The Star Trek Book

Big Ideas Simply Explained

by Paul Ruditis

To boldly expand your Star Trek horizons.

Re-engage! The new edition of The Star Trek Book takes readers even further into one of the greatest science fiction universes ever created. This unique, insightful, and comprehensive examination of an enduring, much loved franchise features every era of Star Trek in one volume, from the pioneering 1960s TV series to the latest movies and streaming shows, including Star Trek: Beyond, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Short Trek.

Written by Star Trek experts, this book is packed with stunning film and TV stills, illuminating infographics, and incisive, specially curated essays that unlock the mysteries of the ever-expanding Star Trek Universe. From new and legendary heroes such as James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, and Michael Burnham to iconic villains like Khan, Q, and the Borg, to fascinating alien species like the Vulcans, Klingons, and Ferengi, this book explores the central characters, technology, civilizations, and events that have shaped the complex, epic story of Star Trek.

Resistance is futile. This is the (star) trek of a lifetime you don't want to miss!

TM & (c) 2020 CBS Studios Inc. (c) 2020 Paramount Pictures Corp.
STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Reference, Media Tie In, Fandom, Science Fiction Fantasy, Tv

864 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2016

About the author

Paul Ruditis also writes under the name P.J. Ruditis.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia where I lived a typical childhood with a far more interesting fantasy life. I mean, how many other eight year olds were sticking their Star Wars action figures in Ziploc bags filled with water and putting them in the freezer to recreate the ice planet of Hoth? (Really? That many? Never mind.)

After college, I moved to Los Angeles and was very lucky to get a job as a page at Paramount Pictures only months after I got into town. I worked as a tour guide and usher, and I performed temp office work around the lot.
Eventually, I took a position working in the studio's licensing department where I quickly worked my way up to middle management.

After a while, one of my friends in the publishing industry offered me the opportunity to write a Buffy, The Vampire Slayer short story for a collection she was editing. Well, when I heard how little money I could make as a writer, I immediately quit my job to try it full time. (Stupid, I know, but it kind of worked for me.)

I started out by writing books based on such wonderful TV shows as Star Trek, Roswell, and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. I have since written over 30 books based some of the best shows on TV, adding The West Wing, Alias, and Prison Break to that ever growing list.

While I continue to work on these media tie-ins, I have also been focused more on my own original fiction, including my teen series DRAMA! and the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy Love, Hollywood Style.

- Abridged Bio - Official Website.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best "Star Trek" reference book so far!!!


REFERENCE BOOKS... THE FINAL FRONTIER

I have an absurd quantity of Star Trek reference books, and while of course, I haven't them all, I think that I can be so boldly to tell that this reference book is without a doubt the best and coolest reference book about Star Trek so far (2018).

Reference books about active media franchises, obviously are almost outdated at the moment of publication, but in defense of this one in particular, since it was published in 2016, it contains since the first Original Series until the film Star Trek: Into Darkness soooo...

...at this particular moment, it only lacks the info about the movie Star Trek Beyond and the first season of Star Trek: Discovery...

...true, it isn't complete, but at this moment, certainly is the most complete reference material that you can find printed on paper...

...and since it's a DK Publishing book, also you can buy it in a quite accessible price, taking in account that it's a hardcover (including dust cover) edition, with prestige paper, in full color each page!


BEAM ME UP!

An interesting (and quite logical) thing that it was done in this reference book was that they accomodate the info in a "chronological" order, inside of the fiction of the franchise, I mean that since Star Trek: Enterprise is a prequel to the Original Series, you find first the information about Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew before of the exploits of Captain James T. Kirk, and so on.

When they touched a topic or event related to the "Kelvin Timeline" (Abramsverse), they counted how it happened in the original timeline and right after how those same events unfolded in the other timeline, to have a full scope of both parallel universes.

You find first a chapter, recounting of how the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet were formed, along with the key alien races involved in the consolidation of those organizations, along with key situations like the Mirror Universe and the Kelvin Timeline.

