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Star Trek Memories Hardcover – January 1, 1993

by William Shatner (Author), Chris Kreski (Author)

4.6 314 ratings

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Encompassing plot summaries of all seventy-nine TV episodes and the six hit films, "Captain Kirk" shares his reminiscences about the making of Star Trek, a history of the show as a cultural phenomenon, and behind-the-scenes antics. 300,000 first printing. $200,000 ad/promo. Tour.

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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.

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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; First Edition (January 1, 1993)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060177349
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060177348
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #313,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #179 in TV History & Criticism
- #3,045 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- #63,901 in Science Fiction & Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 314 ratings

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William Shatner
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William Shatner has cultivated a career spanning over 50 years as an award-winning actor, director, producer, writer, recording artist, and horseman. He is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable figures and a major philanthropist.
His accomplishments in television, film, and stage would take a great deal of time and more space than allotted here.
In 1966, Shatner originated the role of “Captain James T. Kirk” in the television series Star Trek. The series spawned a feature film franchise where Shatner returned as Captain Kirk in seven of the Star Trek movies, one of which he directed.
Shatner played the title role in the hit television series T.J. Hooker before hosting television’s first reality-based series, Rescue 911.
He won Emmys and his first Golden Globe for his portrayal of eccentric lawyer “Denny Crane” on both The Practice and Boston Legal. He received four more Emmy nominations as well as other Golden Globe and SAG Award nods.
Shatner's Raw Nerve, which aired on Bio, was his own edgy, celebrity interview series. Each episode showcased Shatner getting to know his guest on an intensely personal level, touching upon subjects not normally visited on other talk shows. Guests have discussed topics such as addiction, grief, childhood, marriage, combat and parenthood.
Mr. Shatner was cast in the NBC hit show Better Late Than Never in the late Summer 2016 and that show will be returning with a second season in 2017.
His love of music inspired him to record the critically acclaimed album Has Been. The Milwaukee Ballet performed “Common People,” a dance presentation set to several numbers from the record; the event and its preparations are featured in the documentary Gonzo Ballet, which played to sold out houses at film festivals worldwide.
Shatner’s musical project, Ponder The Mystery, with lyrics by William Shatner and music by Billy Sherwood was released October 2013. It followed the well-received, space-inspired album Seeking Major Tom, which featured songs by U2, Frank Sinatra, Queen and Pink Floyd and was released in October 2011.
Off the screen and broadcast waves, Shatner has authored nearly 30 best-sellers in both the fiction and non-fiction genres. His autobiography, Up Till Now, was a New York Times best-seller and was followed by Shatner Rules which was released in October 2011. William Shatner’s book, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man, was released in February 2016 appearing on the NY Times Bestseller list. William Shatner’s newest book, Spirit of the Horse: A Celebration in Fact and Fable, will be released in May 2017.
In April 2011, Shatner launched his hugely popular one-man show, Shatner’s World in Australia and New Zealand, followed by tours in Canada and over 50 cities in the United States. The show is currently touring again in the United States and abroad.
Shatner has been successful in another area — horse breeding. A longtime dedicated breeder of American Quarter horses, he has had enormous success with the American Saddlebred, developing and riding world champions and has won numerous world championships in several equine events. His passions for horses and philanthropy were united when he started the Hollywood Charity Horse Show (http://www.HorseShow.org), which benefits Los Angeles-based children’s charities.
Shatner continues to act, write, produce and direct while still making time to work with charities and further his passion in equestrian sports. He and his wife, Elizabeth and three married daughters live in Los Angeles.
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Chris Kreski
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4.6 out of 5

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Ken

Good read. Gave me new perspective.

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024

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Book arrived on time. An easy read and gave me a new, more positive perspective on the author. Worthwhile addition to my library.

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Solipso

A lively, inside account of STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES, its making and its people

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2013

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William Shatner's STAR TREK MEMORIES is my favorite account of STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES. I have also read BEYOND UHURA (Nichelle Nichols), TO THE STARS (George Takei), I AM SPOCK (Leonard Nimoy), and UP TIL NOW (William Shatner). Each of those four books is an autobiography, though Nimoy's is only minimally so. They also contain much material about the productions of both the original TV series and the six original-series movies. STAR TREK MEMORIES, on the other hand, focuses exclusively on the original TV series, though when discussing the people involved, it sometimes strays from the studio. It barely mentions the movies, and it is not an autobiography. Which, since I am more a fan of STAR TREK than of autobiography, is why I favor this book.

Countless years ago, I also read THE MAKING OF STAR TREK, by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry. Though my memories of that reading are only of diagrams and salt shakers, I cannot imagine it being anywhere near as interesting as STAR TREK MEMORIES. Whitfield's book may have some technical details that Shatner omits, but Shatner does not neglect technicalities. He writes about scripting, camera work, lighting, special effects, props, models, budgeting, and probably some other things that I forget. Yet the book is mostly about people.

