Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (Paperback)

by Larry Nemecek (Author) "Could lightning strike twice?..." (more)
Key Phrases: original credited, visual effects coordinator, transporter chief, Star Trek, Michael Piller, Rick Berman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

On September 8, 1987 -- more than twenty years after the original Star Trek® series first aired -- millions of Star Trek fans across the country sat down in front of their television sets for the debut of an all-new Star Trek series. No expense had been spared in bringing this new show to life -- the creator of the original Star Trek series, Gene Roddenberry, was back producing the new show. Yet even the most faithful of Star Trek fans had their doubts -- could the magic be duplicated?

The answer to that question proved to be a resounding yes. Led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the U.S.S. Enterprise™ NCC-1701-D blazed a trail of exciting adventures across the galaxy. In show after show, Star Trek: The Next Generation brought to life a future where cooperation and mutual understanding proved the keys to solving humanity's problems -- and enabled galactic civilization to flourish.

Here is the complete official guide to every episode of the television adventures of the Starship Enterprise and all four of the major motion pictures from Star Trek Generations™ to the latest, Star Trek Nemesis. This companion is a compendium of information including plot summaries and credits for each show and motion picture, as well as fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses into the creation of The Next Generation. Take a glimpse into the show's incredible seven-year run, during which it reigned at the very top of the syndicated television ratings. Illustrated with more than 150 photographs, this is the official reference guide to Star Trek: The Next Generation.

From the Publisher
The Star Trek: The Next Generation^® Companion is the complete guide to the series that brought Star Trek^®® back to television for seven extremely successful seasons. Episode-by-episode summaries, credits, and behind-the-scenes notes that shed intriguing light on the production of the show. This edition is updated to include information on the film Star Trek Generations. Indexed by episode number, by writer, guest stars, and directors, it's the one book that brings all this information together between two covers. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek; Revised edition (January 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743457986
• ISBN-13: 978-0743457989
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #79,962 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good companion!, September 5, 2002

By	K. Wyatt "ssintrepid" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Star Trek The Next Generation Companion (Star Trek: The Next Generation) (Paperback)

The Star Trek The Next Generation Companion is a very good companion in my opinion. It is especially helpful now that we are finally getting all the seasons on DVD. The one complaint that I could register is all the pictures being black and white. They could've put color pictures in and I'm sure everybody would've paid a little more for it. It includes brief but worthwhile synopsis's of all 176 episodes, very good notes on each season and a detailed chapter on Star Trek Generations. Overall, a very good companion, if you're a Star Trek fan and you've not picked this up, do so before they go completely out of production and your stuck paying a higher price for a used one down the road.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mildly Disappointing, January 18, 2003

By	"darkgob" (Rush, NY United States) - See all my reviews

My advice: Don't read the DS9 Companion before reading this one. Why? Because you'll agree with my review title.
The DS9 Companion weighs in at a hefty 800 pages, while this REVISED TNG Companion is a mere 384 pages, and that includes about 10 hours more source material than the DS9 one (the four movies and 2 episodes). The missing 416 pages comes from a smaller, compressed font used in certain areas (cast lists, episode notes, and movie summaries), but most of it is due to shorter summaries and notes than used in the DS9 one. I noticed many factoids and behind the scenes anecdotes that could have been included but weren't. The biggest disappointment, I think, came from the Nemesis section which didn't answer certain things (i.e., what were their plans for Seven, and who is this Cmdr. Martin Madden listed in the credits).
That having been said, I have been and always shall be a TNG fan, since I practically grew up on it, so this book provided an interesting perspective on the series. My only real problem with it lies in the fact that sometimes it seems that a little more work could have been put into it (i.e., typos in normal words and in proper nouns, a few mixed-up facts).

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent guide to the fan, July 12, 2001

By	Brian Gilbert (Trona, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Star Trek The Next Generation Companion (Star Trek: The Next Generation) (Paperback)

This book gives detailed synopses of each episode (with backstage notes for each one, including trivia, effects insights, and thoughts of the creators) and also includes the feature film "Generations" as a bonus. An excellent guide and a must have for anyone who enjoys collecting the episodes. It's a great coffee-table style book, fun to thumb through, and has pictures from each episode. All in all, an excellent buy.