Then, you'll have a following chapter offering dossiers of each Starfleet crewmember of each TV series, along with the starships and/or station (sadly with some omissions like Saavik and Ro Laren (oh well, nothing is perfect)).

Third chapter you read about villains of the franchise along with their allies, and including pivotal space battles and wars, like Khaaaaaan!, the Klingons, the Romulans, the Cardassians, the Dominion, the Borg, the Species 8472, the Bajorans, the Ferengi, etc... along with the Battle of Wolf 359, the Earth-Romulan War, the Dominion War, etc...

Fourth chapter is dedicated to the futuristic (and many times, visionary) technology used on the franchise, Warp engines, transporters, communicators, universal translator, holodecks, phasers, cloaking device, etc...

Finally, a chapter about certain aliens that aren't quite "normal" and/or isn't easy to fit them as friends or foes of the Federation, like "Q", the the Talosians, the Metrons, the Prophets, the Nacene, the Guardian of Forever, etc...

In each chapter, each topic counts with fulll color photos along with text boxes, quotes, and even exclusive diagrams.

Moreover, you'll find a glossary explaining of that technobabble that you get to love when you become a Trekker.

This is a must-have book for any Trekker and a wonderful piece for any new fan interested to know the past history of the iconic sci-fi franchise.

Engage!

[Gerhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw a recent comment on Twitter wondering why all of Star Trek is so Federation-centric. Why can’t we get a show told from the viewpoint of another member alien species? Or just generally be more representative? In terms of the latter, I do think a show like Discovery is light years ahead of most SF programming out there in pushing the envelope. Though I have to say my favourite of the latest incarnations is Lower Decks, which is meta enough to give Trekkies multiple orgasms, but still watchable enough for the average viewer to enjoy.

This updated edition of ‘The Star Trek Book’ does take all of the above shows into account, and even references some of those still in production. There is no doubt that Star Trek has really entered a Golden Age of quality television. (I am currently rewatching The Next Generation, and it still astonishes me how awful or just plain bad that show so often was – how it made it to seven seasons is something like a miracle. But then it did result in Deep Space Nine, of course.)

At the moment I think we are standing on 800 television episodes and movies, spanning an incredible 55 years. What I especially appreciate about Star Trek is how integral all of the spin-off novel series have been in expanding on this rich heritage. Both Discovery and Picard have launched highly entertaining and well-written novel spin-offs to date.

A lot of the ‘New Canon’ Star Wars books, on the other hand, seem kind of tacked on. Thinking about Star Wars, ‘The Star Trek Book’ makes a wonderfully detailed argument for how much better science fiction it is than Star Wars has ever been, or could even aspire to being. This is probably mainly due to Gene Roddenberry’s careful and detailed elaboration of the Star Trek set-up from the get-go.

Of course, there is nothing against being a fan of both, as I am, especially as both Star Wars and Star Trek can be enjoyed on so many different levels and for so many different reasons.

My favourite headline here has to be: ‘Holding a Grudge’ (which refers to Book’s cat from Discovery.)

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even for a hardcore fan like myself, who has basically every fact from every series and film in the Star Trek universe memorized, The Star Trek Book nonetheless will have a place on my bookshelf. Beautifully laid out and featuring gorgeous full-color photos and illustrations, this book is perfect for the newbie to Star Trek, as well as the more seasoned fans. A few years ago, a friend of mine who had seen the 2009 Star Trek film wanted to get into the rest of the Trek universe. I gave her a copy of Star Trek 101 by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block. While I still really like that book, I think that if it were around at the time, I would have included The Star Trek Book as well. The overview of the Star Trek universe that it provides is simply unparalleled. A great gift for trekkies, trekkers, and trek-curious alike!

Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2016/07/t...

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a small book, the team at DK have again managed to fit in a lot of detail.
Covering the Original Series from the 1960s up to the most recent Scott Bakula lead Enterprise TV series along with the 10 motion pictures and the JJ Abrams reboots they're all here.
Full of detail and pictures this is a must have for any Star Trek fan, or anyone new to the wonderful Star Trek universe seeking to get background on the rich diversity that the last 50 years has brought from this high quality franchise.

