Many Star Trek stars have official Web sites that have built entire communities of fans through their message boards, but a very unique group has come together at the Internet destination of John Billingsley aficionados, one that the actor himself takes an active role in.

Billingsley, who plays our favorite Denobulan "Dr. Phlox," has taken advantage of the Internet's reach to promote one of his favorite activities — reading — and interact with those who share that passion. Through his site, JohnBillingsley.net, he conducts a Book Club that is open to anyone who agrees to read the novel selected by Billingsley for discussion, to write and submit a review by a certain deadline, and to participate in a live chat with Billingsley (and stay on-topic!).

Since starting the "JB Book Club" nearly a year ago, Billingsley has overseen the analysis of six books ranging in style and genre from the Nobel-winning autobiography "The Enigma of Arrival," to the comic book-inspired "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," to the Virginia Woolf classic "Mrs. Dalloway" coupled with the spinoff "The Hours" (which was made into the recent Oscar-nominated movie).

For the latest discussion, Billingsley chose a book that is arguably more apropos to the Star Trek crowd — actually, not just one book, but a series — which was Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" Trilogy. Given about six weeks to read the books, each participant is required to submit a review expressing their individual opinions about the material for publication to the site (which, for "Foundation," can be seen here). Then Billingsley schedules a time around his Enterprise shooting schedule to get on-line and conduct a live discussion of the book or books.

"What interested and disturbed me in the books was the readiness of the Foundation to use religion for political ends," stated one Book Club member during the chat that took place Monday night. "Freedom is the slipperiest word in the political lexicon. It can justify almost anything," was another comment. "But here in the States, it could be argued, many people are quite willing to surrender many of their freedoms in return for greater security," Billingsley replied. "And I'm not sure that Asimov was taking the side of those who'd support that desire."

The discussion ranged from comments about the author's writing style to the quality of the characterizations to Asimov's own political views and the climate in which the story was written. It came across like a collegiate literature class, evolving into a lively discussion of how the themes of a 50-year-old narrative still resonate strongly today — with Billingsley playing the professorial role of raising alternative interpretations and other ideas for the "students" to chew on.

"I LIKED the fact that we weren't sure what point of view Asimov was taking. So many 'isms' and sociological attitudes and religions and doctrines sound appealing, and seem to offer us a better future," Billingsley commented in the midst of the dialogue. "But the 'isms' become bigger than individuals... We live our 'isms,' just as this book was about people struggling to maintain 'foundation' (because it seemed attractive, because it promised security) ... and yet ultimately it seemed like it was pointed towards dictatorship."

Surprisingly provocative discourse for a chatroom. About a dozen people took part in the last discussion — mostly from the U.S., but also from Canada, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, giving the group a transcontinental perspective — and more are certainly welcome to join in, as long as they fulfill the conditions of Book Club participation. Next up: "The Corrections," a tragicomic portrait of a dysfunctional Midwestern family by Jonathan Franzen, published in 2001.

If you can't commit to a review just yet but still want to interact with other book lovers, Billingsley's site also has a general discussion group that is on-going, the only condition being that all posts are book topic related. (The site distinguishes them as the "Billingsley Book Club" — the general discussion group — and the "JB Book Club" — the periodic full-participation group.) Find out more at the links below.

Share your thoughts at the Star Trek message boards!