With the word BOSS inscribed across his chest (the Hugo half existence hidden by his suit jacket), William Shatner lived upwardly to that title—every bit well as the rank of Captain—every bit he read excerpts from the upcoming book, The Autobiography of James T. Kirk , which will be striking shelves on Sept. 8, the ceremony of Star Trek's premiere. Shatner got huge laughs reading, and specially riffing off, the material. He besides spoke with the book's author, David A. Goodman, a writer on Family Guy , Star Trek: Enterprise , and Futurama , for which he penned the Trek homage, "Where No Fan Has Gone Earlier." Acquire how Shatner coined several new sexual euphemisms and much more beneath.

Panel Highlights

  • the-autobiography-of-james-t-kirk
    Image via Amazon
    Shatner read three excerpts from the book, which, true to its title, is written as Kirk's memoirs, equanimous upon his retirement from Starfleet. Goodman revealed that the book will also include an introduction by Doctor McCoy and an afterword by Mr. Spock, as well every bit a photo section. We were shown "James T. Kirk's Starfleet University Graduation Photo" — a nicely manipulated picture of young Shatner. "He'south hot!" Goodman exclaimed.
  • The showtime excerpt dealt with Kirk in recovery from the disaster of his first posting aboard the Farragut (detailed in the original series episode "Obsession") and the rekindling of his relationship with Carol Marcus. "She was blonde and petite, which I guess was my type," Shatner read, earlier extemporizing, "Actually, what wasn't my blazon?"
  • Shatner was peculiarly amused past a passage that described the activities that Kirk and Marcus engaged in, whilst in the throes of their love affair, as "rock climbing and horseback riding." When in the text Marcus reveals that she'southward pregnant, Shatner expressed surprise. "I was stone climbing and riding a horse!" "Things happen," said Goodman. "Especially when riding a horse," said Shatner mischievously.
  • "Horseback riding" became a touchstone throughout the rest of the console, signifying untold sexual misdeeds—to cracking laughter every time.
  • In the second passage, describing Kirk taking command of the Enterprise for the first time, Shatner read almost the parting Captain Pike greeting Kirk aboard the transport. "I was struck by how alpine he was. Much taller than me." Shatner sighed. "Everyone is."
  • Next, Kirk spots Scotty, with whom he is already acquainted. "' Scott, ' I said. 'Need someone to conduct your toolkit?" Shatner gave the audience a meaning look. "Show me your toolkit, Mr. Scott," he added with a express joy.
  • The text noted that Scotty's optics were bittersweet. "'Rough night? ' I said." Shatner then improvised seamlessly, "Doing a little chip of horseback riding?" His additions were often and then seamless, in fact, that it was at fourth dimension difficult to know where the original text ended and his own improvisations began.
  • Other times information technology was more than obvious: "'I stand relieved, ' said Pike. He then went to the men's room."
  • The third excerpt consisted of the book's epilogue. In information technology, Kirk reflects on his age, proverb, "I realize 60 is non that old." The 84-year-old Shatner gasped, "He'due south a child!"

Audience Q&A

  • william-shatner
    Epitome via NBC Universal
    When asked if he would exist in the 3rd J.J. Abrams Star Trek reboot motion picture, Shatner was incredibly evasive. He implied that the fan asking the question probably had more data than he did and demanded, "What practise you know? Am I in the side by side movie? Tell me!"
  • Asked, "How weird is it that somebody else [Chris Pino] is playing Kirk?" Shatner snapped, "It's horrible!" And so he sighed: "But he's wonderful, dammit. He's young and he'southward handsome and he'due south rich." ("Well, you've got 2 of those," Goodman said.)
  • A fan wondered how much influence actors take on what's written for them. "A newborn babe suckling at its mother's breast is no less dependent equally an role player is on the writer," Shatner said.
  • Asked to choose his favorite of Kirk'due south many uniforms, Shatner shut down the proposition of the green wrap superlative from the original serial. "It was a little embarrassing afterwards dejeuner to take that tight green thing on," he said. "A little gas shows upwards immediately. The more than drape the better, I always idea, later." Simply he praised the work of William Ware Theiss, costume designer for both the original series and Star Trek: The Side by side Generation , calling him "ane of the great designers in film."
  • Shatner told a story about how he knew he wanted to be an histrion. When he was young, he went to a summer camp outside Montreal at which the kids put on a play for the parents at the camp'southward cease. "I was playing a office and I made the audition cry." And then, when information technology was over and he came out to the still-weeping crowd, "My male parent took me up in his arms with groovy pride and said, 'This is my boy, Pecker.' And I never had another chore."
  • When asked why he thinks the character of Kirk notwithstanding resonates, Shatner gave an impassioned spoken communication near the power of science fiction, comparing it to aboriginal mythology in its power to provide answers for mysteries humanity doesn't yet understand. "And the confront of that, the hero with a m faces, is Captain Kirk."

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