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The World of Star Trek
The legend of Star Trek lives in the hearts of millions - now, discover the truth behind the legend. Writer David Gerrold was on the set, watching it all happen: the feuds, the fun, the love - the magic that is still Star Trek. With over 50 pages of photos from your favorite episodes, and stills from all three movies!
209 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
November 24, 2023
This is a non-fiction behind-the-scenes look at the production of the original Star Trek series. It's not a focused history, but more of a hodge-podge collection of interviews, photographs, observations, and anecdotes. I always suspected that the author saw how much material he had left over from preparing his first Trek memoir, The Trouble with Tribbles, and decided to use it to produce a second volume. It's wonderful stuff for old-time Trekkers, but probably of questionable interest anymore for casual readers. Set your phasers on nostalgic smile.
May 5, 2019
We're human beings, with the blood of a million savage years on our hands...but we can stop it.
- Kirk, 'A Taste of Armageddon'
I found this on my parents' bookshelf, looking as though it hadn't been touched since 1971. When I opened it, the cover fell off.
While I love the original Star Trek, and while David Gerrold wrote "The Trouble with Tribbles", one of the very best episodes of the series, this is a very haphazardly-organized book. There are a number of interviews with members of the cast that are more like extended monologues without any theme in common; a list of episodes, non-chronological (I could not figure out how they are organized, if in fact they are); black-and-white photographs of the cast; examinations of Star Trek fandom that warn, apparently seriously, against the excesses of trimming your eyebrows to look like Spock and/or practicing black magic rituals to make Leonard Nimoy fall in love with you; and pedantic explanations of fanzines and science-fiction conventions that made my eyes glaze over.
The book's final section is perhaps the most interesting; Gerrold describes how the exigencies of TV production resulted in what every fan of the original Star Trek knows, deep down- the show did not reach its potential. In my opinion, at least, approximately 1/3 of the episodes are excellent, 1/3 are decent, and 1/3 (mostly those in the final season) are almost unwatchable. NBC's cavalier handling of the show, Roddenberry's departure, tight budgets and shooting schedules, all conspired to make the third and final season the sad spectacle that it was. How many times, after all, can Kirk fall in love with the high priestess of a tribal society that worships a cosmic computer, or convince a renegade machine to commit suicide by demonstrating that it's been behaving illogically? In how many episodes can the away team beam down to an unknown planet and find that some mysterious force has rendered communications and the transporter inoperable? You'd think Starfleet would eventually invest some money so that every has-been computer god's fly-by-night energy field wouldn't be able to cause such problems for its flagship.
Maybe the most compelling criticism Gerrold makes is that the show never really challenged the idea that the Enterprise's mission was essentially benign. Broadcast as it was during the Vietnam War, there was an opportunity for the show to question the rightness of American interventionism in foreign countries. Kirk broke the Prime Directive (the edict stating that members of Starfleet must never interfere in the development of the alien cultures they encounter), after all, in just about every other episode - he altered the course of civilization's development (just off the top of my head) on the Nazi planet, and the gangster planet, and the planet that had developed along the lines of the Roman empire, and the planet where they thought they were the descendants of the ancient Greeks, and the planet where they didn't know about copulation (obviously unacceptable to Kirk)...he may even have altered history in a mirror universe! But very rarely was the audience prompted to consider that the culture the Enterprise crew came into contact with might have been better off left alone. It seems that stories along these lines would have clashed with Roddenberry's idealistic vision of the future, which is admittedly part of what gives the original Star Trek its charm, and the Federation's role as galactic peacekeeper.
Kirk can sure make an inspiring argument, though. Listen to what he says to Anan, in 'A Taste of Armageddon.' In this scene, he and Spock have just destroyed the computer that's allowed Anan's planet to wage a 'civilized' war (casualty numbers are reported after computer-simulated attacks, and the 'casualties' then walk voluntarily into 'disintegration chambers') against its closest neighbors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKmUd...
March 9, 2015
I have something of a fascination with the non-fictional aspects of classic Trek—both the behind-the-scenes show stuff and the general fandom of the time—and it's fun to read accounts that are closer to that time than we are now. This book was originally written in '73, just a few years following the demise of TOS, and a few years prior to the first film. Trek was in syndication and picking up new fans, while existing and new fans were banding together (via letter, 'zine, and telephone) to create the first Trek conventions as the fandom was just starting to grow into the juggernaut it eventually became. A really neat look at a slice of time in Trek history.
July 6, 2020
A friend loaned me this book after I learned he had it. I am a huge Star Trek fan and had never heard of nor read this book.
Published in 1973 this is a fantastic behind the scenes and accounting of what the show did and didn't do, as well as where it could be headed. Written by Gerrold, the author has access to the show's stars and several of those who wrote, directed, and worked on the show behind the camera. I was impressed that I read many first hand accounts in this that I'd never heard. For that I am eternally grateful as a Trek fan.
