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Star Trek #10
Star Trek 10
As the Enterprise hurtles through space, the crew must destroy a ravening, murderous monster aboard the Starship; Kirk discovers an incredibly beautiful creature with strange powers of healing; Spock views the forbidden Kollos and goes insane; and more!
This volume includes six novelizations:
The Alternative Factor
The Empath
The Galileo Seven
Is There in Truth No Beauty?
A Private Little War
The Omega Glory
This volume includes six novelizations:
The Alternative Factor
The Empath
The Galileo Seven
Is There in Truth No Beauty?
A Private Little War
The Omega Glory
164 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1974
3 people are currently reading
447 people want to read
About the author
James Blish
454 books327 followersJames Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling Jr.
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 2, 2024
This is the tenth collection of adaptations of original series Star Trek episodes from teleplay to short story format. Blish is listed as the author, but it's since been acknowledged that he was aided by his wife, J.A. Lawrence, and her mother, Muriel Cameron Bodkin, both successful writers themselves, in the completion of the adaptations. There are six episodes in this volume: The Alternative Factor, The Empath, The Galileo Seven, Is There in Truth No Beauty?, A Private Little War, and The Omega Glory. The Empath and The Galileo Seven were two of my favorites from the series and I was surprised that they weren't adapted until this tenth collection. The Omega Glory didn't strike me as very good, but they did what they were hired to do in translating the stories clearly and accurately.
September 7, 2019
More exciting adaptations of classic episodes. This one had some particularly crazy stories, especially the last one.
July 24, 2011
The Prime Directive features prominently in this volume...pesky culturally interfering Klingons and rascally deranged Star Fleet Captains posing moral dilemmas for Kirk.
My edition has a Blish bio in the back that notes that he died at 54 of lung cancer. That history of witchcraft was never finished...what else might he have gone on to do? Blish's place in the pantheon of Golden Age SF writers should really be much higher.
My edition has a Blish bio in the back that notes that he died at 54 of lung cancer. That history of witchcraft was never finished...what else might he have gone on to do? Blish's place in the pantheon of Golden Age SF writers should really be much higher.
May 27, 2013
This book was new on the store bookshelf, when as a 10 year old Star Trek fanatic, my mother pointed it out and said, "Too bad you don't read books ". I became an avid reader immediately, reading all the James Blish adaptations, and the Alan Dean Foster Star Trek Log books during the 6th grade. This particular book was where my love of reading began, and although it will never equal the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, or even Stephen King, it holds a special place in my heart. Plus, for those if us who remember the original series (even through countless reruns), it's a fun way to revisit the adventures the Enterprise crew.
January 4, 2022
If you think watching some TOS episodes are cringe-inducing, it almost seems worse reading them...some Star Trek stories are fun...and then some are drowning in 1960s male chauvinism and inadvertent (if I'm being nice) racism...
Still, though, more TOS episodes in novella form.
Still, though, more TOS episodes in novella form.
June 29, 2022
More of the same as it pertains to Blish's naratives. I believe what I like the best about these books are they are so simple to read. The only drawback for a pperson who is not familiar with the Star Trek characters is that the books do not go to great lengths to develop the characters. If one has seen the TV series, then they are already familiar with these people and can then simply enjoy the story of it.
October 2, 2013
When these early novels and stories to Star Trek came out I bought them all, devoured them and loved them. It's been a long time, so today I couldn't even say which of them were really good and which of them I only loved because they were Star Trek. ;)
Just thinking of them and seeing the covers gives me a happy feeling of nostalgia. That alone is worth the rating!
Just thinking of them and seeing the covers gives me a happy feeling of nostalgia. That alone is worth the rating!
July 6, 2024
Of all the Star Trek episodes "Galileo Seven" was one of my favorites and is included in this book. Another episode covered is "The Omega Glory" which deals with the Prime Directive. Very enjoyable book for any Star Trek fans.
Next hardcover: " Star Trek 11" by James Blish (1975).
Next hardcover: " Star Trek 11" by James Blish (1975).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2021
These stories are a mess (but still 3* 'cause it's star trek).
February 9, 2025
James Blish's 1974 Star Trek 10 contains 6 stories adapted by Blish from the screenplays of the 1960s television series.