[Olga Pogynaiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Красива ілюстрована книжка для фанатів Star Trek. Покриває всі сезони від оригінального Серіалу до фільмів уже з "часової лінії Кельвіна"- до 2016 року. Відповідно, не покриває (бо видана раніше) "Діскавері" і "Пікар". Формат енциклопедії означає, що розказує про все, але поверхово.
Читати якщо ви фанат Star Trek і вам для чогось треба нагадати собі все, що там відбувалося 🖖

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a single book, Ruditis has done a nice job of updating and merging the former Star Trek Timeline and Star Trek Encyclopedia books in a single volume. Each chapter presents information with a macropedia format that pulls together information from all of the various series and movies that have come out to date. While this does mean that most of the information is not new, it is a refreshing and interesting format to access the information. It really does fill a niche as the above mentioned titles are far out of date, missing information from most recent incarnations of Trek.

The entries are definitely more general in presentation, but they are presented more in a general narrative format that being single micropedia entries as seen in the Star Trek Encyclopedia. In some ways, this makes for much easier reading even if it doesn't include as much fine detail.

This is definitely a must read for fans, and it could probably be helpful for anyone reading up to prepare for the new online series being prepared to air on CBS streaming service next spring.

[Doram Jacoby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book on offer so haven't spent much and still I find myself disappointed.

Firstly, the book should be read as a small encyclopedia and not read through as a novel.
It is full of repetitions and repeats from other subjects and sometimes repeats within the same chapter/ subject.

Secondly, I'm not sure about the audience this book is targeting.
If it's meant for long time fans of the show than it's really too superficial to be interesting.
If it's meant for new fans who want to learn more than it's full of major spoilers that are not interesting or relevant out of context.
They'll be better off watching the source.

Thirdly, It's not very well written, has more than a few small inaccuracies and is written like small summaries of the TV episodes/ films and not as if written historically from the future, as it claims.

It's not an awful book but there are much better ones.

[Xian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una clara y concisa mini enciclopedia de todo lo referente al universo Star Trek.

[Shelley Diamond · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a bit strange to read or even just look at this book because it doesn't present the material as information about episodes in a number of different TV series. It is all presented as facts about events that did happen and people who did exist. It acts as if this is a history book about real people and places.

It does have the episodes listed in tiny print in an index in the back of the book, but what I wanted was a more in-depth look at each episode. The main characters in each series each get just a two page profile, which seemed too short. The photos were good. I think this book is for serious geeks who want to pretend it was all real...

The main good thing about the book is that it shows the vast range of adventures that were explored and amazing diversity of the characters and situations. Genuine creativity and imaginative power on display....

[Ray Smillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of the updated version from this year, 2021, and I love it. Being a fan of Star Trek since the 60s, I rarely get the chance to see it on cooncul telly these days some of this is new to me, or just forgotten in the mists of time. Did laugh at one review who moaned that it was like an encyclopedia and not a novel. I think it is fairly obvious that it is an encyclopedia of the world of the best television/ film sci-fi ever.

[Janna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, fact-filled guide to all species, technologies and history in the Star Trek universe. A great book for Trek fans and those interested in learning more about it.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely cracking book, so full of information. Works through in a timeline, and covers craft, events, and characters. In depth, much more than a usual DK release.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall good book outlining the Star Trek universe. Very detailed and includes the alternative timeline encompassing the JJ Abrams movie. However, the Star Trek Compendium is better, although it was written 20 years ago so it doesn't include anything recent.

After reading it I wanted to go back and re-watch all the old DS9 and Voyager eps. I had forgot How much I enjoyed those stories and characters.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history of the Federation and its allies and intergalactic neighbours, along with profiles of some of Starfleet's greatest luminaries.

An in universe guide to 'Star Trek' (with some author admitted cheats to get material from 'Discovery' into the book). Well written and some excellent photographs makes this a fun read.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great. I even learned things I did not know about the myriad Star Trek episodes.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explore the STAR TREK universe.

Discover how the dream became a reality with the founding of the United Federation of Planets. Explore the worlds of the Federation. Wander through alternative realities.