However, it's the critiques of the show's high and low points that were particularly interesting. Gerrold is not only a writer for the show, but a fan (he states himself as being so). He discusses in detail what made certain shows work and what made some falter. This was, to coin a cliche word from the show, "fascinating." I couldn't get enough of his insights. One amazing bit of foreshadowing is when he brings up how the captain should have stayed on the bridge and leave engagement with aliens and their worlds to other crew members. That would occur in 1987...
Being an old fan (born in '67) I thought I had heard everything there was to know about Star Trek. This 1973 book should be read by all Trek fans to glean some insight into what made the original series and why it continues to thrive. My highest possible recommendation for this book.
Published in 1973 this is a fantastic behind the scenes and accounting of what the show did and didn't do, as well as where it could be headed. Written by Gerrold, the author has access to the show's stars and several of those who wrote, directed, and worked on the show behind the camera. I was impressed that I read many first hand accounts in this that I'd never heard. For that I am eternally grateful as a Trek fan.
However, it's the critiques of the show's high and low points that were particularly interesting. Gerrold is not only a writer for the show, but a fan (he states himself as being so). He discusses in detail what made certain shows work and what made some falter. This was, to coin a cliche word from the show, "fascinating." I couldn't get enough of his insights. One amazing bit of foreshadowing is when he brings up how the captain should have stayed on the bridge and leave engagement with aliens and their worlds to other crew members. That would occur in 1987...
Being an old fan (born in '67) I thought I had heard everything there was to know about Star Trek. This 1973 book should be read by all Trek fans to glean some insight into what made the original series and why it continues to thrive. My highest possible recommendation for this book.
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December 19, 2016I've owned three copies of this book, having read and re-read to destruction the first two. I loved it. I'm kind of afraid to look at it again 15...20? years after the last time I read it. But I bet I'll still love it.
November 6, 2012
The best book on the behind the scenes of the series.
July 9, 2019
An excellent fun read if you are a true Trekkie!
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June 24, 2016Though I'm generally reading these books in publication order, for the next book in our Trek journey, we need to step back in time about a year. Today's book is the second non-fiction Trek book we're looking at, David Gerrold's The World of Star Trek, published April 12, 1973.
The prologue describes the approximate outline of the book:
Actually, there are three worlds of STAR TREK. First, there's the STAR TREK that Gene Roddenberry conceived--the original dream of a television series about an interstellar starship. Then there's the STAR TREK behind the scenes, how the cast and crew made Gene Roddenberry's ideas come true, how they were realized and sometimes altered in the realization. And finally, there's the STAR TREK Phenomenon, the world that the fans of the show created, the reality that they built in response.
All three of these worlds are fascinating, and all three of them are dealt with in this book. Each of the worlds of STAR TREK created the next; and like interlocking rings, each had its effects on the others. The show created the stars, the stars engendered a fandom, and the fans kept the show on the air.
This book would seem to be in the vein of Whitfield's 1968 book, The Making of Star Trek, though its focus is somewhat different. As Gerrold himself notes, Whitfield's book more than adequately covers the details of the production of the series, so Gerrold does not spend too many words repeating these details. The book's opening ("Part One: The First World of Star Trek--Gene Roddenberry's Dream") repeats the familiar details from The Star Trek Guide and the original series format, much like Whitfield's. But where The Making of Star Trek examines how the series's premise works to make a show that could be produced within the constraints of a television budget, The World of Star Trek considers how it enables interesting stories:
[Kirk] would be explorer, ambassador, soldier, and peacekeeper. He would be the sole arbiter of Federation law wherever he traveled--he would be a law unto himself.
The implication here is that there are no other channels of intersteller communication. At least, none as fast as the Enterprise.
...
If Kirk could check back with Starfleet Command every time he was in trouble, he would never have any conflicts at all. He would simply be a crewman following orders. He wouldn't be an explorer or an ambassador--just the Captain of the local gunboat on the scene.
Gerrold has some definite ideas about the way stories ought to be told. For example:
The single dramatic element which provokes excitement in a play is this: your identity is in danger. All others are merely variations: your life is in danger, your country is in danger, your girl friend might leave you, your wife might find out, your brother might die, the police might catch you. Something threatens to prevent you from being the person you already are or want to be.
...
But if you endanger the hero's identity week after week, not only do you run the risk of melodrama--you also run the risk of falling into a formula kind of storytelling. This week Kirk is menaced by the jello monster, he kills it by freezing it to death; next week Kirk is menaced by the slime monster and kills it by drying it out; the week after that he is threatened by the mud monster and defeats it by watering it down; the following week Kirk meets the mucous monster . . . Again, the ho hum reaction. Or even the ha ha reaction.
