they are just busy and getting together for dinner occasionally IS relatively close. I couldn’t tell you how many years ago I had dinner with my best friend. If I saw someone once a year I might refer to it as “regularly.”

Like I said, it could just be a different perspective.

On the other hand, Koenig’s comment that was quoted in the OP seems pretty unambiguous.