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Wiley Pop Culture and History

Star Trek and History

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This is a new guide to the history that informs the world of Star Trek -- just in time for the next JJ Abrams Star Trek movie! For a series set in our future, Star Trek revisits the past constantly. Kirk and Spock battle Nazis, Roman gladiators, and witness the Great Depression. When they're not doubling back on their own earlier timelines, the crew uses the holodeck to spend time in the American Old West or Victorian England. Alien races have their own complex and fascinating histories, too.

The Star Trek universe is a sci-fi imagining of a future world that is rooted in our own human history. Gene Roddenberry created a television show with a new world and new rules in order to comment on social and political issues of the 1960s, from the Vietnam War and race relations to the war on terror and women's rights. Later Star Trek series and films also grapple with the issues of their own decades: HIV, ecological threats, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and terrorism.

How did Uhura spur real-life gender and racial change in the 1960s? Is Kirk inextricably linked with the mythical Old West? What history do the Klingons share with the Soviet Union? Can Nazi Germany shed light on the history and culture of the Cardassians? Star Trek and History explains how the holodeck is as much a source for entertainment as it is a historical teaching tool, how much of the technology we enjoy today had its conceptual roots in "Star Trek," and how by looking at Norse mythology we can find our very own Q. It also features an exclusive interview with Nichelle Nichols, the actress behind the original Lt. Uhura, conducted at the National Air and Space Museum. The book explains the historical inspiration behind many of the show's alien races and storylines. In addition, it covers topics ranging from how stellar cartography dates back to Ancient Rome, Greece, and Babylonia to how our "Great Books" of western literature continue to be an important influence to Star Trek's characters of the future, and it includes a timeline comparing the stardates of Star Trek's timeline to our own real world history.

Filled with fascinating historical comparisons, Star Trek and History is an essential companion for every Star Trek fan.

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

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Nancy R. Reagin

7 books15 followers

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Brian Eshleman.
847 reviews131 followers
December 17, 2019
Well done. Each essay looking at Star Trek from a different angle, say as a reflection of the role of women are the role of technology was just long enough and just deep enough to provoke thought before turning to look at another area of interest.
Profile Image for Sesana.
6,276 reviews329 followers
July 15, 2017
A bit uneven, and a couple of the essays are a stretch to include in this collection, but the interesting ones (comparing the Cardassians to Nazi Germany, for example) are well worth the read.
482 reviews32 followers
August 25, 2018
An Engaging Read

I grew up as a Star Trek kid, a fan but not quite a fanatic. It was the future but like much Science Fiction, built on both present and past. The desire to decode the message behind the stories contributed to my interest in history.

Inside are 21 different individually authored essays, mostly by academic historians(!), some failing to rise above the level of touchstone efforts, listing characters and episode moments gathered around a theme, simple fodder to jog the memory of fans. Yet others connect to the past and enlighten.

Any fan knows that Roddenberry pitched the series as "Wagon Train to the Stars", and can easily see the the desert outposts, mail order brides and Manichean shootouts over homesteading and mining rights. Alice George takes this a further casting Kirk and Spock as latter day Chingachgook and Natty Bumppo (literary ref: Last of the Mohicans). Grappling with the Prime Directive maps into the struggle between civilization "back home" and a "Code of the West", replete with city slickers Nilz Barris, Ambassador Fox and of course Commander Data.

The series certainly provided commentary present day, especially Vietnam, the Cold War, Perestroika (with the Klingons), and confronting terrorism in different forms. Some contributors were highly critical of ST's handling of social roles: Nichelle Nichols did break barriers for people of colour, sometimes simply because she was on screen (and her offscreen role promoting NASA recruitment), but problematically she was often simply a telephone receptionist. Amy Sturgess had some excellent criticism of ST's presentation of indigenous peoples, especially the blandness of Chakotay who, in attempting to represent every native culture, represented none. Similarly there are essays exploring environmentalism, women's roles in society (writer M. G. Dupree complained that Janeway was possibly "the most undersexed command figure in the series" , a "rewriting of ancient Rome's Vestal Virgins"). Yet no-one discussed Sulu, Tuvok or 7 of 9 or the Doctor as emblematic role models.

