STAR  TREK

I really enjoyed all of the Star Trek episodes that featured "still kicking" Bill Shatner.  Although he may be a Canadian, I would vote for him as one of the United States best character actors.

However, I must amend that statement slightly, because I just remembered that Elaine and I recently saw him in a horrible movie that used to be called a "chick flick."  He did OK with what he had been given to him as a script,  but, in my opinion, he never should have accepted the part. 

There is a nice You Tube video of Bill being interviewed by Johnny Carson.  I highly recommend it.

In one Star Trek episode I liked, Bill (Captain Kirk) is changed into a woman.  This change is not noticeable until he is shown passing by a wall mirror,  at which point he looks closely at his image and quickly adjusts his hair.

 In another episode Kirk finds himself on a warring planet.  He asks some combatants why they are at war. They say: "Isn't it obvious? Look at us."

"You look OK to me. One half of  your body is white, the other is black."

"But don't you understand, our enemies are white on the left side and we are white on the right side."

This is, in my opinion, a great lesson for humans.  All of us are anatomically equal, except that some of us have black, brown, white, yellow, or red skin.  So, why the hell can't we all get along.

Another episode that I haven't been able to get out of my mind was titled "The Corbomite Maneuver." Captain Kirk finds himself on a planet which features a scary monster.  Kirk finds out that the monster is a puppet controlled by Commander Balog, who looks just like a 7-year-old boy, and guess what, ... the part was played by a 7-year-old boy,  Clint Howard.

Clint played in many roles during his early years and was the younger brother of Ron Howard (you know... Opie Taylor, lovable little son of Andy, sheriff of Mayberry.)  Ron is now the director of blockbuster movies, such as "Cocoon."

Ron and Clint have collaborated on an enjoyable book (The Boys) outlining their experiences as child actors in movies and TV shows.  I have the book on my Kindle and am enjoying the read.

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