Star Trek - The Motion Picture Books

I like Star Trek, I just am not a fanatic. As such, I hesitated in buying this book. Why should I care if, for example a Klingon and a Vulcan could or would want to mate? They don't exist! Still, after I read the back and skimmed through the chapters, I decided to buy it. It was great fun!

First, this book is based on real science. The writers are well educated. In fact, they are both doctors and they explain real biology in an interesting way that makes it more interesting and accessible to the public. Teachers take note.

But, this book is much more then a teaching tool. The writers are obvious fans of Star Trek and both have a delightful sense of humor. I found myself laughing outloud and sharing some of the stories with my friends. But it is hard for me to describe their humor, with taking away the hard scient. I think the fairest thing to do, is just tell you the title of some of the chapters.

-What the future May hold, but Probably won't -Parasitic Possession is Nine-tenths of the Law or -Where No One Will Ever Go

These chapters are about the probablities of telepathy, real example of parasites on Earth, (and why they are unlikely in space) and examples of big bloopers in Captain Kirk's Universe. Why and what made the Klingons evolve, for example.

Utimately this book is a tribute to Star Trek's attempts to potray science fiction in an accurate and truthful way. Science often inspires science fiction. It is Star Trek's great glory that a science fiction series has inspired this, and other works of science and scientist. Enjoy the Book.

I like Star Trek, I just am not a fanatic. As such, I hesitated in buying this book. Why should I care if, for example a Klingon and a Vulcan could or would want to mate? They don't exist! Still, after I read the back and skimmed through the chapters, I decided to buy it. It was great fun!

First, this book is based on real science. The writers are well educated. In fact, they are both doctors and they explain real biology in an interesting way that makes it more interesting and accessible to the public. Teachers take note.

But, this book is much more then a teaching tool. The writers are obvious fans of Star Trek and both have a delightful sense of humor. I found myself laughing outloud and sharing some of the stories with my friends. But it is hard for me to describe their humor, with taking away the hard science. I think the fairest thing to do, is just tell you the title of some of the chapters.

-What the future May hold, but Probably won't -Parasitic Possession is Nine-tenths of the Law or -Where No One Will Ever Go

These chapters are about the probablities of telepathy, real example of parasites on Earth, (and why they are unlikely in space) and examples of big bloopers in Captain Kirk's Universe. Why and what made the Klingons evolve, for example.

Utimately this book is a tribute to Star Trek's attempts to potray science fiction in an accurate and truthful way. Science often inspires science fiction. It is Star Trek's great glory that a science fiction series has inspired this, and other works of science and scientist. Enjoy the Book.

This books answers some of the basic questions that Trekers have been asking for ages:

Why do the old Klingons look different from the new Klingons? Could an alien really take over and control a human body? Can ageing be sped up, stopped or reversed?

A really good read with just the right amount of depth. Recommended.

This book asks many of the strange things about star trek that have puzzled us from the beginning (Is Data alive? Are Changlings possible?). And I think this is the book that said: "The idea that a shapeshifter like Odo would fall in love with a 'solid' like Kira is akin to human falling maddily in love with a turnip." I agree, sorry Odo. And just how did Odo turn into that ball of light when he was with Kira in a recent episode? Matter into energy? KA-BANG!!! Goodbye, DS9! This book also explains that so many "human" aliens is impossible. It also shows why star trek is not my favorite show anymore because of these problems (and repetitive storylines).

When is Mr. Bond going to release an updated version? It is missing info on season seven of deep space nine, seasons six and seven of voyager, Star Trek: Nemesis and all four seasons of Enterprise.

I guess most of this info is available on the net, but would be nice to have in depth cue sheets for the TNG films...Mr. Bond re-release this! Please. :D

PLEASE i WANT MORE SONGS FOR WHITEN HOUSTEN FRE

Very through coverage of each series and the movies. I found it fascinating how much music existed for the movies that was left off the soundtrack releases. If you enjoy the soundtrack music for the Str Trek shows/films at all, you will enjoy this in-depth look at the creation of the music and the minds behind it.

