Tomorrow Is Yesterday
The first book about Star Trek appeared in 1968, while the series was still on the air. Since then, Trek books have multiplied like tribbles.
Numerous histories have been published, along with biographies and autobiographies of the show’s cast and creative leadership. Other volumes have explored the physics, biology, computer science, and philosophy behind the program, among other topics. Many authors have attempted to analyze the appeal and cultural impact of the series. The show has also been the subject of countless magazine and newspaper articles, fanzines, and websites.
So why write another book about Star Trek? The answer to that question is twofold.
What Star Trek Is, and What It Isn’t
Primarily, Star Trek FAQ exists for the same reason as all those other books—because Star Trek is a work of profound influence and ongoing fascination.
Few (if any) television programs have had greater impact on the real world than Star Trek. Generations of scientists, engineers, physicians, and writers, among countless others, were inspired by Spock or Scotty or Dr. McCoy or Gene Roddenberry. Uhura and Sulu reinforced young African and Asian Americans’ self-confidence and helped them feel empowered to pursue their dreams. Star Trek also altered the course of science fiction and popular culture by changing perceptions of SF. Once dismissed as juvenile drivel, the genre is now the stuff of blockbuster movies, smash TV shows, and best-selling novels, as well as university curriculums and museum exhibits.
Star Trek, which once struggled to survive from one season to the next, has become immortal—and, beyond that, inescapable. The series, and the multimedia franchise that grew from it, is now woven inextricably into the fabric of America and the world. The show’s vocabulary (“warp speed,” “beam me up,” “set for stun”) has become our own. The era of the communicator-like flip phone may have passed, but cutting-edge computer and medical technology continues to imitate Trek.
The classic Trek series also serves as a window into our past. As a film historian, I have specialized in writing about horror and science fiction productions because these works provide unique insights into their times and into the emotional state of their audiences. It’s always illuminating to revisit previous generations’ visions of the future. The anxieties and aspirations of every era run deep in its popular entertainments, but often bubble to the surface in works of fantasy. This is especially true of Star Trek, which creator-producer Roddenberry intended from the start to serve as a vehicle for social commentary.
However, Star Trek is not a relic, not some ancient artifact looked upon reverently but seldom actively engaged. While some elements of the show (miniskirts, go-go boots, and beehive hairdos, for instance) now seem dated, Trek’s overarching dramatic concerns (such as the search for harmony between cultures and for greater understanding of what it means to be human) are evergreen. As a result, Star Trek still seems vital, even timely. The other essential element in the ongoing appeal and relevance of Star Trek is its radical optimism. Roddenberry’s vision of a future where the ancient evils of war, poverty, and racism have been replaced by peace, prosperity, and brotherhood comforted its audience during the turbulent 1960s and continues to reassure viewers today. In the four decades since Star Trek left the air, our world has made only incremental progress toward the future Roddenberry imagined. Until his vision becomes a reality—something that, sadly, is unlikely to happen any sooner than the twenty-third century—Star Trek will continue to serve as a beacon of hope.
What This Book Isn’t, and What It Is
The other reason I’ve written Star Trek FAQ is precisely because there are so many other Trek books already out there. The sheer, dizzying multitude of Trek literature can be daunting for casual fans—that silent legion of viewers who love Star Trek but don’t speak Klingonese or go to the grocery store wearing Vulcan ears and a Starfleet uniform (not that there’s anything wrong with that). These fans don’t regularly attend conventions and may not consider themselves “Trekkies” or “Trekkers” (terms I have, for the most part, eschewed in the writing of this book), and they don’t have time to sift through the mountain of Trek-related works at the local bookstore or library. Yet their patronage of Star Trek TV series and movies has made the franchise a cultural touchstone. Star Trek FAQ is aimed primarily at this audience, distilling the overwhelming volume of Trek scholarship into easily consumable sips.
However, I’m confident that diehards who purchase every new Star Trek book that reaches the market (may the Great Bird of the Galaxy bless your immortal souls) will find items of interest in Star Trek FAQ. While researching this manuscript, I spent eight months fishing into the nooks and crannies of Trek lore for revealing yet underreported stories and illuminating minutiae. Applause Books’ unique FAQ format enables me to combine this material with more familiar elements of the Star Trek story in unconventional ways, smashing them together in the literary equivalent of a supercollider to produce fresh insights. I’m convinced you’ll find the results exhilarating whether this is the first Star Trek book you’ve read or the fiftieth.
Star Trek FAQ is not an episode guide, nor is it a compendium of fictional “facts.” It doesn’t provide in-depth analysis of every installment, and it won’t reveal how the Enterprise’s deflector shields work. There are numerous other resources for that type of information. As a starting place, I recommend The Star Trek Encyclopedia by Michael and Denise Okuda and Debbie Mirek, or the indispensable, fan-operated Memory Alpha website.
Star Trek FAQ is primarily a historical account, with some analysis and criticism to provide perspective. It chronicles producer Gene Roddenberry’s struggle to bring Star Trek to television, the ingenuity and dedication demonstrated by the program’s creators and cast throughout its production, the events that led to the series’ premature demise, and those behind its unlikely resurrection. It also reveals how Star Trek affected the lives of its cast and crew—mostly for the worse, at least initially.
This is one of the most dramatic narratives in the history of film and television—and it’s a love story. The series was sustained throughout its production by the passion of its producers, writers, technicians, artisans, and actors, and later revived by the adoration of its uncommonly empowered fans, who refused to let the program drift into memory. Instead, they kept it alive in reruns, by writing their own stories, through the purchase of all manner of Trek-themed merchandise, and by bombarding Paramount Pictures with letters until the studio finally bowed to the will of Trekdom. No fan community ever exerted such a profound pull on the direction of a media franchise or displayed more intense devotion.
While it’s perfectly acceptable to read this book front to back, Star Trek FAQ has been designed for nonlinear consumption. Each chapter functions independently. Although this inevitably results in some duplication of information between sections, I have tried to minimize repetition. So feel free to flip around. For instance, if you’re interested in Leonard Nimoy (and what Trek fan isn’t?), you could start by reading chapters 5, 27, 16, 37, and 42, which (respectively) detail the actor’s work prior to Star Trek, his performance as Spock, his conflicts with Roddenberry and with costar William Shatner during the show’s production, his career in the years immediately after Trek, and the impact of the series on his personal life.
I have described this book as a distillation. This includes information from numerous books, magazine and newspaper articles, and electronic media (websites, documentaries, DVD audio commentaries, etc.). In most cases, what I’ve written was corroborated with multiple sources including memoirs by, published interviews with, and biographies of, the show’s cast and creative brain trust. I have provided specific attribution for direct quotes and for data obtained from unique sources. A comprehensive bibliography is included, and I hope readers will use it as a gateway to a wealth of other Star Trek knowledge. It’s impossible to include every fascinating story or amusing anecdote about this program in any single book—or even a pair of books.
Star Trek FAQ begins in 1921 with the birth of Gene Roddenberry and concludes in 1978 with the announcement that Star Trek would return as a feature film. The companion volume Star Trek FAQ 2.0, coming in 2013, will explore the full flowering of the franchise in the 1980s and ’90s, when theatrical blockbusters like The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home along with sequel series including The Next Generation helped Star Trek reach the pinnacle of its popularity and cultural influence. If you enjoy this volume, I hope you’ll return for the sequel.