t's hard to deny that, for better or worse, William Shatner is a science fiction icon. From his early appearances on The Twilight Zone through his signature role as Star Trek's Captain Kirk to his recent TekWar tales, he has been actively involved in the speculative arena for nearly four decades.
The Encyclopedia Shatnerica is a comprehensive book that examines, in minute and often tongue-in-cheek detail, every aspect of the Shatner's public and private persona. This 296-page trade paperback features alphabetical entries devoted to each major film, miniseries and television program in which Shatner has appeared, plus selections dedicated to significant costars (and their often less-than-complimentary comments), his family life and miscellaneous personal interests. Sections also focus on various disconcerting peccadilloes, including his weight problems and allegedly out-of-control ego.
Author Robert E. Schnakenberg, a former assistant editor for Library and Information Services at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York, N.Y., sprinkles pithy Shatner quotes throughout the volume, along with a couple of "Shatnerific" trivia challenges and numerous black-and-white photos. Various appendices list the actor's complete stage and screen credits, offering "Kirk points" for those Star Trek episodes in which Shatner presents a long speech, appears with his shirt torn, is injured or seduces a woman.
What's with the hair?
Billed in the introduction as "The final frontier of Shatnerology," The Encyclopedia Shatnerica reveals all of the embarrassing facts fans have been dying to know. Was the actor's rear end really airbrushed to appear thinner in Star Trek VI? What clothing item does the star liken to "scratching yourself all the time"? And what's the story with his hair? Enquiring minds will find out here!
Schnakenberg does a superb job digging up Shatner minutiae, shedding light on long-forgotten appearances such as Shatner's stint as the Promise margarine spokesperson in the mid-1970s and as the star of the short-lived 1975-76 Western series The Barbary Coast. Another nice touch is the "Six Degrees of Star Trek," a listing that follows selected movie entries which identify actors from a particular production who also appeared in a Star Trek adventure.
Of course, Shatner's non-speculative characters aren't overlooked, with appropriately sarcastic coverage of everything from the TV shows T.J. Hooker and Rescue 911 to flicks like Big Bad Mama, Broken Angel and Want a Ride, Little Girl?. Ultimately, The Encyclopedia Shatnerica is a phenomenally fun work, covering so many intriguing aspects of this legendary icon that it should be required reading for anyone with even a passing interest in either Star Trek or the oftentimes over-the-top actor himself.
