Collision Course. James T. Kirk. He has crossed the galaxy, fought Klingons, Romulans, and Borg, and lived through more than anyone ever thought possible. But how did this remarkable Starfleet captain get his start? While the story of his academy years has been told in a number of different stories, never before have we seen his young life from the perspective of the man who played him: William Shatner.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Bruce Gibson and Dan Gunther discuss the final Shatnerverse novel, Academy: Collision Course. We talk about this novel's relationship with Star Trek 2009, Jim Kirk's relationship with Starfleet, his family dynamic, Spock in his youth, another perspective on Tarsus IV, how Collision Course fits in with Trek canon, why the Academy book series was cancelled, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

In the news segment, we judge the upcoming Discovery novel Fear Itself by its cover and review the latest New Visions comic, The Enemy of My Enemy.

News Fear Itself REAL cover (00:03:33) New Visions #21 (00:05:41)

Feature: Collision Course Alternate Academy Years (00:17:08) No Love for Starfleet (00:20:28) Kirk (00:22:03) The Kirk Family (00:28:22) Spock (00:38:33) Vulcan for Sale (0046:30:) Another Conscience of the King (00:53:04) Fitting In (01:01:28) The Last Page (01:06:26) Ratings (01:12:09) Final Thoughts (01:15:33)

Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson

Production Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Bruce Gibson (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer)