keithzg reviewed The fifty-year mission by Mark A. Altman
A largely unadulterated peek behind the scenes
4 stars
As the kind of weirdo that has a copy of the sadly rare Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (not to mention an avid listener to Ronald D. Moore's episode commentaries), in some respects this still isn't enough of a peek behind the scenes. But putting aside how I'd never be satisfied, it's a very solid and entertaining look through the history of Star Trek over the era starting with the development of TNG.
Largely without additional commentary, other than the minimum contextualization, it mostly lets people involved in Star Trek talk for themselves. As such there are some degrees to which I don't know how someone fresh to the behind-the-scenes tales will take things. Perhaps, for example, they'll be suckered in by Rick Berman at first. But the authors are great at balancing out the perspectives, perhaps a little too good but overall I think enough is there that …
As the kind of weirdo that has a copy of the sadly rare Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (not to mention an avid listener to Ronald D. Moore's episode commentaries), in some respects this still isn't enough of a peek behind the scenes. But putting aside how I'd never be satisfied, it's a very solid and entertaining look through the history of Star Trek over the era starting with the development of TNG.
Largely without additional commentary, other than the minimum contextualization, it mostly lets people involved in Star Trek talk for themselves. As such there are some degrees to which I don't know how someone fresh to the behind-the-scenes tales will take things. Perhaps, for example, they'll be suckered in by Rick Berman at first. But the authors are great at balancing out the perspectives, perhaps a little too good but overall I think enough is there that a full enough picture emerges.
Even if one is only interested in a single series discussed here, I think it'd be worth a read. Nobody would pretend Star Trek is a franchise completely even in its quality, and anyone familiar with some part of it will likely find some fascinating tales of how that unevenness in the end product stemmed from the tensions and pressures behind the scenes. Even when the shows were at their creative peaks, just think: over 20 episodes a season! There's a reason why TV shows these days rarely attempt anything near.
This is definitely not to say that it's a book all about tough times and frayed nerves. The interviews also illuminate the personalities and ideas that created so much of what people love; the crushing workload and relentless schedule isn't enough to stifle the joy and imagination the folks involved often felt, and that comes through keenly too. Through the tapestry of the interview snippets arranged, there's a real feeling of being there as Star Trek returns, thrives, and eventually falters again.
With the start of the Abrams era suddenly the tone shifts; these seem often to be formally written responses, rather than interviews rendered to page, or perhaps that's just how folks sound when on press junkets advertising new products. It feels painfully inessential, a slog through press releases with a smattering of genuine blurbs. Clearly not enough time has yet passed to allow folks to be candid, and the narrative dissolves as a casualty. The only non-PR bits are from random critics (who often add necessary perspectives, but are nothing unique to this book) and some asides from folks we'd heard from earlier in the book commenting on the Abrams movies (which is interesting in the full book's context but doesn't really add up to an accurate picture of the production of these recent movies). Luckily a few additional short chapters coda that coda, leaving a better taste in the mouth at the end.