The first sentence of this treat for film music nuts, as well as Trekkers, asserts that more music has been produced for Star Trek than any other series of films. Bond discusses the scores for the original TV series and all the movies. Pertinent interviews with the composers conclude most chapters....A fascinating interview with Star Trek: Voyager music editor Garry Sackman and a very helpfully annotated discography of ST music wrap things up splendidly.

Provides an in-depth and fascinating account into how Star Trek productions are conceived, filmed and produced. The book showsthe transition from initial idea to final product in 3 Star Trek guises - DS9, Voyager and the film Insurrection. The book is jam-packed with pictures throughout and Erdmann's dialogue is very much narrative in style, as the story is told for much of the book in the quotes of various cast and crew. The book particularly highlights how stories are formed and the various inputs from script writers, producers, directors and cast, and it is fascinating to see how a story develops and changes throughout time. An extremely good read.

From the first writers' meeting to the satellite upload, this book describes in detail every step taken by actors, producers, designers, directors and editors to create an episode of Star Trek. Terry J. Erdmann has had unprecedented access to production meetings, film sets and post-production facilities to unveil how various Star Trek incarnations get from idea to (small of big) screen. If you're interested in what's going on behind-the-scenes, I highly recommend this title.

For any star trek fan, or just for those interested in the making of tv series and films, this book outlines, in high detail and many photographs, the process of producing an episode of DS9, Voyager, and a portion of Star Trek: First Contact. A must for any fan's collection.

With print and pictures detailing EVERY inch of the making of three Trek productions, this is a book that is a treasure for any student of filmmaking. One does not have to be an aficionado of the offspring of the original series to appreciate the work that went into the publication of this book.

The book is a fascinating (to use Spock's word) how-to-make-a-television episode (or movie scene) primer.

The author is a professional linguist, and as such he thinks he knows better than the tv series. So he's totally recreated the Klingon language to fit what HE thinks it should be. No hard K's, they are a linguistic cliche, so we have all kinds of strange Q's being used, and linguistic revisionism to tell us that they really aren't called Klingons, etc. So for someone wanting a guide to the Klingon language as shown in the original (and best) series, this is an extreme disappointment. If you want to invent your own language, fine, but don't mess with someone else's creation if you don't respect it.

I bought this book.. along with another klingon book, when I was stationed in Turkey and didnt have much to do. It helped pass the time and was kinda fun.

This book is excellent. It has everything (and I'm not exagerating here) you need to learn Klingon. The information is well organized and it's easy to learn the basics. And the dictionary is quite large, so it's easy to translate just about anything you can think of. Some English-to-Klingon phrases can get confusing sometimes because the Klingon translation isn't word for word with English. So, if you're a big fan of Star Trek, or you want to learn another language, this book is a must have.

This book is full of all the grammar and words you'll need to get a basic knowledge of Klingon, but it is all presented more as a reference. I've been through several languages, and while tools such as this are an indispensable aid to learning, they're not always the best way to approach a language. A textbook format learning guide would be better for a beginner, one that chops the vocabulary and grammar up into sections rather than presenting it all at once. But for what it is, it's great.

This is a really cool book if you want to know what certain words are in Klingon, but to actually learn the language, it will take a lot of time. This book goes into great detail about how to pronounce words and where they belong in a sentence. This is like learning any other language, and it won't be easy to learn, but it is still really fun to have and read. I'm trying to learn, but it will take a while.

Insurrection is one of the absolute best star trek films there is. Data is the funniest ever in the film. I loved Picard, Worf and Data's musical number. It was really funny

I loved it it was the best one yet! I would also like to see one on voyager. I love the renderings and the concept sketches.

The Pictures, The size everything you need to know about the new blockbuster movie. A must have for any avid Star Trek fan.

