Star Trek Memories

Star Trek Memories is an autobiography written by William Shatner, with Chris Kreski. Published by HarperCollins Publishers, it was first released in . The book covers the period of Shatner's involvement with , both its production in the 1960s, and its 1970s syndication era.
== Summary ==
;From the book jacket (hardback edition)
:Recall the glory days of the original Star Trek, with the book that goes where no memoir has gone before…
:Beginning in as something a little out of the ordinary for prime-time TV, and suffering from shaky ratings throughout its entire run, Star Trek went on to spend the better part of the next three decades exploding into a worldwide, billion-dollar industry. How did this happen? What made the show so unique that it spawned a devoted global following?
:While many books have attempted to tell the real, behind-the-scenes Trek story, the tale can best be told through the voice and privileged perspective of a man who actually lived through it all. That man is William Shatner (aka Captain James Kirk). Gathering his personal recollections along with those of Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and Star Treks producers, designers, production crew and special effects wizards, William Shatner's Star Trek Memories is crammed with the backstage drama of the series' creation. Here, in the stars' and creators' own words, are such memories as:
:* Shatner's and Nimoy's close friendship of almost thirty years.
:* The outrageous practical jokes of Star Treks cast, crew and especially Gene Roddenberry.
:* The truth about Kirk and Uhura's first prime-time interracial kiss.
:* Nichelle Nichols's surprising fan – who convinced her not to quit the show.
:* What really happened to Yeoman Rand and Captain Pike?
:* The fight with Harlan Ellison over – and how he ultimately helped to save Star Trek from cancellation.
:* The full history of the overwhelming "Save Star Trek" campaign – which was only good enough to work for one final season.
:Filled with heartfelt warmth and genuine fondness that can only exist among colleagues who have spent years together through thick and thin, Star Trek Memories also includes more than 120 photographs and illustrations (many of which appear for the first time in these pages). William Shatner's Star Trek Memories is the definitive reminiscence of the show that has become a true cultural phenomenon.
=== Contents ===
*Acknowledgments
*Captain's Log
*Origins
*"The Cage"
*Where No Man Has Gone Before
*Amassing the Troops
*On the Set: Lights, Camera and Plenty of Action
*A Couple of Characters
*The Grind
*The Unsung Hero
*Shots in the Dark
*Opening Nights
*Bigger Things
*My Favorite Episode
*The Dysfunctional Family
*To Stay Or Not to Stay
*Episode on the Edge
*Season Two
*Season Three
*Captain's Epilogue
== Background information ==
* Released in October 1993 as a in black cloth bound hardcover in dustjacket edition, it was followed a month later by a UK trade paperback edition for The Commonwealth countries. Concurrently, a deluxe, signed and numbered edition was released in the US, which consisted of the the hardcover book without its dustjacket in a hardboard slipcase and which was limited to 4,526 copies; of which 26 copies, lettered a-z, were reserved for private distribution at the authors' and publisher's discretion.
*The book saw several internationally translated editions which included the 1994 German paperback edition entitled Star Trek Erinnerungen (translated by Andreas Brandhorst and which has seen at least three reprint runs in the years 1994-1997), as well as the 1997 French (reprinted in September 1999) and 1999 Italian trade paperback editions entitled Star Trek: Les Mémoires and Diario del Capitano, respectively.
*While Shatner may have somewhat of an egotistical reputation in Star Trek lore, none of that is evident in the book, as he dedicates considerable space not only to his co-stars, but to various behind-the-scenes production staffers as well, the majority of whom he personally interviewed and letting them speak in their own words in his book. Two in particular, co-producers Gene Coon and Edward K. Milkis enjoyed his attention to such a degree, that Shatner has dedicated two entire chapters to them, "The Unsung Hero" and "Shots in the Dark", respectively. As such, his book is not only a autobiography, but also a reference book on the production aspects of the Original Series, sharing similarities with the work former Producer Robert H. Justman – also interviewed and featured by Shatner in his book – wrote a few years later, Inside Star Trek: The Real Story.
*Still, Shatner was not able to entirely suppress his predilection for taking center-stage, as Justman discovered, upon reading the book, that he was taken out of two behind-the-scenes events (among others in the creation of Ruk for ) and replaced by Shatner himself. "Shatner was not even on the set the days these events occurred. I did agree to do a lengthy interview with him, and did spent a great deal of time with him. I was surprised that he totally removed me from both events, and placed himself in the center of things.", Justman later decried. (Cinefantastique, Vol 26 #2, p. 17) 
*Shatner's reputation was exemplified by his decades-long bad relationship with some of his former Original Series co-stars. Shatner admitted, when he had to work with two of them again on , that he was "[…]a lot more worried about working with Walter Koenig and Jimmy Doohan, two men who had made it clear on any number of occasions that my name is generally near the top of their shit lists." (Star Trek Movie Memories, p. 414) While Shatner managed to mend some fences on that occasion, Doohan remained the only Original Series co-star who refused to be interviewed for this, as well as its follow-up book, Movie Memories.
*The book is illuminated throughout with numerous design illustrations from Art Director Matt Jefferies and black & white photographs, many of which behind-the-scenes, mostly originating from Justman's personal collection and not seen previously or afterwards. Jefferies too, was prominently featured in Shatner's writings.
* Shatner followed up this book in 1994 with Star Trek Movie Memories, a memoir of his experiences from the cancellation of TOS through the filming of .
=== Cover gallery ===
File:Star Trek Memories early 1993 proof.jpg|1993 early publisher's proof
File:Star Trek Memories.jpg|1993 hardback cover
File:Star Trek Memories 1993 back cover.jpg|1993 hardback back cover
File:Star Trek Memories 1993 deluxe slipcase cover.jpg|1993 deluxe slipcase
File:Star Trek Memories 1993 UK cover.jpg|1993 UK trade paperback cover
File:Star Trek Memories 1993 UK back cover.jpg|1993 UK trade paperback back cover
File:Star Trek Memories audiobook cover.jpg|1993 audiobook cover 
File:Star Trek Memories 1994 cover.jpg|1994 paperback cover 
File:Star Trek Memories 1994 back cover.jpg|1994 paperback back cover
File:Star Trek Memories 1994 German cover.jpg|1994 German paperback cover 
File:Star Trek Memories 1994 German back cover.jpg|1994 German paperback back cover
File:Star Trek Memories 1996 UK cover.jpg|1996 UK paperback cover 
File:Star Trek Memories 1999 French cover.jpg|1997 French trade paperback cover 
File:Star Trek Memories 1999 French back cover.jpg|1997 French trade paperback back cover
File:Star Trek Memories 1999 Italian cover.jpg|1999 Italian trade paperback cover 
File:Star Trek Memories 1999 Italian back cover.jpg|1999 Italian trade paperback back cover
File:Star Trek Memories 2009 back cover.jpg|2009 reprint back cover
fr:Star Trek Memories
de:Star Trek Erinnerungen
Category:Biography books
Category:Audiobooks