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Star Trek: Redshirt's Little Book of Doom
Star Trek: Redshirt's Little Book of Doom casts a wry, satirical, and reverential eye on one of the most popular and well-loved television and film franchises of all time.
It’s common knowledge that if a Star Trek character is wearing a red shirt, chances are he’s going to die. But there are so many other ways red shirt-wearers can be humiliated. By mining the humorous depths of Star Trek's most popular in-jokes—that anyone wearing a red shirt is doomed—this book chronicles the many ways one Starfleet officer's day can be ruined.
Poor Red Shirt just can’t catch a break. Whether he's dealing with real-life problems we all face like accidentally mixing whites with colors or being stuck sitting behind a very tall Gorn in a movie theater or trying out a standup comedy routine in front of an audience of surly Klingons, our hapless hero faces a universe-sized number of obstacles.
Featuring hilarious illustrations and witty gags that both pop culture fans and Star Trek fans will adore, Star Trek: Redshirt's Little Book of Doom is a fresh new take on one of the most beloved sci-fi sagas of all time.
It’s common knowledge that if a Star Trek character is wearing a red shirt, chances are he’s going to die. But there are so many other ways red shirt-wearers can be humiliated. By mining the humorous depths of Star Trek's most popular in-jokes—that anyone wearing a red shirt is doomed—this book chronicles the many ways one Starfleet officer's day can be ruined.
Poor Red Shirt just can’t catch a break. Whether he's dealing with real-life problems we all face like accidentally mixing whites with colors or being stuck sitting behind a very tall Gorn in a movie theater or trying out a standup comedy routine in front of an audience of surly Klingons, our hapless hero faces a universe-sized number of obstacles.
Featuring hilarious illustrations and witty gags that both pop culture fans and Star Trek fans will adore, Star Trek: Redshirt's Little Book of Doom is a fresh new take on one of the most beloved sci-fi sagas of all time.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2016
375 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 18, 2026
Redshirts always get the worst of it 'where no man has gone before!' This book looks at the cosmically existential 'culling' that happens to all redshirts - (except Uhura) - I would really try to find another job as I went on the 'boldly' mapped out adventures that always seem to happen! Fun read!
November 5, 2016
I don't think this counts as "reading" but mother of god. IT'S SO FUNNY. I won't regret buying this ever. Also Kirk (and Sulu and Chekov) is a jerk. Uhura is so cute! I really love this.
March 30, 2021
I loved this little cartoon book. Many laugh out loud moments and a lot of cool illustrations. Very enjoyable.
February 21, 2019
It is a long-running gag that those wearing red shirts in the original Star Trek series were fated to end in a bad way. This picture book takes the motif and runs with it while throwing in a bit of satire and no shortage of Easter eggs for fans of the original series and movies. Each of the pages in the book is a short comic that highlights how poor Redshirt is not always going to end up dead, but he does find himself in awkward and embarrassing situations.
The illustrations in this volume are fun and cute. They nicely offset the somewhat dark satire that is at the core of the concept. It will be difficult for readers to not at least smile while flipping through the book.
The illustrations in this volume are fun and cute. They nicely offset the somewhat dark satire that is at the core of the concept. It will be difficult for readers to not at least smile while flipping through the book.
August 3, 2016
Cute. Approx 50 illustrations chronicling the mishaps of Redshirt. Many of them Star-Trek themed, but not all. It takes about 10 minutes to look through. It will definitely help if you are Star-Trek literate.
March 15, 2017
An absolute hoot! This would make an excellent gift for any Trekkie .
February 6, 2017
This was a gift from my sister-in-law, Erica, for my 33rd birthday...and it was perfect! I got a lot of laughs out of it! The writer and illustrator found a great comedic mix. The scenarios with the ill-fated red-shirt "protagonist" were either invented or recalled classic episodes of TOS where a bungling red shirt could have completely ruined everything if he'd been there! I won't reveal the actual joke, but my FAVORITE one (the one that made me slap my hand against my head laughing), has the look of a newspaper headline to it! When you see it, TOS fans, you'll be like, "OMG!"
Anyway, thanks, sis! Proud to have this goofy book as part of my collection. There were a few (probably too many) references I couldn't quite recall, so the book has also inspired me to rewatch TOS. Looking forward to reliving it!
Anyway, thanks, sis! Proud to have this goofy book as part of my collection. There were a few (probably too many) references I couldn't quite recall, so the book has also inspired me to rewatch TOS. Looking forward to reliving it!
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August 30, 2016This book was really, really lame.
In the words of Mike Judge via Butthead, "This sucks more than anything has every sucked before."
I read it with a completely straight face, waiting for some jokes that never came.
The acquisitions librarian who purchased this should apologize to the taxpayers, then commit ritual seppuka before he or she does anything like it again.
Does the author have no friends to tell him it was not funny? Was the editorial staff brain dead?
If they publish this, what is next? A dead rat with Star Trek on it?
In the words of Mike Judge via Butthead, "This sucks more than anything has every sucked before."
I read it with a completely straight face, waiting for some jokes that never came.
The acquisitions librarian who purchased this should apologize to the taxpayers, then commit ritual seppuka before he or she does anything like it again.
Does the author have no friends to tell him it was not funny? Was the editorial staff brain dead?
If they publish this, what is next? A dead rat with Star Trek on it?
November 11, 2018
This book is adorable! Highly recommended for the Trekkie in your life.
The review on my blog: https://readwhatilike.com/2018/11/10/...