The second part of the book ("The Star Trek Family--The People Who Made The Enterprise Fly) generally avoids focusing on the production aspects of the show, considering them adequately covered by Whitfield's book. Instead, the bulk of the text is made up of extended excerpts from interviews with some of the principal figures in Trek: Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols; also included is an interview with William Campbell, who played Trelane in "The Squire of Gothos".
The interviews are very interesting, giving a look at how the actors felt about the show and the characters they played. Since these interviews were conducted at a distance of a few years from the show, they make a nice complement to the interviews in The Making of Star Trek, which was published while the show was still in production.
Following the interviews is a complete listing of each Star Trek episode, its writers, and its guest stars. A handy reference, in the days before the internet!
The third part of the book ("The Star Trek Phenomenon") discusses the well-known letter-writing campaign to save Star Trek, organized by Bjo Trimble, then discusses the fandom more generally, touching on fanzines, conventions, and other details. A very interesting look at how scifi fandom--and especially Trek fandom--was organized at the time, and how it was viewed.
In fourth part of the book ("Star Trek Analyzed--The Unfulfilled Potential"), Gerrold examines some of the specific elements that make up Trek episodes, both good and bad. For example, he criticizes Kirk and Spock always going out on dangerous away missions:
...this is the most deadly of all criticisms that have ever been leveled against STAR TREK:
A Captain, whether he be the Captain of a starship or an aircraft carrier, simply does not place himself in danger. Ever.
...
This is one major problem in the STAR TREK format, the one difficulty that forces the show into a set of formula situations week after week--the focusing of attention on two characters who should not logically be placing themselves in physical danger, but must do so regularly.
Gerrold suggests a specially trainted "Contact Team" should be sent on away missions instead. Actually, his idea is a good one, and was vindicated in The Next Generation, years later: Riker was not at all interested in allowing Picard to go out on dangerous away missions, and when Riker was himself in command of the ship he too was reminded by the crew that he was too important to be risked in that way. Better late than never, eh?
The final section of the book ("The return of Star Trek...?") looks at the possibility of the show's return, and gives details on some of Gene Roddenberry's then-upcoming projects: "Spectre", "Questor", "The Tribunes", and "Genesis II". And finally:
Oh, yes. One more thing. What if STAR TREK doesn't come back . . . ?
"Well," says Gene. "I have a lot of notes on a new concept, a planet-travel show. Not for this season, but for the next one. I'm going to start putting it together . . . "
You see, the fans are right. STAR TREK lives!
I think that the foregoing excerpts give evidence enough that, even if you don't entirely agree with Gerrold's ideas about drama, he has plenty of insightful things to say about Star Trek. And besides being informative, the book is entertaining. The excellent little parody of bad Star Trek plots, "Green Priestesses of the Cosmic Computer", is not to be missed. I know that I gave a pretty strong recommendation of Whitfield's book before, but if you are more interested in the stories of Trek than the production of TV episodes, you might prefer to give that one a miss and read The World of Star Trek instead.
David Gerrold is the author of the TOS episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" and its sequel, the TAS episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles", among other Trek-related work, plus a number of original novels. Published simultaneously with this book was another by Gerrold, The Trouble With Tribbles: The Birth, Sale and Final Production of One Episode.
May 23, 2021
Welcome, one and all, to my latest hyperfixation—Star Trek! I sped through all 65.8 hours of The Original Series in a month and a half, so to fill the void after that, I decided to read about how the show was made. And who better to hear it from then one of my favorite writers from the series, David Gerrold.
I really enjoyed Gerrold’s analysis of the show—what worked and what didn’t, and why. It’s great to get an insider’s perspective on this kind of thing instead of screaming into the void when I don’t know who to blame for bad episodes. It was especially cathartic to read an analysis of the detrimental formulas that the show fell into, such as the puzzle-box story and Kirk’s woman-of-the-day. I’m really happy that Gerrold also hated all the contrived and unnecessary romances. And thank god he pointed out the “‘American Way’ syndrome.” TOS is truly a hellscape of Ameri-centrism, often to the detriment of the show’s core message.
There was also a whole section of cast interviews, which were very fun. I especially loved hearing so much from Nichelle Nichols (who played Uhura). What a cool lady. I need to look up more interviews from her in the future.
