William Shatner 'appalled' by IRS 'Star Trek' spoof

As if congressional criticism wasn't enough of a damper on its geeky credibility, the Internal Revenue Service's much-derided Star Trek parody also got dinged online by one of the original series' stars on Tuesday.

According to The Hill, William Shatner issued a brief, harsh review on Twitter, writing, "So I watched that IRS video. I am appalled at the utter waste of U.S. tax dollars."

Shatner did not comment on the performances in the skit, but his criticism appeared to be directed at the cost of the $60,000 skit, which was used for training purposes in 2010. The video showed the "Enterprise Y" on a mission to the planet "Notax," and was derided by Rep. Charles Boustany Jr. (R-LA), chair of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on oversight.

The IRS subsequently apologized for the video in a statement, saying it "did not reflect the best stewardship of resources" and promising to use its budget more efficiently when making more training films.

[Image by s_bukley via Shutterstock]