Customer Reviews

Trek Navigator: The Ultimate Guide to the Entire Trek Saga Tag: Every Trek Episode... (Black Bay Books)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Altman's and Gross' book is a pleasant trip down memory lane as they review all of the Star Trek films and TV episodes from the Sixties to about a year and a half ago. I have always regarded Altman as the one must-read Star Trek authority writing today as he is the only Trekspert who is not affraid to be critical of the Trek creative talents when they churn out disappointing material in the form of bad movies or bad episodes. I especially can idenitify with Altman's disappointment over the Generations film, the final season of Next Generation, and the entire run of Voyager so far. Altman pulls no punches in his criticism and I apreciate his honesty. However, don't be misled into thinking that Altman revels in finding fault in all things Trek as this is simply not the case. His love and enthusiasm for the Trek universe clearly shines through when he is talking of episodes that are personnel favorites of his. Co-author Gross also pitches in and serves as Ebert to Altman's Siskel but his reviews do not contain the same amount of depth and insight as Altman's. Gross' reviews struck me as being too generous and kind. Even when he writes a bad review for an episode, it always seemes that he makes an effort to mention something positive. C'mon Ed, when an episode is bad then it's bad - there's no two ways about it. Stick to your guns a little more and don't be affaid to be critical. All in all, this book is a must for all Trek enthusiasts and the only reason that I'm not giving it a 10 is that it unfortunately fails to include the more recent Deep Space Nine work (which has been great) and the more recent Voyager work (which has been horrible). I would have enjoyed reading both men's thoughts on the episodes from last season. In addition, the lisitng of the episodes and films in alphabetical order and not by series is a little disorienting for Trek fans like me who are conditioned to look up these entries by series. Overall, a nice piece of work. I can't wait for the second volume!

This is a great compact guide for reading alongside watching most of Star Trek. I didn't always agree with their opinion, but their honesty is refreshing and it was nice to see someone liking some stories that don't always get attention. Some reviewers claim that the writers are baised towards TOS but this isn't reallt the case. TOS episodes get a fair bashing when deserved and it's true to say that only TOS was a cultural phenomenon that entered the culture in a powerful and meaningful way. Their opinion on TNG and DS9 is fair and they do rightfully praise these series, particularly the later seasons. The Patrick Stewart-Shatner debate is not quite what other people are describing. Basically, one actor gives a more internal and restrained while the other is full of energy and intensity. It's possible to like both for different reasons and to ignore Shatner's contribution to ST is to be pretty ignorant about why there are any ST today.

Trek Navigator is the most complete Trek book I have ever bought. As the LA Times sys, "Altman is the world's foremost trekspert" His knowledge shnes through in his comments and reviews. Some of you may find the reviews to negative but that only means you need to look past your worship of trek and be honest about the shows. This book is as complete as it can be up to the point it was published. Altman deserves 5 stars, Gross only 3 1/2 but this book is a must for any trek fan.

If you are of the opinion, "If it isn't the original series, then it's substandard," you'll probably really like this book and agree with most of the reviews. If you do not hold this view, you will probably be irritated by this book. The reviews of The Old Series are very complete (and usually overly complimentary) although they do admit that TOS produced some of the worst episodes in Trek history (true) as well as some of the best (a matter of opinion). The reviews of the other series vary greatly in quality with the reviews of The Next Generation series being the weakest. There are several gaps in their knowledge of the episodes. More than once they make reference to a character doing something in the episode, "for no apparent reason," even though a reason was given. They frequently berate the series for the fact that it was different from TOS, which was Roddenberry's wish. A book of ratings and reviews are, of course, opinion. It's difficult to di! sagree with an opinion but you can certainly question them? Star Trek V was better than Star Trek: Generations? William Shatner is a better character actor than Patrick Stewart? The Animated Series produced a greater percentage of good episodes than any of the series that came after it?

This is a must-have for any true trekker in the universe. The authors, although slanted towards TOS and DS9, do a good job of reviewing every Star Trek episode (including animated)through 1997. I felt Altman's criticism overly harsh at times, but for the most part the duo sticks behind Star Trek and delivers a gem.

Although not everyone will be satisfied with the organization of the episodes, most will look back fondly and have fun agreeing and disagreeing with two very knowledgable authors. The inclusion of the animated shows and even the ongoing "Voyager" series make this reference a "must have".

These people do not love Star Trek. They just like the first two seasons of the original series. Especially Altman is the kind of critic Woody Allen had in mind in his descend to Hell. He diminishes some of the best Trek episodes, particularly in New Generation and Voyager, trying at the same time to make himself "look" good by using words like "adroitness", or inventing ones like "technobabble". What a load of CRAP! Gross reads Altman's review FIRST and then he adds a star in his rating. Altman really has a personality problem. If you love star trek, it's better to rate it yourself. The only value of the book is in some trivia regarding the episodes.

Altman & Gross's reviews are always interesting, but it's pretty clear to me that as far as The Original Series was concerned, they're both pretty blind. None of them mention that Shatner is an excruciatingly bad actor, and they always seem to find a glimmer of something Magnificent in even the lousiest original series episode. I think Altman & Gross should be called Kirk worshippers rather than critics. (Ever notice how much they LOVE IT whenever the original series is mentioned in any current series dialogue?)

OK, any book that gives you a review of most of the Star Trek out there is worth at least 3 stars. That's the only reason I gave this book that high a rating. I love being able to see what's coming up on TV, and then zip through the book so I can see if I've seen the show 1 million times or one that I'd really like to see again.

That's the only good thing I can say about this book. The two authors are so incredibly biased for The Original Series, and so biased against The Next Generation, it's mind blowing. I counted three ways in which these two old folks showed their age:

1. They say that Kirk blows Picard away and that Shatner is a better actor than Picard. ROFL!! Obviously, this could only be said by someone growing up with TOS (and frankly someone without much of an ability to judge acting ability).

2. They constantly harp on all TNG's "techo-babble." Now, I always thought that "techno-babble" was cool. Once in a while it goes over the top, but to see a show that revolved around science and people who knew science was pretty exciting when I was first introduced to the series. It's because these two old guys just can't get their crusty old brains wrapped around a warp core!

3. Their 60's-style sexism gets pretty blatant. In some cases, they give a TOS show a high rating b/c of the great-looking and scantily-clad women! And they are always saying stuff like "It's always a pleasure to see that sexy and spunky Ensign Ro." GIVE ME A BREAK!

In a way, this book is not just a review of Star Trek, it's a great comedy book as you see them drool over Shatner's lousy acting and then criticize the rest of Star Trek. I don't care who Altman is -- as a life-long Star Trek fan who's never been to a convention but watches all the shows religiously, I thought his book left much to be desired!