Shatner’s Raw Nerve was a 30-minute interview show that ran for three unremarkable seasons on The Biography Channel. In it, the lovable, avuncular former Star Trek captain sat down for no-holds-barred conversations with fellow famous people like Regis Philbin, Jenna Jameson, and a whole bunch of former Star Trek co-stars. It apparently went extremely softly into that good night sometime in 2011 after 32 episodes and only one Meat Loaf appearance. It was probably, generally speaking, pretty boring.
However, comedian Joe Mande recently unearthed some edits he made to the program with comedy writer Noah Garfinkel, and they make it seem like a wonder to behold. Here’s Shatner and Ed Asner talking about the Holocaust:
Florence Henderson shares a special moment with him:
Kevin Pollak confesses his inner-most yearnings:
Carl Reiner calls himself “the original Ashton Kutcher,” and that is not an editing joke but an actual thing he said:
If you’re still hungry for more, apparently the actual episode with Walter Koenig, who played Chekov alongside Shatner in the original Star Trek, features some series bloodletting about on-set beef back in the day.
Koenig tells Shatner that he wanted to tell him to “cut the shit,” but then, that may’ve hampered Shatner’s ability to create gloriously batshit outtakes.