Star Trek Memories

Star Trek Memories is the first of two volumes of autobiography dictated by William Shatner and transcribed by MTV editorial director Christopher Kreski. In the book, published in 1993, Shatner interviews several cast members of Star Trek: The Original Series with the notable exception of James Doohan. He was surprised by the reaction of his fellow actors, who spoke negatively of their experiences with him on the show.

Star Trek Memories
First hardcover edition, 1993
AuthorWilliam Shatner
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectAutobiography
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherHarper-Collins
Publication date
November 1993
Followed byStar Trek Movie Memories 

Contents

The book begins at the start of production on Star Trek: The Original Series, with the work on the original pilot, "The Cage", and described the difficulties that some of the producers' decisions caused the production. Shatner goes on to describe the production of the show, and the aftermath of its cancellation. He interviews other members of the cast who on occasion speak negatively of their experiences on the show, except for James Doohan, who refused to meet with him.[1] He also spoke to Bjo Trimble, one of the most famous Star Trek fans.[2]

Production
William Shatner in 2014

The negative reaction of some of the cast members to him when he wrote Star Trek Memories had come as a surprise to Shatner, and it was reported at the time that he was dismayed at the response.[3] He conducted the interviews by phone in some cases, including the one with Trimble.[2] One of the stories included in the book, which involved Shatner putting out a fire on the Paramount lot, was directly contradicted by George Takei in his autobiography To the Stars: The Autobiography of George Takei. Instead, Takei said that when the fire broke out, Shatner was driven by public relations executives to the site of the fire and posed with a hose for photographs. However, while Star Trek Memories contains a description of an incident while filming "The Naked Time" that Shatner described as Takei getting carried away with an épée and nearly disembowelling him – Takei's book instead makes no mention of it.[4]

Preview excerpts of the book were published in the September 4 issue of TV Guide magazine in the United States.[5] It was published in the autumn of 1993,[1] followed in 1994 with Star Trek Movie Memories.[6] He worked on both books with Christopher Kreski, with whom he later worked on the 1999 book Get a Life!.[7] Star Trek Memories was converted into a video documentary featuring interviews with other Star Trek cast members in 1996.[8]

Reviews

The review in trade magazine Publishers Weekly, said that "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."[9] The Post-Tribune said that both Memories books by Shatner "were very well done and filled with interesting stories and insights into Shatner's thoughts" in a review of his later book, Get A Life!,[10] while the Winnipeg Free Press described Star Trek Memories as a "masterpiece".[11]

References
  1. Van Matre, Lynn (November 1, 1993). "Shatner's Not-so-joyful Reminiscences Of `Star Trek'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  2. Trimble, Bjo; Trimble, John. "Guest Blog: Bjo & John Trimble Say "Shatner's The Man"". Star Trek.com. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  3. Craig, Olga (May 27, 2008). "William Shatner: The man who fell to Earth". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  4. Artman, Catherine (November 16, 1994). "Kirk and Sulu, the Trekkies' Hailing Frequencies are Open". The Buffalo News. HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  5. "Shatner Book Treks Down Memory Lane". Chicago Sun-Times. HighBeam Research. August 31, 1993. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  6. Sanz, Cynthia (November 28, 1994). "Beam Him Down". People. 42 (22).
  7. Hernandez, Al Carlos (September 22, 2013). "The William Shatner, Ponder the Mystery..." Herald De Paris. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  8. Kenny, Glenn (February 16, 1996). "William Shatner's Star Trek Memories (1996)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  9. "Star Trek Memories". Publishers Weekly. November 1, 1993. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  10. "This Captain's Log An Engaging Read". Post-Tribune. HighBeam Research. August 1, 1999. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  11. "To bravely go where Shatner has gone". Winnipeg Free Press. HighBeam Research. August 3, 2008. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
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