STAR TREK MOVIE MEMORIES [Paperback]

From his reputation I never thought I would say this, but Shatner really does not talk about himself enough in this book. I'll wait a moment while you digest this fact. The bulk of the book is spent describing the relationship between the writers and the directors, the producers and the writers, the producers and the directors, the producers and the studio, the writers and the studio, and everyone and Gene Roddenberry. Since Shatner was never involved in any of these early negotiations (with the exception of Star Trek 5) quite a lot of the story is told by large quotations of the people involved. This leads to a somewhat balanced, though occasionally dry, representation of all that goes on behind the scenes of a multi-million dollar movie franchise. Fortunately the stories of the back-stabbing and double-dealing are wildly entertaining in their own right, so the book doesn't suffer much as a result of this.

There aren't a lot of amusing or entertaining anecdotes here nor is there much of anything resembling personal remembrances. At times, one has to stop and remember that this was actually written by someone who was part of the cast and not some random Trek fan doing research and interviews. There are some nice touches here and there, such as his description of trying to patch things up with James Doohan and Walter Koenig on the set of the Generations film, and discussing the patch of unemployment that he went through immediately after the cancellation of the Star Trek TV series. The book would have been far better with more of these stories; however, it is an ultimately enjoyable read as it is.

Thus, I was really looking forward to reading this book, Star Trek Movie Memories. While not as good as the original, it's still very enjoyable. Who cares if parts may be slightly exaggerated? Who cares if some cast members remember some events differently? Personal memoirs are fraught with inconsistencies, even when all the people involved really are telling the truth (as they remember it). This book relies mostly on these personal rememberances and is all the stronger for it. It's an personal and inside look at what the people involved think of Star Trek, rather than a definitive history.

The main problem is the narrow focus of the people participating. There is much less from the actors and much more from the business people. Shatner's main sources (other than his own memory) are Leonard Nimoy, Have Bennet, and Nick Meyers. All three of these people are producers/directors, not actors (except Nimoy, but most of his contributions are from the production side as well). Only George Takai of the "Other 4" cast members is interviewed, and only for the ST III chapter. Ricardo Montalban is the only "guest star" of note to be extensively quoted. Koenig and Doohan are not consulted, which is not surprising, considering their disdain for Shatner, but neither is Nichols, whose interview figured prominently in the first memoir, nor Kelley.

Within the confines of this limitation, however, it's a pretty good book. It's fascinating to hear stories about script and budgetary confrontations, ego battles between top men, and clashes between Roddenberry and the studio. Unfortunately, Roddenberry comes out short in this memoir, probably because he had passed away and could not give his side of the story. Shatner pulls no punches (how many defamation suits were considered, I wonder?), and even criticises himself at times. While it's true he defends the dreadful fifth movie (i.e. the one he directed), he admits it's not as good as the others. I think anyone interested in Star Trek will thoroughly enjoy this book, even if you're more willing to believe someone else's side of the stories presented herein. It's fun, entertaining, and very interesting.

For the personal touch, Shatner begins by telling the readers what he was doing before he received the call for the first Star Trek motion picture. From there, the stories tend to cover the people involved in writing the scripts, producing and directing the films, and getting the financing and actors. For this, Shatner provides ample quotes from interviews and letters from the members involved. As with the last book, he does interview Nimoy and Takei, but where are the comments from others?

A bit more personal is the information on Shatner's directing as well as his death scene in the crossover movie. Although sentimental, he does not overdo it.

I would highly recommend this book to Star Trek fans.