Description
Book SynopsisWhen it premiered on NBC in September 1966, Star Trek was described by its creator, Gene Roddenberry, as Wagon Train to the stars. Featuring a racially diverse cast, trips to exotic planets, and encounters with an array of alien beings who could be either friendly or hostile, the program opened up new vistas for television. Along with The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, Star Trek represented one of the small screen's rare ventures into science fiction during the 1960s. Although the original series was a modest success during its three-year run, its afterlife has been nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. To celebrate the show's debut fifty years later, it's time to reexamine one of the most influential programs in history. In Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek: The Original Cast Adventures, Douglas and Shea T. Brode present a collection of essays about the series and its various incarnations over the years. Contributors discuss not only the 1960s show but also its off-shoots, ranging
Trade ReviewThis collection of essays is certain to entrance Star Trek TOS fans. . . .The texts here illustrate how the series, conflicted, tried to promote feminism, while still enjoying fetishism or even indulging in a bit of its own misogyny. . . .As an assemblage, the book gives us an even greater appreciation for the franchise, which stands as one of television’s greatest accomplishments. * Pop Culture Classics *
If you are looking for a true guidebook not only to the Star Trek phenomena, but also to a deeper understanding of the dynamics to the show, then you’ll want to seek out Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek: The Original Cast Adventures. * Comics Grinder *
This is an excellent addition to the growing scholarship related to the Star Trek franchise. * Journal of American Culture *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction - Star Trek: In the Beginning, Roddenberry Said . . . Douglas Brode Chapter One - “Wagon Train to the Stars”: Star Trek, The Western Frontier, and American Values John Wills Chapter Two - Of Television and the 1960s: Star Trek, Vietnam, and the Transformation of the United States H. Bruce Franklin Chapter Three - Milton and Rodenberry: Structural Parallels between Star Trek II and Paradise Lost Shari Hodges Holt Chapter Four - Boldly Unruly: Star Trek in Play Scott Duchesne Chapter Five - Warp Speed: The Physics of Star Trek Phil Kesten Chapter Six - From the United States to the Federation of Planets: Star Trek and the Globalization of American Culture Lane Crothers Chapter Seven - Minimalist Interiors/Imagined Exteriors: Spatial Complexity in the Star Trek Saga Mervyn Nicholson Chapter Eight - Decaying Orbits: Men, Women, and Fear of Extinction in TOS Ina Ray Hark Chapter 9 - The Matter of Gender in “Metamorphosis”: Women, Romance, and the Queerness of Desire David Greven Chapter 10 - Captain Kirk 4-EVER: William Shatner as Romantic Object Victoria Amador Chapter 11 - Pragmatism and Meaning: Assessing the Message of TOS Anne Collins Smith and Owen M. Smith Chapter 12 - Belief System in TOS: Secular Humanism, Traditional Religion, and Cultural Imperialism Sara Boslaugh Chapter 13 - “What Does a Starship Need With God?”: Divinization, Deicde, and the Re-Affirmation of Faith in Star Trek I-VI Michael Smith Chapter 14 - Always Bring Phasers to an Animated Canon Fight: Trek’s Saturday Morning Original Cast Adventures David S. Silverman Chapter 15 - The Audience as Ultimate Auteur: Female Fans and Early Trek ‘Vidding” Francesca Coppa Chapter 16 - Sarek’s Tears: Classical Music, Star Trek, and the Exportation of Culture Daniel Sheridan Chapter 17 - Of Authorial Primacy and Literary Adaptation: TOS and William Shatner’s “Captain’s Trilogy” Alexis Finnerty Index About the Editors and Contributors