Noteworthy explorations were by Michael Lewis, Elizabeth Hardy and Mathew Mingus. Lewis' "You're Doing It Wrong" delightfully probes episodes such as "A Piece of the Action", "City on the Edge of Forever", "Assignment Earth", "Bread and Circuses" and finds that the writers, who were immersed in pop culture simply popularized mistaken ideas. For example, in "Piece of the Action" the Iotians base their society on a single book, "Chicago Mobs of the 1930s", yet the mobs were formed as a reaction to government prohibition and on Iotia there was no government. "Bread and Circuses" borrows from Gibbon's 18th century "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" which argued that Christianity's focus on the other worldly led to the loss of focus on present civic virtues, yet historians like Lewis know that the eastern Roman Empire (which we but not they called Byzantium) continued until 1453.

Similarly Hardy does a splendid turn examining how ST uses literature as a scaffolding, particularly ingenious in the Star Trek II with it's dual narrative of A Tale of Two Cities (Kirk) and Moby-Dick (Khan) which in turn carried over from the original episode "Space Seed" which relied on Paradise Lost. Many of the characters have a fondness for antiques, and the series often references Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes and even Borges, both as quotes and as nudging winks to the viewer. Marcus Schulkzke does "History on the Holodeck" which takes us to Robin Hood, Raymond Chandler, and The Three Musketeers. Mingus' essay "Why Star Trek's Cartography is Stellar" takes us where no one has gone before (at least in this volume) by examining the evolution of mapping in the ST universe, from backhanded reference by Kirk to a small room to the huge chamber we see in Voyager, commanded by 7 of 9. Mapping also plays a large role in the plot of Enterprise. In that narrative Archer seeks out maps in order to locate the enemy Xindi, uses maps appropriately to find hiding places that he knows the Xindi do not know, and we are also exposed to temporal maps of the Time Wars. At the same time Mingus ties this back to the importance of maps in European exploration of the oceans and we learn the origin of the term "Captains Log".

Finally "Klingon Going Medieval on You" by Christian Domenic and "Nazis, Cardassians and Other Villians by Amy Carney as a pair make a great capstone to the whole. I had always simply assumed that the Klingons were the Russians, but Domenic shows how their political organization as it was fleshed out became medieval European with ideas of honour and governance referencing Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Empire, as well as feudal Asia and Japan. Carney offers that Cardassians are Nazis with the Bajorans as Jews, but while exploring the underside of that relationship also casts the Founders as Nazis too. In a reversal of fortune when the Cardassians break their allegiance, the Head Founder ordered the complete extermination of the Cardassian race. When her facilitator Weyoun asks "Which ones?" the Founder chilling responds "All of them". In a response worthy of an Eichman, Weyoun replies in a calculated manner "That will take some time." "Then you better start right away." What's missing is a similar piece that considers the Romulans.

Well worth picking up and an easy choice as a gift for the fan or for yourself. Familiarity with the ST cannon is recommended,
Profile Image for Michael.
265 reviews14 followers
September 14, 2020
Published in 2103, _Star Trek and History_ brings together a collection of essays that locate the Star Trek franchise within its cultural, political, and historical context at a time when it was entering its fifth decade. Starting with the original series and progressing through various topical focal points - from international relations to race and gender at home - in ways that deepen our understanding and appreciation for the franchise.

In the original series, for instance, the theme of space as the final frontier built on Jack Kennedy's rhetoric of the New Frontier. Like the Kennedy Camelot story, Star Trek's narrative tapped into familiar mythic understandings of the American West that made the Western genre so popular on the page and on the screen. The overall tenor of the show was optimistic and imbued with an almost Peace Corps like ethos of service. Captain James T. Kirk was a self-assured leader who looked more than a little like JFK. The original series set this precedent for channeling recent history, as well as responding in near real time to rapidly evolving current events. In the course of those three short years of its run, by way of example, the original series witnessed the war in Vietnam deteriorating and popular support eroding. The themes of the series reflected this shift.

This is a book that makes you feel smarter after having read or listened to it. The richness of this volume certainly repays the time listening. I almost wish I had bought the written version, and may yet do so, as it is a great reference for further study.
Profile Image for MasterSal.
2,464 reviews21 followers
August 4, 2019
This is another book which I bought many moons ago which I started about a year ago but had to put aside due to IRL - sheesh.