I don't know if it was a problem with a particular print run of this book, but the copy I bought from a local bookstore was very badly bound, and several pages came adrift while I was reading it. This struck me as highly unusual, since most S&S books are excellently bound. However, the book itself is beautfully designed, and has a wealth of information about the film making process. However, it is a little on the small side, and could have been more like John Eaves's "Next Generation Sketchbook". A good book in general, it loses stars because of the poor binding and small size.

Star Trek: Insurrection proves to be one of the most lackluster of Star Trek movies and this book which is well written and full of nice photos, tells a good story how this movie came to be and how it was produced. Its a movie promotion book for sure so you can count on all the positive aspects of the film. The book itself was enjoyable although upon reading it, I can understand why the movie failed with both the Star Trek fans and the general public.

Reading how this movie was developed proves to be most interesting in the way they went about it. It pretty obvious that the scriptwriters and its supporters had totally no clue what we Trekkies wanted and no idea how dated the script was. During the time when this movie was being released, Deep Space Nine was pushing the limits of scriptwriting and character development for Star Trek universe. The Dominion War where the Federation was fighting for its dear life was going on while Voyager was dodging the Borgs and other unfriendly species. All that made the script and the movie looking very stale and standing still. The book revealed that no where any of what was going on TV was in consideration. It showed how they wanted to get Picard a girlfriend, get some Gilbert and Sullivan in and all kind of stuff that sounds cute but in actual sense, boring. Exciting things were happening on the TV for Star Trek and this book shows why the movie totally and cluelessly missed the boat.

Overall, an informative movie promotion book where the director, producers and cast slapped each other on their backs while making a not so successful film. You would think that after First Contact, these people will understand what we Trekkies like.

A wonderful book, very readable, offering the insight of two scientists who explain the hows and whys of the biology of Star Trek. They do live up to "The Physics of Star Trek" and express how all this is possible, and gently point out where it isn't (i.e. if your space suit ruptured in open space, you'd probably be crushed by the vacuum, so Worf wouldn't have time to repair his suit with some handy Borg tubing).

Regards to the Publisher's Weekly tease ("Why do all planets look like California?"), the authors actually say that the show was filmed in Souther California, hence, it was only able to offer some traditional Earth plant-life, whereas the real galaxy will have plants we cannot even fathom right now. Bush-Cheney '04.

A fantastic, professional written book, focusing on the most unbelievable (and unthought) aspects of the Star Trek's beings. Now you can understand the most different behaviors and acts of some aliens of ST universe, once believed illogical and strange for you. And you can see it through the eyes of two medical doctors, which give you complete and comprehensive explanation. Recomended for the Star Trek fans (Old Series, New Generation, Deep Space 9, etc.) and everyone who's interest for understanding more how our Terran lifeforms are and how theoretical (????) ET's would be.

If you read To Seek Out New Life, I'm sorry. There Andreadis claims to love Star Trek, and spends most of the book proving how false the science of the show is. She forgets the cardinal rule of a Trekkie- apologize for the show. Yes, it has problems in physics. Yes, there are continuity errors. Yes, the biology isn't always up to snuff. But you love the show, so you try to make it work. You try to find a work-around. And then, if you absolutely can't, you admit there was a mistake.

This is the tradition the Jenkinses boldly go with. They use Star Trek to have fun with biology, and understand more about new life. What would Horta psychology be like? Why do Gorgons make us uncomfortable? Where do we find Trill-like species here on Earth? The Jenkinses use Trek to help us understand more about life, in the process fully explaining the biology, but not in such detail to bore the unscientific reader. This is what was great about the show. It entertained, yes, but it took us beyond. It made us struggle with philosophy, history, anthropology, and science. It made us think about new possibilities, and use our imaginations to understand the world around us. It is in this tradition that the Jenkinses lead us.

The doctors Jenkins may not have Dr. Lawrence Krauss's easy way of turning hard science into a page-turner, but their work is an entertaining, informative, accessible book.