Delve into the history of Starfleet. Revisit the Enterprise, her captains, her crews. Identify both ally and enemy: the Bajorans, the Ferengi, the Maquis, the Xindi, the Orions. Khan Noonien Singh. The Gorn. The Klingon Empire. The Romulan Star Empire. The Cardassian Union. The Dominion. Elim Garak. Dukat. The Borg Collective.

Explore the science and technology, including warp drive, transporters, holographic technology, phasers, communicators, tricorders, cloaking devices. Look at New Life and New Civilizations. Tholians. The QQ Continuum. The Talosians. The Traveler. The Nacene and the Caretaker. The Prophets. The Pan-Wraiths. The Guardian of Forever. V’Ger. Tribbles.

Travel into the unknown, into the far-distant future . . . where no one has gone before.

=========

This revised, updated edition gives readers a look at STAR TREK from the original series through the newest movies and streaming shows, including “Star Trek: Beyond,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Star Trek: Picard,” and “Star Trek: Short Trek.” In the pages of this book, readers can explore The Final Frontier, Starfleet, Federation Allies and Enemies, Science and Technology, and New Life and New Civilizations.

This comprehensive guide begins with the key concepts of the series, looks at the well-known characters, and discusses the events and moments that defined . . . and continue to define . . . the STAR TREK universe. Graphics, illustrations, photographs, quotes, stills, and props all play a part in telling the extraordinary adventures in the final frontier.

Included: a Glossary; a complete listing for each of the television series; the movies.

Highly recommended.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overwhelming, and still insufficient. Repetitive, because, for example, we learn the story of the Ocampa when we meet Kes, when we meet the Caretaker, and bits of it in other Voyager articles, etc. Index incomplete. Timelines very much not to scale (with no indication thereof)... very hard to read even though they could communicate a lot very clearly if done right.

But still, when (if) I ever get more seriously into Enterprise, Voyager and DS9 I'll have a better grounding of what's going on. And if by any chance I ever get into the Kelvin timeline stories, I might have a clue.

I'd still be curious to read a narrative future history of the Federation and the heroes of Starfleet.

However, my very favorite tv series are the first two, the ones firmly grounded in Roddenberry's vision, and stopping with those might be enough for me. Although, the newest *Strange New Worlds* (season two upcoming as of June 2023?) looks interesting. Comments welcome if anyone is watching that. I haven't watched tv in decades, but I might try to find those.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting Star Trek reference book - it covers The Original Series all the way to the Kelvin Universe (so nothing about the newer TV series of Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, etc.). This isn't like the older Star Trek encyclopedia - but it is a series of entries of all the series, their respective main characters, and then entries about alien species and technology. I know this is an analog reference book - in comparison to Memory Alpha online - but I went back and forth about whether its nice to have something on the shelf to look through versus just looking it up online. I don't know if I have an answer - but I did enjoy the information in this book. As a Star Trek nerd, podcasting about it for years and years, I knew most of it - but there was some specific information it was nice to have in a reference material. So I think this is definitely a good product, and any Star Trek fan should appreciate playing with this.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise…”

I grew up hearing these words. When I was a kid, I liked the show. Now that I am an adult, I have better love for the show. In fact, I would go as far as to say I am crazy for it. This is one book I have been wanting for a long time. This year, for my birthday, my sister got it for me.

If you are a fan of: Star Trek: The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, or Enterprise, then this is the book for you. It does not cover EVERY single episode, nor does it claim to, but you do get the technology, the alien races, the ships, the crew, everything you need to know about the final frontier!

The photography shared in this book is exquisite. The text is concise and clear. This book is a Star Trek lovers dream, and from what I understand, Volume 2 is underway.

I give it 5 out of 5 bookmarks.

[Terynce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I learned anything after finishing this book. Normally, even with books I dislike, I learn something new or have some positive takeaway. The pictures were nice, but there really wasn't any new information. I expected to gain some additional knowledge about something, but that didn't happen. There was a graphic showing the split in the timeline that then compared the two. That helped visualize some of the differences, but I think most dedicated fans already understood those events.

