George Takei vs. The Monorail
Make that Takei versus The Simpsons famous monorail episode.
Thanks to Todd Seavey and Nick Slepko for alterting me to this tidbit:
Leonard Nimoy was originally considered for the role as the celebrity at the maiden voyage of the monorail,but the writing staff did not think he would accept, because William Shatner had previously turned the show down. Instead, George Takei was asked to guest star as he had done the show once before. After demanding several script changes, Takei declined, saying he did not want to make fun of public transportation as he was a member of the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District. As a result, the staff went to Nimoy, who accepted.
I poke a little fun at pols who praise and avoid public transit here.
Watch Reasoners Sam Staley and Jeff Taylor debate pro-railers about real live monorails here.