Credits for the original screenplays are as follows:
"The Alternative Factor" by Don Ingalls,
"The Empath" by Joyce Muskat,
"The Galileo Seven" by Simon Wincelberg and Oliver Crawford,
"Is There in Truth No Beauty?" by Jean Lisette Aroeste,
"A Private Little War" by Don Ingalls and Gene Roddenberry, and
"The Omega Glory" by Gene Roddenberry.
As with my reviews of the previous books in the series, about these stories themselves I feel I need say nothing beyond the briefest nod to each: The entire universe seems to wink off and on alarmingly as a strange small ship with an enigmatic traveler appears on a barren planet, Kirk and Spock and McCoy on a planet about to be destroyed by a nova are subjected to another menacing test by creepy aliens, Spock struggles to respond correctly as his team aboard a lost shuttlecraft is threatened by huge savages and potential abandonment by the Enterprise, a gruff man and a beautiful woman bring aboard the ship an environmental unit holding a member of a species so ugly that the sight would drive humans insane, Kirk is caught up in a Prime Directive situation involving his blood-brother of a primitive world versus sly Klingon interventionism, and another Prime Directive schtick pits Kirk and Spock and Bones against deadly plague and a rogue starship captain on one of those impossible parallel-development worlds. After all, anyone choosing the book is already familiar with the episodes of the TV show, right?
I'm sure that as usual, differences pop up here and there between what we are familiar with and the adaptations Blish gives us. Some arise from the various artistic choices needed in adaptation, others from the fact that the scripts given to Blish were not always the most finalized versions. The more familiar the individual reader is with a particular broadcast episode, the more noticeable and potentially interesting such divergences will be. I confess I am stale enough on these episodes that I likely missed most such differences.
I will comment, though, that my least favorite of these stories is "The Empath," partially for the reasoning underlying the creepy aliens' plan and partially for the extra surprise that shouldn't be a surprise. That is, if the Vians are not simply testing the empath's empathy but also having her learn from the humans their "will to survive;...love of life;...[and] passion to know" (1978 Bantam paperback, page 48), how would this learning by a single individual make her entire species "worthy of survival" (page 48)? And surprise-wise, although the three Federation scientists now tortured to death had been "study[ing] the phenomena" of the impending nova (page 27), the reader had had no indication that the solar system was home to any civilization...and yet later Spock reminds us that "many millions of inhabitants on its planets are doomed" (page 48). And note that the plural planets means not just a world and its colonized outposts but completely separate species and civilizations--two? three? five?--of which the Vians "are empowered to transport to safety only the inhabitants of one" (page 48). A tad odd.
Speaking of odd, although Star Trek for sure isn't the place we look for science, "The Alternative Factor" contains a whopper that I figure must be obvious to anyone interested in science fiction. Now, despite its weird dilithium crystal schtick, the Enterprise also uses antimatter, too, right? And if the containment cage fails, kaboom, 'cause, you know... Well, here we instead are told that we get an annihilating explosion not simply with any matter plus any antimatter but instead only if the "[i]dentical" objects from a matter universe and an antimatter universe connect, like Person X+ plus Person X- (page 20). Ugh. For some reason, I have never been super-fond of this episode either.
But of course my favorites are the last two. Yes, "A Private Little War" is a tad hokey with its upright primitive pacifist and his betraying witch-woman whose good riddance somehow at last gets him ready for justified violence, but Kirk's worldly-wise reminder to the appalled McCoy about "the brush fire wars on the Asian continent" back in "the twentieth century," with "giant powers involved, much like the Klingons and [Federation]," and "[n]either fe[eling] like they could pull out" (page 131), is a lesson only fractionally less topical than in the 1960s. And with "The Omega Glory," although the impossible parallels of Omega IV to Earth--right down to the languages and histories and nations--are absolutely ridiculous...well, when that "incredibly old and tattered flag" is brought in, "its red, white, and blue faded by time" and yet with "its stars and stripes ha[ving] outlast[ed] the centuries' ravages" (page 158), and Kirk solemnly begins, "We the people..." (page 163; ellipsis original), still I cannot help finding it stirring.
In any event, James Blish's Star Trek 10 is not deeply probing or given to evocative or artistic turns of phrase, nor probably is it intended for an audience that has never heard of the starship Enterprise and its historic 5-year mission, but its adventures are swiftly moving and entertaining, and founded upon courage and friendship and the dignity of the individual, and for fans of the television series will be a pleasantly familiar 5-star read.