That being said, there is one particular section in the middle of this book that made me crave annihilation: the discussion of fandom. As somebody who has been part of many fandoms over the past decade, I always have trepidations when an outsider tries to describe the “fan experience.” And David Gerrold played right into my expectations with a frankly offensive portrayal of Star Trek fandom. Firstly, I hate the gendered language Gerrold uses. He refers to fans who perform certain activities—such as writing fan letters, fanfiction, and fanzines—using she/her pronouns, and other activities—such as recreating sets and playing ST video games—using he/him pronouns. This is a very stereotypical portrayal of the gendered roles in fandom. It’s definitely not accurate in today’s fandom, and likely wasn’t back in the ‘70s and ‘80s either. And you can tell that he respects the “male” fandom so much more. He overly sexualizes the “female fan” experience to the point of my immense discomfort, focusing on all the raunchy fan mail women sent to the actors, and homoerotic Kirk/Spock fanfiction. (He also had the homophobic audacity to call the simple notion of Kirk and Spock being in a relationship “equally disturbing” as the previous discussion of a fan committing suicide…) Obviously, this is an extremely narrow view of female Star Trek fans—one that reduces them to sex-crazed gay fetishizers. All I can say is that I’m glad we’ve moved past this view of women in fandom… And that I was still able to enjoy the rest of the book after this section.
I really enjoyed Gerrold’s analysis of the show—what worked and what didn’t, and why. It’s great to get an insider’s perspective on this kind of thing instead of screaming into the void when I don’t know who to blame for bad episodes. It was especially cathartic to read an analysis of the detrimental formulas that the show fell into, such as the puzzle-box story and Kirk’s woman-of-the-day. I’m really happy that Gerrold also hated all the contrived and unnecessary romances. And thank god he pointed out the “‘American Way’ syndrome.” TOS is truly a hellscape of Ameri-centrism, often to the detriment of the show’s core message.
There was also a whole section of cast interviews, which were very fun. I especially loved hearing so much from Nichelle Nichols (who played Uhura). What a cool lady. I need to look up more interviews from her in the future.
That being said, there is one particular section in the middle of this book that made me crave annihilation: the discussion of fandom. As somebody who has been part of many fandoms over the past decade, I always have trepidations when an outsider tries to describe the “fan experience.” And David Gerrold played right into my expectations with a frankly offensive portrayal of Star Trek fandom. Firstly, I hate the gendered language Gerrold uses. He refers to fans who perform certain activities—such as writing fan letters, fanfiction, and fanzines—using she/her pronouns, and other activities—such as recreating sets and playing ST video games—using he/him pronouns. This is a very stereotypical portrayal of the gendered roles in fandom. It’s definitely not accurate in today’s fandom, and likely wasn’t back in the ‘70s and ‘80s either. And you can tell that he respects the “male” fandom so much more. He overly sexualizes the “female fan” experience to the point of my immense discomfort, focusing on all the raunchy fan mail women sent to the actors, and homoerotic Kirk/Spock fanfiction. (He also had the homophobic audacity to call the simple notion of Kirk and Spock being in a relationship “equally disturbing” as the previous discussion of a fan committing suicide…) Obviously, this is an extremely narrow view of female Star Trek fans—one that reduces them to sex-crazed gay fetishizers. All I can say is that I’m glad we’ve moved past this view of women in fandom… And that I was still able to enjoy the rest of the book after this section.
November 3, 2022
Book 30 of 2022: The World of Star Trek (2nd ed.) by David Gerrold in association with Starlog magazine (1984, Bluejay Books, 209 p.)
I am a long time Star Trek fan. I read the first edition of this book when I was in middle school. My recollection is that my friend Golden (another Trekkie) brought it to my attention by announcing that the Gerrold (who wrote the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles") wrote that Klingons like to "fart in the airlock". David Gerrold is an excellent writer and intimately involved with Star Trek as a writer and fan.
The book is dual history snd critique of Star Trek - from the original series through the first 3 movies. It covers the development of the original series, the family of Star Trek (the actors and production staff of TOS), the fandom, a critique of TOS, and the cinematic rebirth. I wonder if this book were updated today if it would include the devotion (as well as the toxicity) of fans in the form of web series, YouTube videos, and Facebook pages.
Apparently, the 1st edition had been used to help aid in the storytelling of The Animated Series and the first 3 movies. In that light this edition must have been used to help with The Next Generation. There are hints of what is in store for the fans.
Three interesting tidbits:
1. Gerrold mention a disabled fan named George LaForge, who became the inspiration for Geordi LaForge, chief engineer of the Enterprise D.
2. He mentions a 1977 Seattle Star Trek convention that had a blood drive to honor the great sci fi writer Robert Heinlein. I attended that convention and obtained the autographs of George Takei and Harlan Ellison.
3. Many of the upated interviews for this edition came from Starlog magazine, a now defunct cinematic and television sci fi magazine. Bill Belcher and I read this magazine through our formative years in the 70s. A digital archive of over 200 issues can be found at: https://archive.org/details/starlogma...
I grew up with ST and it has shaped me as a person and a scientist. I witnessed and participated in this growth of fandom. I saw the first Star Trek movie on opening night (Dec. 7, 1979). This book was like reading part of my life story.
