May

9

Whose Life Is It, Anyway?

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

May 9, 2008 |

You know, before I answer any more questions there’s something I wanted to say. Having received all your letters over the years, and I’ve spoken to many of you, and some of you have traveled… y’know… hundreds of miles to be here, I’d just like to say…get a life, will you people? I mean, for crying out loud, it’s just a TV show! I mean, look at you, look at the way you’re dressed! You’ve turned an enjoyable little job, that I did as a lark for a few years, into a colossal waste of time!

–William Shatner in a Saturday Night Live sketch

It’s one of the most infamous moments in the history of Star Trek, and as hilarious as Shatner ripping into Star Trek fans was, it was also, in a way, a very honest moment for him. As he admits in his book Get A Life! he didn’t “get” the Star Trek phenomenon for a long time. It wasn’t until after the release of Star Trek: Generations, which saw the death of James Kirk, that Shatner, who’d also just been through the cancellation of two television shows and a divorce, decided to throw himself into fandom and find out what the big deal was. In an attempt to get an objective insider’s view–something which Shatner could never do himself–he even went to the extent of walking around conventions with a rubber mask on and disguising his voice, bugging people with questions.

In addition to Leonard Nimoy’s books, Get A Life! reveals that the actors, writers, and producers of Star Trek never considered it a “lark”, even when the series first started. It was a creative enterprise (no pun intended) and the people involved treated it with great seriousness and professionalism, accepting the risks but also wanting to work hard to make it the best it could be.

Early in the book, though, Shatner has an epiphany that Star Trek—not the shows or the movies, but the community—is about togetherness. It’s about a community of people who find and connect to each other through a common interest. In this Star Trek is far from unique; other television shows, movies, and, let’s face it, sports and every other activity that brings people together shares this in common with Star Trek. Human beings are very tribal by nature; we instinctively look for groups to belong to. Every tribe has its rites and markings, as well as its gods and heroes. As you may have guessed I’m a little bit of a Trekkie myself, but then aren’t we all?


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