Which is better – the original 1960s ‘Star Trek' series which introduced the world to the characters of Kirk, Spock and Bones McCoy, or the 1980s ‘Next Generation' that followed the further adventures of Picard, Riker and Crusher? It's all a matter of taste, of course, and will often but not always depend on which iteration you enjoyed first as a child. Tom Salinsky's book ‘Star Trek: Discovering the TV Series' takes readers on a partial romp through the small and big screen adventures of the various crews of the USS Enterprise. Partial, because a second volume will cover the continuing adventures that other Captains have had in the decades since the mid-1990s where this book ends.
Within this volume you'll find short reviews for every episode of the original ‘Star Trek' series, the 1970s animated series (which for full disclosure, I've never seen), the original cast movies up until 1991's ‘The Undiscovered Country' and all seven seasons of the TV series ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation'.
The standard reviews are short, coming in at around half to two thirds of a page. Each one has a star rating (out of five, with half stars available) with writer, director, main guest actors and a one sentence summary followed by a paragraph of analysis. All of this allows the author to pack in an awful lot of ‘Star Trek' criticism within two-hundred and fifty pages. Naturally, such brief coverage of each instalment means that some prior knowledge of the series is essential, otherwise the commentary will have little meaning. It's highly likely that readers will be true Trekkies, and have inside-out knowledge of every single adventure, since this is not the sort of title to appeal to a lay audience. The pleasure then is in seeing whether or not you agree with the author, enjoy a new perspective or learn something new.
Awkwardly, and unusually, I'm somewhere in the middle on ‘Star Trek', so it's not easy to say whether or not the author's views are standard, provocative, controversial or anything in between. I loved the original series but particularly ‘The Next Generation' in my teenage years. Then I headed off to university just after Season Four aired in the UK. I went four long years without regular access to a TV, and there's a big difference between turning eighteen and twenty-two. Needless to say, I never did go back and watch the rest of the episodes once I had my degree under my belt, and I haven't watched a single outing in the decades since. Exactly the same fate befell ‘The X-Files'. I do, however, remember with great fondness those first four seasons of Picard and co., and how much they meant to me during my misspent adolescence.
During and after the pandemic, I performed a similar feat with ‘Doctor Who', a childhood passion that survived right up until the resurrected the damned thing in 2005, painstakingly watching every episode in broadcast order from start to finish, which I recorded for this fine publication. Was it an effort to stay sane or a sign of the cabin fever madness that deranged so many of us during those weird times? Hard to say, but I do remember doggedly finishing the project. I can fully understand Salinsky's determination to view every second of the various ‘Star Trek' guises along similar lines, and record his thoughts for posterity.
Are his observations good enough to share? I'd say so. He has some highly enjoyable turns of phrase and an occasional penchant for archaic vocabulary that I rather enjoyed. It was also a pleasure trying to work out whether or not I'd seen the episode in question, or remembering the names of guest actors and looking them up on IMDB to see what else I knew them from and whether or not they're still alive. I read ‘The Columbo Companion' more recently, which was published based on the Columbophile blog, and I got more out of that because I married my reading with the chronological viewing of each episode (what is it with us nerds?). I found that book's analysis the cream of the crop, but then there were only a few dozen episodes to get through rather than hundreds. Salinsky paints comparatively broad brushstrokes to get through many more hours of screen time. But if you love this show and don't mind honest critiques that explains why some episodes are a complete dog's breakfast, you'll love reading about it.
One should never judge a book by its cover, but it is a shame that the designer didn't take some care to resolve the issue of each photograph within the composite being of a different gradient and colour palette. There are eight double-sided pages of full colour photographs in the middle of the book, and the text is decently laid out, so one can't fault the contents.
‘Star Trek: Discovering the TV Series: The Original Series, The Animated Series and The Next Generation' was an enjoyable trip down memory lane that has made me hanker after a revisitation of ‘The Next Generation'. Funnily enough, I watched the original crew's movie outings several years ago, after a break of a few decades. My views on those big screen outings largely lines up with Salinsky's appraisal, so it would be fun to see if we still agree if I ever get around to watching ‘The Next Gen' again.
Publisher: White Owl Publication date: 29th May 2024 Buy ‘Star Trek: Discovering the TV Series'
