Shatner knows.

I've spent a happy afternoon reading William Shatner's new Star Trek novel, Captain's Glory—one of the few Trek books I've enjoyed in several years, and this is from a bull who used to buy every single one of 'em every month on the dot.

Consider the fact that the book was released a couple weeks ago, and of course would have been finished and sent to the printer several months ago when you read this prophetic section (page 91, for those of you playing along at home—bold type is mine for emphasis):

Earth and her solar system had been tamed generations ago. Each planet, moon, and major asteroid mapped to resolutions that banished all mysteries. The domed cities of the moon allowed families to picnic by Earthlight. Mars had green fields and blue oceans, fresh clean air, skiing at the poles, and soon, according to the environmental engineers, burgeoning rain forests would arise in the equitorial lowlands. Even the vast, underground data repositories and museums of Pluto had stripped the romance from that distant world, still considered a planet by tradition, if not by astronomers.

Ladies and gentlemen, once again, even months ahead of time, Shatner knows. Shatner knows.



Two bits of bullish clarification:
1. Yeah, I know the discussion about whether or not Pluto would be considered a planet has actually been underway in the astronomical community for a couple years now. Still, you can't deny the fact that Shatner knows.
2. Okay, I know it's highly unlikely that William Shatner actually put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard in writing this novel. But it's not half as exciting to say "Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens know" as it is to declare to the universe that Shatner knows.