Star Trek Voyager Companion [Paperback]

Paul Ruditis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

The definitive guide to the entire Star Trek: Voyager series. This fully illustrated companion is absolutely packed with must-have information, including seven years of episode guides, original photographs and character profiles. All the main characters from the series have extended coverage, with actors giving personal insights and inside information on their roles. Every episode -- more than 170 in total -- is discussed in detail, each one accompanied by data points on the crew, the ship and its place in the Delta Quadrant. Plus there is a special index which features short summaries of all the episodes for quick and easy reference. Additional features include a particular focus on favourite themes which figure strongly in the Star Trek: Voyager universe, such as Captain Proton, Time Travel and Contact with the Alpha Quadrant. The book is packed with black and white pictures, including many on-set or behind-the-scenes photographs seen here for the first time. Starting with the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, which set the benchmark for Pocket Books' series companions, and continuing with the Deep Space Nine Companion (described by SFX as "the reference work fans have been waiting for, and the best non-fiction Trek book to date"), readers have come to rely on these books as the ultimate viewers' guides. Now it is the turn of Star Trek: Voyager fans to be delighted by the sheer wealth of Voyager facts and background this latest volume contains.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Ruditis has written more than thirty books based on some of the most popular shows on television, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, The West Wing, and Alias. He is also the author of an original fiction series for teens, DRAMA!, and the novel, Love, Hollywood Style. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743417518
• ISBN-13: 978-0743417518
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #529,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Ruditis has written over 30 books based some of the best shows on TV, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, The West Wing, Alias, and Prison Break. While he continues to work on these media tie-ins, he has also focused a great deal of attention on his own original fiction, including his teen series DRAMA! and the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy Love, Hollywood Style. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good synposis of all 7 seasons but lacking in background, March 7, 2004

By 

WTDK "If at first the idea is not absurd, the... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Star Trek Voyager Companion (Paperback)

Designed like "Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion", "Voyager" may appear hefty but it's slimmer on the background details and comments about various episodes. It's a nice companion to look up the various plots, credits, etc. if you're not all that familiar with them based on their episode titles (and who could be with so many to choose from?)but it leaves quite a bit unsaid about the gestation of the show, etc.

While "The Next Gen Companion" never quite lived up to the depth and background provided in "DS9 Companion", it did at least have more details on the series and trivia about the making of the various episodes. It seems with each succeeding volume associated with a Trek series, that we get less information. By the time the one for "Enterprise" is ready for release, we'll probably only get a brief synposis and no pictures. It's a pity as "Voyager" deserves better.

While "Voyager" wasn't as initially groundbreaking as "Next Gen" nor as complex as "DS9", it recaptured the sense of adventure that was at the heart of the original series. The quality of the writing for "Voyager" was very high, indeed although the series itself got less respect than the others.

"Voyager Companion" provides a good overview of the series but lacks the detail and trivia that made "DS9" great as a companion book and even "Next Gen" with its background on the films. It's a pity as the series certainly more than held its own against both Trek series and other competition as well.

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Stunning Disappointment in "Star Trek" Nonfiction..., May 16, 2003

By 

Carl Malmstrom (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Star Trek Voyager Companion (Paperback)

Pocket Books, the literary rights-holders of the "Star Trek" Universe, recently announced that they were drastically paring back the number of nonfiction "Star Trek" books that they would be publishing over the next few years. I find this very unfortunate. What I find even more unfortunate, though, is that the "Star Trek: Voyager Companion" is such a poor release that it may drive sales even lower and stop them from releasing any more nonfiction "Star Trek" for quite some time. I really hope that's not the case, though; I've been hoping for an updated version of the "Star Trek Encyclopedia" or the "Star Trek Chronology" for a while...

Anyway, the Voyager Companion is a shockingly bad release given the wonderful nature of almost every nonfiction Star Trek book that has preceded it. Almost devoid of behind-the-scenes info, it instead gives the types of pointless tallies (shuttlecraft lost, contacts made with the Alpha Quadrant, etc.) that you can find in almost any obsessive fan's website. Given the high standards set by the Next Generation and DS9 Companions, it seems the author would, Paul Ruditis, would only have to copy the format to ensure success in this book. Instead, he seems to want to drag us into the fictional Voyager world without explaining how the creative process for the series went.

Admittedly, that's not completely accurate, but it is very close. A reprint of the writer's "bible" from the first year of the series - with its page and a half of commentary is a nice addition, and each season's chapter does have an opening section that talks a little about the changes the producers brought to the series every year. There are also occaisonal text-boxes that highlight characters, races and aspects of the show, but the neat behind-the-scenes stuff has to share a lot of room with quotes taken from episodes. What little actual commentary from the creative forces of the series exists is reduced to a very small fraction of what you got in the other two Companions.

All in all, I find it very, very hard to recommend this book. I'd save my money for 2004's expected season box sets of Voyager instead. Here's hoping, though, that one unfortunate nonfiction Star Trek book doesn't bring the entire line to a screeching halt.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, May 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Trek Voyager Companion (Paperback)

Coming on after the excellent Deep Space Nine Companion, this book is a significant letdown. In fact, it pales even next to the Next Generation Companion.

Why? Content. Let's look at the deep Space Nine Companion. With the same cover price, it includes 725 pages versus the 528 in the Voyager book. What does it do with those extra 200 pages? It goes into several pages on each season, filled with anecdotes and explanations for why things happened as they did. Most every episode warrants 2-3 pages of synopsis and back-stage information, often with quite revealing information. Even if you watched every episode there will be plenty of new information and backstory. It was also enjoyable just to read.

The Voyager book? 2-3 pages of overview for each season, counting an almost full page cast photo. Each episode is largely covered with just a rather terse synopsis with minimal background and cast/crew recollections. That's it. Bare-bones to say the least. One would be better off saving their money and going to any one of the hundreds of Voyager fan sites on the net and printing out their synopsis collection.

All in all, a very disappointing effort, easily the worst of all of the Star Trek Companions. If you really want it for completeness sake, I'd advise waiting a year or so until there are several in the bargain aisle of your local bookstore ... ... this book should have been on par with the DS9 book, and it falls far short of that level.