Customer Reviews

The Making of Star Trek

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This is a classic. It is the first book of its kind, and probably the first book about Star Trek at all. But The Making of Star Trek is much more than any of the later books with similar names. This book doesn't idealize or simplify the making of the series. It doesn't enthusiastically praise everything and everyone involved in its production. It is an authentic and meticulous report on how TOS in particular and a TV series in general comes to life. It shows that it is a process of try and error, that aspects have to be taken into account the viewers wouldn't think of, and that the responsible persons don't always know exactly what they want ("I need some device that does something...").

The story how Stephen E. Whitfield (aka Stephen E. Poe) asked Gene Roddenberry if he could write a book about the series sounds like a fairy tale, but is true. The Great Bird was very forthcoming, and Whitfield was granted access to everything behind the scenes of the still running show, seemingly without any restriction. The book shows production schedules, budgets, private notes, script drafts, production sketches, all things that are usually kept secret or simplified for a larger public. I don't think that something like this would be still possible today. Compared to The Making of Star Trek, Whitfield's last book (he passed away in 2000) on Voyager seems rather superficial.

The Making of Star Trek may be over 30 years old, but it is of more than only historical value. It demonstrates that TV is a business that sometimes doesn't allow technical or artistic perfection. It also shows how many things we may take for granted and that are essential parts of the Star Trek Universe today have taken a rather surprising course change. Who would like Vulcans with names like "Spook, Spork, Splak, ..." as frequently suggested in the early days, or who would think that one race was originally described with the words, "Honor is a despicable trait.", namely the Klingons?

I read this in the Seventies and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I've bought it again and enjoyed it all over again. Fascinating behind-the-scenes look at TOS. You have to read this book to understand what a groundbreaking series Star Trek was. You also learn how grueling a TV series is to work on. This book is fascinating, and sometimes hilarious!

A classic book for those interested in television production, especially "Star Trek". This is the first book that gave the details of the production of a particular television series, and has served as a model for similar books to follow. The original "Star Trek" was still in production at the time this book was written, and the book has gone into many reprints. A good primer for those who follow the current crop of "Star Trek" shows and movies, and are interested in finding out about the classic original. This book is definitely a must-have for fans of the original series. Co-written by the creator himself.

There are probably loads of 'Making of Star Trek' books out there, but this is particularly interesting as it was written in 1968, between the second and third series, before the show had become a phenomenon. Which is odd at first - everything is in the present tense, and there's nothing about the cultural impact of the show because that was all in the future. Doubly odd is the fact that all of the many quotes from Gene Roddenberry are reported IN BLOCK CAPITALS, giving the bizarre impression that he is not a television producer, but God Himself.

It's extremely detailed, and is as much about the making of any TV late-60s series as it is 'Star Trek'. There are bits from shooting scripts, set plans, photographs of noted theatre actor William Shatner in old-age makeup (looking nothing like he looks in genuine old age), profiles of production staff, and programme budgets which, translated dollar-for-dollar, would just about cover the catering bill on 'Star Trek : The Next Generation'. It's worth it for the stream of memos about Vulcan names alone.

Back when there was little else written about Star Trek, before David Gerrold's great "World of Star Trek" analysis or Franz Joseph's blueprints, "The Making of Star Trek" was the ultimate. I devoured it as a boy in the early '70s. To this day I don't think anyone can consider themselves a true original series die-hard without having read this book. It really does take you inside the making of the show, but keeps it on a professional level, without salaciousness. That's because the book wasn't written as something for the few Star Trek fans that were known of then, but as a book about how to write for TV, as older printings stated on the cover. That does leave some things out, but those details have been covered since by other books and memoirs.

Since this was written while the series was in production, it's a good view into how people felt then, even refreshing because Trek had yet to become a pop culture colossus, so the book doesn't have any of that built-in reverence. They were making a good TV show that aspired to be something better than most everything else on then, but in the end it was considered just another TV job, certainly not anything that would become legendary.

For instance, "The Defenders," one of the highest praised, most thoughtful and well-written dramas of the '60s, is scarecely remembered by anyone not old enough to have seen it. Part of the issue with that series had to do with rerun-rights issues, but another part had to do with the times then, when TV was still rather young, and shows were thought of as rather disposable, coming and going without much of an afterlife except for "Lucy" and "Honeymooners" reruns. When you think of it in that context, it's easy to see why Gene Roddenberry bailed on Star Trek after it became clear NBC was out to kill it, even though the letter campaign forced them to bring it back for a third year.

The pics and blueprints within the book are cool but may not be as impressive today. At least the blueprints, while not "accurate" by today's standards, were drawn by Matt Jefferies himself. Remember, though, for a long time this was all the reference stuff available. However, if you want what is still a good insider's look into the making of the show, plus Gene Roddenberry's take before even he got sucked into the myth, this is a must-read.

I was 5 yrs old when this book was written. This book was originally published in 1968, for I have one of the original paper back copies. I have become over the years a BIG Star Trek fan and love anything related to Star Trek. This book gives you an up close look at the making of the original Star Trek pilot throught the two seasons of the series. It gives you a lot of trivia which I really enjoyed. How lucky we are that the show got off the ground at all. Stephen Whitfield did a great job making you feel like you were there during the ups and downs. It's great to see just how far Star Trek has come from that beginning. It was a great book.

hey Spouk

the capitalization of quotes from Roddenberry (aka the Great Bird of the Galazy) give one "the bizarre impression that he is a god" because for the series, he was :-)

i have a copy of the original publication, read it then and howled, still think it is a great read.

BTW Terry Pratchett uses the same literary device of all caps for Death, in the Discworld series.

Harlan Ellison's memories of the show are fascinating reading as well. As are David Gerrold's.

This is a book that all Star Trek fans must read, for it was there at the beginning. The descriptions are of the early ideas in the head of Gene Roddenberry, how the concept grew from an itch in his mind to a proposal made to the heads of NBC and then to one of the most popular and enduring concepts in entertainment. Two generations have come into existence and large social changes have taken place since Star Trek first appeared so it is hard for the current generation to understand how revolutionary it was. Women and minorities were placed in positions of authority and responsibility making it a harbinger of social change.
Furthermore, a great deal of new ground had to be broken in the area of production, as an entirely new set of special effects had to be created and appear realistic. Given the modern use of digital techniques that are now routine, if you are not an original viewer it is impossible to realize how dazzling the Star Trek special effects were at the time.
All of this led to the production people struggling to "make the grade" and this is their story. Some way somehow, they always managed to solve the problems and in their own way changed the world. While the original series only lasted three years, the impact is timeless and this is the inside story of how the show was made. It is very difficult to truly understand Star Trek without reading this book.

This was an excellent book. It was written WHILE THEY WERE JUST FINISHING SEASON TWO so that is a major PLUS! The author had access to the sets, crew, etc while they were in use... so this is not a LOOK BACK AT TREK book - it was written before the original series was still on the air! It was great to read all the background to everything that went into making Star Trek. I am very glad that I found this book!

Imagine finding a version of the New Testament, written by the Creator Himself.
The book is the size of a paperback book; is printed in small letters; it has many, many yellowed pages (my book is used). Does that sound familiar?
The Holy Bible? Yes, but the bible of Star Trek, the original series, written by Gene Rondenberry.
If you are looking for a book printed on special paper, richly illustrated with color images, 3D drawings and blueprints, then this is NOT the book you want.
But if you're a true fan, panning detailed information about the genesis of the science fiction series most famous of all time, and better yet, written by its creator, then you MUST buy this book.