Star Wreck: The Generation Gap

Star Wreck #1

by Leah Rewolinski

He's Starfreak Command's elder statesman, back in action after an eighty-year retirement with his old crew, "the galaxy's original well-balanced, multi-ethnic, equal opportunity team." How do they stay alive? It's all thanks to Mr. Smock's discovery of that life-giving substance - yogurt!

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Humor, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Media Tie In, Comedy

117 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amusing parody of both the Original series and TNG -- specifically targeting all of the same things that critics have harped on over the years: Kirk's libido, Riker's uselessness, Picard's exaggerated egalitarianism, and the overuse of jargon and pseudotechnology. Not a bad way to kill a couple of hours.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captain Jim Smirk forces his crew aboard the 'U.S.S Endocrine', threatening to sell his shares in Starfreak if Captain Jean-Lucy Ricardo doesn't welcome him with open arms. Their clashing command styles cause mayhem on an alien planet which threatens to destroy the galaxy.

Rewolinski's short parody novel is quite clever, spoofing not just 'Star Trek' but many other SF mainstays.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is an awesome parody of Star Trek and a must read for any fans.

In the first installment, the "old" crew of the U.S.S. Endocrine is coming aboard the "new" U.S.S. Endocrine, creating all sorts of tension...and two officers for each position. It puts Captain Smirk at odds with Captain Ricardo (Jean Lucy Ricardo).

The book has some very clever illustrations that enhance it. The names given to the characters are also very clever.

In case you were wondering why there's a cup on top of the ship, it is a "saucer" section (get it?).

[Phillip · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is basically a MAD magazine TOS/TNG spoof in narrative form. It's mostly amusing, but not as great. There are fat jokes that sound like they came from 1983, so it doesn't really work as well. The writer certainly tries to spoof all the TNG (season two!) and TOS characters in their own way. It's a quick read, so it does it's job. Not great, but a Trekkie should crack a smile or two.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just can't resist parodies...

[Reesha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I was looking forward to this one, thought it would be a barrel of laughs à la Galaxy Quest or Lower Decks. Not so. It starts out a little silly, tries but fails to be clever, then falls flat on its face and spends the rest of the 106 pages dragging the reader through the mud along with it.

The entire premise of the novel is to give existing characters slightly sillier versions of their names, then spend the entire "plot" (word used loosely) punching down ad nauseum on people struggling with their weight.

I think I got... maybe one very slight chuckle out of the whole thing? (Worf's "comfortable" bed.) Jeez, I hope the others in the series are better than this mess!

[JC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely fun. Definitely tongue in cheek. Not extremely well written, but still humorous.

[Joel Everett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very silly book that is a fun parody of Star Trek the Original Series, and the Next Generation. Enjoyed these as a kid, and now enjoying them as an easy quick read for some laughs.

[Alanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I don’t choose books, I just end up with them. This is one of those. This is basically a cross between Star Trek and “Kill The Farm Boy”, with a result a little like Spaceballs.

[Jack Doud · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't particularly witty or even funny. Somehow there's a bunch more book in the series so someone must have bought them. At least they're short.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very clever and fun book. It actually allows us to see the much wanted interaction between the original and Next Generation Star Trek crews on a level that we never have before. While it is totally absurd, it actually mirors the characters and concepts so well, that it almost reads like a real Star Trek story in some ways. The speach patterns of the characters are perfectly mirrored even though they are saying rediculous things. It deftly points out the differences of the two series and goes for their flaws. It is a humore akin to Mad Magazine and Weird Al Yankovic both in their heyday of the 80s. This does bring up the issue of datedness. It clearly came out around Next Gen's second season. The whole concept of these two crews meeting may be dated to many also, but for old school fans, it is perfect. It catches the Trek-mania of the late eaighties and very early nineties. The story is mostly focused around eighties dieting culture, which is a great source of ridicule. Like pretty much all parodies, it has a tendency to get kind of stupid and drawn out, but it is a very quick read. It also is a kind of fun and humour that should appeal to Hitchhiker's fans, but it is not nearly as dark, mind-breaking, and confusing, or packed with philosohical agenda. I actually didn't know that these books existed until I found them at a thrift store and had to grab them. They deserve more recognition among Trek fans. I am looking forward to book 2.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

This might be the worst book I've ever read cover to cover. Enough humour to get me to pick it up again and short enough (small enough time investment) to make it worth while. I'm sure a truer trekkie would get more from it then I did.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun parody on a long time, and much loved by me, sci-fi series. A cheesy goof-filled romp through the galaxy with two crews of the Endocrine!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haha interesting

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Cary Spratt · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has a few amusing moments, but not as good as 'Bored of the Rings'.