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Star Trek on the Brain: Alien Minds, Human Minds
Written in a style similar to Physics of Star Trek, Star Trek on the Brain explores the customs and behaviour of the characters from Star Films and episodes from the original Star Trek series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. The authors, psychologists and Trekkers, use Star Trek stories to describe the relationship between the mind and the brain, the complex connections between emotion and reason, the working of the senses and the changeability of the brain. Equipped with a glossary of the main characters and a list of episodes discussed, this book is for inveterate Trekkers and Star Trek novices alike.
244 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 7, 2008
An interest in both topics (brain/mind studies & Star Trek) spurred me to pick this up at a used bookstore.
In this book, Sekuler and Blake examine some basic psychology and neurology topics as seen through the lens of the Star Trek universe.
Sample chapter titles:
* Why Spock Can Cry but Data Cannot
* What Geordi Saw and What Quark Heard
* Disordered Brains, Disordered Minds
The material presented is at a semi-introductory level - not a lot of new information for anyone who has done reading in brain/mind studies, but they do a good job at summarizing the topics they choose to cover.
The authors do a great job of tying in the concepts to the Star Trek world: using Vulcans and Klingons to explore logic and aggression and Data as an example of how lack of emotions affects social interactions. An examination of the senses includes Geordi and the Ferengi as examples related to sight and hearing.
The writing seems aimed at a high-school level; one of review on Amazon is from The School Library Journal. The authors also included a glossary ("Who's Who and What's What"), as well as a list of Star Trek episodes mentioned in the book. The Notes section includes both bibliographic items and additional explanations; an index is also included.
Overall an enjoyable read, if not very challenging.
In this book, Sekuler and Blake examine some basic psychology and neurology topics as seen through the lens of the Star Trek universe.
Sample chapter titles:
* Why Spock Can Cry but Data Cannot
* What Geordi Saw and What Quark Heard
* Disordered Brains, Disordered Minds
The material presented is at a semi-introductory level - not a lot of new information for anyone who has done reading in brain/mind studies, but they do a good job at summarizing the topics they choose to cover.
The authors do a great job of tying in the concepts to the Star Trek world: using Vulcans and Klingons to explore logic and aggression and Data as an example of how lack of emotions affects social interactions. An examination of the senses includes Geordi and the Ferengi as examples related to sight and hearing.
The writing seems aimed at a high-school level; one of review on Amazon is from The School Library Journal. The authors also included a glossary ("Who's Who and What's What"), as well as a list of Star Trek episodes mentioned in the book. The Notes section includes both bibliographic items and additional explanations; an index is also included.
Overall an enjoyable read, if not very challenging.
February 18, 2009
Ever wonder how your brain works? Leave it to Star Trek on the Brain to explain it all to you. Robert Sekuler and Randolph Blake use the Trek series to explain the electrochemical processes of our brains and how that affects our behavior. Of course they do a little speculating about Klingon and Cardassian brain chemistry, too. Other interesting reads:
The Physics of Star Trek
and The Meaning of Star Trek.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews