Chekov’s Enterprise

Chekov’s Enterprise by Walter Koenig.

Paperback: 222 pages
Publisher: Intergalactic Trading Co (June 1991)
ISBN-10: 0962943207

The actor who portrays Lieutenant Pavel Chekov of the Starship Enterprise describes his experiences and provides portraits of fellow actors during the filming of the Star trek movie based on the popular television series

My girlfriend Michelle made it possible for me to repurchase Chekov’s Enterprise.  I had it for years but it got waterlogged in my brothers basement in a box.  I kept the book anyway because I love Walter’s writing.

One might think: who wants to read a book about the first Star Trek movie? (No one seems to like that particular movie)  But I liked it.  Not saying I loved it or it’s my favorite movie of theirs, but I do remember the anticipation of it’s release, and I was so happy to see them all on the big screen that the story almost didn’t matter!  They were back!  And so was the Enterprise!  I find myself wondering how any fan could NOT like it, for those reasons alone!

But I regress.

I had fond memories of this book and wanted to read it again.  I will admit to forgetting parts of it.  But at my age just remembering that I read it is amazing!

Walter is a very good author.  .. and he has a great sense of humor, and portrays it throughout this book.  A chuckle here, a laugh out loud there…  and then one of the parts I forgot about.  He mentions his son Josh a number of times and it made me feel like crying . 

This book is like a diary that Walter kept while making the movie.  Besides being funny it’s very interesting to see how the movie was made through Walter’s eyes.  You have to remember he was only on the sets on the days that he was going to be in the shots of the movie, so he wasn’t there everyday.  There was also the coming together of these actors who hadn’t much seen each other in nearly 10 years.  He wondered if the same feeling for each other would be there?  After all, unlike other Trek series they had only worked together for 3 seasons.  But then… memories are long, and you don’t forget something like Star Trek, or in Walter’s case, Russian accents.

I’ve chosen a few paragraphs from the book for you.. In the first one Walter remembers DeForest Kelley.

Whatever comedic lines the script possesses are the unchallenged province of Dr. McCoy.  I can think of no one better qualified to carry off the wryness demanded than De Forest.  I also can thin of no one (other than myself) I’d be happier to see get the opportunity.   De is one of the genuinely nice people in the business.  He is one actor who seems incapable of pretense and sham.  I have always found him very straightforward and honest.  There are people who abuse these qualities by candor as an excuse for crudity, but not so with Bones’s alter ego.  I’ve never seen him lack sensitivity in dealings with his fellow man.  You can tell I’m very pleased to consider him a friend.

…and another clip..

Thursday September 28: Yesterday wormholes, today plasma energy probes. Nobody said being an officer on the U.S.S Enterprise would be easy.

Monday October 2: Today a security guard (who else?) and seven pages get zapped.  A piqued probe is responsible for the security guard.  A piqued Paramount is responsible for our shortened story.  We’re still under orders to bring the picture in at two hours and ten minutes.

Tuesday  October 3:  We know all about the laws of probability.  The laws of probe-ability are currently being researched on our bridge set.  By the time we’re finished testing them, we shall have made an important contribution tot he literature.  Now.. if we could only wrap up the work sometime before next June.

After reading the book I am finding I want to watch ST 1 and see if I can match the book with the movie parts.  I’m sure I can.. Walter’s writing is just that good.

I wish he had written a book like this for each of the movies made by the Original Cast.  It makes you realize all the work involved and although each of those movies weren’t fan favorites…none were really “that bad”.  Each one gave us our Original cast, and each one gave us the Enterprise, and even moments of joy and moments of sadness ..that to me is and enjoyable movie. 

And that’s the truth… ppppllllsssstttt.