Despite the sporadic reading I generally enjoyed the 19 essays in this book. I like the pop-history nature and enjoy seeing the inspiration writers found in history and real life. As the book says:

“Star Trek is far from an escapist show - the people behind it actively used the story lines as an arena for exploring contemporary political and social issues, helping to bring some of these to the forefront of mainstream media ...”

The parallels between IRL and our fiction is something I always find fascinating to explore. This isn’t a history book in that you will learn history from it but it does a good job bringing forward the emphasis and drives of the show but also doesn’t shy away from some of the missteps and exclusions.

The essays are grouped in 4 main parts. Most of them I enjoyed, except for Part 3 which dealt with how Star Trek imagined future trends. The chapter on technology was probably the weakest and probably fit in the least with the general theme about how the show mined actual history for its plots and preoccupations.

Overall, an interesting collection - some are better than others but that is true of any collection of essays. Since I enjoyed most of the parts I landed on 4 stars in the end.
Profile Image for Corie Holland.
20 reviews
July 10, 2018
I was excited to merge my love of history and newer obsession with Star Trek. Each chapter was an academic (with various degrees of objectivity) assessment of how Star Trek and history shaped one another. I felt that many of the chapters skimmed over the points they wanted to make- either caught up in summarizing examples from the show or trying to make a wide berth of perspectives fit one thesis. Nonetheless, the array of topics explored are more than I hoped for! All in all, very intriguing, though a bit unsatisfying.

Also, the notes for each chapter appeared at the end. Most were just citation, but the ones that provided extra information would've been nice as footnotes instead. Personal preference, I guess!
Profile Image for Solitudes  .
165 reviews8 followers
March 23, 2021
a really interesting book, especially for ST die hard fans, but also for the general public. it's fascinating to see how the world changed because of ST and how ST changed because of the world. Really interesting to see subjects as Borg versus Facebook or a historical parallel between Data and our own cybernetic and robotic history or the tremendous impact that Nichelle Nichols have had on NASA and their space programs.
I really enjoyed this book and i am strongly recommend it.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
12.9k reviews483 followers
not-in-pima-okc-wi-but-want
November 8, 2022
on PBS wishlist
Profile Image for Derek Allen.
91 reviews4 followers
July 18, 2018
This book has all the reasons I like Star Trek I'm just saying. They hit on the Kirk character so well. But it is the next segment that I love the best, was all about the Uhura character and Ms. Nichelle Nichols. Just an amazing story that I don't mind hearing over and over again.
Profile Image for Aaron.
1,971 reviews61 followers
January 24, 2014
This is a collection of academic-level essays that take a look at history in its connections to Star Trek. Some focus on how Star Trek presents real history through analogous storytelling or even actual time travel while others focus on how the storytelling and characters represents the history that was being made at the same time each of the series were being created. There are even some essays that focus on history from the Trekverse. The result is very good for anyone who is a fan of the franchise and love history as well.

There are essays on the following topics:
* The original series connections to classic Westerns
* The effect of Uhura/Nichelle Nichols on diverse recruitment for NASA
* History of medicine
* A look at the Q through the series
* Klingon history and their parallels with the Soviet Union and other American enemy states
* Various representations of Vietnam in Trek
* The presentation of native peoples in the Trekverse
* Terrorism
* The constant inclusion of classic literary analogies throughout Trek stroytelling
* How some Trek tech has become today's reality
* The presentation of Earth history through various holodeck experiences
* The importance maps and cartography to Trek and history
* The presentation of species extinction is used as plot devices in Trek
* Vulcan history
* How the roles of women have changed through the various series as gender equality has improved over the decades (Which was actually the topic of a paper I wrote for a sexual psychology course as an undergrad)
* Comparing Klingon culture with Medieval history/culture
* Comparing Cardassians and Nazis
* The role Star Trek played in influencing other visual entertainment through the years.

