Amanda Kooser/CNET

For a long time, the occasional "hell" and "damn it" were the harshest expletives heard in the Star Trek universe. That's one of the reasons some fans are antsy at the prospect of famously bloody and sweary Quentin Tarantino potentially shepherding an R-rated Star Trek movie onto the big screen.

William Shatner doesn't see what the big deal is. The original Captain Kirk actor weighed in on an article from Empire that quotes Pulp Fiction director Tarantino as saying the project would indeed be R-rated and full of swear words.

Why are people plotzing about this? It’s my understanding that Star Trek Discovery has used expletives in some episodes. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Why aren’t people melting down over that? https://t.co/QW0fHHHY1j — William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) June 13, 2019

"Why are people plotzing about this?" Shatner asked, citing Star Trek: Discovery's use of expletives in some episodes. He wondered why people weren't melting down over Discovery's f-bombs. (Disclosure: CBS is the parent company of CNET and CBS All Access, which streams Star Trek: Discovery.)

For the record, there was quite a bit of discussion around Discovery's swearing, with fans coming down on both sides of the debate. Star Trek aficionados also seem to be divided over Tarantino. One fan worried the director would forget the "heart of Star Trek" in a quest for an R-rated film.

I love Tarantino. I do. But if forgetting the heart of Star Trek for the goal of an R rating is what you’re gonna do, please don’t touch Star Trek. https://t.co/ZcqZL3Lhzx — Andrew - Inmate 34 (@TheRumbleKid) June 12, 2019

In a Reddit discussion, another fan said even Discovery was "pushing the envelope of family-friendly and that's a big part of Trek's appeal to me."

Tarantino told Empire he still needs to weigh in on the script that's been written around his concept. This means an actual film is a long way from a done deal.