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Book Reviews

Novels - Official Reference - Unofficial Reference - Making of... - Star Trek and the Real World - Periodicals

Novels

Star Trek Voyager: Pathways When Captain Janeway's crew accidentally gets between the front lines of an ongoing war while being on an away mission on an unknown planet, they are taken into custody. Separated from Voyager and slowly starving to death in a disease-ridden prison camp, to keep up their determination as they plot their escape, they share with each other the unlikely paths that brought them all together and to the Delta Quadrant.

Jeri Taylor was involved in the production process of Star Trek Voyager which lends this book a certain quality in giving life to the characters which is unmatched. On about 500 pages Taylor enfolds the background each character has (except for Janeway whose story is told in the separate book Mosaic). Even those storylines evolving pretty much the way you would expect them to are quite entertaining to follow (like Chakotay's), and the ones that don't are fascinating to say the least (like Tom's). The deadly encounter with the hostile aliens and their prison camp merely serves as the framework for the personal stories of Voyager's leading characters told in the third person which makes them even more pleasing to read besides the fact that they're done in such a convincing and brilliant way one is tempted to take Pathways as canon even without the name Jeri Taylor printed on its cover.

So for every Star Trek enthusiast and even for those looking with an skeptical eye on Voyager this book clearly is an important part of the Trek universe and is therefore to be considered as a "must-have".

(Thorsten)

Jeri Taylor, Star Trek Voyager: Pathways, Pocket Books, 1999.
ISBN: 0671026267

Star Trek: Death Count In this complex novel the crew of the Enterprise have to deal with trigger-happy Orions, angry Andorians, a mysterious scientist, annoying auditors, a saboteur, and a lily pond.

The good and the bad about Death Count is summarized quickly. It is remarkable that Kirk appeared only infrequently, and that Spock and McCoy were even limited to a few sentences in the entire book. I was pleased that Sulu, Chekov and Uhura are the main characters and the novel is told from their perspectives. It is credibly shown that they can do more than utter an occasional "Yes, sir" and that they have a private life beyond their daily duties. L.A. Graf successfully recreate the atmosphere of the Movie era and carefully supplement it with new ideas. One problem I noticed is that the novel tries hard to resolve its own complexity, similar to a novel by Agatha Christie. I have the impression that the authors or I myself failed to tie together a few of the loose ends. There are just too many different characters and events that require attention. A few less conflicts and explosions may have suited the story better, and could have rendered it more plausible.

Overall, it is an enjoyable but rather not one of the most exciting Star Trek novels.

L.A. Graf, Star Trek: Death Count, Pocket Books, 1992.
ISBN: 0671793225

Star Trek Vanguard: Harbinger This is the first book in a new series by David Mack about a space station at the Federation frontier. They year is 2265. The U.S.S. Enterprise has just returned from her first voyage under Captain James T. Kirk. In the tradition of spin-offs on screen and in print David Mack draws on well-established characters to introduce a new setting. This strategy works out for the Vanguard series, although I have the impression that the Enterprise should have been involved either somewhat less (just enough to demonstrate "this is the TOS era") or considerably more (as we can hardly visualize Kirk and his crew in secondary roles). Anyway, the depiction of the Enterprise crew is accurate and respectful.

Regarding the new characters, composed of the Vanguard crew and miscellaneous alien and non-aligned people, my apprehension is that they are too much of a mixed bag for a whole series of novels, as they are likely to get in touch only infrequently - unlike it would be among a starship crew. So far T'Prynn, the Vulcan who holds a secret, and Tim Pennington, the ambitious reporter, strike me as the most interesting figures. On the downside, Cervantes Quinn, the sympathetic rogue in the tradition of Harry Mudd and Cyrano Jones, and Anna Sandesjo, the surgically altered infiltrator, appear too conventional to me. The perhaps most important role is taken by the station itself, designed by Masao Okazaki. The fold-out with the station's diagrams is a highlight of the book. David Mack shows a good sense of incorporating Vanguard's spacious interior its into the story, unlike in other novels where time and especially space are not particularly important, but without digressing to technical trifles like it is so often in fan fiction.

The novel is pleasant reading and it thrives on its intense and almost beautiful language, although the contrast between narration and spoken dialogue is a bit harsh at times. I may be spoiled by the TV incarnations. Yet, the language as well as the manners in TOS used to be somewhat different. The same goes for the depiction of bloodshed and sex which naturally had to be toned down in the 1960s. The love triangle in this novel would not have been possible in the time of TOS, and it only adds realism (but isn't it a waste that it ends very soon after the death of a character?). The amount and explicitness of violence, especially regarding Quinn and the Orion Ganz, is a tad too much, however.

