This is a wonderful behind the scenes look at the original series of Star Trek straight from the mouths of the people that put it together. The focus is primarily on the mechanics of trying to put a show (and subsequently films) together in Hollywood, but there's a bit of Trek lore mixed in as well.

As with most oral histories, there's only a loose narrative of mostly-related quotes. The authors did a good job of trying to get multiple views on any event in question, but they are necessarily limited by what their interviewees actually said (or wrote), so there are always gaps that can't be filled.

The live-action show is covered in the most detail and with the most interviewees. How the show evolved and was put together is covered in great detail, and there's plenty of gossip in here for any Trek fan. The animated series, as well as the fan organizations that ultimately kept the show on the air, are also discussed fairly extensively.

Once the text moves onto the movies, the number of people interviewed narrows considerably. Dozens of voices are provided when discussing the show, but it feels like you see the same ten once the movies become the topic. I'm sure each one of the films could have easily filled its own book, so I'm guessing the constricted scope was primarily due to keeping the book at a manageable length.

Oral histories can be hit and miss, but I thought this one was excellent. Deducting one star for the lackluster coverage of the films, but it's still easy to recommend for Trekkies, as well as anyone interested in the mechanics of Hollywood.