The review on my blog: https://readwhatilike.com/2018/11/10/...
June 10, 2019
It never ends well for the redshirts in Star Trek. This book shows ways life goes wrong for redshirts. This was a cute read for any Star Trek fan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2019
A fun kid's book for Trekkies of all ages.
March 11, 2022
Oh. My. Spock. This is truly one of THE funniest written-to-be-funny collections of Star Trek memorabilia in the history of ever. There are definitely some references you won’t get unless you’re up on your (vintage) pop culture knowledge (the cover, for instance, is a nod to Cary Grant’s famous scene in Hitchcock’s 1959 film North by Northwest) AND it will require you to know the original series of Star Trek backwards and forwards (but, then, why would you read this if you weren’t THAT much of a fan anyway??).
It’s literally taken me longer to write this review than it did to read it. If you love original series ST and want a laugh, pick this up somewhere and try and put it down before the last page, JUST TRY! (I failed, in true redshirt style.)
It’s literally taken me longer to write this review than it did to read it. If you love original series ST and want a laugh, pick this up somewhere and try and put it down before the last page, JUST TRY! (I failed, in true redshirt style.)
January 2, 2017
I wanted to like this more than I did. Unfortunately, while a few panels really work, a lot of it doesn't. It's scattered and somewhat haphazard, with few jokes actually being about what happens to red shirts, and many of them barely even being about Star Trek.
September 22, 2021
Any Star Trek fan will appreciate this book highlighting the day to day perils of the "red shirt". Fun, quick read.
My Rating System:
* not worth finishing, ** would not recommend, *** would recommend, **** would highly recommend, ***** have/would read again.
My Rating System:
* not worth finishing, ** would not recommend, *** would recommend, **** would highly recommend, ***** have/would read again.
June 1, 2019
Fun artwork but I didn't find the situations the red shirt found himself in all that funny.
January 21, 2021
kinda cute
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2022
A ten minute read. Not all that funny.
June 24, 2022
Sometimes it just doesn't pay to get out of bed and pull on your red shirt . . .
May 13, 2023
Silly, short book. It made me laugh.
April 19, 2024
It was okay
December 22, 2024
Hahaha - amazing how many pop-culture and ST:OS references are packed into this tiny book. Very fun for a Trek fan, however, there are plenty of general gags for non-Trek fans to enjoy as well.
December 22, 2024
Too silly.
July 15, 2025
You have to be a true fan to appreciate the jokes, otherwise you will not get them.
If you are a true fan you will get the jokes and realize how weak they are.
If you are a true fan you will get the jokes and realize how weak they are.
June 13, 2017
Join hapless Redshirt as he encounters Khan, tribbles, the Gorn, and the perils of laundry day.
While I liked Fun with Kirk and Spock a bit better, this is still an enjoyable little book that has grown on me. Any fan of Star Trek: The Original Series is likely to get at least a few chuckles out of it.
While I liked Fun with Kirk and Spock a bit better, this is still an enjoyable little book that has grown on me. Any fan of Star Trek: The Original Series is likely to get at least a few chuckles out of it.
August 25, 2016
This was cute but I thought that it could have been funnier. I was expecting funnier. There was stuff in there that only a Star Trek fan could appreciate.
August 2, 2016
Very funny, only a few of the comic vignettes could have been culled for lack of humor. The Clue one was a favorite.
April 29, 2017
* I rated this book 5 stars originally right after I had read it. I have since changed that rating to 3 stars. If you have no idea what the stars mean please check out my review policy page at the top. Below is an in-depth explanation of the new rating.
Overall I found this to be an adorable little comic book. But honestly, it kinda felt lame. Our fearless red shirt is a tempting to do laundry one day and encounters all the interesting characters and species we love from Star Trek, such as Khan, tribbles, and the Gorn. There is some conversation with Spock and poking fun at Kick but overall... it was just kinda boring.
The art was incredible and there were approximately 50 or so illustrations. It is a small square book and the illustrations filled up the entire page, which helped create some interest.
I am a big fan of Star Trek and I just expected more out of this little book. I think other fans might be disappointed in this one. I did have a few laughs and it was entertaining for a short while. Unfortunately it was completely unmemorable. I like graphic novels and comics that force me to want to go back and re-read them. The detail is so incredible you miss parts and have to really soak in the content. This was probably a once and done book sad to say.
Disclaimer: I received this book from Insight Editions in exchange for my honest and completely unbiased review. All thoughts are my own.
Overall I found this to be an adorable little comic book. But honestly, it kinda felt lame. Our fearless red shirt is a tempting to do laundry one day and encounters all the interesting characters and species we love from Star Trek, such as Khan, tribbles, and the Gorn. There is some conversation with Spock and poking fun at Kick but overall... it was just kinda boring.
The art was incredible and there were approximately 50 or so illustrations. It is a small square book and the illustrations filled up the entire page, which helped create some interest.
I am a big fan of Star Trek and I just expected more out of this little book. I think other fans might be disappointed in this one. I did have a few laughs and it was entertaining for a short while. Unfortunately it was completely unmemorable. I like graphic novels and comics that force me to want to go back and re-read them. The detail is so incredible you miss parts and have to really soak in the content. This was probably a once and done book sad to say.
Disclaimer: I received this book from Insight Editions in exchange for my honest and completely unbiased review. All thoughts are my own.
January 2, 2017
This one was not nearly as funny as Fun with Kirk and Spock.
August 9, 2016
Such potential....but it didn't really do anything for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews