"When the very first ideas that would later become this book began percolating, I couldn't help but notice a certain familiarity in the technological leaps I was witnessing all around me. It was a kind of d?j? vu. And as with all d?j? vus, I couldn't put my finger on it. But after some shower stall rumination, it hit me: every day the world was becoming more and more like ... Star Trek! Not that I saw people walking around on the decks of starships and not that I had encountered many Klingons lately — except on the floor of Star Trek conventions — but I sensed that there was this decided Trekian trend rippling through the world as we prepared to turn the corner on the 21st century."

Thus concludes William Shatner in the prologue of his latest work of non-fiction, "I'm Working on That: A Trek from Science Fiction to Science Fact," published by Pocket Books. (The full text of the prologue can be read on this page at WilliamShatner.com.)

"I'm Working on That" is an exploration of the technological innovations under development right now that are inspired by or reminiscent of the science of Star Trek. Shatner and co-author Chip Walter spent the better part of a year visiting major universities and research institutions all over the country to talk with the world's leading experts in robotics, advanced propulsion, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, nanotechnology, and even time travel. "We hope it will provide a fun peek into the future by exploring how many of the technologies originally envisioned by Star Trek are now coming true," Walter said.

This week Shatner is setting out on a publicity tour to promote the book which will include several network TV appearances on both coasts. On Wednesday, September 18, he is scheduled to visit the NBC morning news program Today in New York, according to WilliamShatner.com. He will then take part in a radio satellite tour for the ABC Radio Networks about 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (check your local radio stations). That night he will be seen on the news analysis show Hannity & Colmes on the Fox News Channel at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

Thursday Shatner will join Barbara Walters and her gang on the daytime talker The View on ABC. Then on Friday he will appear live on FOX and Friends on the Fox News Channel at approximately 8:45 a.m. EDT (5:45 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time). (In all cases, please check your local listings for airtimes.) Throughout the three days he will also be granting print interviews with prominent newspapers and making several stops at radio stations.

On a side note, Shatner will conclude the week Saturday at the Temecula Valley International Film Festival in Temecula, California, accepting the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award, according to his Web site.

The origin of the title "I'm Working on That" is actually a Star Trek-related story. The renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, author of "A Brief History of Time" and other popular science books, was on a trip to California in 1993 when he requested and was granted a tour of the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Upon entering the Engineering set, Hawking looked at the warp core facade, and joked through his voice synthesizer, "I'm working on that!" Shatner heard this story and decided that quote was an apropos title for his book. (It was that famous set visit by Hawking that inspired the show's writers to work the illustrious wheelchair-bound scientist into the episode "Descent, Part I.")

Co-author Walter, a science writer and futurist from Pennsylvania, said that during his research with Shatner, he was struck by the extent that the people who are "inventing the future today" were inspired by Star Trek. "One of the things we found when we were visiting people was that an amazing number of them were serious fans of the show. A lot, in fact, said they had been inspired by the series as kids or teens to pursue their careers," Walter said. "They'd look at warp drive or virtual reality or androids and think, 'Hmm, I wonder if we really could DO that.'" He further commented that Shatner "really loves the book, and he's told me on a number of occasions that he's really proud of it."

A print version of "I'm Working on That" is now available for purchase at Amazon.com. It is also available as an eBook from the Simon & Shuster Web site, SimonSays.com, in Microsoft Reader and Adobe eBook Reader formats.

More information about the book — including excerpts, a Fan Club preview, and an article by Walter — is available at the various Related Links below.

Discuss William Shatner's new book at the Star Trek message boards!