Star Trek Memories

After reading this book, I was able to tell that William Shatner knows how to write! Not that I had any doubts, but this book is so intriguing, it feels like he is talking to me as a friend while I read. This is written like a documentary, and it is just as interesting. There are facts in here that I never knew, and stories are told about things that happened in front of and behind the camera. About the smallest detail of how Star Trek works that you wanted to know is talked about. Shatner not only talks about and interviews the cast, but the behind the scenes set builders and script writers among other people that are revealed and talked about. The book is written in a light hearted, joking way, with Shatner making fun of himself and having fun at other people's expense. The only problem I had is that the book also kind of brags on how great Shatner is, and how many problems some of the other cast members had while filming. Coming from the man who wrote the book, it feels kind of like an ego trip since it occurs many times throughout the read. There is also a very nice collection of pictures that are on some of the pages that shows behind the scenes laughs and on set memorable scenes. Overall, this is a book I recommend to all fans. It hardly ever gets dull and by the end, it feels too short and could have lasted longer.

Being a fan of Star Trek means not only being conversant about the different episodes of the original series, but the fan should also have attended conventions and read the many books from the original cast members. From all my experience, I learned that not everyone liked William Shatner.With that knowledge, I read the first couple of chapters with the voice of Shatner at the Star Trek convention lampooned by the SNL cast. From the sound, Shatner still did not understand what the big commotion was for. I fully believed that the rest of the book would be Shatner tooting his own horn.The bulk of the book does not concern his specific recollections of the series, nor do most of the stories concern him. The material primarily concerns how the show finally got on the air and how it made it through three seasons. Although he did talk to some of the other cast members, the focus is more on the team behind the scenes. He discusses Roddenberry and the other producers, directors, writers, lighting technicians, dolly grip, wardrobe designers, and set designers. He gives the readers a very intriguing look at the people who helped get the series on the air and kept it going. This book is more of a salute to those who made a quality product despite studio plans otherwise, such as cutting the budget and changing time slots.Overall, the language was conversational and kept me engaged.The final chapter does mention that he understands that some of the others do, or did, not care for him that much, and he also offers an olive branch out to James Doohan. Given the year this was written (early 90s), I wonder if it was accepted.I would recommend this book to fans of the show and other fans of 60s television. The story behind the camera (rather than off) is an interesting one.

Of all the Trek documentaries that have come out in recent years, this is one of the best. Narrated by William Shatner, the video features never-before-seen footage of all the main TOS actors, who share personal insights about the show and the characters they played. You will get to hear James Doohan do some other accents besides Scottish (er, what if "Scotty" had been a Brit instead?) Nichelle Nichols tells the story about her encounter with Martin Luther King in much more detail than I've ever heard her do before, and explains the origin of Uhura's first name, "Nyota" (meaning "star") in the Trek novels. George Takei sets the record straight about that "wildman with a rapier" incident on the set, and D.C. Fontana adds a number of behind--the-scenes stories. I especially liked Leonard Nimoy's discussion of how the Spock character grew and evolved in terms of logic versus friendship, etc. All in all, I really enjoyed this video.

William Shatner has an easy, humor filled, conversationalist style of writing, and I felt as if I were somewhere in sunny southern California, sitting in a comfy chair in the same room with him, and the people he interviewed, listening to them telling their stories. I thouroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is one of my prize possessions because it is hard-bound AND autographed. I grew up with the show and being an artist it was eye opening as to what goes on in the entertainment industry in order to 'do' a show. I'm surprized everyone the author refered to or interviewed wasn't (or isn't) a chain smoker.

Shatner wrote an excellent book about his experience during the making of the Star Trek series. It's funny, it brings back memories of watching the TV series, it's sad at points, but it's a lot of fun, and history. Shatner may have been unfair over the years with his costars, but he allows them moments at the conclusion of the book to state their unhappiness with him over the years, allowing for a fair and accurate book.