In a summary of the world of Star Trek, Gerrold writes (p. 205):
The final frontier is not space
The final frontier is the human soul
Space is merely the arena in which we shall meet the challenge
I am a long time Star Trek fan. I read the first edition of this book when I was in middle school. My recollection is that my friend Golden (another Trekkie) brought it to my attention by announcing that the Gerrold (who wrote the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles") wrote that Klingons like to "fart in the airlock". David Gerrold is an excellent writer and intimately involved with Star Trek as a writer and fan.
The book is dual history snd critique of Star Trek - from the original series through the first 3 movies. It covers the development of the original series, the family of Star Trek (the actors and production staff of TOS), the fandom, a critique of TOS, and the cinematic rebirth. I wonder if this book were updated today if it would include the devotion (as well as the toxicity) of fans in the form of web series, YouTube videos, and Facebook pages.
Apparently, the 1st edition had been used to help aid in the storytelling of The Animated Series and the first 3 movies. In that light this edition must have been used to help with The Next Generation. There are hints of what is in store for the fans.
Three interesting tidbits:
1. Gerrold mention a disabled fan named George LaForge, who became the inspiration for Geordi LaForge, chief engineer of the Enterprise D.
2. He mentions a 1977 Seattle Star Trek convention that had a blood drive to honor the great sci fi writer Robert Heinlein. I attended that convention and obtained the autographs of George Takei and Harlan Ellison.
3. Many of the upated interviews for this edition came from Starlog magazine, a now defunct cinematic and television sci fi magazine. Bill Belcher and I read this magazine through our formative years in the 70s. A digital archive of over 200 issues can be found at: https://archive.org/details/starlogma...
I grew up with ST and it has shaped me as a person and a scientist. I witnessed and participated in this growth of fandom. I saw the first Star Trek movie on opening night (Dec. 7, 1979). This book was like reading part of my life story.
In a summary of the world of Star Trek, Gerrold writes (p. 205):
The final frontier is not space
The final frontier is the human soul
Space is merely the arena in which we shall meet the challenge
June 17, 2024
After the slog that was The Making of Star Trek, I was concerned this book would be more of the same. The first chapter about convinced me of it! But it really wasn't at all. It was a much faster, easier, and more entertaining read.
There are some great stories in here from the cast including a few tidbits I don't think I'd heard about before, as well as a completely different story about Takei's swordplay than the one I've heard repeated ad nauseum over the years.
However, my rating is still not great. There were many times throughout the pages that it seemed like the author actually despised Star Trek (unless he himself was writing the episode, of course), and that got difficult to read after a while. The author also has the tendency to beat a single point absolutely to death, repeating himself again and again in a slightly different manner like he was being paid by the word but had nothing more to say to extend the chapter. There was blatant disrespect and condescension shown toward Star Trek fans as a whole, while individual fans with faces and names were treated like the real people they were, yet the author didn't seem to notice the paradox.
There is also cringe-worthy sexism in this book, some lip-curling moments of racism, and a truly disturbing section where the author made multiple disgusting insinuations about little girls who were Star Trek fans and how he imagined they'd do "favours" for adult men to get access to extra Star Trek clips. This section was short, but so revolting that I could never bring myself to actually recommend this book as a whole to a Star Trek fan. Maybe a redacted version.
There are some great stories in here from the cast including a few tidbits I don't think I'd heard about before, as well as a completely different story about Takei's swordplay than the one I've heard repeated ad nauseum over the years.
However, my rating is still not great. There were many times throughout the pages that it seemed like the author actually despised Star Trek (unless he himself was writing the episode, of course), and that got difficult to read after a while. The author also has the tendency to beat a single point absolutely to death, repeating himself again and again in a slightly different manner like he was being paid by the word but had nothing more to say to extend the chapter. There was blatant disrespect and condescension shown toward Star Trek fans as a whole, while individual fans with faces and names were treated like the real people they were, yet the author didn't seem to notice the paradox.
There is also cringe-worthy sexism in this book, some lip-curling moments of racism, and a truly disturbing section where the author made multiple disgusting insinuations about little girls who were Star Trek fans and how he imagined they'd do "favours" for adult men to get access to extra Star Trek clips. This section was short, but so revolting that I could never bring myself to actually recommend this book as a whole to a Star Trek fan. Maybe a redacted version.
August 1, 2022
I had imagined this was going to be more focused on the people, places, events, and ideas portrayed in Star Trek, more than about the people who created it and the people who watched it. It did have some very interesting information, such as what it meant to be the captain of a starship too far from any Federation outpost to get quick communication. Kirk had to be the decision-maker, that was his job. But Gerrold points out, in a section on the shortcomings of Star Trek, how little sense it made for that decision-maker to also always be the one going into danger on unknown planets, rather than staying on the ship and directing the actions of the team. More broadly, he shows how the requirements of network TV, at least at that time, limited what could be done with the show, in terms of time, money, "network standards," and the audience network executives thought they were playing for.
