Shatner mourns, sort of, death of Priceline Negotiator

Canadian actor William Shatner delivers a monologue during the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Five years of high adventure, intrigue and mystery -- all in the pursuit of travel bargains -- wrapped up with a fiery bus crash last month that killed Priceline.com's popular Negotiator in TV ads, played by William Shatner.

It seemed a fitting end for a worthy crusader who coaxed -- some might say coerced (once, he even tasered) -- people into using Priceline's online auction to save money when making travel plans.

"The Negotiator died true to his principles," said Shatner, who is best-known for playing Captain Kirk in TV's "Star Trek" and lawyer of dubious distinction Denny Crane on "Boston Legal."

In the TV ad that began airing in late January, Shatner's Priceline Negotiator, a sort of travel agent with a super-sized ego, evacuates vacationers from a bus that is teetering on the side of a bridge.

After he ushers the last passenger to safety, the Negotiator, still on the bus, reminds the group to book their hotel rooms on Priceline. He says that if there's no time to use the company's name-your-own-price auction, they can still find published discounts through the travel agency.

"Save yourself -- some money," he says.

And with those final words, the Negotiator and the bus tip over the bridge's guard rail, and the man who claims to have saved so many people so much money plummets to his death. Subsequent ads will feature crash survivors remembering the Negotiator and the lessons he taught them about travel deals.

NEGOTIATOR GONE; DEALS REMAIN

Brett Keller, Priceline.com's chief marketing officer, acknowledged the character's violent death may be jarring to fans and viewers. But he said the Negotiator was so closely associated with Priceline's auctions he had to die to remind users they can book on Priceline without bidding.

"As we look forward, our name-your-own-price product is still the best way to save on travel in the industry," Keller said. "But we have another side of our business, which is not as well known."

Priceline competes against other publicly traded agencies Expedia Inc and Orbitz Worldwide and Travelocity, which function as clearing houses for unsold travel bookings.

Since 1998, Shatner has been the celebrity spokesman for Priceline, which made its mark with the name-your-own-price auction. In 2006, Shatner stopped promoting the company as a celebrity endorser, and utilized his acting skills to step into the role of the Negotiator, a character he helped create.

The Negotiator was known to pressure customers -- sometimes with assistance from sidekicks or animals -- to negotiate cheap bookings on Priceline.

Shatner said the character's defining quality was "controlled insanity." After five years playing the part in the ads, he was stumped to choose his favourite adventure.

"Well there were so many," Shatner said. "I talked a hotel clerk into lowering her price. I tasered the father of a child in order to get to his computer."

The 80-year-old actor still has time left on his contract with Priceline. But neither he nor Keller would say what a next role might be. Currently, the actor is rehearsing for his one-man stage show "Shatner's World: We Just Live In It."

When asked why the Negotiator didn't just jump out of the bus with the other travellers, Shatner said: "Because that would have left the people on the ground without a hotel room."

"The madness of the Negotiator could not abide that someone wouldn't get a decent room at a good price, even though it cost him his life."

(Reporting By Kyle Peterson; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)