A slight letdown of the book lies in its nature as a part of a series. After 374 pages full of action and intrigue almost nothing of the mystery is solved. The novel is neither boring in any way nor would it suffer from the open end, still with a bit more of a conclusion it could have been perfect.

David Mack, Star Trek Vanguard: Harbinger, Pocket Books, 2005.
ISBN: 1416507744

Official Reference

The Star Trek Encyclopedia This is probably the most wide-spread book about Star Trek, and I agree that it's the most important one too. It is almost superfluous to review such a common book. The Encyclopedia *is* Star Trek, it shows everything the show is about on the fictional level.

Mike and Denise Okuda, Paramount's "canon-keepers" were very diligent and very careful in compiling all the facts from 35 years of Star Trek on screen in one book. Considering this enormous work and the fact that the Okudas have other things to do than writing we may easily forgive occasional errors like mislabeled images or misread registries of starships. Moreover, the Encyclopedia is the one and only reference book that strictly adheres to the facts established on screen, and in this respect it is more comprehensive and more detailed than every such attempt by fans. This is why I always defend it against fans who take the (necessary) nitpicking too far and claim they would do everything better. I have no objections when the Okudas supplements the 99% of hard canon evidence with 1% of good speculation.

What I like about the Encyclopedia is that, besides the fictional content, it has a good deal of background information too. After all, it is always nice to learn how something was created or if a name is a "tip of the hat" to someone or something in the real world. I'm not quite content with the images many of which should be much larger (which is a matter of the costs, of course). There are also many redundant illustrations, such as I would rather like one big image of the Excelsior class than a small one for each single ship of the class.

Anyway, the Encyclopedia is a must-have for any fan who doesn't like to desperately search for every bit of information in the internet. As far as I can tell, much of the content of the Encyclopedia is in no form available in the web.

Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, Debbie Mirek, The Star Trek Encyclopedia - A Reference Guide to the Future, updated and expanded edition, Pocket Books, 1999.
ISBN: 0671034758

Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual Yes, this is my favorite reference book, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to praise it in any respect. At the first glance, there is nothing very spectacular about the black and blue on white page layout with simple line drawings. The fantastic thing about the manual is when it becomes a real companion to the series, that it picks up all conceivable questions and problems - some real-world annotations are in the footnotes. The other way round, the writers for the series seem to have looked up some things here, so the last three seasons of TNG evidently profited from the book.

Rick Sternbach's sense for technical correctness (although he's an artist, not an engineer) and Mike Okuda's view for the details make the STTNG Technical Manual as complete and as detailed as it could be. What I like even more is that it makes sense technically and that technobabble can only be found where common sense or real engineering don't apply. It has been criticized that the book doesn't really explain how warp drive, transporter or phasers work. To be honest, even Sternbach and Okuda don't know that! But seriously, in my view, exactly this is the most important benefit of the book, for what could be the point in explaining the fictional technology on a level where it is impossible to understand (because no complete theory exists) and at the same time easy to disprove (because with some knowledge of real physics one could easily notice that it just wouldn't work)? In other words, the STTNG Technical Manual doesn't impair our ability to suspend disbelief. Furthermore, the book is written like a technical manual for 24th century engineers who operate or service the ship, so I wouldn't expect the very basics to be explained in it anyway.

Summarizing, the STTNG Technical Manual may look like a collection of simple technical drawings, but it is a well-considered guide to a great ship. The book is largely free of errors, the only blatant one being that Rick Sternbach accidentally scaled down the captain's yacht's dimensions to only half of what they should be - nothing compared to all what they got wrong in the DS9 Technical Manual (below). Anyway, for everyone interested in Star Trek technology, the STTNG Technical Manual is a must-have. If you have only the money for one book, this should be it. Buy it!

Rick Sternbach, Michael Okuda, Gene Roddenberry (introduction), Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, Pocket Books, 1991.
ISBN: 0671704273

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual First off, this book is anything but a disappointment. It is a packed with information on the series and its fictional technology from the station's basic layout to things like tricorders and sensor probes. It has great illustrations, mostly rendered in 3D by Doug Drexler and all in color. This is a quite obvious advancement since the above STTNG Technical Manual.