One thing I didn't like in this book was so many extended quotes (they go on for pages sometimes) from people involved in the making of the show. And I certainly didn't need to see a list of all the episodes and who played each character. I didn't care a whole lot about the fan base and their activities either, though I realize that at the time this was written, the existence of those groups would have been news to a lot of readers of the book.
One thing I didn't like in this book was so many extended quotes (they go on for pages sometimes) from people involved in the making of the show. And I certainly didn't need to see a list of all the episodes and who played each character. I didn't care a whole lot about the fan base and their activities either, though I realize that at the time this was written, the existence of those groups would have been news to a lot of readers of the book.
September 6, 2023
This came out in 1973 so I already know what happened to Star Trek but a trip down memory lane is always enjoyable. The author is very critical of the series to a point where it gets annoying but I learned to tolerate his points of view from things he wrote in Starlog many years ago. He's the kind of guy that'd shit on Sid & Marty Kroft's space ship shows for their scientific inaccuracies.
The best parts were reading about the letter writing campaign that gave the show a third season. And interviews with cast members where they talk about their own experiences making Star Trek.
Most shocking was the casual racism all of it directed toward Nichelle Nichols. But of course, "She got the biggest kick out of it, she cracked up completely," in one really surprising instance where a well know cast member uses the hard r n-word, and "It was a very funny moment" in another.
The book ends with the "erosion" of Star Trek which I mostly skipped it being too critical of a show I just enjoyed discovering as a child and enjoy to this day.
The best parts were reading about the letter writing campaign that gave the show a third season. And interviews with cast members where they talk about their own experiences making Star Trek.
Most shocking was the casual racism all of it directed toward Nichelle Nichols. But of course, "She got the biggest kick out of it, she cracked up completely," in one really surprising instance where a well know cast member uses the hard r n-word, and "It was a very funny moment" in another.
The book ends with the "erosion" of Star Trek which I mostly skipped it being too critical of a show I just enjoyed discovering as a child and enjoy to this day.
June 16, 2020
This book was published in 1973, so it is interesting to read Gerrold's take on the Star Trek phenomenon only a few years after the show was cancelled and with none of the Trek follow-ups having yet been produced, not even the animated series. The book is somewhat similar to The Making of Star Trek (1968) by Stephen Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry, but Gerrold spends more time on fan response to the show and critique of the show's strengths and weaknesses. A recommended read for Trek fans!
May 11, 2024
This sat on my shelf for quite a while after finding it at a used book sale. It's a nice insiders critique of Star Trek (The Original Series) which does a good job at dissecting what worked and what didn't in the making of the classic TV series. I read the updated version which came out in 1984 and wonder what the author of The Trouble With Tribbles would have said if he had waited three more years to do his rewrite after The Next Generation went on the air.
September 8, 2019
This is the latest edition of the book, which originally came out in 1973. The author covers the creators and actors behind Star Trek, the show's fan following and the campaign to save it after the network canceled it, the show's impact, its future, its potential.....basically the whole Star Trek phenomenon. A very enjoyable and uplifting read!
September 16, 2019
The World of Star Trek started out amazing, with hilarious tales of the bizarre things that happen in a TV studio and insightful commentary by actors, producer and the author, David Gerrold (famous for writing "The Trouble with Tribbles"). Unfortunately, in the 1980s version, it ends with a flop: the chapters on the Star Trek movies 2 and 3 read like paid cheerleading, with no real criticism or unique perspective.
January 31, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of interesting details about Star Trek. This book has a lot of information about what makes Star Trek Star Trek, what makes an episode great or not, analysis of the characters and a lot of the making of Star Trek. It is a fun read for any Trekkie.
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June 23, 2021L
November 9, 2020
The world of Star Trek serves its purpose as an informative book about the creation of The Original Series and Gene Roddenberry's career, but it is also a terribly organized book with tons of speculations and fantasies of what Star Trek could have been in David Gerrold's opinion.
The book was written by David Gerrold, the writer of one of the best episodes of the original series, The Trouble with the Tribbles. Gerrold wasn't as involved with the show as he makes you believe. He wrote one other episode and one other book about the creation of that episode. However, in this book, he collected tons of stories and interviews and wrote his own visions and opinions on the show, successfully delivering an informative read.
