Non Fiction Book Revuews #29

THE NITPICKER'S GUIDE FOR DEEP SPACE NINE TREKKERS

by Phil Farrand

Are you a fan of Deep Space Nine? Are you just a fan of the Star Trek franchise? If you enjoy Farrand's other books you'll really enjoy this book. With Next Generation being history, it is time to take a leap through hyperspace and land on Deep Space Nine. DS9 is unexplored territory for nitpicking and author Phil Farrand has take his VCR through a wormhole and has surveyed every DS9 episode of the first four seasons for the glitches, gaffs, and goofs that neither the station's engineers nor the show's writers have solved. With a synopsis of the plot, the plot oversights, production problems, changed premises, equipment oddities, continuity and production problems, fun facts, and other mistakes. Such as: Wheelchairs in the 24th century? Wouldn't the technology be more advanced by then? Isn't it amazing how well the Universal Translator works? It works so well that aliens can speak perfect Federation! When Odo morphs, starts to melt, why don't his clothes? In regard to O'Brian's career: originally on the Enterprise-D he wore red, before then on the Ruthledge it was gold, then red, and then back to gold. O'Brian seems to have trouble making a career decision. Like the transporters in classic Trek, the warp-core ejection system seems to always break down. Lowest bidder in the future too! Considering how often Sisko disobeys orders, why does he not only retain his rank but advances? Did you notice that by the fourth season Kira is as tall as Dax, before she was much shorter. Why does it seem that O'Brian is the hardest worker on DS9, what is everybody else doing, and why can't O'Brian get any help? Does the station rotate? All this and more. So get out your remote and watch and read. Enjoy!

THE WORLD OF STAR TREK

by David Gerrold

Star Trek, what show has the longentivity that it has? What other show has had the following it has. Star Trek has survived for over thirty years and in that time the classic series has achieved the stature of legend. But it wasn't always that way, and science fiction and Star Trek writer David Gerrold looks at how a legend was born. First there was the idea in the head of writer/producer Gene Roddenberry. He had to create everything from scratch, and knowing the limitations of television of that time (1964) would have to rely on strong characters and story lines, not special effects. When Gene wrote the Star Trek bible (an outline to be used by other writers when they wrote a script for the show) he looked at the future and saw it to be one where all races and species worked together. Needless to say this didn't go well with the network executives. But Gene stayed with the ideals and along with strong characters and strong story lines, this was the foundation that the series was built on. But since the series was set in the far future, this meant that everything about it had to be created from scratch. To save the budget the transporter and artificial gravity was created to save money. But NBC had little faith in the show and tried to cancel it by putting the show in bad time slots. And they almost succeeded, but they didn't count on the fans of the show. In general, the fans of Star Trek are of above average intelligence and are not shy about making their opinions known. Which they did in the great letter writing campaign that blew away the network executives. But by the end of the second season Gene was tired of the continuing fights and walked out. With the third season the executives got what they wanted and Star Trek was canceled. David Gerrold looks at what made Star Trek go: Gene Roddenberry, the writers, the actors, and the technicians who worked behind the camera, all added to the believability that made the show a treasure to the fans. Gene Roddenberry created the first viable science fiction world designed for a TV series and this is why Star Trek will live forever. A good book about Star Trek by somebody who knows all about it.

CAPTAINS' LOG:

THE UNAUTHORIZED COMPLETE TREK VOYAGES

by Edward Gross & Mark A. Altman

These are the voyages of the Enterprise, its thirty-year mission is... Follow the voyages of William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew and their castmates as they explore the deepest fringes of the final frontier. The authors take you behind the scenes of every episode of Star Trek from classic Trek, animated Trek, the unfulfilled voyages, the seven movies, through the Next Generation. This insider's companion reveals through the words of the creators themselves, the genesis of each episode and every stage of development and production. Including the historic meeting between Captains James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard, the death of Spock, Tasha, and Sarek, the appearances of Dr. McCoy, Spock, and Scotty on Next Generation, the reappearance of Tasha, and the off-camera drama behind the creation of Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Captains' Log is a comprehensive tour of Star Trek history guided by the writers, directors, producers, and actors. How the actors to originally play Picard and Riker were to be Stephen Macht and Bill Campbell respectively. The reason why marina Sirtis and Denise Crosby were selected for the opposite roles, Crosby to play Troi and Marina to play Tasha and why it was changed. The reason why Paramount was wary to give Roddenberry full creative control and why Roddenberry went with an all new cast. The script wars behind Star Trek: The Motion Picture and how, and why, it became a bloated production that left both fans and Paramount unhappy. What could of been if Paramount had been able to create its fourth network in 1977, why it didn't fly, and why that was good for Star Trek. A look at Leonard Nimoy's feud with Paramount and why it was settled. A look at the first and second pilots. Gross and Altman are leading authorities on Star Trek and have brought ten years' worth of research into this book.

