Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years [Hardcover]

David A. Goodman (Author), Joe Corroney (Illustrator), Mark McHaley (Illustrator), Cat Staggs (Illustrator), Jeff Carlisle (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: December 4, 2012

Assembled as a Special Exhibit on Memory Alpha, Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the United Federation of Planets.

This unprecedented illustrated volume chronicles the pivotal era leading up to Humankind's First Contact with Vulcan in 2063, the Romulan War in 2156, the creation of the Federation in 2161, and the first 150 years of the intergalactic democracy up until the year 2311. Meticulously researched, this account covers a multitude of alien species, decisive battles, and the technology that made the Age of Exploration possible. It includes field sketches, illustrations, and reproductions of historic pieces of art from across the Galaxy, along with over fifty excerpts from key Federation documents and correspondence, Starfleet records, and intergalactic intelligence.

Housed in a pedestal display complete with lights and an audio introduction by Admiral Hikaru Sulu, this edition also features five removable documents from the Federation Archives, including Zefram Cochrane's early sketch of the warp-drive engine, a handwritten letter from young Jim Kirk, and the first-known diagram of a Trill symbiont.

Product Features:
     • Pedestal display featuring electronic lights and sound (13.5” x 13.5” x 4”)
     • Audio introduction by Admiral Hikaru Sulu
     • 176-page hardcover book with four-color illustration throughout
     • Envelope containing 5 removable artifacts
     • Over fifty excerpts from key Federation documents and correspondence, Starfleet records, and intergalactic intelligence

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I will tell you, without hesitation, if you are a fan of any, or all, of the Star Trek series and movies, you must have this book." (Wired.com) "Without question, fans will want this and love this. This book is as indispensable as the Star Trek Encyclopedia, Chronology, or series' Companions." (Trekweb.com)" --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

"The book serves as a great connector of Star Trek chronology for hardcore fans, but it can also help new readers and viewers understand the groundwork for the Star Trek universe."
-LA Times

“For the discriminating Trekkie, this is the item of the guide.”
-aintitcool.com Holiday Gift Guide

"Federation: The First 150 Years aims to impress Star Trek fans from the moment they take it out of the box...The attention to detail is thorough."
-shelf-awareness.com

"I will tell you, without hesitation, if you are a fan of any, or all, of the Star Trek series and movies, you must have this book."
-wired.com

"The artwork inside the book is gorgeous. These paintings depict many famous scenes, such as those from the ... Earth-Romulan War. There's no quick pasting of a screenshot from one of the TV shows here. Even scenes that could have easily been done this way have been rendered in pencils and inks, giving the book a consistent feel. The starship pieces are easily my favorite. I'd really like a desktop wallpaper of the “Starfleet's Greatest Vessels” piece."
-fanboycomics.net

"Without question, fans will want this and love this. This book is as indispensable as the Star Trek Encyclopedia, Chronology, or series' Companions. My hope is that there will be a follow up volume focusing on the 24th century. This is worth owning. Overall grade: A-"
-trekweb.com

“This holiday season's must have for the Trekkie in your life.”
–Seattle Post Intelligencer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 164 pages
• Publisher: 47North; Har/Toy edition (December 4, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1612184170
• ISBN-13: 978-1612184173
• Product Dimensions: 14.1 x 5.1 x 14.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David A. Goodman has spent the last 24 years writing for television. His credits include The Golden Girls, Star Trek: Enterprise, Futurama (where he wrote the Nebula Award nominated Star Trek homage "Where No Fan Has Gone Before"), and Family Guy where he was head writer for six years. This is his first book. He lives in Pacific Palisades, CA with his family.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definitive History of the Federation, it takes Star Trek Seriously December 6, 2012

By Thomas Joseph Marrone

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you've ever been watching an episode of Star Trek and heard a throwaway line about something that happened "in the 22nd century" and wanted to know more, this book is for you. If you ever noticed an apparent contradiction in how the show quoted its own historical events, this book is for you. If you've ever thought about the universe that exists around the characters in the Star Trek and wanted to know how it actually works, this book is for you. If you loved the adventures of Captains Kirk, Picard, Archer, Janeway and Sisko and were curious about how the things they did shaped the events of their time, this book is for you.

To be clear, Federation: The First 150 Years is not a technical manual. It's not an art book. It's not about the history of Star Trek the franchise or Star Trek the television show. It is a history book of the titular United Federation of Planets, the interstellar political body whose flag the Enterprise proudly flies. The book is written in an "In Universe" style, meaning that from the beginning to end, everything is from the perspective of a historian living and writing about Star Trek events as if they actually happened.

While that might sound dry, Goodman's prose is snappy and peppered with quotes and "first person" accounts, giving it a lot of flavor and personality. Clearly Goodman has a background and interest in real-world history, a background that informs the decisions he makes as he ties together all the one liners and throwaway comments from dozens of Star Trek episodes and movies into a believable, cohesive, and enjoyable narrative about the founding and growth of one of scifi's most famous interstellar nations.

Then there's the art. I've seen other reviews comment with disappointment about the art style in the book, but I disagree heartily. It was a bold and expensive choice for the publisher to commission dozens of new illustrations featuring events, seen and unseen, from the Trek canon. Some have complained that they were expecting more screenshots from the shows, but I disagree - this volume is an illustrated history written in style that, cover to cover, takes the Star Trek universe seriously. To use simple photos from the shows would break the immersion, as rarely are cameras really present at these historical events, and the few that were certainly wouldn't happen to have the same composition as a still frame from the television shows. The watercolors in the book elevate the work considerably, making it feel archival and purposefully crafted.

And that doesn't touch on all the other inclusions: newspaper clippings, snippets of important treaties and documents, and the extra set of materials tucked away in the back jacket. All designed with great care, flavor and attention to detail.

It's hard to overstate how many amazing nuggets are waiting to be found for a fan who has grown up with, and wanted to live at least a little part of their own life in the same universe as Captain Kirk and the rest.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars review of federation December 7, 2012

By mr. g

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm very impressed with this book. It is very informative and goes through every facet of the star trek world beginning with the enterprise series and going through the current movie. It has articles and photos which do not exist in any other form or publication known in the canonical form. I like it for an up to date fashion it came to put Star Trek into a more current form than previously noted in other media forms. Thanks for a very up to date revision and explanation of this world. Now if I can only get the back cover off to change the battery...!

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Its ok. True Trekkies will buy it. December 9, 2012

By Long time Trekker

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm somewhat ambivalent on this one. While it looks great sitting there and the voice recording of Sulu is cool, the novelty wears off quickly. The book is a little smaller than I expected and sort of reads more like a storybook than a "historical text". The base is really cool looking until you realize it's flimsy, plasticky feeling (I mean it is plastic and all). The "extras" others have mentioned tucked into the rear book jacket are nothing but an envelope with some Zephram Cochrane warp notes scribbled on it, a small foldout diagram of the Enterprise, a transparency looking diagram of a Trill and something else not worth mentioning.
Cool gift for the true Trekkie but don't be fooled by the supposed $99 price tag marked down to $59. This sells for $59 anyplace.