Boldly Live as You've Never Lived Before, (unauthorized and unexpected), Life Le

by Richard Raben

In a world woefully devoid of heroes, Star Trek offers a universe full of them. Teaching readers how to release their heroic nature by identifying with Star Trek heroes, this book offers an inspiring message--that we can bring out the best in ourselves.

Genres: Star Trek, Self Help, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published November 1, 1995

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1995, this self-help book is just as relevant today as it was back then. After taking the short assessment, I deemed myself to be an Analytic Relater. I'm friendly but not frivolous. Apparently, I had read this 2 decades ago and done the assessment then, but not much has changed. There are lessons for strengthening one's weaker traits, which for me are Leader and Warrior. Raban also warns against the extremes:
At their worst, Relaters gone bonkers become raving egoists. In their pursuit of anything that feels good, they discover the joys of asserting their superiority. If other people won’t praise them, entertain them, and give them love, they do it for themselves, to excess. Sound like anyone we know?
“Dictators are rulers who always look good until the last ten minutes.” Jan Mashryk, a politician. … But the frightening thing is that even evil Leaders, if they have one iota of charisma, have no problem finding followers before the last ten minutes. As the heroic Leader inspires people and gets the best out of them, the diabolic Leader often gets the worst out of them. That's how Hitler gained power.
When Analysts go overboard, they become myopic, focusing so narrowly on the details that particularly concern them that they lose sight of the big picture.
We forget that the Warrior’s heroic power comes from integrity, honor, kindness, and self-control; without these qualities, healthy self-expression turns ugly, even dangerous. ... Both the out-of-control Warrior and the withering wimp have the same problem: lack of courage.
There are plenty of references to Star Trek characters from all branches of the series except Enterprise since it had not come out by 1995. This gave me even more respect for Roddenberry's creation and character development. The franchise remains popular today because the players work well together and reflect the best of humanity as a whole.

[Collin · Rating 3 out of 5]

My biggest issue was the part about Relaters. As much as I enjoy Guinan, and as much as it's probably healthier to be like Guinan than McCoy, Bones is my main man. The authors very much built their stereotypical Relater around Guinan and Lwaxana - outgoing or put-together types - but eventually their definition of the Relater all but excluded McCoy from being in that group at all. I wish some more attention had been paid to including more personalities in the Relater group; Analysts, Leaders, and Warriors all had much more personality-related freedom. (According to their quiz, I'm partially Relater, and yet I don't fit their effusive, super-social, emotionally verbal type at all - I'm a lot more like Bones, dagnabbit - so maybe that's also why I'm a little piqued.)

Though, really, it's nothing to take so seriously. It's a fun romp, something to get your brain working on how you can improve yourself except a lot better because you're thinking about STAR TREK! It's hilariously or cringingly dated at times, so there's that, too.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book on a lark ... I don't read self-help books but I love Star Trek. Ultimately, the book is a bit silly -- but, with an open mind, it did cause me to think about different things in my life. The prose is good for reflecting on yourself and how you relate to Star Trek characters. If you can find it cheap, a fun recommend for Trekkies.

[H. Givens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty generic, but if you want a pep talk with a Star Trek theme, here you go. It's often simplistic, and while the four heroic types may line up with Trek, they don't really match the full extent of possible personalities in the real world. But I appreciated the lack of gender essentialism, and the open advocacy of taking fictional characters as mentors.

[Wsprag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Star Trek is supposed to be fun. This book wasn't fun. I was expecting something more light hearted, I suppose.

[Carlissa]

07/27/15: I bought this at Audible.com back in 2001 and don't remember much about it. I guess I will relisten to it!