One reason why I like the DS9 Technical Manual less than its "sister manual" is that its reliability is lacking. This is in part not the fault of the authors, considering that technical specs and especially the size of the station and of the Defiant were always subject to change throughout DS9. Nevertheless, it is dissatisfactory that none of the size figures given in the book correspond with the schematic diagrams in the same book, the latter of which consistently show a smaller 120m Defiant and a station diameter of at most 1000m. The section on starships is even much worse, since ship types and specs are arbitrarily and hastily made up, sizes of well-known ships are wrong and the Saber and Norway class even have exactly the same dimensions. Considering that many fans who took the specs for their websites didn't even notice the latter error, I may be overly critical, but from an official manual I would expect much more carefulness than that.

The other point of criticism is that the Deep Space Nine Technical Manual isn't very technical and it isn't useful as a manual. It is rather like prose that has been supplemented with a certain limited amount of Technobabble, a couple of size figures and many nice images. It doesn't care about the technology in such detail as the STTNG Technical Manual, and if it is only shown how to operate it. Summarizing, as a novel the book is rather boring, while it is just not complete enough for a technical manual. Anyway, at least the drawings are great, especially the fold-outs, and most of the book with the exception of the starship section is pleasant reading, so I clearly recommend to buy it.

Herman Zimmerman, Rick Sternbach, Doug Drexler, Ira Steven Behr (introduction), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual, Pocket Books, 1998.
ISBN: 067101563X

Unofficial Reference

Star Fleet Technical Manual This is the classic technical manual that inspired a whole generation of fans in the Trek-less time of the 1970's. It is hard to imagine how Franz Joseph could collect all the information and draw all the nifty schematics with ink only, without the help of a computer back in 1975. Showing phasers, communicators, tricorders, floor plans and even uniform patterns in such a great detail, this book is a treasure trove for any TOS fan. It is even more valuable considering that Franz Joseph had access to much of the actual blueprints and props which he transferred into drawings that are often more precise than those of the computer-age technical manuals. Only the quality of his starship drawings is lacking.

Being a true fan and knowing that the series wouldn't continue (at least not so soon), he carefully supplemented the information on screen with his own creations, such as the Articles of the Federation, flags and emblems of member worlds, a design for an orbital Starfleet Headquarters and his famous starships. This is where some sort of dispute is going on. Especially many older fans still regard the Star Fleet Technical Manual as canon, considering that Franz Joseph had Gene Roddenberry's support on it. Some time prior to TNG, they didn't get along with each other any longer, and it is said that Roddenberry intentionally laid out technical specs of TNG so as to disparage Franz Joseph's work - but this doesn't really belong here. If you would like to know more about Franz Joseph's background, please visit Trekplace.

Well, while many of the ideas are very good, it is probably too late to regard this whole book as canon, because the speculation in it is already too detailed. Too much of it, such as the location of Starfleet Headquarters or the map of the galaxy, has been contradicted since. Some things, finally, are simply silly, like the electric circuit schematics or the emblem of the alien civilization of 61 Cygni that -what a coincidence- has a swan in it.

Anyway, The Star Fleet Technical Manual has more than only nostalgic merits. I was a bit skeptical and I waited a long time until I finally bought it only two years ago, but I wouldn't want to miss it.

Franz Joseph, Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual, Del Rey, reprint, 1991.
ISBN: 0345340744

Star Trek Star Charts Fans have long been waiting for a reference book like this. The Star Charts by Geoffrey Mandel combines canon facts, some conjecture and real astronomy and astrophysics in a unique fashion. The book is not only richly illustrated but also competent, especially because it relies on the extensive research by Christian Rühl of Star Trek Dimension, who was the first to develop a workable Star Trek cartography.

The quality of the drawings of the Star Charts is both aesthetically pleasing and technically accurate, and this alone is a reason to buy the book. But it is definitely more than just eye-candy, as everything is supposed to make sense, from the voyages of Enterprise NX-01 to the route of Voyager. The real star classes are as skillfully presented as the conjectural planet classification system. Knowing that Star Trek authors have never really bothered about cartography and have changed distances and speeds just as it fitted best with their stories, it is not possible that the book could explain away all the inevitable inconsistencies. But it comes up with some very good ideas like a much smaller extent of Federation space than previously thought, which goes along with most observations from the series.

There are rather few definite errors, such as the completely wrong location of Talax, which was actually visited by Voyager in the first season. One more important point of criticism is that canon and conjecture is not really distinguishable. Clearly the positions of most stars are not definite, except for the ones that are also known to real astronomy. Without a little bit of speculation the book wouldn't have been possible at all. Still, I wonder if the author shouldn't have gone without some useless details like the completely made up names of Klingon star systems (which are for some reason all named for ships, or the other way round) and the arbitrarily made up civilization emblems which may easily be mistaken for canon ones (especially since not all planets are shown with emblems).

