How William Shatner Changed the World (some thoughts)

In 1998, science fiction author Thomas M. Disch wrote a book called The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of which chronicled how science fiction books and movies predicted a lot of the technological advancements we have today.

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Science fiction, as opposed to science fantasy, has to be grounded in science, at least to a certain degree. What made all those space age weapons and doodads so intriguing was that they could possibly exist, perhaps not at the moment, but eventually.

How William Shatner Changed the World, which debuted last night on the History Channel, is a two-hour documentary which really has to do with Star Trek and not William Shatner, but hey, whatever. Like Disch's book, the show looks into how the science and inventions used in Star Trek were the inspiration for things we all use today, like cell phones and short-range missiles. Well, cell phones anyway.

The two hour running time seemed a bit too long, and it's difficult to know who exactly the show was made for. Avid trekkies already know Star Trek was steeped in real science, so the show didn't really offer them anything new. The solution seemed to be making the show about William Shatner, who served as a self-deprecating narrator, mocking the role he'll never be able to escape. My thoughts on the documentary are that it was very interesting, and very way too long. I won't say avoid it when it airs again this Thursday, but it might be better to record it and skip through the boring parts.