The Completely Useless Star Trek Encyclopedia (Virgin) [Mass Market Paperback]

Chris Howarth (Author), Steve Lyons (Author)

Book Description

Series: Virgin | Publication Date: December 1997

SHAMELESS EXPLOITATION OF A REVERED SCIENCE FICTION CASH COW. It's here! The book that could have been thicker and more jam-packed with facts and exposes, but wasn't. However, its disappointing size conceals a bumper collection of facts, both trivial and pointless, about Star Trek in all its incarnations but especially the animated one. Within this uniquely portable volume you will find: The silliest items of merchandise. The fattest members of Starfleet. Not much about Voyager really. No distracting illustrations. And various other things!

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Virgin Publishing (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753501988
• ISBN-13: 978-0753501986
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,727,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May be Hazardous To Your Health, November 21, 2000

By 

Justinus "Justinus" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Completely Useless Star Trek Encyclopedia (Virgin) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you are a Star Trek fan, you will either love this book, or hate it. This should be obvious from the reviews already posted, which seem to almost invariably give the book either 1 or 5 stars. The reason for this is that the book is hilariously funny, but has a wickedly mean sense of humor. Therefor, if you take your fandom very seriously, DO NOT READ THIS, as it will cause irreparable psychological dammage! If, on the other hand, you are able to laugh at Trek as well as your own geekdom, then by all means DO READ IT! But procede with caution, as you may find yourself incapacitated with laughter.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly amusing for Star-Trek aficionados, December 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Completely Useless Star Trek Encyclopedia (Virgin) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'll start this review by saying up front that I'm a big fan of the TV show "Mystery Science Theater 3000" so I was bound to at least look favorably on any sort of parody of Americana such as this one. Which is odd, because the two authors are English and writing for audiences in England (thus the references to such things as TV 21, Doctor Who, personalities of whom us Yankees have never heard, etc.) Even so, I found this to be a notably enjoyable book; a good stocking-stuffer for the sci-fi fan in your life (as long as he's not the sort who thinks all things Roddenbury are holy.) It takes the form of the ubiquitous "Guide to Star Trek" books available today, which are generally little more than glorified episode guides with some fandom tidbits thrown in and still shots from the movie or TV show in question. However, this book is meant to parody of these sorts of publications, and does so with admirable skill (you can tell that the writers did their homework.) Topics covered range from 'Auto-Destruct' (what if someone sneezes while giving the cancel command four seconds before the ship explodes?), through 'The Love Boat' (certain early scenes with overblown romantic tension made some fans complain that 'TNG' was starting to resemble this show. See also 'GET A LIFE'), up to 'Yangs' (enemies of the 'Kohms' in the less-than-subtle allegory that was 'The Omega Glory'). Numerous Star Trek "tales" are brought up, and many are given an entirely new spin (i.e. "beam me up Scotty" as a fanboy creation, so they could have something to be smug at non-fans for attributing to the series.) You will find yourself laughing out loud at many points, or at least snickering. Of course, it's not a perfect book. Many of the parodies are simply the standard "cheap shots" we've all come to know and...recognize (not exactly _love_.) And the humor _does_ wear thin after a while...reading the whole book in one or two sittings is a no-no. In fact, this might make a good "bathroom book"--go in, sit down, pick it up, read a few entries, and leave in a cheerier mood than you entered. All in all, though, a good pick for a Trekkie near you.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very funny, especially if you're a fan, May 1, 1999

By 

mathilde de gardin "mathilde_de_gardin" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Completely Useless Star Trek Encyclopedia (Virgin) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this "encyclopedia" in one rush. Roaring with laughter every now and then. The more episodes and films you have seen, the more you can appreciate the somewhat wicked sense of understated humor in this book. And yes, they have opinions on Trekkies too, buy hey, who could write an "encyclopida" without mentioning Trekkies? Go read this. It's fun.