He mentions the lighting crew, the guy who wired the bridge, the guy who made the phasers, and the guy who designed the set. But the story is really about STAR TREK producers, directors, writers, and cast, and the more prominent the person is, the more attention Shatner gives him. He gives a brief biography of Gene Roddenberry, including the quasi myth about how Gene acquired an agent. And he says a good deal about other important STAR TREK men; for example, Robert Justman, Gene Coon, and Fred Freiberger. Though it is only fair that Shatner and Leonard Nimoy receive more attention than other cast members, all who played reasonably prominent roles are mentioned: Majel Barrett, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, and Grace Lee Whitney. For me, the most striking bit of information was about Whitney, who played the photogenic blond yeoman Janice Rand.

Like Nimoy and Nichols, Shatner is too free with superlatives such as "wonderful," "great," "certainly," "absolutely," and "extremely." Maybe that's because actors and actresses are emoters, not thinkers. But most readers do not want to be bothered with such literary finery. A more serious condemnation is the absence of an index, which would accommodate readers wishing to refer back to all this inside-Star-Trek information. Still, this book contains so many good things, I do not want to diminish it in the eyes of the many persons who I am sure would be interested in reading it. Therefore, five stars.

21 people found this helpful

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Karl Janssen

More of a TV production history than a personal memoir

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2024

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Star Trek Memories was published in 1993, after the completion of the sixth Star Trek motion picture, the last to focus exclusively on the original Star Trek cast. Seeing his career as Captain Kirk coming to an end, Shatner felt inclined to wax nostalgic by publishing his recollections of the making of the original Star Trek television series. A sequel published the following year, Star Trek Movie Memories, covers the making of the film franchise. I’m not a Trekkie who obsesses over all the trivia on each episode, but I do enjoy the show, and I like Shatner.

Star Trek Memories is packaged like a Shatner memoir, but that’s not really what it is. This is a behind-the-scenes history of the production of the first Star Trek television series. It begins with Gene Roddenberry’s childhood, and ends in 1968 with Star Trek’s cancellation after three seasons. Shatner doesn’t even get involved with the series until a quarter of the way through the book. Although there are plenty of first-person interjections, this doesn’t really read like it was written in Shatner’s voice. One suspects coauthor Chris Kreski had a heavy hand in this. If you are expecting a lot of secrets and gossip about the cast of the show, you’re not going to find much here. The crew actually gets more coverage than the cast. You learn more about the set decorator and the script editor than you do about any of the actors, with the exception of Leonard Nimoy. He gets a fair amount of ink, even more than Shatner himself. The rest of the cast members pretty much get one good anecdote each. There are several tales of practical jokes among the cast and crew that strike the reader as being surprisingly unfunny, and in some cases just mean.

The refreshing thing about this TV memoir is that it’s not just a relentlessly positive lovefest for the show or a pat-on-the-back “look what we accomplished” story. There is a surprising amount of negative criticism of the show and the people involved with it, including some directed towards Shatner himself. It is forthrightly acknowledged that while some of the Star Trek episodes are masterpieces, quite a few are terrible schlock. The book recounts the constant struggles between the Star Trek production team and its parent studio, who demanded that this ambitious science fiction program be made under a paltry budget. The network also often interfered in the creative direction of the show by censoring stories, pushing for dumbed-down content, and trying to shape the characters to their liking. At the beginning of the book, Gene Roddenberry is portrayed as a veritable saint, but by the end of the narrative he has morphed into a sort of villain. His widow was still alive when the book was published, however, so one gets the idea that Shatner and Kreski had to hold back on any unflattering revelations of the Star Trek creator.

This book is kind of like reading a rock and roll autobiography where the star doesn’t talk much about his famous bandmates but instead says more about his manager, publicist, lawyer, and accountant (I’m looking at you, Pete Townshend). This book wasn’t quite what I expected, but I found it all very interesting nonetheless. Star Trek was first broadcast shortly before I was born, but I did grow up on old-school television, back when there were only three networks. This book gave me a good idea of how shows were made in those days, for better or for worse.

2 people found this helpful

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GameraRocks

This Is What You Need

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2007

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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.

15 people found this helpful

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wizord2252

great behind the scenes

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024

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I really enjoyed the behind the scenes of Star Trek Original series as told by the folks who made the tv show. Candid stores from writers, producers. Actors, etc To Give more context and Information on the inter-workings of making a tv in the 1960s.

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Amazon Customer

Great insight to a truly iconic series!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2016

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Very interesting book an insight into an iconic series which was probably one of the most inspirational ever made. Also a real look into one of the actors who played the main character.
As one of his co-star characters might day... fascinating!

One person found this helpful

R. Kang

A Must have for every TOS Fan

Reviewed in Canada on March 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

Very detailed on the background and technical aspect of the show. Really takes you through the years of Trek.

A good companion is the Movie memories, though it isn't as vibrant and memorable. As well as "I am Not Spock". Get those three, and you'll be living for hours in the great memories and moments of the Final Frontier.

One person found this helpful

denis

Biographie commerciale

Reviewed in France on July 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

Vous voulez connaître les coulisses de Star Trek ? L'ouvrage est pour vous. Vous voulez des photos de tournage (pas de couleurs) : encore une fois vous devez acheter ce livre.
Vous souhaitez une analyse épistémologique, philosophique et anthropique de la série culte ? Ah ben, non, là faut aller voir ailleurs.
J'ai pourtant passé de bons moments à lire Shatner. Un livre où le client Trekkie en a pour son argent, mais pas plus.

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