As someone who watched the entire Original Series and most of the Next Generation, I found the stories enjoyable and the fandom admirable at first. But as it went on, reading more and more stories and hearing more about the crazy works of the fans, that began to change. Many stories felt like hearing some kid telling me about his crazy D&D adventures and how cool his party was in all of these epic situations. Finally, when I reached the part titled Saving Star Trek, I had to stop and wonder: is this admirable? Or is it the work of millions of drama queens and teenage girls wishing Spock for a boyfriend? To tell you the truth, I am not wondering anymore.
Star Trek was a good show for its time, but Gene Roddenberry wasn't a miracle. In the final chapter, The Return of Star Trek, the writer tells you all about the promising future projects of Roddenberry. Do you know what happened to these projects? Not a single one of them has more than 500 ratings on IMDB, and each of them is rated 6.5/10 or lower. David Gerrold compares the Star Trek fandom to that of rock and roll. I find that to be a very fair comparison, for Star Trek fans stalked actors, wrote their own romantic fantasies with them, and were mostly females around the age of 18 (some of which harassed Leonard Nimoy and practiced black magic to sexually seduce him).
In the fourth part, Star Trek Analyzed - The Unfulfilled Potential, Gerrold presents what you might consider a very long review of the series. That part is perhaps the best part of the book despite containing most of Gerrold's fantasies about what the show could have been. Gerrold makes great points showing how many episodes went through the exact same template. How the landing party always lost its communicators and spent the episode trying to retrieve them. And how the captain of the ship always beamed down and got himself captured.
I found this book on my father's shelf and thought it could be a fun read. It was, but I probably would have preferred The Making of Star Trek by Roddenberry himself if I had the option.
The book was written by David Gerrold, the writer of one of the best episodes of the original series, The Trouble with the Tribbles. Gerrold wasn't as involved with the show as he makes you believe. He wrote one other episode and one other book about the creation of that episode. However, in this book, he collected tons of stories and interviews and wrote his own visions and opinions on the show, successfully delivering an informative read.
As someone who watched the entire Original Series and most of the Next Generation, I found the stories enjoyable and the fandom admirable at first. But as it went on, reading more and more stories and hearing more about the crazy works of the fans, that began to change. Many stories felt like hearing some kid telling me about his crazy D&D adventures and how cool his party was in all of these epic situations. Finally, when I reached the part titled Saving Star Trek, I had to stop and wonder: is this admirable? Or is it the work of millions of drama queens and teenage girls wishing Spock for a boyfriend? To tell you the truth, I am not wondering anymore.
Star Trek was a good show for its time, but Gene Roddenberry wasn't a miracle. In the final chapter, The Return of Star Trek, the writer tells you all about the promising future projects of Roddenberry. Do you know what happened to these projects? Not a single one of them has more than 500 ratings on IMDB, and each of them is rated 6.5/10 or lower. David Gerrold compares the Star Trek fandom to that of rock and roll. I find that to be a very fair comparison, for Star Trek fans stalked actors, wrote their own romantic fantasies with them, and were mostly females around the age of 18 (some of which harassed Leonard Nimoy and practiced black magic to sexually seduce him).
In the fourth part, Star Trek Analyzed - The Unfulfilled Potential, Gerrold presents what you might consider a very long review of the series. That part is perhaps the best part of the book despite containing most of Gerrold's fantasies about what the show could have been. Gerrold makes great points showing how many episodes went through the exact same template. How the landing party always lost its communicators and spent the episode trying to retrieve them. And how the captain of the ship always beamed down and got himself captured.
I found this book on my father's shelf and thought it could be a fun read. It was, but I probably would have preferred The Making of Star Trek by Roddenberry himself if I had the option.
September 8, 2015
An insider's look behind the making of Star Trek
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 action 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 note 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 redone in an attempt to save money. Star Trek was a high budget show, so there was very 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 some of how things were really done, then this is a book you need to read.
This review also appears on Amazon
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 action 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 note 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 redone in an attempt to save money. Star Trek was a high budget show, so there was very 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 some of how things were really done, then this is a book you need to read.
This review also appears on Amazon
March 19, 2014
I do not remember when I read this. But looking at the 'sneak preview' for Star Trek III I would say it was in 1984.
If you like the original series of Star Trek this book is wonderful to read and has a lot of inside information. Especially with what we know now of a lot of what is told if rather funny.
David Gerrold is also not new to Star Trek or Sci Fi at all either. Not only has he written 'The Trouble with Tribbles'. He also wrote episodes for Sliders, Babylon 5, and The Twilight Zone...among others.
Some of it even tells the story of people you never saw on the show: How would you like to be the secretary to Mr Spock? Are you a Trekkie or a Treker?
David brings to light the good and the bad. Not because he hates it but because he has a love and wants all of us to see what made trek what it is today. If you want a stroll down memory lane then take a look at this book.
If you like the original series of Star Trek this book is wonderful to read and has a lot of inside information. Especially with what we know now of a lot of what is told if rather funny.