The book covers topics from a wide range of biological study, including how the structure of faces affect psychology, why 'silicon-based life' is a possibility while 'aluminum-based life' is not, practical applications of gene therapy, and the traditional chapter of bloopers committed by the Star Trek writers (including the intriguing question of why it is that Captain Picard is the only member of the Enterprise bridge crew who can't seem to grow his own hair back). The single chapter on the biology of love and romance covers such wide-ranging topics as the possible mating customs of various Star Trek races, the biology of inter-species reproduction (including the surprising revelation that you may turn out differently depending on whether your mother or your father was the Vulcan), and the distinctions between biological, psychological, and sociological concepts of gender.

If you're looking for a book heavy on information and light on gushing asides about how wonderful it would be if we all lived in the Star Trek universe, you'll enjoy this book.

This latest entry in the "Science of Star Trek" series examines several important concepts in the field of biology, with an emphasis on genetics. While including many references to various Star Trek episodes, the book's primary mission is to educate the reader, particularly in regard to cutting-edge research and theories. The authors do a great job in presenting this information in a manner that is easily understood, and all Trek fans will be delighted that many glaring "bloopers" (such as, why do so many aliens look so similar to humans? And what exactly happened to the Klingons?) are thoughtfully addressed. In short, this book is a worthy addition to a Star Trek fan's library.

This is a wonderful book. Walter Koenig has a gift for writing in such a way that you feel he's just standing nearby chatting with you. His observations of "Star Trek" and making movies in general are witty and insightful. Check out his other book, the autobiographical "Warped Factors" for deeper insights into his complex personality, and how his many acting efforts after "Star Trek" were overshadowed in many ways by the character of Chekov (and an even deeper view of his wonderful sense of humor.)
Thank you, Walter!

I haven't even seen ST: TMP, but I still enjoyed this book. Walter is a great writer. Buy this book and you won't regret it!

What a treat to be able to read the republication of Walter Koenig's journal of the making of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." Koenig gives a light-hearted and detailed look at the behind-the-scenes action of the film, including his fascination with Persis Khambatta's bald head and his quest for Chekov's one great close-up. :-) Any fan of the original series is sure to enjoy this book; you'll feel like you're right on the set!

One of the first books written about the behind the scenes activities of TOS. Pictures, interviews, and anecdotes from the original production run.

As someone who viewed the original Star Trek series when it aired for the first time, I can be considered an original Trekkie. While the science segment of the science fiction was often weak, the ideas and the vision for the future that it represented extended beyond what anyone could have imagined at the time. It represented a future where humanity had finally been able to end the conflicts on Earth, build a mighty fleet of star ships and find species on other planets that became allies. However, the future was not altogether rosy.
In episodes such as "The Space Seed" there were allusions to a ghastly, incredibly destructive nuclear war on Earth. It was hinted that this was the event that finally galvanized the human race to end conflict and join together. There were also the continuous conflicts between the Federation and the Romulans and Klingons. However, while there was the mention of a brutal war having been fought between the Federation and the Romulans, war is averted in the two episodes where the Enterprise and the Romulans meet.
Gerrold was the writer of "The Trouble With Tribbles" considered by many to be the best episode in the original series. He takes us behind the scenes in the creation, piloting and filming of the original series. He pulls no punches in his description of Star Trek, describing the strengths and weaknesses of the series. When something was done poorly, he explains that some of the failures were a consequence of the time. The late sixties was a time when women and minorities were not given strong roles, what you see in the original series was ground-breaking for the times. Any attempt to go any farther than what was done was blocked.
Gerrold also mentions how the show began to show signs of fatigue, as the story lines began to be repeated in an attempt to save money. Star Trek was a high budget show, so there was every attempt to save production costs, often to the detriment of the show. Finally, Gerrold also describes the development of the first three Star Trek feature movies and the fits and starts that took place before the first one was ever made. Given the success of the series of Star Trek movies, it is amazing to read how much time and effort it took to get the first one made.
Gerrold has an insider's view of the Star Trek phenomenon and he tells his stories very well. If you want to go beyond the basics of the series and learn something about how things were really done, then this is a book you need to read.

