Best Books by Former Star Trek Actors

You know him from his voyages on the Starship Enterprise, as veteran cop T. J. Hooker, and Boston Legal lawyer Denny Crane. He’s starred in his own one-man show on Broadway and has collaborated with Ben Folds, Brad Paisley, and others on his records. His spoken-word albums have been critically acclaimed, portions of which complement his latest reflections in Wisdom & Worries.

As he nears the century mark, William Shatner is still boldly exploring new frontiers, including his own inner universe. In the pages of Wisdom & Worries, he looks back on his childhood in Montreal, his acting career, his connection with nature and animals, and the loves of his life. In soulful, rhythmic verses, Shatner reflects on his journey to find his place and uncover meaning in the world. 

With appearances in shows ranging from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton is one of the most beloved figures in America. Now, Burton is offering his own original sci-fi story in Aftermath.

The United States of 2019 is a very different place. Economic depression, an enormous earthquake, and the assassination of a black President-elect have turned the country into a war zone. Four people, each as different and troubled as the next, are the nation's last hope. But can they overcome the devastation and build a new world?

Raised by unconventional Irish Catholics who knew "how to drink, how to dance, how to talk, and how to stir up the devil," Kate Mulgrew grew up with poetry and drama in her bones. But in her mother, a would-be artist burdened by the endless arrival of new babies, young Kate saw the consequences of a dream deferred. Determined to pursue her own no matter the cost, she left her small Midwestern town at 18 for New York, where the legendary Stella Adler taught her a crucial lesson: Whatever disappointment, pain, or anger life throws in your path, use it.

It was a lesson she would need. At 22, just as Mulgrew’s career was taking off, she became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter. Having already signed the adoption papers, she was allowed only a fleeting glimpse of her child. This haunted Mulgrew for decades.

We know Kate Mulgrew for the strong women she's played, like Captain Janeway on Star Trek and "Red" on Orange is the New Black. But after Mulgrew found the courage to face the past, she stepped into the most compelling role she has ever played: herself.

Wil Wheaton has never been one to take the conventional path to success. Despite early stardom through his childhood role in the motion picture Stand By Me, and growing up on television as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Wil left Hollywood in pursuit of happiness, purpose, and a viable means of paying the bills. In the oddest of places, Topeka, Kansas, Wil discovered that despite his claims to fame, he was at heart just a geek.

In Just a Geek, Wil shares his deeply personal and difficult journey to find himself. You'll understand the rigors, and joys, of Wil's rediscovering of himself, as he comes to terms with what it means to be famous, or, ironically, famous for once having been famous. Writing with honesty and disarming humanity, Wil shares the ups and downs he encountered along the way, along with the support and love he discovered from his friends and family.

In Still Just a Geek, Wheaton also offers some profound and occasionally, laugh-out-loud annotations.

Leonard Nimoy is best known to the world as the actor who created the legendary Mr. Spock. In this long-awaited autobiography, Nimoy opens up to his fans in ways the Vulcan never could.

Having played the pivotal role of Mr. Spock in the original series, in six motion pictures, and in a special two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as having directed two of the movies, Nimoy is well suited to tell the true story behind what was seen by the public. He provides an intelligent and insightful book about the creative process and the actor's craft. He also gives us his own unique insider's view of both the character and the Star Trek phenomenon.

In this Next Generation novel co-written by John De Lancie, a mischievous, all-powerful cosmic entity known only as 'Q' has long plagued Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise. Over the millennia of his lifetime, he has encountered countless challenges and many powerful enemies. But none has been so deadly as the being that now threatens not just the universe we know but all the myriad alternate universes with it. 

Against this attack on everything that is and everything that might have been, Q stands alone except for Captain Picard. And with the existence of not only our own universe but thousands of others at stake, Picard must find a way to work with his nemesis or the whole of existence as we know it will simply cease to be.

This is the autobiography of one of Star Trek's most popular stars, George Takei. It tells of his triumph over adversity and of his huge success, despite an inauspicious start in a wartime US Asian relocation camp. In his lifetime, he has become an actor, a successful businessman, a writer, and a man deeply involved in politics and the democratic process. His story also includes his early days as an actor when he had brushes with greats like Alec Guinness, Burt Lancaster and Bruce Lee, as well as his first meeting with a writer/producer named Gene Roddenberry.