Overall, the Star Charts is not a completely reliable reference, something like which may have become too thin and boring. It is a well-researched and carefully supplemented secondary work, particularly enjoyable with its large foldout maps and beautiful planet renderings as highlights.

Geoffrey Mandel, Star Trek Star Charts, Pocket Books, 2002.
ISBN: 0743437705

Federation Travel Guide This little book is fairly well researched and contains anything one would expect from it. On the other hand, anything canon about the planets of the Trek Universe may be found in the far more complete and systematic Star Trek Encyclopedia as well. Considering that there are already several non-canon mentions (of hotels or restaurants) in it anyway, I wonder why the Travel Guide doesn't go the whole way and strives to render the seemingly underdeveloped (save Risa) tourism in the Star Trek Universe a bit more diverse. The way it is, it can neither convince as very informative nor as particularly entertaining. Some of the (in-)jokes in the book are quite humorous, but many others are just lame. Most images in the Federation Travel Guide are not of very high quality, and the graphic design is very stale for a fun book.

Summarizing, it's a thin and inexpensive $6.00 book, but still I would have expected more from it. It may be a gift for a die-hard fan, but nothing that would either create or satisfy particular interests. 

Michael Jan Friedman, Federation Travel Guide, Pocket Books, 1997.
ISBN: 0671009788

Making of...

The Making of Star Trek This is a classic. It is the first book of its kind, and probably the first book about Star Trek at all. But The Making of Star Trek is much more than any of the later books with similar names. This book doesn't idealize or simplify the making of the series. It doesn't enthusiastically praise everything and everyone involved in its production. It is an authentic and meticulous report on how TOS in particular and a TV series in general comes to life. It shows that it is a process of try and error, that aspects have to be taken into account the viewers wouldn't think of, and that the responsible persons don't always know exactly what they want ("I need some device that does something...").

The story how Stephen E. Whitfield (aka Stephen E. Poe) asked Gene Roddenberry if he could write a book about the series sounds like a fairy tale, but is true. The Great Bird was very forthcoming, and Whitfield was granted access to everything behind the scenes of the still running show, seemingly without any restriction. The book shows production schedules, budgets, private notes, script drafts, production sketches, all things that are usually kept secret or simplified for a larger public. I don't think that something like this would be still possible today. Compared to The Making of Star Trek, Whitfield's last book (he passed away in 2000) on Voyager seems rather superficial.

The Making of Star Trek may be over 30 years old, but it is of more than only historical value. It demonstrates that TV is a business that sometimes doesn't allow technical or artistic perfection. It also shows how many things we may take for granted and that are essential parts of the Star Trek Universe today have taken a rather surprising course change. Who would like Vulcans with names like "Spook, Spork, Splak, ..." as frequently suggested in the early days, or who would think that one race was originally described with the words, "Honor is a despicable trait.", namely the Klingons? 

Stephen E. Whitfield, Gene Roddenberry, The Making of Star Trek, Del Rey Books, 1968.
ISBN: 0345340191

The Art of Star Trek This is a fantastic picture book with sketches and photos of story boards, costumes, props, sets and starship models from TOS to Voyager. All images are in high quality, and some of them are in full-page format. The Art of Star Trek is almost like seeing all the stuff with one's own eyes at an exhibition.

The most fascinating are the shots of starships in space, especially of the Enterprise refit, with a resolution far better than it could ever be on screen. What I love too is the close look at the many props from tricorders and phasers to exotic alien devices. As perfect as they look on screen, as simple is their construction from wood or plastic. The Art of Star Trek is an art of illusion, but I don't think that the knowledge about its true nature could ever spoil the fun. On the contrary. It is also interesting to see how the techniques have changed since the time of TOS, not only with the introduction of CGI, and, on the other hand, how many things essentially remain the same, like the already mentioned fabrication of "primitive" props.

The text doesn't play as great a role as in other books, but is competent and is just sufficient to guide the reader through 30 years of the Star Trek Art Department. Only the captions are sometimes too scarce. Most of the aliens and their devices remain unnamed, although in many cases they were supposed to be someone or something specific. Another minor point is that I would have wished some more images of finished items as they appear on screen. The way it is, the concept sketches slightly dominate the book. On the other hand, it is nice to see a development from the sketch to the final version.

