Star Trek Memories [Paperback]

William Shatner (Author), Chris Kreski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2009

A living pop culture legend and one of American film and television's most enduring stars, William Shatner will forever be associated with the role of James T. Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise. Star Trek Memories is Shatner's classic behind-the-scenes look at the legendary series that continues to put forth movies, books, and series spin-offs decades after the last episode aired. A television phenomenon that suffered from shaky ratings from its first broadcast in 1966 through its entire run, Star Trek nevertheless exploded into a worldwide, billion-dollar industry. Avid Trekkers who were onboard at the launch, as well as fans of the later Trek incarnations, will be delighted with this eye-opening, eminently fascinating "captain's log" from James Kirk himself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of TV's 1960s science fiction series Star Trek will go into orbit over lead player Shatner's candid, captivating reminiscence, packed with stellar anecdotes and backstage lore. Writing with help from MTV editorial director Kreski, Shatner reveals details of day-to-day work--and some of the fights with nervous studio executives who were not quite ready for the future. Problematic were writer/producer Gene Roddenberry's proposal that the starship's strong, efficient first officer, "Number One," be played by a woman, namely Majel Barrett who later became the softer, secondary character Nurse Chapel; the casting of Leonard Nimoy as the pointy-eared alien Dr. Spock; and the interracial kiss scripted for Shatner and Nichelle Nichols. We learn that every episode was filmed in the "ridiculously inadequate timespan" of six days, with one week for preproduction, creating excessive pressure on many actors and members of the film crew. Aided by recollections of other cast members, Shatner's memoir covers everything from turf wars to special effects in an appealing, humorous tone. Illustrations include stills, photos and drawings of sets.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In his seventh book since 1989 and first nonfiction work, Shatner ( Tek Vengence, LJ 1/93) provides the long-awaited history of the original Star Trek series. He recounts the series in intricate detail, from its inception to its premature demise in 1969. Through dozens of interviews and 130 never-before-seen photos, he describes the cerebral creation, multifaceted production, Emmy Award-winning special effects, and incredibly innovative process of writing, filming, and editing for which the series is legendary. In addition, he remains true to his goal of giving credit where it is due, which serves to enhance both the final product and Shatner's stature as a writer. Much of the book centers around Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek 's original creator, whom Shatner claims was "brilliant, absolutely incontrovertibly brilliant." These memories will fascinate die-hard fans and leave them thirsty for more. Recommended for sf and television collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/93.
- Charles A. Weiss, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: It Books; Reprint edition (April 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061664693
• ISBN-13: 978-0061664694
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #419,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Shatner grants equal time to costars, February 3, 2004

By 

Eddie Konczal - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek: Memories [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Before I start my review, let me address what I think is a bit of revisionism going on among Star Trek fans. Some reviews of "Star Trek Memories" (written by "Next Generation" snobs, no doubt) suggest that William Shatner had nothing to do with the success of "Star Trek," and that his career would have gone nowhere had he not been lucky enough to win the role of James T. Kirk. First, I would argue that after Gene Roddenberry, William Shatner is probably more responsible for the phenomenal success of Star Trek than any other person. Without his bold, histrionic, over-the-top performance as Kirk, I seriously doubt Star Trek would have achieved cult status shortly after its original cancellation in 1969. And without the development of that cult following into massive proportions, there would have been no movies, no "Next Generation," no "Deep Space Nine" or "Voyager" or "Enterprise" - none of it. Second, Shatner was already established when he joined the "Star Trek" cast. Before Trek, Shatner had already played Shakespeare on stage, starred on Broadway, and appeared in major motion pictures (notably "Judgement at Nuremburg"). Love him or hate him, you can't deny that Shatner brought a unique talent to the original "Star Trek" that was crucial to the show's popularity.

Anyway, on to the video review. "Star Trek Memories" is a highly condensed documentary based on Shatner and Chris Kreski's book of the same name. I recommend the book over the video - you've seen all the clips already, and after a while the documentary succumbs to "talking head" syndrome. But there are definitely some worthwhile moments here, thanks to generous allotments of time to Shatner's costars. James Doohan entertains with alternate accents for Scotty, while Nichelle Nichols offers a moving account of her meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who convinced her not to quit the show. Shatner himself offers a cogent theory about Star Trek's popularity stemming from a relatively young nation's search for its own mythology.

If you've read the book, the video isn't essential, and might even be superfluous. But it makes a nice gift for fans of the original "Star Trek" series. "Live long and prosper!"

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best TOS videos yet!, August 10, 2000

By 

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Star Trek: Memories [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good honest look at the original series, October 2, 2005

By 

Eric Kassan (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My "Star Trek" Memories (Paperback)

At first I was skeptical that this book would be "William Shatner's version" of the Star Trek series. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the author used his access to the other people involved to get everyone's story. Almost everyone involved was heavily quoted, even when it reflected negatively on the author.

One thing to be aware of is that the book is written for Trekkies- that is people with a solid knowledge of the series and characters. Episodes are referred to by title, and the reader is expected to recall the details. The writing itself is good and enjoyable.