Summary
- William Shatner, in his memoir "Star Trek Memories," admits that the drink Tranya enjoyed by Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series was actually "disgusting."
- Shatner provides insights into the creation of Star Trek, filming the sci-fi series, and the decision to scrap the original pilot, "The Cage."
- In a specific episode, "The Corbomite Maneuver," Shatner recounts his experience filming alongside a young Clint Howard, and reveals the truth about Tranya, which was warm and food-colored apricot juice.
William Shatner debunks a classic drink that Captain James T. Kirk enjoyed in Star Trek: The Original Series, revealing it was actually "disgusting." In 1993, Shatner published his memoir "Star Trek Memories" (co-written by Chris Kreski) which looked back at his years playing the Captain of the USS Enterprise in the 1960s. "Star Trek Memories" also details how Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek, what it was like filming the classic sci-fi series from the ground up, and how Roddenberry's original pilot, "The Cage," was scrapped by NBC in favor of the successful reinvention starring Shatner as Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as the Vulcan Mr. Spock.
In "Star Trek Memories," William Shatner discusses filming the Star Trek: The Original Series season 1 episode, "The Corbomite Maneuver," which guest starred a very young Clint Howard. The episode's climax sees Captain Kirk beam aboard the Fesarius, which is the ship controlled by Balok (Howard), and the diminutive alien offers the Starship Enterprise crew his beloved drink called Tranya. Shatner reveals Tranya was not as delicious as he made the audience believe. Read his quote below:
Kirk befriends the little green supergenius and partakes of Trania [sic] (which was actually disgusting, warm, food-colored apricot juice...
Clint Howard Returned In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Clint Howard has played 5 different roles in 5 different Star Trek shows, and he most recently popped up in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 8, "Under the Cloak of War." In a flashback to Star Trek: Discovery's Klingon War, Howard played Commander Buck Martinez, who led a Starfleet forward operating base and introduced Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) and Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun). Along with Balok, Howard's first guest role on Star Trek when he was merely 7 years old, Howard also played Grady in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Muk the Ferengi in Star Trek: Enterprise, and a Creepy Orion in Star Trek: Discovery.
Tranya has also popped up in other Star Trek shows over the years. On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Curzon Dax, who was occupying the body of Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois), ordered two "very cold" Tranyas at Quark's (Armin Shimerman) Bar. In Star Trek: Picard season 1, the crime boss Bjazel served Dr. Bruce Maddox (John Ales) drugged Tranya at her bar on Freecloud in the episode titled "Stardust City Rag." Hopefully, the later incarnations of Tranya wasn't as disgusting for the actors to drink as the Tranya William Shatner drank was on Star Trek: The Original Series.
Source: "Star Trek Memories" by William Shatner and Chris Kreski