A Brief Guide to Star Trek

Constable & Robinson Ltd
    55–56 Russell Square
    London WC1B 4HP
    www.constablerobinson.com

    First published in the UK by Robinson,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson, 2012

    Copyright © Brian J. Robb 2012

    The right of Brian J. Robb to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

    All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

    A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in
Publication data is available from the British Library

    ISBN 978-1-84901-514-1
    eISBN 978-1-84901-822-7

    1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

    First published in the United States in 2012 by Running Press Book Publishers, a Member of the Perseus Books Group

    All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions

    This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher

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    US ISBN 978-0-7624-4439-7
    US Library of Congress Control Number: 2011933252
    E-book ISBN 978-1-84901-822-7

    9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
    Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

    Running Press Book Publishers
    2300 Chestnut Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371

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    www.runningpress.com

For Paul Simpson,
whose valuable feedback and
Star Trek
brainstorming sessions
helped immensely to focus and shape my thinking.

Contents

    Introduction
: The Storytellers

    Chapter 1
Evolution:
Star Trek
Creator
Gene Roddenberry

    Chapter 2
First Flight: The Two
Star Trek
Pilots

    Chapter 3
Where No One Has Gone Before:
Star Trek
’s First Year

    Chapter 4
Too Short a Season: Consolidating
Star Trek

    Chapter 5
Timeless: The Birth of a Franchise and Fandom

    Chapter 6
Persistence of Vision: The Original
Cast Movies

    Chapter 7
Far Beyond the Stars:
The Next Generation

    Chapter 8
Future’s End:
The Next Generation
Movies

    Chapter 9
New Ground:
Deep Space Nine

    Chapter 10
Business as Usual:
Voyager

    Chapter 11
Yesterday’s Enterprise:
Enterprise

    Chapter 12
Hollow Pursuits: Unmade
Star Trek

    Chapter 13
Future Imperfect:
Star Trek
(2009)

    Chapter 14
Legacy: Can
Star Trek
Live Long and Prosper?

    Bibliography

    Index

Introduction

The Storytellers

‘
The job of
Star Trek
was to use drama and adventure as a way of portraying humanity in its various guises and beliefs
. Star Trek
is the expression of my own beliefs using my characters to act out human problems
.’ Gene Roddenberry

    Whether you are relatively new to
Star Trek
, having enjoyed the J. J. Abrams blockbuster movie from 2009 or the sequel, or a fan of the show who’s been following the various series and movies since the US debut of the original in 1966, it is clear that this iconic television show that struggled through its first three years on air has – to adapt the worlds of the Vulcan Spock – ‘lived long and prospered’.
    The phenomenon of
Star Trek
has been much studied, from features in the popular media and in-depth academic analysis to fan commentary and internet flame wars. The forty-five-year history of the ‘franchise’ has been dissected every which way in an attempt to discover the reasons for its success, longevity and cultural impact – why has
Star Trek
been so long-lasting when other science fiction TV series have fallen by the wayside, and why have its various iterations on screens large and small been so popular?
    This is not an academic tome, but a critical cultural history of
Star Trek
. It’s an in-depth look at how the various series and movies were made, the creative forces driving them, what their cultural impact was and what it all means. The book will examine how
Star