Life Imitates Art - and Simultaneously - Art Imitates Life - with Remarkable Replication

Boston Legal put together an episode called 'Son of the Defender', that showed footage of a very young lawyer played by William Shatner in 'The Defender' - a 1957 "Studio One" episode - which was for me, part of a memorable and coincidental experience, that also included the Star Trek character, Captain James T. Kirk. The simultaneous occurrence was prompted by my curiosity - and happened, (objectively) - simply because of unintentional, precise timing.

Let's see an example of how 'art can imitate life'; simultaneously, as 'life imitates art, imitating life' - in one coinciding event...

While channel surfing, I discovered an astounding occurrence that amazed me; a unison of not only two, but three different William Shatner vintage roles - simultaneously on the TV screen.

One late night I was watching a rerun of Star Trek. I noticed how especially handsome William Shatner was when he played the role of Captain James T. Kirk. I remember studying his face for a bit as I watched him interact with one of the lovely female guest stars on the show, and I thought of his latest role on Boston Legal.

After taking in a few more minutes of Star Trek, I decided to channel-surf.

Being that I was not even aware that Boston Legal was on at the same time, it was a pleasant surprise to find it playing on another TV channel. I thought that it was neat and a little coincidental... but then again, everything is relative.

So, being that the Boston Legal program already started (it was in it's first 15 minutes or so) and I had not watched it enough at that time to know what the specific episode was about, I watched for a few more minutes - and then got the 'coinciding framework' idea...

The idea worked! I was watching the Boston Legal William Shatner on the big TV screen, simultaneously comparing (an earlier vintage time) - the Star Trek William Shatner, in the smaller window - with the use of my television's 'picture-in-picture' feature; Then and now! How about that? Pretty simple so far...

Then, just as I was comparing the 'then and now' images, much to my surprise, the Boston Legal episode showed something that I did not expect; that specific episode was called 'Son of the Defender', where William Shatner's role of Denny Crane flashes back to a very young Denny Crane as a lawyer, which is actually by the help of footage of the TV program 'The Defender' (that ironically, William Shatner played in as a young lawyer) which is part of the episode storyline that I was watching... and you guessed it - I still had the Star Trek channel view with my 'picture-in-picture' feature on the screen! Three vintage William Shatner video times, all in one coinciding view!

I went from being amused, comparing Star Trek William Shatner (age: 35) to Boston Legal William Shatner (age: 76); to being amazed - comparing those two William Shatners to 'The Defender' William Shatner (age: 26)... and then I summed-up this 'almost surreal' 'in unison' experience; that conclusion being - I was merely surfing TV channels at the right time for all of that coinciding 'random-side-by-side-ness' to happen. However, that does not mean that I don't have a (subjective) complex analysis of the occurrence.

So, here is my analysis:

1. I was watching a TV program that was in a sense 'art imitating life' - with the help of 'The Defender' footage, which was included in the 'Son of the Defender' - Boston Legal episode.

2. I was (apparently, by the intention of the program designers) doing simultaneously what William Shatner (the actor who was playing the lawyer character) Denny Crane was doing - (with the help of the flash-back footage) flashing back to an earlier time, looking back on another lawyer role played by William Shatner, as the general audience of the show had been doing. The difference was that I was also and at the same time, coincidentally flashing-back to yet another vintage role played by William Shatner, which was Captain James T. Kirk - with the help of the television's 'picture-in-picture' feature. In a sense we were all 'life, imitating the art that was imitating life'; the audience, by the program setting and intent; and myself, by a less deliberate coinciding framework. That difference was prompted by curiosity and precise, yet unplanned simultaneous timing.

3. In a great sense and quite remarkably, William Shatner (the actor) was (by circumstance and in reality) reflecting back on his earlier vintage lawyer role in the Boston Legal episode, utilizing his later lawyer role. That means he was in reality being an actor (life), reflecting on his (art), which was a fictional character (Denny Crane) that was (in character) reflecting on a previous fictional character that doubled for creativity (art) that the actor (who was playing Denny Crane - William Shatner) had made in his earlier acting career (life). William Shatner was then the 'life' that was reflecting on the 'art' that was modeling 'art', imitating 'life'... Oh my!

Subjective or Objective; What does the entire event of this coincidence mean? Synchronicity with remarkable metaphysical meaning? Or maybe: random coincidence with remarkableness only by precise timing and note-worthy replication? Or, how about: a sleepy TV viewer was up too late?

Sometimes we humans may see random coinciding events as having remarkable (and sometimes superstitious) meaning; when it may actually be, simply - 'life resembling life'.

Do you wonder what William Shatner and Deepak Chopra would say to each other?

Hmmm... I do wonder.

References~

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_T._Kirk&oldid=338295884

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Denny_Crane&oldid=335971857

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Shatner&oldid=337712075

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deepak_Chopra&oldid=339011475

Website: http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/shatner-age-26-to-appear-with-shatner-age-76_1025682

Website: http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/04/04/boston-legal-son-of-the-defender/

Website: http://www.tvloop.com/boston-legal/show/episodes/son-of-the-defender-denny-is-forced-to-recount-a-10046

Website: http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/03/25/old-shatner-to-appear-with-young-shatner-on-boston-legal/