SCI-FI ON TAPE:

A COMPRESSIVE GUIDE TO OVER 1,250 SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY FILMS ON VIDEO

by James O'Neill

Film historians, sci-fi lovers, and movie fans of all ages will enjoy this more than 1,250 reviews of science fiction and fantasy films and television series listed in this guide and are available on videocassette, with 100 photos and outrageous opinions. In addition, each entry includes a concise synopsis of the film, a brief review, the MPAA rating, the distributor, year of release, running time, and the names of the director and principal cast members. Them! released in 1954, shot in color but released only in black and white and has Leonard Nimoy in a bit part. Logan's Run released in 1976 that won an Oscar for special FX and followed by a TV series. King Kong released in 1933 and is the most classic and influential of all monster movies. Followed by Son of Kong and remade in 1976 and 1997. The Phantom released in 1996 a delightful version of Lee Falk's superhero with Patrick McGohan as the Phantom's father. Batman released in 1966 as a quickie theatrical spinoff of the mid-60s TV series. The Green Hornet released in 1966 and is three episodes of the TV series reedited into a "feature" with Van Williams and Bruce Lee. The Lost World released in 1925 featuring the amazing special effects of Willis O'Brien who id the FX for King Kong, remade in 1960 and 1992. Metropolis released in 1926 is the classic German sci-fi silent directed by Fritz Lang. Things to Come released in 1936 a lavish adaption of H. G. Wells The Shape of Things to Come, "remade" in 1979. also reviewed are the television series: Doctor Who, The Invaders, Lost in Space, The Outer Limits, The Prisioner, Space: 1999, Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Twilight Zone, and The X-Files. A treasure trove that no one should be without.

by James Van Hise

Holy bat-triva. Zap! All sorts of information about Batman. Pow! Exclusive interviews. Sock-o! Exciting behind-the-scenes photos. Whap! The making of the Batmobile. Biff! Plus the story of the incredible Batman revival on television and at the movies. Bam! Plus, the Batman collectables: toys, books, records, lunch boxes, cards, keychains, and clothing. Kapow! Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27, May 1939, originally called Bat-man and he carried a gun. Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. In Detective #38, Batman got a partner, Robin. In 1943 Batman first appeared in a fifteen chapter series starring Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin. the second serial came six years later (1949) starring Robert Lowery as Batman and John Duncan as Robin. Batman in the fifties went into space and was joined by Batwoman and Batgirl. By 1965 the comic book was almost canceled when on ABC came the campy version with one-liners, ludicrous puns, garish wardrobes, and psychedelic, off-kilter settings. It was a hit back then and today the high camp series is still as fresh as ever. What helped was Bat-writer Stanley Ralph Ross who set the standards for Bat-villiany in his writing and got celebrities like Cliff Robertson, Art Carney, Victor Buono, Vincent price, and others to play the villains. He wrote 36 episodes of Batman and appeared in one episode as Ballpoint Baxter the famous forger. Of course Batman needed to get around Gotham City and not just in any vehicle!! George Barris who was well known as a custom car maker who did cars for Hollywood stars and Ford Motor Company. He made five Batmobiles, the Batboat for the movie, and three Batcycles, one for the movie, one for the series, and one for Batgirl. But the show wouldn't be nothing without the correct actors for the starring roles. Adam West, born on September 19, 1928 played both Batman and Bruce Wayne to perfection. He got the role after doing three TV commercials in 1964 for Nestle spoofing James Bond. Burt Ward, born Bert Gervis, Jr. on July 6, 1946, got the role because of his athletic prowess. the who was his first professional acting job. By the third season the show was losing ratings and so Yvonne Craig was brought in to play Batgirl. A trained dancer, she brought high kicks to the series. Except for the 1966 Batman movie, Batman went back to the comics and collectibles until 1989 when a new Batman movie came out that was a box office hit.

Copyright (c) 1997 by MatrixZine (matrixzine@aol.com). All rights reserved. These reviews many be freely distributed with proper attribution. Copies may be printed for non-commercial use. Redistribution, publication, or archiving of these reviews on any other terms require my consent.