Warped9
08-27-2006, 03:25 PM
Last night I began reading Boarding The Enterprise (edited by David Gerrold and Robert Sawyer) before going to bed and just finished it about half an hour ago. All I can say, "Cool." I haven't read something like this in a VERY long time. It's not only overdue, but in some ways it's also right on time. These essays not only look back at TOS from a forty year perspective, but also take us back to the energy and enthusiasm of the '70s when ClassicTrek was the only game in town, not only Trek wise but good-sf-on-TV wise as well. There are the barest nods to contemporary Trek, and while the authors don't go out of their way to critique it neither do they indulge in praising it. At best, and perhaps somewhat graciously, their remarks allude to contemporary Trek having lost its way.
There's a lot in the book that is familiar and has been said elsewhere in prose and on message boards before, but here much of it is given a measure of authority simply because of who is saying it.
Robert Sawyer's introduction is basically throwaway. David Gerrold's "The Trouble With Trek" harkens back to his fan driven critique book The World Of Star Trek, where his criticisms are based on admiration rather than derision.
But Norman Spinrad's "Star Trek In The Real World" was like a much appreciated slap in the face. This essay alone should be a must read for those who think they understand Trek and so cavalierly dismiss TOS. This essay along with Allen Steele's "All Our Tomorrows" show that these two guys--these two established and respected SCIENCE FICTION writers--really do understand what made Star Trek work, not only in 1966-69 but also today as well. They get why the show still works and is still able to reach new generations of viewers while contemporary Trek continues sliding. Eric Greene's "The Prime Question" and Howard Weinstein's "Being Better" underscore how Star Trek resonated in a relevant manner with viewers.
There's also humour in some of these essays that actually made me smile and laugh out loud, most notably Don Debrandt's "What Have You Done With Spock's Brain?"
And David DeGraff's "To Boldy Teach What No One Has Taught Before" recounts how Star Trek TOS isnpired him to become an astronomer.
I heartily reccommend this book. Much of it articulated and reminded me of why I fell in love with this show in the first place and continue to admire it so.
:thumbsup:
There's a lot in the book that is familiar and has been said elsewhere in prose and on message boards before, but here much of it is given a measure of authority simply because of who is saying it.
Robert Sawyer's introduction is basically throwaway. David Gerrold's "The Trouble With Trek" harkens back to his fan driven critique book The World Of Star Trek, where his criticisms are based on admiration rather than derision.
But Norman Spinrad's "Star Trek In The Real World" was like a much appreciated slap in the face. This essay alone should be a must read for those who think they understand Trek and so cavalierly dismiss TOS. This essay along with Allen Steele's "All Our Tomorrows" show that these two guys--these two established and respected SCIENCE FICTION writers--really do understand what made Star Trek work, not only in 1966-69 but also today as well. They get why the show still works and is still able to reach new generations of viewers while contemporary Trek continues sliding. Eric Greene's "The Prime Question" and Howard Weinstein's "Being Better" underscore how Star Trek resonated in a relevant manner with viewers.
There's also humour in some of these essays that actually made me smile and laugh out loud, most notably Don Debrandt's "What Have You Done With Spock's Brain?"
And David DeGraff's "To Boldy Teach What No One Has Taught Before" recounts how Star Trek TOS isnpired him to become an astronomer.
I heartily reccommend this book. Much of it articulated and reminded me of why I fell in love with this show in the first place and continue to admire it so.
:thumbsup: