orbit, and lay in a course for the Ramatis system, warp 6â
He said.
âAye sir,â my fingers danced over the CONN. âCourse laid in, sir.â
âMake it so, Mister Crusher.â
The camera creaked back on the dolly track, as the Enterprise D went
to warp speed.
âCut! Great! New deal!â the director said.
âWrong set! We are moving to the Observation lounge for scene 55!â said the 1st AD, âThe
actors can relax for about 10 minutes.â
On my way back to my trailer, the DGA trainee stopped me. âGene Roddenberry would like you
to call his office, Wil.â
âOkay.â
I changed direction, and walked to the stage phone. My heart began to beat hard in my
chest. Had Gene heard too? WILLIAM FUCKING SHATNER had known Gene for over 20 years . . . if
Gene knew that Iâd upset him, maybe Gene would be upset at me, too!
I passed the craft service table, setup behind the starfield that hung next to the
Ten-Forward set. Michael Dorn and Jonathan Frakes were pouring cups of coffee.
âTo hell with him, W,â Jonathan said. I love it when he calls me âW.â
âTo hell with who?â Michael asked.
âShatner shit all over Teen Idol,â Jonathan told him.
Beneath his latex Klingon forehead, Michael rolled his eyes. âYou want me to kick his ass,
Wil?â
âNo, thatâs okay. Thanks, though.â I said.
âIâve got your back, man,â Michael said.
I dialed Geneâs office, and told his secretary that I was returning Geneâs call.
âHeâs expecting your call. Just a second, Wil.â There were two clicks, and Geneâs soft,
gentle, friendly voice was in my ear.
âHi Wil, how are you?â
âIâm okay. How are you?â
âFine, fine. I understand that you had some words with Bill Shatner today.â
Oh my god. Was he going to be mad at me?
âUh . . . yeah . . .â I said.
âWil, Bill Shatner is an ass, donât you worry about him, okay? I am proud to have you on
my show. Donât you ever forget that.â
Did Gene just call WILLIAM FUCKING SHATNER an ass? And then he said that he was proud of
me?
âGosh, Gene, thanks,â was the best I could do.
âCome by my office soon, okay?â
âOkay.â
âSee you then.â He hung up.
I began to feel better. Although a childhood hero had kicked me in the nuts, a bunch of
people who I cared about and respected had all made efforts to put it in perspective. I felt
loved, and protected.
The next day, when I got to work, there was an envelope on my dressing room table. It was
addressed âTo Master Wil Wheatonâ and was âFrom the Office of William Shatner.â
I dropped my backpack, and tore it open.
Inside, there was a single three by eight note card. The Paramount Pictures logo was
stamped into the top in blue, and âWilliam Shatnerâ was stamped into the bottom in
gold.
There was a message typed on the card, which said,
Dear Wil,
You are a fine young actor, and I would be
honored to have you on my bridge any day.
Sincerely yours,
Bill
Heâd signed it in ink. Blue ink. My mouth hung open, and my hands trembled a bit. I held
it up to the light, to make sure it was real. The phone rang.
âHello?â
âWil? Itâs Gene,â I recognized his voice immediately.
âGood morning Gene,â I said.
âI spoke with Bill Shatner yesterday, and he should be dropping a note off for you
today.â
âItâs already here,â I said. I read it to him.
âGood. You are a fine young actor,â he said. âSee you later.â
I couldnât believe it. Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek and The Great Bird of the
Galaxy, had called WILLIAM FUCKING SHATNER, Captain James T. Kirk and director of Star Trek V , and asked him to apologize to me, Wil Wheaton, 16 year-old
acting ensign and