The Art of Star Trek is a fascinating look behind the scenes for fans with a lot of fun. I was happy to purchase it for only a third of its list price, but now that I know it better, I would gladly have paid much more for it.

Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, The Art of Star Trek, Pocket Books, paperback, 1997.
ISBN: 0671017764

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission This book is something special in that it combines the usual prose of a "Making of..." with a wealth of large-size images and illustrations as well as a detailed guide to the seven seasons of TNG. Included are sections on "Generations", "First Contact" and, in the newest edition, "Insurrection". Although some of the images are already known from The Art of Star Trek, this is another great look behind the scenes. More than the rather loosely arranged images in The Art of Star Trek, this book really tells the story of a series that is developed through seven seasons.

The Continuing Mission is probably the best book about TNG with all of its aspects. It was obviously written to be entertaining in the first place, so it never gets too profound. Nevertheless, we learn a great deal, for instance, where Guinan's name comes from, how many writers mingled together the script for "Yesterday's Enterprise", or how a shuttle may become a big starship. The only slight criticism I have about it is that the text is mostly separate from the images. Although there are captions, I would have liked to know more about several of the images.

The sub-title of the book is "A Tenth Anniversary Tribute", and it is a worthy tribute in any respect.

Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission, Pocket Books, updated edition, 1998.
ISBN: 0671025597

Star Trek and the Real World

Boarding the Enterprise This book is a multi-faceted collection of essays dealing with the original Star Trek. It combines personal accounts of people working for the show with a look at Star Trek as a media phenomenon, complemented with more or less serious scientific analyses of the fictional technology. The content is so diverse that Boarding the Enterprise deserves to be summarized chapter by chapter.

In the introduction, award-winning science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer who acts as the book's editor emphasizes Star Trek's impact on our pop culture. David Gerrold, the other editor and TOS and TAS writer, carries on with a perspicuous analysis of Star Trek's position in the world of media, the role of its fans and how science fiction is different and has to be different from other literary genres. One of Gerrold's key points, that Star Trek, in his view, often doesn't go further than just showing an innovation without consequences, remains debatable though. Norman Spinrad who wrote "The Doomsday Machine" adds considerations how Star Trek could be established in a world where sci-fi was still seeking its place. His homage to Spock as a completely new type of TV drama character is especially intriguing. D.C. Fontana of "Journey to Babel" fame (among other notable episodes she wrote) remembers her time as part of the staff and particularly how Gene Roddenberry worked out not just the basic framework of the show but also cared about seemingly minor details. Also, everyone joining his team had to prepare to become the victim of one of his notorious practical jokes. In the following essay Allen Steele looks at the show from an author's perspective.

My three favorite essays are those of cultural theorist Eric Greene, author Michael A. Burstein and philosopher Lyle Zynda. Eric Greene goes into great detail linking the original Star Trek to the ongoing Vietnam War. His theory is that while the Federation is quite obviously modeled after the USA in the Cold War era, Kirk embodies John F. Kennedy who always sought peace but was determined to fight for freedom just like the equally vigorous 23rd century starship captain. Overall, in Green's view Star Trek represented rather the official government policy than the counter-culture which was cropping up in the late 60s. He picks out many examples of the classic "cultural intervention" cliché of TOS where, with a couple of notable exceptions, the freedom-oriented position prevails. Although in some cases he may have over-interpreted statements and observations from the series, it is a thought-provoking read. Michael A. Burstein looks at how religion is presented in Star Trek. He comes to the conclusion that the absence of anything religious that would be commonplace in our world (and definitely was in the 1960s) clearly promotes a secular society. Even Edith Keeler, a church social worker of the 1930s, doesn't mention God once in her address to the homeless! While this anti-religious attitude may be attributed to Gene Roddenberry's decided atheism, Burstein takes into consideration that it reflects a general tendency in science fiction and in the American society just as well. "Who am I" is the title of Lyle Zynda's essay which asks the question whether a human "essence" or "soul" in an android body could still be one and the same person - or someone reassembled using the transporter, for that matter. He devises two models, one in which identity requires the presence of a body or soul and one in which it is defined through a pattern that can be duplicated. Zynda examines several occurrences and comes to the conclusion that the evidence is very contradictory.

