Star Trek Voyager Companion (Star Trek (Unnumbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "On Monday night, January 16, 1995, the United Paramount Network signed on with the newest installment of the Star Trek series, Star Trek: Voyager..." (more)
Key Phrases: Alpha Quadrant, Seven of Nine, Delta Flyer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Over thirty-five years ago, creating a television series about a group of explorers making their way across the unexplored reaches of space was a gamble for a small studio. For the network that bought the show, it proved to be an even greater gamble, and after three seasons with "disappointing" ratings they cancelled Star Trek.®

In the subsequent decades, a great deal changed. By 1995, Star Trek and its two successors, Star Trek: The Next Generation® and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,® had changed the face of syndication across the country. Now as the studio and its parent company, Viacom, looked to launch their own network, a new Star Trek series would easily become the cornerstone of the new enterprise.

In creating Star Trek: Voyager, Executive Producers Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor embraced Star Trek's original theme of "exploring strange new worlds and new civilizations," then took it a step further by stranding their crew in the farthest reaches of the Delta Quadrant, totally cut off from all that was familiar. It was a bold step, one that forced both the starship's crew and the show itself to stand on its own, its success determined by its own resourcefulness.

For seven years, Captain Kathryn Janeway and the crew of the aptly named Starship Voyager™ lived with one goal -- to get home -- and strove to live up to the ideals of Starfleet as they traveled alone in a tumultuous region of space. Relive their epic journey through summaries, photos, and detailed episode data in this official companion to Star Trek: Voyager, the series that proved once again the power of Star Trek.

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; illustrated edition edition (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.com Sales Rank: #351,723 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 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	Wayne Klein "If at first the idea is not absu... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

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.

34 of 38 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

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.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.