Comments on: Shatner On ‘Collision Course’ – His Vision Of Kirk and Spock’s Early Years + Preview

By: Cervantes

Cervantes — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:24:52 +0000

I agree Harry. Ideas ARE easy…it’s the fleshing them out in written form into something coherant and readable thats’ the hard part…and I take my hat off to the writers of this world…well, the good ones anyway… ;)

By: Harry Ballz

Harry Ballz — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 01:49:58 +0000

Okay, I get it! The score at the end of the game is Money 3, Morals 0!!

By: Greg2600

Greg2600 — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 01:39:21 +0000

Bottom line is if the books don’t have William Shatner in big letters on them, then they aren’t going to sell as well. Pocketbooks are not going to write “based on the thoughts of William Shatner.” The Reeves-Stevens are delighted to have been able to write these books.

By: Harry Ballz

Harry Ballz — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:13:00 +0000

Having an idea, which anyone can come up with over beers at a pub, is worlds away from sitting down and writing an entire book! One is fun, the other is hard work! Fair is fair!

By: FREAKAZOID

FREAKAZOID — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:58:21 +0000

Some replies to Posts…..

#10. That episode was called “The Menagerie.” Simple mistake no biggy :)

#28: What did you expect him to say? The video is about the disclaimer on the book! Nothing more.

#48: How do you figure there was a comprimise of integrity? Shatner has explained (many times) that he colaborates with the authors for the books. They are still HIS ideas.

By: Harry Ballz

Harry Ballz — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:15:27 +0000

Ah well, commerce beats integrity every time! What a sad statement on society! C’est la vie!

By: John CT

John CT — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:41:05 +0000

45#. Harry what’s fair is that the people that wrote the book get good money on it’s return. They are likely to get more money with Shatners name on the cover, so I doubt they care.

Think about it.

By: Magic_Al

Magic_Al — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 04:51:02 +0000

It doesn’t actually say “written by William Shatner,” it says WILLIAM SHATNER above the title, like it would on a movie poster with a starring actor. You can say Shatner didn’t “write” these books, but you must also admit that these stories wouldn’t exist without Shatner’s input, any more than Star Trek would be the same if Shatner had never acted in it. The Shatnerverse Kirk is very much Shatner’s idea of Kirk. Amid the Reeves Stevens’ very conventional recitation of Trek canon, it’s pretty easy to spot Shatner’s contributions because they’re not obvious extensions of Trek canon, and/or they conflate biographical details of Kirk and Shatner. I’m not saying it’s always good, but it is different, and the difference is Shatner.

By: Harry Ballz

Harry Ballz — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 04:46:26 +0000

Exactly! Thank you for proving my point! It’s not easy to write a book, so it only seems fair that the person who toiled on it get the recognition, not some “wannabee” who did NOTHING!!!

By: k.f.

k.f. — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 04:25:16 +0000

Don’t like it, don’t read it. I love Judy and Gar books. By far the best. They really have a feel for how characters talk and don’t make them say things they usually wouldn’t. Shatnerverse books have been some of my faves, I read them over and over. If you want another version of Trek, write your own. This is a happy statement, not a mean one. I mean it, write one you never know! I tried once, it’s not that easy.