I'm Working on That : A Trek From Science Fiction to Science Fact [Hardcover]

William Shatner (Author), Chip Walter (Draft Writer)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 067104737X | ISBN-13: 978-0671047375 | Publication Date: August 1, 2002

William Shatner -- Captain Kirk himself -- explores how the imagination of Star Trek is reflected in the cutting-edge science of today. Over five decades, Star Trek's celebration of mankind's technical achievements and positive view of the future have earned it an enduring place in our global culture. Its scientific vision has also had a profound effect on the past thirty years of technological breakthroughs. Join William Shatner, the original captain of the Starship Enterprise, as he reveals how Star Trek has influenced and inspired some of our greatest scientific minds -- the people behind the future we will all share. In interviews with dozens of scientists we learn about the inventions that will revolutionise our lives and the discoveries that will make it truly possible to explore the last great frontier -- space. As one Nobel Laureate commented on being shown a wood and plastic model of the engine core from a Star Trek: The Next Generation starship: "I'm working on that." From the technicalities of warp speed to real-life replicators to the likelihood of our being able to beam across continents, this always-informative book takes us on a fascinating and eye-opening voyage to the realms of the possible and probable.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Shatner bares his deep-seated trepidation vis-a-vis all things digital in this breezy peek at the reciprocal effects that Star Trek (and its offspring) and serious scientific research have exerted on one another over the past 35 years. While contemplating the Enterprise's fictional warp drive, Nobel Laureate and Trekkie Stephen Hawking provided the book's title; today's scientists and inventors are now boldly developing many far-out concepts that Trekkies earth-wide cherish: transporters, time travel, wearable interfaceless computers, artificial intelligence, androids, enhanced life spans and holodeck virtual reality. Shatner and Walter crisscrossed the U.S., visiting cutting-edge laboratories and noshing with scientists and inventors on the cusp of discoveries that promise to change life on earth. Despite his own humbling battles with his recalcitrant computerized home lighting system and GPS-equipped rental cars, Shatner valiantly faces the challenge of demystifying quantum mechanics and black holes, nanotechnology and the human genome. Peppered with "Did any of this make sense?" and even the occasional "Huh?," Shatner's early chapters tend to leave the uninitiated feeling buffeted by the bitstorm. By connecting other abstract concepts such as the exponential burgeoning of scientific breakthroughs to such archetypal Star Trek episodes as "The Trouble with Tribbles," though, Shatner humanizes his complex topics and even has some tongue-in-cheek fun with them. His summary, on the other hand, seriously warns about letting technological genies out of bottles without due consideration for consequences and, even more sobering, for the results of humanity's ultimate hubris, trying to play God.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

"Captain Kirk" and a veteran science writer effectively team to provide an overview of the last third-of-a-century's progress toward making Star Trek technology real. And progress has been considerable, as anyone who remembers the ST "tricorder" and now owns a cell phone with Internet capability can attest. Virtual reality, advanced computers great and small, A(rtificial)I(ntelligence), the Web, and computerized implants (a la the Borg of Star Trek: The Next Generation) are all closer to sprouting in the average office or backyard. Faster-than-light travel, the transporter, close-up study of black holes (let alone traversing them), and some of Dr. McCoy's med tech are still at or beyond the fringe, but aren't guaranteed to stay there forever. And Shatner expresses the perspective of somebody with a layman's problems in coping with existing "Star Tech" well, and even wittily. A perfect world might not need a celebrity author to sell such a book; in our world we at least get an author who knows what he is talking about and meshes gracefully with his collaborator. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067104737X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671047375
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #905,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascination with the Future, July 26, 2002

By 

Mary W. Murrin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Working on That : A Trek From Science Fiction to Science Fact (Hardcover)

For this neo-Trekkie with a fascination for the future, "I'm Working on That: A Trek from Science Fiction to Science Fact", is an entertaining look at how our imaginations have converged with reality and how technology is impacting our lives now and will, exponentially, change the way we live tomorrow. The book should resonate even more with those well versed in the toys and voyages of the Enterprise. Chip Walter and William Shatner explore where fiction meets reality in a smart style that is absorbing, tangible, and fun, and will engage the novice futurist as well as those conversant in the theories and foresights of Kurzweil, Moravec, Teller, von Neumann, and their contemporaries.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for even those who are not into Star Trek, August 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: I'm Working on That : A Trek From Science Fiction to Science Fact (Hardcover)

I have to admit, I wasn't sure about this book at first. It seemed kind of like a silly notion, however, I stopped by my local bookshop and after taking a quick gander at the first few pages and decided to pick it up.

Well, I wasn't able to put it down. Some of what is in there has been discussed elsewhere, so it's not like it's showcasing future technologies for the first time. Though there was plenty that I had never heard of before.

All kinds of things that may be coming down the road are shown here. A lot of them bear resemblances to technologies from Star Trek, however, you do not need to be a fan of Star Trek to get enjoyment out of this book.

Shatner's writing style is easy to read, and he does not overburden you with techno mumbo jumbo.

Buy this book!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science fiction or science fact?, January 12, 2003

By 

Roy Want (Los Altos, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm Working on That : A Trek From Science Fiction to Science Fact (Hardcover)

This is a unique book that examines the connection between the science fiction universe of Star Trek and our current understanding of science fact. Inspired by Shatner's curiosity about how things work and the uncanny embodiment of 1960's Star Trek gadgetry, such as the flip-open communicator, in what are now common consumer products - Bill and Chip toured the country, with many fun adventures along the way, to find out what other Star Trek inventions are likely to pop into reality in the near future. To look for answers, they visited some of the premier think-tanks and universities in the US, posing the question to a host of leading researchers, including luminaries such as Edward Tellar (father of the hydrogen bomb - Los Alamos Labs), Eric Drexler (leading nanotechnologist - Foresight Institute) and Marc Millis (propulsion visionary - NASA). Using Star Trek episodes as a light-hearted guide, particularly reminiscent for the real fans that can recognize an episode in a few sound bites, all areas of Star Trek science and technology are examined. Teleportation, warp drive, time travel, computer science, robotics, genetics and nanotechnology are some of the hottest topics on the agenda.

The book raises the question, does science fiction help us invent technology and explore science by providing compelling visions of what might be possible? What comes first, the invention, or the fantasy about the invention? These are questions I also find myself asking as a researcher, one who had the good fortune to meet the authors during their visit to Xerox PARC, described in Chapter 8, Get Smart. Star Trek certainly inspired me in my career and influenced many of my colleagues who are also Star Trek enthusiasts. Reading this book you will discover that even the great physicist Stephen Hawkins is a fan, who's passing comments led to the title of this book. There is no doubt in my mind that a strong connection exists between science fantasy and science endeavor, and drives many of us to push the limits of what is possible.

The book does an excellent job of bringing these issues to the fore, and I can recommend the result as a good read. You'll have flash backs to all the best Star Trek episodes and find the commentary and technology discussions enjoyable, sometimes humorous, but always well informed.