Running Out of Fuel?

A just-out book about the making of “Star Trek V”--by director/co-star William Shatner, and his daughter, Lisabeth Shatner--purports to tell the behind-the-scenes account of “the most spectacular ‘Star Trek’ movie yet!”

Alas, the book--”Captain’s Log: William Shatner’s Personal Account of the Making of ‘Star Trek V’ “--was published by Pocket before the “spectacular” film’s anticipated box office grosses didn’t roll in.

In 4 1/2 weeks, “Star Trek V”--generally panned by the critics--has to date grossed less than the previous films--just $45.7 million and is sputtering badly. Compare previous screen Treks: “I” totaled $82.2 million; “II,” $78.7 million; “III,” $76.4 million; and “IV,” $109.7 million.

Producer Harve Bennett argued, “You can’t make those comparisons--not considering that this is the summer of the great (blockbuster) blitz. Relative to the box office of ‘II’ and ‘III,’ we are off just 18%. Being off 18% this summer is not exactly chopped liver.”

As for the critical knocks singling out Shatner’s direction: “Listen, I don’t think there’s one critic in the world who knows what the (heck) a director does.” Bennett applauded Shatner for “creating a working environment of fun and energy--we had a good time.”

(As for the possibility of another sequel: “In the words of Spock, ‘There are always possibilities.’ ”)

According to reps for Shatner, “He is being inundated with scripts to direct.”

They declined to specify the inundations.