Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 16, 1994 TAG: 9408160057
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Ian Spelling
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Is there anything Shatner hasn't gotten to do during his nearly 30-year-long trek as Kirk?
Picking at a plate of pasta after a long day of filming ``Generations'' on location in the California mountains, Shatner smiles.
``I never actually got to make love to Joan Collins,'' he jokes, referring to his co-star in the ``Trek''-classic episode ``City on the Edge of Forever,'' considered by many Trekkers to be the original series' finest hour.
``Even better, Captain Kirk never made love to Cindy Crawford. That fool Richard Gere got in the way, but he could always be eliminated with a phaser.''
Shatner laughs.
``Actually, there isn't much I haven't gotten to do as Kirk. It's been a pretty fulfilling experience for me.''
That experience may or may not be coming to an end with ``Generations,'' in which - read no further if you don't want to learn the big ``surprise'' that virtually every Trekker already knows - Kirk dies.
``I can't tell you if this is Kirk's last adventure or not,'' says Shatner, 63. ``But there is definitely a feeling of passing the torch on to `The Next Generation.'
``There is frequent reference to it in the dialogue and I can say that the actions in the film speak even louder than the words.''
If ``Generations'' does prove to be Shatner's film farewell as Kirk, don't feel too bad for him. After all, the actor/writer/producer/direc-tor/convention guest/horse breeder has much more than pasta on his proverbial plate these days.
He still hosts ``Rescue 911'' for CBS, recently guest-starred in a ``Columbo'' TV movie and in an episode of ``SeaQuest DSV,'' continues to write the Ace/Putnam ``TekWar'' novels and has written, produced, directed and/or acted in several made-for-television ``TekWar'' movies starring Greg Evigan as the futuristic private investigator Jake Cardigan.
``I thought the `TekWar' films came out very well,'' Shatner says. ``Whether or not we do more is open to question, but we're in negotiations as we speak.''
(The USA cable network recently announced that ``TekWar'' will debut as a weekly hour-long series in January.)
More ``TekWar'' books are also in the works.
``The sixth one is called `TekPower.' The president of the United States is threatened,'' Shatner says, referring to the plot of the novel, which will be published in October.
Other upcoming projects include an Agatha Christie-like mystery film, ``Underground,'' which will likely star Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.
It will start filming in January under Shatner's direction.
``Leonard wants to do it,'' Shatner says. ``I want him to do it. So, hopefully, we'll do it together.''
The busy actor, who recently separated from his wife Marcy Lafferty, is also at work on ``Star Trek Movie Memories,'' a follow-up to his best-selling memoir, ``Star Trek Memories'' (HarperCollins, 1993).
So, even if fans have seen the last of Kirk in ``Trek,'' the character will, in many ways, remain an integral part of Shatner's life.
``That's true,'' he says, with a nod that seems to imply acceptance, resignation and pleasure all at once. ``And that's OK with me.''
Con calendar Sept. 3-4
Lone Star Fest at the Westgate Mall in Austin, Texas. (Sept. 3 only; call 512-873-7587.)
New Jersey SF, Comics & Cards at the Holiday Inn in Tinton Falls, N.J. (Sept. 4 only; call Daniel Campbell at 908-531-9281.)
Trek/sci-fi alert
If you have Trek or science-fiction news or trivia to share - or if you have questions relating to ``Star Trek'' - write to Ian Spelling, in care of the features department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491.
by CNB