David's Reviews > Star Trek Voyager: A Celebration

Just finished reading “Star Trek: Voyager: A Celebration” (2020, from Eaglemoss/Hero Collector Books; writers credited as by Ben Robinson and Mark Wright, with additional material by William Potter and Matt McAllister). Released in conjunction with (and “celebrating”) the twenty-fifth anniversary of the premiere of the television series on January 16, 1995.

One the best book ever released specifically about “Star Trek: Voyager”. (There have been at least two previously released books—from while the tv series was still in production and had just completed its run—that are also quite good: “Star Trek: Voyager: A Vision of the Future” by Stephen Edward Poe (1998), and the “Star Trek: Voyager Companion” by Paul Ruditis (2003)).

“Star Trek: Voyager: A Celebration” includes newly conducted interviews with all of the primary cast of actors (with the exception of Jennifer Lien who played Kes the first three seasons; Lien no longer does interviews, although the book does include archival interview quotes from Lien and comments from her co-stars on their experiences working with her on the series.)

The book also gives two-page spotlights on key episodes, and articles on the development of the series, its opening titles sequence, important behind the scenes personnel like series co-creators and producers Michael Pillar and Jeri Taylor, the various aliens featured on the series (the Kazon, the Vidiians, the Hirogen, the Borg, and Species 8472), the various departments—art department, VFX (visual effects), the writers and directors, make up department (including details on Neelix’s elaborate alien prosthetics that had to be applied and removed every day), costumes, and musical score composers)—designing the USS Voyager and Delta Flyer shuttle and a gallery of the various alien and other Starfleet vessels seen, and several familiar elements of the series like landing the ship (a first for a Starfleet starship on a Star Trek series) and Seven of Nine’s famous silver “catsuit”, and “Captain Proton” holodeck program.

When I first say the announcement that this book was coming, I knew that I would want to read it but at the same time thought to myself, “How interesting could another book on Star Trek: Voyager really be?” It turns out, pretty interesting (if done well).

The next “Celebration” book due out from Eaglemoss is “Star Trek: A Celebration”, about the original 1966-1969 “Star Trek” television series. Again, I’m a bit skeptical as there have been oodles of books written on the original series. Still, perhaps Eaglemoss might be able to surprise me again and give us a different take on an already very well covered subject. We’ll see.

As for “Star Trek: Voyager: A Celebration”, I highly recommend it.