On the more light-hearted side (at least so I hope because otherwise it would be defamatory!) writer Don DeBrandt explains why Vulcans are not as logical as they claim to be. Sci-fi author Lawrence Watt-Evans comes up with the weird(?) theory that the 23rd century human society must be based on strictly Darwinian principles, as there could be no other explanation for the lack of very basic safety systems on the otherwise cutting-edge starship U.S.S. Enterprise. Robert A. Metzger, in his role as a sci-fi author and scientist, contributes a homage to Scotty - in his view the most important crew member and the only one to know how to create custom Kirks for specific missions and to revive him in the transporter each time the captain is killed on a mission. Praise for Star Trek's role in promoting science, even if it is cheesy at times, comes from astronomer David DeGraff, while author Adam Roberts surmises that sci-fi has become more interesting than the real thing, ultimately killing the space race. Fanfic author Melissa Dickinson explains and justifies why especially female fans irrespective of their sexual orientation come up with slash fiction, and she quotes romantic aspects as the most important reasons - although it is my impression that in many cases it may be the mere sexual desire. Paul Levinson, another award-winning writer, points out how Star Trek taught Paramount and the networks a lesson when it flourished in syndication seemingly against the rules of the television industry. Writer Howard Weinstein concludes the colorful mix of essays with the statement that Star Trek was always about "being better". It is only sad that some of the articles implicitly and this final one explicitly presuppose that Star Trek has degraded in its later incarnations which is simply not true.

Although its general tone is light-hearted and at times ironical, Boarding the Enterprise is anything but superficial for the most part. Several of the essays are at least entertaining, even though their statements are not really new to fans. In other chapters the book tackles philosophical questions and raises sometimes controversial issues. I for one don't read non-fictional books to agree with everything, and here is a nice opportunity to form or change an opinion on a number of things. But most importantly, Boarding the Enterprise is an affectionate contribution to Star Trek's 40th anniversary. Written by knowledgeable fans, it stays true to the series and does not digress like some other non-fiction books with "Star Trek" in the title.

Edited by David Gerrold, Robert J. Sawyer, with Leah Wilson, Boarding the Enterprise - Transporters, Tribbles and the Vulcan Death Grip in Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, Benbella Books, 2006.
ISBN: 1932100873

Future Perfect "This means something!" Star Trek has succeeded to keep people being interested in it for more than 30 years. So there must be more to it than just pure entertainment. This is the setup for Jeff Greenwald's "Future Perfect", an attempt to explain what is behind people's fascination with Star Trek. So he travels around the world to meet with people and talk to them about the influence Star Trek has on their lives.

Greenwald's initial theory of Trek awakening a collective human yearning to get out into space and explore the final frontier in earnest is proven wrong by the interviewed people. Star Trek instead appears to be a deep and maybe eternal need for something to believe in - something that makes sense. At this point the question Greenwald is asking has changed without him noticing. The question is no longer "what is it?" but "why is it?"- it has become questioning the movens. Greenwald's search for the definition of Star Trek therefore requires a different method to deal with than the chosen one of collecting impressions. Even his description of Trek being a contemporary myth still misses the point, because myth and enlightenment are bound together in a dialectic way (since even the myth is enlightening in it trying to explain what's behind things while enlightenment itself has become mythological to the non-expert). As a form of literature Star Trek has to be regarded as and treated by means of literature. Star Trek makes sense. Sense does not mean to control reality by establishing a mutual understanding what has to be regarded as such at a certain point (that's happening every day and quite trivial regarded from a philosophical point of view). Sense is closely related to surely knowing what really is. If there's one thing characterizing the modern times best, than it's the absence of sense apriori. Sense has to be found or to be set, and this underlines the above question: that's the difference between controlling reality (which is always possible defining things at a given time) and knowing reality (which may be impossible).

Concerning the production of reality the techniques used to control the terms and conditions of its production process are leading to the media involved. Greenwald needs media theory to get closer to his subject but he decides to do without it. Interesting questions are touched but left unanswered. Assumed there is a strong correlation between history and corresponding forms of art making use of media competence, Star Trek could be described as the contemporary modern art it is: reflecting the social state and evolution process of mankind, dealing with contemporary problems but presenting an optimistic solution instead of showing Armageddon. Seeing Star Trek as a visual form of a literary genre would explain why it can not be just black and white like a fairy tale, why time and continuity are so important and how they are achieved. Without media theory acquiring a growing understanding for his subject and linking the different impressions contributed by different people from different cultures is not possible. Things keep being fragmented.

This is the biggest drawback in an very amusing and entertaining book: lacking competence for media it stays anecdotal and does not lead to an understanding what makes Star Trek so desirable besides that it's presenting an optimistic an peaceful outlook to the future without being an utopian idea neglecting life in all is aspects.

Periodicals

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