1. Chanteyman asked: Do you find the general public?s voyeuristic tendencies?to have a chilling effect on your enjoyment of your career accomplishments?and does it make you more ?guarded? with new acquaintances?
Bill answered: It?s true that constantly in the back of my mind I wonder who is going to rat me out to the tabloids, who may have a long lens or a hidden microphone, and what does the next person really want? If left at that, it would have a chilling effect on me. On the other hand, if you leave yourself vulnerable to hurt and deception, you eventually find nuggets of gold in relationships (which is, by the way, one of the reasons celebrities flock together. Nobody has anything to gain.)
2. Billy asked: Do you think there?s still hope for the future of mankind?
Bill answered: Man has an indomitable spirit; unfortunately, the flesh is weak. With a certain amount of toxicity running rampant through us, it?s possibly that we are now in our death throes. But let?s not forget about the indomitable spirit ? it counts for a lot.
3. Harry Mudd asked: Who is your favorite comedy performer and why?
Bill answered: Red Buttons is really funny.
4. June asked: What have you gained from this kind of communication [with the fans]?
Bill answered: I?m learning about your wishes, what you want to hear and see. We all orient ourselves to please y?all.
5. Tri98 asked: What do you think Gene Rodenberry would think about his creation now and what, if anything, could the producers do to improve the current product?
Bill answered: Unfortunately, the current product seems to have come to an end, which would be of no end of grief to Gene. I think perhaps the producers missed the essentials of Star Trek ? that is, the colorful characters in conflict with each other and the outer world.
6. Aranel asked: When did you decide to start riding horses? [note: this question was asked several times by different people. Bill combined his answer here].
Bill answered: I used to sweep out stables when I was a kid in order to ride on a rental horse. As I got older, I had to drop it all because, not only could I not afford it, I didn?t have the time. It was only in the 80?s that I had some disposable income and bought a horse. Nobody told me that buying one horse is like eating one potato chip. It can?t be done, sucka! The one horse begat another which begat many which begat breeding. Those babies are so cute and the fun of watching them grow and train is what kept me in it. But the business of horses is very expensive, so after a long while, I began to realize it wasn?t going to be a successful business no matter what I did. So lately I?ve begun to cut back and not worry about expenses and enjoy the horses more.
7. Kilgorn asked: If NASA called and offered you a spot on the Shuttle when it flies again, would you take it?
Bill answered: No, thank you! I?ve developed claustrophobia and I have sleep apnea. All in all, I?d rather be by the seashore.
8. Britstarfan asked: If you could have a conversation with anyone from the past who would it be and what would you talk about?
Bill answered: One of the characters of history that interests me is Alexander the Great. We could talk about military tactics, why he didn?t accept the invention of the saddle and odd things like that.
9. CaptainsHonor asked: Do you see mass communications?eventually going to end up with the ?few? controlling what the majority sees and hears?
Bill answered: I think the very word ?mass communication? means not only a mass that receives information, but a mass that will send it as well. It would seem likely that the future would open up for broadcasting.
10. Claudia asked: How much [did] your years in amateur theater?shape your career as an actor?
Bill answered: I did a lot of experimental theater when I was an amateur. I think it gave me experience and helped me gain confidence.
11. Rainnie76 asked: What [in nature] can you sit and look at for hours, marveling at its beauty?
Bill answered: Most of nature entrances me. There is, of course, the seashore and
the multitude of experiences there both in and out of the water. I love the
mountains in winter and summer. The flat prairies I find lovely and give me a
strong desire to gallop at full speed across the flatland. I was brought up in the lake
districts of the Laurentiens, so the woods and lakes back east are special to me. I
am now about to take a trip to the tundra of Alaska, so I?ll be adding it to the list,
I?m sure.
12. Discoduck asked: Are you bi-lingual?and are your kids Canadian?
Bill answered: Yes, I am bi-lingual, although through lack of use my English is rusty. My children can choose either or both citizenships.
13. 2of5 asked: Do you prefer working in front of or behind the camera?
Bill answered: When I?m behind the camera, I yearn to be in front and when I?m
In front, I yearn to say, ?action!?
14. Daisydownunder asked: Have you ever had a ?perfect moment in time?"
Bill answered: Oh, so many. I?ve had it with my children, with my wife, with my dogs, and this morning, with my horse. I worked one of my horses off the weight of my body, so whenever I would lean, she would go in that direction. So, without reins, the horse and I worked together. It was a perfect meeting of spirit.
15. ColorTelevision asked: Is the story about the skunk [in ?Get a Life?] really true?
Bill answered: Yes, it is. It really happened that way!
16. Chayes asked: What was it like when you were starting out and how does it feel to be a celebrity?
Bill answered: In the beginning, I was very lonely, scared, sad, tremulous, and excited. My career never brought immediate fame, but was a slow evolution. So slowly, in fact, that I almost never saw the transitions. There were times when people would say, ?you?re going to be famous,? and nothing would happen, and there were other times when I?d do something small and it would get a lot of attention. It all seems to have fallen into place naturally.
17. Judy asked: What life lessons did you learn from creating and acting the persona of Captain James T. Kirk?
Bill answered: How to memorize ten pages in a day; how to stay alert for eighteen hours at a time; how to focus my forces when I needed them.
18. EliseMadrid asked: During your long career, which character, from a book or movie, would you have liked to play?
Bill answered: I don?t really think that way; I try not to live in regret or play the game of what might be. I try to stay focused on what is and what is possible. That being said, a similar question was asked on the BBS the other day. I answered that I?d like to be a mutant from X-Men 2.
19. KrazyBrit asked: Have you ever thought of or have you ever put together a drama camp and give acting lessons?
Bill answered: No, I don?t feel the need to teach.
20. Adams asked: If you could share anything so far in your career to my niece to give her a heads up on what to expect as she begins her journey [as an actress], what would it be?
Bill answered: Have patience. Study a lot.
21. Blake asked: Has your opinion of Star Trek: The Motion Picture changed with the director?s version?
Bill answered: No, it didn?t change too much. I thought it a little long and it got longer.
22. Spudgun asked: [At the London Con] do you remember a good-looking guy in a SPUDGUN T-shirt?
Bill answered: Yes, but I was more focused on the girls.
23. DianaG asked: When your first mare foaled, did you get to see it, and how did you feel at seeing [it]?
Bill answered: Yes, I did get to see it and it brought tears to my eyes. If I remember correctly, I even helped deliver it.
24. Whyknot asked: Are you ever too old to learn how to ride a horse?
Bill answered: No, unless you have brittle hips.
25. Barry asked: During the hiatus of Star Trek, from ?69 to ?78?did you have to deal with any stigma associated with the success of JTK?
Bill answered: No, I found no stigma. Or stigmata. I needed that like I needed a hole in my hand.
26. CaptainRobbins asked: What is your favorite cartoon character and/or superhero?
Bill answered: Spiderman. I liked the web of deceit he wove.
27. InLoveWithJim asked: Other than James Kirk, what other role have you played, either on stage or in film, about which you are the most proud?
Bill answered: It?s rare that I am embarrassed about anything I?ve played. On the other hand, it?s rare that I?m totally satisfied with what I do.
28. DarthDavid asked: What is your favorite book of all the books you have written and why?
Bill answered: Probably ?Star Trek Memories? was one I enjoyed tremendously. It brought back a lot of memories and I had to interview a lot of people I cared for very much. It was a good experience all the way around.
29. WonderWoman asked: Why is science fiction still being treated like a mediocre genre in Hollywood?
Bill answered: I really don?t think it is being treated like a mediocre genre. More money is being spent on science fiction extravaganzas than on anything else. Computer graphics is the darling of Hollywood and most of it is being utilized for science fiction projects.
30. Crambam asked: Is there anything that can be done on your end to get [Kirk to appear on ?Enterprise?] in the upcoming season? [note: many of you asked about the possibility of Kirk returning in some form. Bill tries to answer your questions here].
Bill answered: There is probably not a big chance that Kirk will appear in any future Star Trek projects. I don?t see in the present atmosphere how that would be possible. There was some talk of me being a guest on ?Enterprise? but I haven?t heard anything about it since then.
31. BerryAnn asked: [Do] you like tenderness?
Bill answered: I do think that if you take a ball-peen hammer and pound a chicken breast you can tenderize it very effectively. If you don?t have that sort of violence in you, then MSG on some beef will actually tenderize your tongue. A tender tongue is not too much to ask for.
32. Johnny Turbo asked: Do you like baseball or football and do you have a favorite team-o?
Bill answered: Every Monday night during football season, we have a party at my house. Friends and loved ones are invited and we all yell and scream for our favorite team. For me, it?s the Oakland Raiders. We hate them so much for leaving Los Angeles that we cheer any team that is playing against them. Call me a jilted lover.
33. Scottee asked: What do you think you have gained most from helping the riding for the disabled?
Bill answered: Everybody involved in the charity has gained a great deal. The children have gained happiness, confidence, physical strength, and emotional identification. All the people helping have gained the satisfaction that comes from giving.
34. Ross asked: If things were ever to go ahead, in terms of context and story, where would you hope to see Jim Kirk upon his return?
Bill answered: I would like to see Jim Kirk in heaven with little angels tucked under his arm. Old Jim trying to make out with an angel. Now that?s a story.
35. Patty asked: What career do you think you would have chosen if you had not become an actor and author?
Bill answered: A petty thief. And I hate pettiness.
36. Star asked: Have you gone to the Star Trek Experience [in Las Vegas] and done the motion simulator ride?
Bill answered: Actually, I?ve already had the Star Trek experience. It was a great ride.
37. BMW asked: You seem to be having a good time poking fun at the generally stereotypical image of yourself that seemed to have developed over the years. Is this an intentional move to help eliminate those egotistical questions, or just more of a relaxed personal view?
Bill answered: Perhaps a little of both. Some of the questions after all this time sound a little familiar and the answers may seem less familiar.
38. Rust asked: Have you considered a return to episodic television in a comedic vehicle?
Bill answered: I?ve tried to avoid episodic television, but I may do some appearances this year.
39. Scorpius asked: What are your coping mechanisms in times of despair, and what wisdom would you pass onto others who may have difficulty dealing with life?s hardships?
Bill answered: This is easy to say looking back and extraordinarily difficult to think when you?re in the middle of grief. But that old truism, that time will take care of everything, really is true. If you allow time to pass, things will really change.
40. Leandar asked: When there?s nothing on the plate for you to do, what does William Shatner do to pass the time?
Bill answered: Eat the plate.
41. Piranhad asked: What do you believe is the most important message to be derived from Star Trek?
Bill answered: Don?t interfere in other people?s lives or think that yours is the shining example of the way things are supposed to be.
42. Son of Khan asked: I was wondering about your methods for developing your books Specifically, use of outlines, story development, and collaborations with other writers like Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens?
Bill answered: I start with a one line idea, amplify it and branch it out as much as possible, using an almost free form way of writing -- a thought or a picture that comes to mind. Eventually, you have a rough story outline. Then Gar and Judy and I will get together and begin to amplify that.
43. Mahgscats asked: Do you think you will ever go on one of those Star Trek Cruise ship excursions?
Bill answered: I think perhaps when I am old and senile. I?ll sit on my deck chair and try to remember, ?What is Star Trek?"
44. CountNavaree asked: Have you made peace with the rest of the ?Trek Family?"
Bill answered: After a manner, I have.
45. AlphaDelta asked: If you could go back to any two points in your life and do them again, what would they be? Would you go back?
Bill answered: No, I wouldn?t go back because I?m a believer in the flow of history. If one had taken the other road, something else both good and bad would have happened because you?ve fulfilled your life both as it is written and as you write it.
46. Capt.kirk asked: Knowing your penchant for being a prankster, what are the elements in your opinion of a good prank?
Bill answered: Cruelty, insincerity, and complete deviousness.
47. Swanny asked: If you could play any character in a Star Wars movie, who would it be and why?
Bill answered: Yoda, because it?s all a voice-over. No make-up and good hours.
48. NGC asked: Of all the original Star Trek episodes, did anything out of the ordinary ever occur that might have been construed as inexplicable, either on or off the set?
Bill answered: I?ve always wondered how Leonard Nimoy got the part. Totally inexplicable.
49. Everton asked: Stones or Beatles? (The world needs to know!)
Bill answered: Some of the Beatles are dead. Mind you, I saw the Stones in concert once, and some of them are dead, too ? they just don?t know it. They?re holding onto their guitars for dear life.
50. Preserver asked: Have you ever seriously considered how to go about creating a Captain Kirk made-for TV mini-series based on your Kirk books?
Bill answered: We have at CBS at this very moment, a fun drama which incorporates much of ?Get a Life.?
51. Sheba asked: What is your current relationship like with Nichelle, and when was the last time you have seen her?
Bill answered: I haven?t seen Nichelle in quite a long while. But, if I remember correctly, the last time I saw her I have her a big kiss. Unfortunately, she didn?t know who I was.
52. Largemocha asked: Is there a humorous story you can tell about the Duke, either from the variety show [you were on] or maybe from a gathering you both attended?
Bill answered: I didn?t really know the Duke, although I would have liked to. I thought he was a much-underrated actor.
53. DOC asked: Would you consider teaching horseback riding lessons along with all related equine subjects?
Bill answered: No. I tried to teach my kids and that is the end of my teaching.
None of them will get near a horse.
54. Krlina asked: In real life, have you ever had any type of ET Close Encounter experiences?
Bill answered: No, I haven?t, although a tabloid once printed one about me.
Mind you, I was going to join the group that were waiting for the space ship
on the other side of the comet, but I was too busy and they left without me.
Part Two Coming Soon! |
