William Shatner: the Lost Letter

WILLIAM SHATNER SIGNATURE

When I was 12 years old I lived in the city of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. I had only lived there about a year when I heard that William Shatner would be appearing to give a live concert. My family were avid Trekkies. The first time I saw William Shatner was on a Star Trek episode while I sat on the floor at 7 months old, still in diapers. I was three years old before I realized that William Shatner was NOT my father.  (my father’s name is also Bill and he wasn’t around very much – so I’m not as stupid as I sound).

When Bill Shatner was due to come to Vancouver my brother and I would have given anything to go but we simply were too poor. Between us we had $5. So we sat at home that night doing Star Trek trivia out of an old book my brother had.
The next day I heard on the news that the people who had attended the concert had “Booed” William Shatner off the stage. I was angry and embarrassed at the same time. Vancouver was my new home but I was disgusted with the lot of them. I would have given my right arm to be there and all those people who had the money to go didn’t even realize what a privilege they had been given. Apparently Bill Shatner had gone on stage and started quoting poetry and they started booing him. What did they expect him to do? He’s an actor. Did they expect him to sing, “Flashdance”?

I walked around for two days upset by the whole thing when my mother suggested I write a letter to Mr. Shatner. So I grabbed my pen and loose leaf paper and did just that. I apologized for the city of Vancouver, told him why I couldn’t go to the concert and asked him to not let that one episode stop him from returning to our city in the future. I got the address to Paramount in Los Angeles and mailed it on it’s way.

Fast forward about 7 months. I had completely forgotten about the concert and the letter until I came home from school to discover I had something from California in the mail for me. I couldn’t imagine what it might be. When I opened it I discovered a post-card promo for the Vancouver Shatner Concert and on the back someone had written: “Sorry you didn’t get to see the concert. There are no hard feelings. Maybe you’ll get to see one in the future. The letter you sent was wonderful and very appreciated. Thanks again for your encouragement.” It was signed with some sort of scribble I couldn’t read. I couldn’t even make out part of the name. I was rather annoyed and hurt that some Shatner-flunky had written me a few words on the back of an old, out dated post card. I’m sure William Shatner never even read my letter. He just has a bunch of people to answer mail for him. We moved a year later and I threw away the post card with a bunch of stuff that we weren’t taking with us.

Fast forward 8 years. I am 20 years old, still living in Vancouver and about to attend my very first Star Trek convention. Now, for those of you who have not had the experience of being to a Star Trek Convention, besides talking Trek, dressing up Trek, seeing one of the stars from Trek, there is a lot of SELLING TREK! Anything that has something to do with Star Trek was being sold there. And at that period in time “Star Trek: the Next Generation” was on TV and doing very well.
My brother and I were strolling around the selling tables. We had separated so each of us could look at what interested us most. I was looking to pick up a cassette tape (that’s what we listened to music on in the ‘olden days’) of Brent Spiner’s  “Old Yellow Eyes”. I passed a table that was selling copies of William Shatner’s new book “Tek War”. The proprietor actually had a few autographed copies he was selling too. I looked at the book with William Shatner’s signature at the bottom of the back cover and a chill ran right up my spine. You guessed it. It was the exact “scribble” that was on the post card I had received. William Shatner had actually written to me personally and I had thrown it away! I had assumed that he was too big and important to write to me personally and so his warm wishes in his own handwriting went out with the trash. Boy, howdy! Did I want to commit suicide right there on the spot. Or at least find someone to give me a good thrashing. So I went to seek out my brother and explain what had happened. (maybe he would help me with the thrashing task?)

Obviously it impacted me hugely. I’m 46 years old now and I still cringe at my stupidity. But I can now see an object lesson in it (I can usually see an object lesson in just about anything and everything).

OBJECT LESSON: We reach out to God and when He responds we are too blind to recognize Him. We think He surely has better things to do that listen to ‘tiny’ us. But if we show even the smallest interest in Him, He will respond. And unlike William Shatner, God can be right where you are at any moment of any day. He can love me without it diminishing His love for you. So I beg you to be wise enough to recognize the handwriting of God. If I had known more about Bill Shatner’s character, I would not have assumed he wouldn’t write to me personally. If you don’t know God’s character, then let me assure you that , “if something matters to you, it matters to Him”. Do throw Him out with the trash.

And to William Shatner: thanks for the letter and for being the sweet and warm person you are. And for taking the time to write to a little girl all those years ago. I may not have been smart enough to recognize you then, but I know you are precious now.