Credits for the original screenplays are as follows:
"The Alternative Factor" by Don Ingalls,
"The Empath" by Joyce Muskat,
"The Galileo Seven" by Simon Wincelberg and Oliver Crawford,
"Is There in Truth No Beauty?" by Jean Lisette Aroeste,
"A Private Little War" by Don Ingalls and Gene Roddenberry, and
"The Omega Glory" by Gene Roddenberry.
As with my reviews of the previous books in the series, about these stories themselves I feel I need say nothing beyond the briefest nod to each: The entire universe seems to wink off and on alarmingly as a strange small ship with an enigmatic traveler appears on a barren planet, Kirk and Spock and McCoy on a planet about to be destroyed by a nova are subjected to another menacing test by creepy aliens, Spock struggles to respond correctly as his team aboard a lost shuttlecraft is threatened by huge savages and potential abandonment by the Enterprise, a gruff man and a beautiful woman bring aboard the ship an environmental unit holding a member of a species so ugly that the sight would drive humans insane, Kirk is caught up in a Prime Directive situation involving his blood-brother of a primitive world versus sly Klingon interventionism, and another Prime Directive schtick pits Kirk and Spock and Bones against deadly plague and a rogue starship captain on one of those impossible parallel-development worlds. After all, anyone choosing the book is already familiar with the episodes of the TV show, right?
I'm sure that as usual, differences pop up here and there between what we are familiar with and the adaptations Blish gives us. Some arise from the various artistic choices needed in adaptation, others from the fact that the scripts given to Blish were not always the most finalized versions. The more familiar the individual reader is with a particular broadcast episode, the more noticeable and potentially interesting such divergences will be. I confess I am stale enough on these episodes that I likely missed most such differences.
I will comment, though, that my least favorite of these stories is "The Empath," partially for the reasoning underlying the creepy aliens' plan and partially for the extra surprise that shouldn't be a surprise. That is, if the Vians are not simply testing the empath's empathy but also having her learn from the humans their "will to survive;...love of life;...[and] passion to know" (1978 Bantam paperback, page 48), how would this learning by a single individual make her entire species "worthy of survival" (page 48)? And surprise-wise, although the three Federation scientists now tortured to death had been "study[ing] the phenomena" of the impending nova (page 27), the reader had had no indication that the solar system was home to any civilization...and yet later Spock reminds us that "many millions of inhabitants on its planets are doomed" (page 48). And note that the plural planets means not just a world and its colonized outposts but completely separate species and civilizations--two? three? five?--of which the Vians "are empowered to transport to safety only the inhabitants of one" (page 48). A tad odd.
Speaking of odd, although Star Trek for sure isn't the place we look for science, "The Alternative Factor" contains a whopper that I figure must be obvious to anyone interested in science fiction. Now, despite its weird dilithium crystal schtick, the Enterprise also uses antimatter, too, right? And if the containment cage fails, kaboom, 'cause, you know... Well, here we instead are told that we get an annihilating explosion not simply with any matter plus any antimatter but instead only if the "[i]dentical" objects from a matter universe and an antimatter universe connect, like Person X+ plus Person X- (page 20). Ugh. For some reason, I have never been super-fond of this episode either.
But of course my favorites are the last two. Yes, "A Private Little War" is a tad hokey with its upright primitive pacifist and his betraying witch-woman whose good riddance somehow at last gets him ready for justified violence, but Kirk's worldly-wise reminder to the appalled McCoy about "the brush fire wars on the Asian continent" back in "the twentieth century," with "giant powers involved, much like the Klingons and [Federation]," and "[n]either fe[eling] like they could pull out" (page 131), is a lesson only fractionally less topical than in the 1960s. And with "The Omega Glory," although the impossible parallels of Omega IV to Earth--right down to the languages and histories and nations--are absolutely ridiculous...well, when that "incredibly old and tattered flag" is brought in, "its red, white, and blue faded by time" and yet with "its stars and stripes ha[ving] outlast[ed] the centuries' ravages" (page 158), and Kirk solemnly begins, "We the people..." (page 163; ellipsis original), still I cannot help finding it stirring.