Imagine the depth of the Star Trek universe and the time it encompasses. Now, distill that to 300 pages. Info is necessarily shallow. I don't recall any one topic receiving more than 4 pages. Four pages to depict Klingons. Four pages for Vulcans. Maybe two for Picard.

If you are more than a causal fan, you probably don't need to read this.

[Meaningless · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't have much experience with Star Trek. My memory of this series has largely been from The Big Bang Theory I watched as a kid to as a teenager. I chose to read this book to understand more about our culture and how modern technologies and science have been shaped from this franchise. After reading this book, this personal cultural study has been answered sufficiently!

Enjoyable read! I loved learning about this world quite concretely without having to watch countless hours of tv and movies, with a pen and paper. I felt like I was actually in this world whereby I was learning about an alternate real world history and STEM.

For someone who didn't appreciate Star Trek too much, seeing it as a lesser version of Star Wars, I became a bigger fan of the series, where I could enjoy watching the older Star Trek media whereby I smirked at seeing the stuff I learned about on paper :D

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given The Star Trek Book as a gift, and as it is essentially a reference work I have been reading a few pages a day for a while now. I just wrapped this up and I must say that in the main I enjoyed the experience. I was amazed at the great number of spelling errors. DK is a respected publisher but they really need to use a real editor instead of "spell check" on their books. I now have a much better understanding of the "Kelvin" timeline (the new ST timeline established in the JJ Abrams films) than I did before. Also I do not now need to watch Voyager or Enterprise so this is really a win-win for me. When Star Trek Discovery is released later this year this book will immediately be obsolete, but such is life.

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

So enjoyable with the pictures, descriptions, characterizations, little known facts, tie-ins for each series. Would have liked to have seen more on the characters from Star Trek: Enterprise and Voyager. Timeline graphs were great. It is amazing how a series like this becomes like your neighbor and you don't want them to ever move away...but they do...get on with their lives...new adventures, retirement or the inevitability...their passing away. We miss those characters, always hoping they will be resurrected some how! Thanks for taking us out there. Beam me up, Scotty! Never said by Scotty, but so apropos! This book could have had hundreds more pages, and I still would have checked it out!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find this volume very informative, especially in the formation of Starfleet and the UFP. I've not gone through the whole book, but feel a review at this point conveys what I feel about the book as a whole. I've not had much chance to watch any of the newer shows, but enjoy reading about the ones I'm most familiar with. Definitely recommended, especially for any serious watchers of any of the series out there.

[Kristina Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book had great detailed information about the entire Star Trek universe using information from all the shows and movies. I felt it was a great refresher since it's been a while since I've watched the older shows. It's also great how it helps put everything from the various shows together in one timeline (even including the alternate timelines xD )

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published before Star Trek Beyond released, it's somewhat thorough. Unfortunately, the index needs A LOT of work. trying to find a specific example listed in the body text is nearly impossible unless it's something the editor wanted to include in the index. As it stands, I will never be able to find out more on certain subjects without consulting the websites Memory Alpha or Memory Beta.

[Luce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Si ce livre était une personne, ce serait un amiral de Starfleet à la retraite un peu sénile : il pense que tout le monde sait de quoi il parle, a vu beaucoup d'événements et adore donc spoiler, ne développe pas assez son propos, fait de nombreuses répétitions et ne raconte pas les choses dans l'ordre. Intéressant mais pas trop longtemps.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book for Star Trek fans looking for a general encyclopedia type book on a variety of topics. The challenge with books like that and this one suffers from it, is that everything is very surface level with very little detail. Great illustrations and maps. Did make me nostalgic for some of the shows/movies I had not watched in a while.

[Alexandru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for a Star Trek fan, the only drawback is the chosen structure of the chapters, making it hard to read for those who have no knowledge about the Star Trek universe. As well, the Star Trek franchise is constantly growing - for example, the recent Picard serial is newer than the book, and I suppose others will follow in the future.

[James Bowker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reference material

An excellent companion to the series episodes and movies. This will be useful to new and die-hard fans of Star Trek, with detailed summaries of the key planets, species, ships and historical events.