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Star Trek Movie Memories

Star Trek Movie Memories

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not as good as ST Memories, but still very entertaining
Review: Star Trek Memories was one of the most pleasant surprises of my reading career. William Shatner is a surprisingly good writer - the book was entertaining, fast flowing, fun, and occasionally very funny.

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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not as good as ST Memories, but still very entertaining
Review: Star Trek Memories was one of the most pleasant surprises of my reading career. William Shatner is a surprisingly good writer - the book was entertaining, fast flowing, fun, and occasionally very funny.

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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Review
Review: The book is full of information and William Shatner gives indepth information on the seven movies and his life in the seventies after the show was cancelled. Not only does he provide his views on the happens of the making of the seven films, but others such as the writers,actors,and the coporate heads of Paramount Studios

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's a miracle that the Star Trek movies were ever made!
Review: The ongoing adventures of Captain James Tiberius Kirk as Shatner describes his life from the depressing post-Star Trek TV series days up to the making of the 6th in the series of movies. The recounting of each movie gets a little monotonous but does leave the reader in awe that the bean-counter and the creative egos managed to get it done!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's a miracle that the Star Trek movies were ever made!
Review: The ongoing adventures of Captain James Tiberius Kirk as Shatner describes his life from the depressing post-Star Trek TV series days up to the making of the 6th in the series of movies. The recounting of each movie gets a little monotonous but does leave the reader in awe that the bean-counter and the creative egos managed to get it done!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well written, if formulaic
Review: The use of hackneyed phrases like "flash forward" aside, this is a well written and entertaining book. Some of the stories may be familiar from some of the dozens of other books on the subject, but for those unfamiliar with any of the behind the scenes books, this is probably a good first buy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well written, if formulaic
Review: The use of hackneyed phrases like "flash forward" aside, this is a well written and entertaining book. Some of the stories may be familiar from some of the dozens of other books on the subject, but for those unfamiliar with any of the behind the scenes books, this is probably a good first buy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well written, if formulaic
Review: The use of hackneyed phrases like "flash forward" aside, this is a well written and entertaining book. Some of the stories may be familiar from some of the dozens of other books on the subject, but for those unfamiliar with any of the behind the scenes books, this is probably a good first buy.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: More William Shatner fiction.
Review: This is an entertaining book if you accept the fact that it is largely fiction.George Takei(Sulu)has stated that the William Shatner "firefighting hero" of ST3 was a publicity stunt.In truth,the publicity people hurried him down to the soundstage fire for publicity reasons while the real firefightrers fought the blaze.I have thrown my copy away.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Emotional and true. One mans exciting journey through life.
Review: Where do I begin? Before reading this book I merely thought of Shatner as an arrogant, ungrateful upstart who did not appreciate the full impact of his wonderful role on Star Trek. After reading this book I have come to realise that Shatner is Kirk, just as all the other characters on the Enterprise are exaggerated reflections of the actors which played them.

One thing that always baffled me was how Shatner could so easily give up the greatest, most popular and televised role in history, spanning over thirty years. This book explains his struggle to control the character and at the same time his sense of loss at finally killing him off.

Perhaps it was Shatner himself that made Star Trek what it is today.


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