David Gerrold is also not new to Star Trek or Sci Fi at all either. Not only has he written 'The Trouble with Tribbles'. He also wrote episodes for Sliders, Babylon 5, and The Twilight Zone...among others.
Some of it even tells the story of people you never saw on the show: How would you like to be the secretary to Mr Spock? Are you a Trekkie or a Treker?
David brings to light the good and the bad. Not because he hates it but because he has a love and wants all of us to see what made trek what it is today. If you want a stroll down memory lane then take a look at this book.
May 6, 2021
Star Trek in Review
It was interesting reading this book which was written in 1984 in the year 2020! There were some very good interviews with the original cast members including some directors. The author had a lot of good and interesting personal insights and observations. I did find myself skimming over some parts that were a bit long winded for me but I think it just depends on what you're most interested in reading about. I loved the cast interviews and the parts about the movies. It is a bit surreal at the end as the author is waiting for the premier of Star Trek III. It's a bit like its own sci-fi ending - if only he could look into the future that is today and seen STTNG, Star Trek Voyager, Deep Space Nine and now Star Trek Discovery and Piccard not to mention how many movies? Wow.
It was interesting reading this book which was written in 1984 in the year 2020! There were some very good interviews with the original cast members including some directors. The author had a lot of good and interesting personal insights and observations. I did find myself skimming over some parts that were a bit long winded for me but I think it just depends on what you're most interested in reading about. I loved the cast interviews and the parts about the movies. It is a bit surreal at the end as the author is waiting for the premier of Star Trek III. It's a bit like its own sci-fi ending - if only he could look into the future that is today and seen STTNG, Star Trek Voyager, Deep Space Nine and now Star Trek Discovery and Piccard not to mention how many movies? Wow.
February 21, 2012
Written in the late 1970's, Gerrold, screenwriter for the classic episode "The Trouble With Tribbles", gives an excellent background to the original Star Trek. Ever watch the third season DVD over the course of a week or so? Then you will concur with Gerrold's points about the decline of the show in that season. Many other interesting tidbits for the fans.
Some of Gerrold's ideas, such as his suggestion that Star Trek should have had a "contact team" to go to planets instead of Kirk and Spock, miss the boat. For a lot of us, the show was about action-adventure, and if Kirk, Spock and McCoy had too much screen time at the expense of others, then that's how it should have been.
Some of Gerrold's ideas, such as his suggestion that Star Trek should have had a "contact team" to go to planets instead of Kirk and Spock, miss the boat. For a lot of us, the show was about action-adventure, and if Kirk, Spock and McCoy had too much screen time at the expense of others, then that's how it should have been.
July 9, 2014
A fun, though serious insight into the making and the affect Star Trek has had on the world since its inception. Great stories from the production by many of those involved right from the beginning. Though a contributor to the show and an
Unabashed fan, David Gerrold's research covers and destroys may of the rumors that have been circulating for years about the goings on behind the scenes. As expected, the writing is great. This volume stopped at the third movie. It would be great to see this authors take on the remaining, original series based movies, the current reboot and the Next Generation. One day soon, perhaps.
Good stuff.
Unabashed fan, David Gerrold's research covers and destroys may of the rumors that have been circulating for years about the goings on behind the scenes. As expected, the writing is great. This volume stopped at the third movie. It would be great to see this authors take on the remaining, original series based movies, the current reboot and the Next Generation. One day soon, perhaps.
Good stuff.
November 15, 2013
The first thing you have to remember about this book is when it was published. Gerrold was a Star Trek scriptwriter and this gives him a view of things that is unusual, interesting and funny. He is very fair with both his praise and his criticism, but some of his comments are dated - either in the views he is expressing or because Star Trek has moved on so much from those early days. I did enjoy it though and made me want to track down the repeats on those of so obscure Sky channels!
August 21, 2011
The first non-fiction work covering "Star Trek" that I ever read. I would have preferred a bit more contemplation on the early movie era (which is where this revised version concluded), but it's a solid overview of what made "Star Trek" tick...and why we love it so much. Or why you SHOULD, if you're one of the not-we...
March 2, 2012
This is a history of the original Star Trek series, and details how the show went from concept through production, and then became the legendary series it is today. Gerrold details the relationships between the actors, the producers and directors, and between the show's participants and the network. The reader gets warts and all, but I finished the book a bigger fan than when I started it.
November 29, 2007
I see now that David Gerrold has been a very successful writer(The Martian Child)-but it was my fandom for Star Trek and this book that gave me an idea what the television process was all about-oh, Gerrold wrote "The Trouble with Tribbles" episode...
December 29, 2007
Yes, another one of my pet obsessions. This was really good for Gerrold's insight into what went into writing the original Trek series, and also for his thoughts on why Star Trek has had such an impact on our culture.
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