This was definitely worth the read for me. I tend to like these books. They really get fans of various franchises to think a little deeper about popular culture and how it affects us while also reflecting us. A lot of the information about Star Trek itself is not all that new, particularly for fans, but it is really fun to see people connect Star Trek to history in ways I may or may not have considered before.
Profile Image for Caroline.
719 reviews154 followers
December 6, 2013
One of the defining characteristics of Star Trek, through all of its various incarnations, has always been the way it used its futuristic setting to shed light on the events of humanity's past and present, to use allegory and parallels to tell stories that were alien enough to be entertaining but sufficiently recognisable enough to teach something about our own lives and cultures and history. Whether it was Kirk, Spock and McCoy visiting planets whose culture was modelled on the Chicago gangs of the 1920s or Nazi Germany, or the optimistic diverse and integrated society heralded by the presence of an African-American woman, a Russian and a Japanese man on the bridge, Star Trek always had something to say that was relevant to its audience, whether that audience was watching in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, or right up to today.

This collection of essays explores a variety of historical aspects of Star Trek, discussing elements from all five television series and all the movies, including the 2009 reboot. The essays range from discussions about Star Trek as a sci-fi Western, exploring the Vietnam War in four TOS episodes, the depiction of Native Americans in Star Trek's Federation of Planets, the role of classic literature, the depiction of historical settings on the holodeck, the casting of the Klingons as the Soviets and the Cardassians as the Nazis.

Some of the essays seemed a little out of place, and I couldn't really see how they quite fitted into an anthology about Star Trek and history - the essay on technology, for instance, or the portrayal of women in Star Trek. Interesting topics, but the historical connections were, for me, tenuous. Still, it was a light, entertaining read, although few of the essays really contributed anything especially philosophical, thought-provoking or unfamiliar.
Profile Image for Paul Lunger.
1,317 reviews7 followers
April 5, 2013
"Star Trek and History" is a collection of 19 essays that cover all 6 series & to be 12 motion pictures. In each essay, the authors take various aspects of the Star Trek universe & deconstruct them in their historical perspective & also even look at alternate timelines. Each author brings a somewhat unique if not unbiased on occasion viewpoint to the topics of race, technology & figures in history as everything created is explained allegorically in a way that is something not seen before in this universe. The book itself has no formal ties into the franchise & is geared toward just about anyone from the historian to the fan to the downright curious. Overall this is a well researched & very interesting look at Star Trek from a point of view not often seen.
Profile Image for Gilda Felt.
741 reviews10 followers
April 21, 2014
I don't usually read Star Trek books anymore. After so many years, it's hard not to think that there's not anything left to learn, not anything you haven't read a dozen times before in other Star Trek books. So when a friend offered to lend me this one, I almost said no. I'm glad I didn't, because its many essays contains some new and interesting takes on the roll of history in Star Trek. From the changing face of war, to the roll of women, it has something for everyone.
Profile Image for Samantha.
29 reviews1 follower
February 28, 2014
I found this to be a nice, varied collection of essays on not only the characters from all of the series and movies, but also offers interesting perspectives on different tropes, such as "The Good Country Doctor" and "The Frontiersman". I was especially taken with the essay on Lt. Uhura's role, not just in the show itself, but in the history of civil rights.

If you like a bit of history and trope analyzing with your Star Trek, I would definitely recommend this book.
176 reviews3 followers
March 12, 2019
I loved the concept of this book when I decided to sit down and read it, which probably sold 4 out of 5 of the stars I gave it. The fifth star came from the essays, though not all lived up to one another’s level of analyses, like the essay on Star Trek’s commentary on Vietnam, the analysis of Klingon’s as Soviet Union stand-ins and Cardassians as Nazis, and the examination of Vulcan history. It inspired me to write my own essay on Star Trek, which I might just do for the hell of it.
Profile Image for Janice Liedl.
Author 3 books18 followers
April 12, 2013
Great stuff! I can't pick one favourite chapter but I will highlight the joy I had in Margaret Weitekamp's exploration of the character of Uhura, several chapters on different aspects of the Klingons and Alan Kistler's delicious piece about Q.

Whatever Star Trek series or show is your favourite, this volume has something for you to treasure.
Profile Image for Kathy .
1,181 reviews6 followers
July 12, 2016
I AM NOT A TREKKIE, but I am a fairly knowledgeable fan, so of course I enjoyed reading about my favorite franchise. In several instances, however, I was metaphorically shaking my head at a few of the writers who take the multiple series entirely too seriously. It's fiction, folks, no matter how much (and that's very much) it has affected our culture.
Profile Image for Sandy Voegtlen.
418 reviews4 followers
July 29, 2013
A majority eof this was dry as tomb dust. I finished, but there were many times I wished I'd never begun.
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