"The World of Star Trek" is a masterpiece! With episodes, interviews, pictures, and TONS of information about the cast, sets, makeup, etc., it's no wonder that it's my favorite Star Trek book. I highly suggest that any Star Trek-or even science fiction in general-fan should READ THIS BOOK!

this is a short but very rewarding read. the author, a recognized authority in her field, is a trekkie and her love of star trek comes through. that having been said, ms. andreadis's exploration of star trek biology via our present understanding of science is enlightening (maybe i don't get out as much as i should, but i haven't learned as much about science since i read gary zukav's "the dancing wu li masters"). ms. andreadis introduces us to what i'd call speculative biology and in a legitimate scientific manner dissects the "neat stuff" such as the transporter, parasites and symbionts, the universal translator (this one's GREAT!), and what the Federation really might be like. the book has no difficult vocabulary to chew through and i'd recommend it without qualification.

I read this because of a biology project I was doing for school--a fun project. My professor recommended this book, and I think he's the best because this book really dealt with all that I was looking for.

Now, don't get scared by the title--you really don't need to have watched every Star Trek episode and series spin-off in order to have an understanding of what the author is talking about. However, being an avid trekker myself, I enjoyed her side-comments and Trek references immensely, because it just showed all the much more how much she enjoyed the subject amtter herself.

This book investigates the Star Trek universe. I've heard that THE PHYSICS OF STAR TREK started this "debunk the Trek" era, but I haven't yet read it, so I couldn't say. Anyway, Dr. Andreadis does a nice job of explaining the Trek reality, then explaining our scientific reality. She uses small words, and explains the big ones. Learn about interspecies reproduction, evolution--you name it, she's covered it.

This book was done not long ago, so it covers the happenings up until Voyager and Star Trek: First Contact. Not too bad, considering Enterprise should be covering all "old" organisms, anyway.

This was really a nice read, and I would have picked it up even had I not had to do a seminar on the biological aspects of Star Trek.

I enjoyed reading many sections of To Seek Out New Life. Here was combined two areas that I have great interest in. Dr. Andreadis has a thorough knowledge of biology and Star Trek both. She demonstrates a true enjoyment of the medium. Andreadis artfully discusses many biological lines of thought in the Star Trek universe, and teaches basic biology in the process. She brings up a lot of interesting trails in how biology might be applied to a science fiction world. The non-biologically-trained need not fear- this will not be over their heads.

Rather, it's those not well-versed in the Trek universe that will have difficulty. I've seen every episode of Trek, and I often couldn't figure out what Andreadis was referring to when she mentions only the title of an episode and expects us to understand the point she is making.

The book is flawed on the biological side as well. It degenerates to Andreadis' personal takes on life and Star Trek. She goes far beyond biology to discuss philosophy, sociology (which she states she detests), and religion (which she doesn't overtly support). One is confused on why we are reading this- she is admittedly an expert in biology, but hardly in all these other myriad fields. In all this it seems that she is trying to find things wrong in the Star Trek universe- how it doesn't measure up. She makes little allowance for financial considerations (such as the real reason why all the aliens look like humans) or for an evolving culture that produces the TV shows(why TOS treats women as more inferior than TNG or STV). Repeatedly she discovers that Star Trek can't occur biologically. A true devotee of the genre would find ways to make the biology work- at least some of the time. On the plus side she does a good job of showing how the series excels at not meeting possible reality.

I read this expecting an analysis of Trek from a biological perspective. And that means from the heart of biology, evolution. Sadly, there was precious little evolution in this book. Oh, it is present, in some sections on viruses- but not near the extent it should be if one is to consider modern theories of biology. How exactly *did* Klingons or Vulcans evolve? Andreadis throws out a couple lines on the ideas, or on co-evolution of Trills and why it couldn't occur- but the space devoted to this pales in comparison to philosophical musings on the development of cultures or the morality of cloning. As such, while I enjoyed some pericope, I found myself having to skim through long sections to finish this book and get on to something more interesting.

Life Signs: The Biology of Star Trek

The book itself should be divided into two books. One about biology which is pretty simple stuff and the other a study of the political correctness of star trek.

This is a lively and opinionated entry in the "fill-in-the-blank of Star Trek" series and therefore one of the best, certainly up there with Physics and parsecs beyond Computers.

Andreadis brings a strong scientific and biological background as well as an encyclopedic knowledge of the franchise in all its manifestations to bear throughout. She celebrates the more reasonable ideas shown, like silicon-based life forms. But she also deconstructs the silly, unscientific ones and showing just why they're silly and unscientific. (This includes such franchise mainstays as the holodeck, the universal translator, shape-shifters, and interspecies fertility.)

Those wanting a more objective approach and annoyed by the occasional interjection of feminist and leftist commentary might find this book annoying. However, I enjoyed the fresh approach, the clever references, and the very individual and personal viewpoint. It's well worth reading both for Trekkies and for those wanting a different approach to biology.

I read this book back in the early 90s, I was always a casual Star Trek fan, meaning I enjoyed the TV show and the movies, but never went beyond that. I was in the Navy, and this was in the ships library, I was bored, so I checked it out. The story has stayed with me all these years, it was that good.

It has plenty of moments that touch on things from the TV show, but it's also very accessible, I think somebody that has never seen an episode of Star Trek could read this book and not feel like they're missing something.

I especially liked McCoy's new love interest, she was a very interesting character, it's too bad she was never in any of the films. I highly reccomend this book, whether you're a Star Trek fan or not.

Excellent Book! Great characterisations; especially of McCoy and Spock. Spock shows great tenderness and friendship to McCoy instead of stupid arguments. I enjoyed it very much and other books by J.M. Dillard.

As the novel opens the five year mission of the Enterprise has come to an end. The crew will be scattered throughout Star Fleet at least until the repairs and upgrades are completed in two years time. Some members of the crew are looking forward to their new assignments, to the promotions, the new challenges and others are not. Kirk has been pressured to accept a promotion to the admiralty but is determined to remain a captain and return to the Enterprise's helm when she is ready. Others, like McCoy and Spock are not so certain that their futures even include Star Fleet at all.

Dillard has, as she always does, captured the characters of these much loved figures and remained true to the 'canon' set down by the original episodes. She balances the character interactions well against the action of the plot. The only complaints about this one is that fans of certain characters, like Scotty, Sulu and Chekhov will undoubtedly notice their absences. Fans of Kevin O'Reilly though will be quite pleased to catch up with his life after all these years.

This is a definite must read for all serious fans of the series and will be enjoyed by anyone who has even a passing interest in the TOS.

Not to mention the hostage situation that, in a very believable fashion and exciting as well, brings Spock and Kirk back together in order to attempt to resolve it. Space opera at its very best, just like: "2001", "Rendezvous with Rama", "Childhood's End", "Foundation", "Ringworld", "Advent of the Corps", and so forth.

As a Star Trek fan, I had often wondered how, exactly, the five-year mission of the Starship Enterprise had finished. Had it ended with a dramatic confrontation with either the Romulans or Klingons...with Enterprise limping home scarred yet proud? Why did Jim Kirk accept promotion to the Admiralty? Why did Mr. Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy leave Starfleet?

At least some of the major questions posed above were answered in 1989 when J.M. Dillard's Star Trek: The Lost Years was first published. With superb writing and storytelling skills, Dillard (perhaps now best known for writing all the novelizations of the latter half of the Star Trek feature films) paints a materpiece of Star Trek lore, blending the untold story of the breakup of the most famous crew in Starfleet with a tale of an ancient Vulcan mind-lord's revenge upon the "weak followers of Surak," the Vulcans who chose to follow the path of logic and non-violence after centuries of war.

The Lost Years (which was the first of a four book series set in the two and a half year period between Enterprise's return to Earth and the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture) captures the essence of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the crew so well, you can almost see and hear the original cast members acting out their most famous roles as you read this wonderfully crafted novel.