Shatner at Sky TV launch: social networks are future of entertainment

The future of entertainment lies in social networks, says William Shatner.

Sky TV flew in the man best known as Captain James T Kirk for the Wednesday launch party for its new channel, Jones.

The retro-themed Jones features 70s and 80s shows like The Love Boat, Mork and Mindy, The Bionic Woman, Cheers, Happy Days and Shatner's own TJ Hooker Star Trek.

The new channel launches May 13 on Sky channel 13. It'll be covered by the Basic package, and be broadcast in SD (because, well, there wasn't any HD in ye olden days).

Sky pitches Jones as an antidote to the engrossing yet sometimes demanding and grim HBO fare on Soho.

The Shat (82) took the stage after dinner for a Q&A.

Asked what he thought of Jones, Shatner made polite noised, then added, "I don't watch TV. I've never watched TV, not even Star Trek" (although NBR noticed during dinner he stole glances at a classic Trek episode playing on wall-mounted TVs around Ponsonby Central, where the launch the was held. It was this one guest-starring Joan Collins, for Trekkie completists).

Instead, he was spending his time on YouTube, tweeting to 1.3 million followers, and tending to videos and other fare on WilliamShatner.com - which features his brown bag wino interviews with various stars, plus many a plug for his Shatoetry iPhone app, which lets you compose text and then listen to William Shatner’s voice recite it back.

Shatner sometimes adopts a slightly surreal tone, but overall the old dog's pretty sharp. Sky TV could do worse than listen to the Captain, and monster up on its plans to integrate iSky into its current decoder, and add social media smarts to its next model.

Some Q&A highlights with host Mel Horner.

MH: You've also embraced social media a lot. You're on Twitter a lot. 

Shatner: Yes, we're on Twitter a lot [Shatner is travelling with his wife]. It's interesting that Sky's putting on a new cable* station, and harking back to yesteryear, but this whole viral revolution is taking place, and it looks like the evolution of entertainment is going to be in the 'viral' area, Facebook, Twitter ... so in trying to keep up with the times, on my website - strangely enough - WilliamShatner.com - we're trying to stay with it.

I came up with an idea - an interview show if you will - using a brown bag containing a wine bottle. And using the wine and a couple of glasses as a means of conversation I would approach somebody on the street and say "have a sip of wine with me." And we have a couple of cameras - three cameras - and shoot what is essentially an interview. It's ostensibly about the wine, but it's really about the people [the interviews appear as YouTube clips embedded in WilliamShatner.com]. 

What I'm saying is, is that the future of entertainment is not only in your cable* company, but it's also in the social networks.

MH: What do you like about it so much? Because Twitter is one of those things that once you get on it, it sucks you right in and you can’t get off it.

Shatner: Well, I Twitter, and tell people what they want to hear about some subject … and sometimes we get into an argument … There’s also an interesting discourse going on that I’m taking part in, or leading, about the language and the opinions expressed.

Since it’s totally anonymous, it seems to bring out the best and the worst in people.

So they can use language that you wouldn’t use ordinarily because they can scrawl it on the wall. It’s like graffiti.

And I’m putting up the argument on Reddit, at this moment, as to “Why use a four-letter word?” If you don’t like somebody, or something, why not use a more subtle, meaningful word, or words, to express your dislike and let’s have an argument about why you hate a social group or particular thing and do it with some intelligence and have a democratic argument about the values of what you think and what I think.

MH: And how’s that argument going?

Shatner: I’ve lost it.

MH: My hairdresser said to me when I said when I'd be meeting you "Can you please pass on my thanks, because Captain James T Kirk getting it on with all the female aliens opened up my boyhood for me. It was a whole new world of love that I didn't even know existed."

Shatner: I wouldn't let him cut your hair anymore.

MH: You've just been at ComicCon in Adelaide ..

Shatner: Yes - I love the way you say "Yuss".

MH: ... "There must have been a lot of Star Trek fans there. Is there anything your fans do surprise you still? Let's be honest, you probably have - what would be the word? - more vigorous fans than other people. A little more stalker-y and psycho fans would you say?

Shatner: The truth of the matter is the fact they wait in line for an autograph or picture is astonishing to me. Just the very act of wanting to be in a photograph with me is astonishing. It's hard to accept that ... you know, I'm in a studio, not unlike this building, and the camera rolls and you do something, then years later people want your autograph and you can't quite put the two together.

When I was here in New Zealand about a year and half a go doing my one-man show I came to Auckland - the producers of the show actually live here - and not just Auckland but every theatre we went to my feeling was "Is anybody going to turn up." The theatres sold out as we went along, but every time it was like a magical thing.

MH: I've seen on your Twitter account today that you're having a discussion with Nathan Fillion from Castle on bucket lists. What's on your bucket list? You've done so many things.

Shatner: Well, right now I'm trying to find a bucket. You know, is the bucket half full or is the bucket half empty? There's everything to be done. Like going to bed tonight is on my bucket list [laughs]. I've been up since 8am; I was on the air at 8am helping to promote this really wonderful idea, and certainly best wishes from my wife and I to the good luck and tremendous success of Jones - great name, great idea, and it works on many levels.

* Satellite pay TV broadcaster, in point of fact, Bill, but we get what you mean.

BTW, here's the trailer for the next JJ Abrams' Star Trek movie caled, I think, Things Exploding:

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