From The Potato To Star Trek and Beyond

By Chester (Chet) L. Richards

JANUARY 4, 2023 - First, I wish to express my thanks to Pawpress books for the review copy of this book. Second, the opinions expressed in this review are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of DSTN, its staff, or the editor. Third, minor spoilers are included in this review.  

I’ll start by saying, that this is a book I would likely never have read had it not been offered to me for the purpose of this review.  I usually don’t read memoirs.  In fact, in my entire life and the hundreds of books I’ve read, I have read exactly six memoirs, each of which was written by William Shatner.

I’m sincerely glad that I read this book! The first page of this book left me with a lump in my throat.  The final page left me (literally) with tears in my eyes. 

Of course, as a Star Trek fan, as well as an author, there is always an interest in how stories are created and refined until the final product is given.  In this book, Richards describes his part in “The Tholian Web” episode.  Now, I’m a Trek-spert.  I have won many trivia contests at Star Trek conventions over the years. Yet my expertise is not in the production of Star Trek, but rather the execution of it.  I know that D.C. Fontana wrote some stories and that David Gerrold is responsible for tribbles, but that’s pretty much the extent of it.  

If you ask me who was the instructor that sparked Picard’s interest in archeology, I’ll quickly tell you that it was professor Gailen.  But if you ask me who wrote The Galileo Seven, I’ll shrug my shoulders and tell you that I really don’t care.  However, Spock’s mother’s name was Amanda and she was a teacher! So, I had no knowledge of who had written: “The Tholian Web” going into this book.

Richards described with great flair the process of writing the story with a college friend, the excitement when Desilu Studios was interested in it, and how he had to change Spock to Kirk as the floating, disembodied crew member caught in limbo.  The process was fascinating, but it was literally about 3% of the overall book. 

His life and stories are shared with humorous, frustrated, and sometimes raw emotional truth. 

The book starts with the day he lost his beloved wife Sarah and how she had always loved to hear the stories of his life’s adventures, and how in telling them once again in this book, he cathartically pays homage to her. 

It reminded me of one of my favorite performances from Danny Kaye, in the Twilight Zone episode “Paladin of the Lost Hour” in which Kaye’s character Gaspar is finding a replacement for himself in a vet named Billy, played by Glynn Turman, that he met as the young vet saved him from a mugging at a graveyard while visiting his dead wife.  Gaspar tells him what he regrets about dying is that no one will remember his wife when he too is dead and then she will truly be gone.  Billy tells him to tell him about her and he’ll remember her for him.  This is such a book.  Mr. Richards, I will remember Sarah for you as well now!

He spoke of the perilous adventures of white water rafting, of which I have no personal interest in doing so myself, but his recounting them made them a journey that I was on with him.

He spoke of his love of music and how both horrible teachers and good brought out the best in him.

Beginning on page 147, with a chapter simply called “Psychopaths”, he not only describes that there is “evil” in the world but how we deal with it, and can deal with it every day.  Also, he tells of his time as a rocket scientist, working during the Reagan administration on the Star Wars defense system.  Though he only describes in generalities, (no doubt still not able to disclose anything major) he did tell how the entire network works, which I have wondered about for some 40 years. 

He is so compelling that by the time he is telling us about his father, mother, and grandfather’s hernia, I’m committed and genuinely care about them, and I found myself rooting for their success even though they have already been gone by the time the book was written. 

He also describes the ‘potato’, but not until you’re 66% through the book, and it is the absolute LAST thing that you could possibly imagine it to be.  

The book is genuine, it is honest, and it is him!  

I will never watch “The Tholian Web” again without thinking about an orbital rocket defense network, how many mirrors and how much gas it takes to make a laser, or the dangers of hidden rocks and waterfalls in a river again.  

And I appreciate that.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book with 5 full stars, shining brightly!