In any event, James Blish's Star Trek 10 is not deeply probing or given to evocative or artistic turns of phrase, nor probably is it intended for an audience that has never heard of the starship Enterprise and its historic 5-year mission, but its adventures are swiftly moving and entertaining, and founded upon courage and friendship and the dignity of the individual, and for fans of the television series will be a pleasantly familiar 5-star read.
July 19, 2024
I devoured these books as a kid in the 70's. At that time the only other Star Trek around was the animated series and a couple of books and we were at the mercy of the 3 channel universe still!
Basically all twelve books follow the t.v. episodes pretty closely, just with literary filler to make it flow better. Nowadays we would just read a Wiki entry and ignore the books.
The biggest difference is that in some of the earlier books, up to around Star Trek 5 or 6, James Blish would change a few things for narrative flow, and in particular remove the unnecessary death of a the occasional Red Shirt. (Awwwwww!) But by the end of the run he was just basically going through the motions and just writing the script as it was, dead Red Shirts and all (Yeah!).
My one complaint though is that JB would write Scotty's speaking parts in a Scottish Brogue and more often than not I couldn't make head or tales of it.
Still, would have not missed reading them for anything. I was an avid Trekkie after all. And for JB it was a nice gig for an over the hill sci-fi writer.
Best part of all was that in grade 9 and 10 high school our English class had a 6 or 12 (I forget which) book reading requirement. And it being a Technical Vocation high school, that requirement caused a furor with so many students who had never read a book in their life. Thank you James Blish and Star Trek. Within a month I already had my 12 book requirement covered. LOL
I decided to up my rating from 3 to 4 stars when I remembered just how much enjoyment these books gave me.
Live Long And Prosper.
Basically all twelve books follow the t.v. episodes pretty closely, just with literary filler to make it flow better. Nowadays we would just read a Wiki entry and ignore the books.
The biggest difference is that in some of the earlier books, up to around Star Trek 5 or 6, James Blish would change a few things for narrative flow, and in particular remove the unnecessary death of a the occasional Red Shirt. (Awwwwww!) But by the end of the run he was just basically going through the motions and just writing the script as it was, dead Red Shirts and all (Yeah!).
My one complaint though is that JB would write Scotty's speaking parts in a Scottish Brogue and more often than not I couldn't make head or tales of it.
Still, would have not missed reading them for anything. I was an avid Trekkie after all. And for JB it was a nice gig for an over the hill sci-fi writer.
Best part of all was that in grade 9 and 10 high school our English class had a 6 or 12 (I forget which) book reading requirement. And it being a Technical Vocation high school, that requirement caused a furor with so many students who had never read a book in their life. Thank you James Blish and Star Trek. Within a month I already had my 12 book requirement covered. LOL
I decided to up my rating from 3 to 4 stars when I remembered just how much enjoyment these books gave me.
Live Long And Prosper.
December 16, 2018
Join Captain Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise as they embark on six remarkable adventures across the galaxy, from a battle against an invisible but horrifyingly powerful being, to the meeting of a great Ambassador that tears apart one's sanity. Blish will keep fans of the "star Trek" series pleased with these entertaining romps in space with favourite characters and their classic sense of wit. Any one of these journeys could be the end of the Enterprise - but it will take more than a run-in with unthinkable power to stop Kirk and his crew!
December 27, 2024
In general, Star Trek 10 will only appeal to Star Trek fans. The book contains 6 episodes from the original series adapted as short stories. If you like the episodes, then you will probably enjoy these brief written adaptations. "The Omega Glory" is still offensive. On the other hand, "The Alternative Factor" works a little better in written form, it lacks the unintentional humor of the TV episode. This is the first James Blish Star Trek collection I've read, but I hope to read more.
June 23, 2017
More adaptations of the Original series. The more you know the more you realize that the triad of Jim, Spock, and Bones is the backbone of the series. You probably don't need me to tell you that their example is one of the kind of friendship the Bible talks about. "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
June 14, 2020
The further into this series I get, the better the novelizations seem to be.
July 18, 2022
The best set of adaptations in the series up to this point - though nothing can save The Omega Glory... *shudders*
July 28, 2025
Ansiogeno. Tecnologico. Anticipatore.
August 16, 2025
A mixed bag but some of the best ST:OS episodes are in this book.
December 3, 2015
February 1974 brings another entry in Blish's series of Star Trek novelizations,
Star Trek 10
. This volume adapts "The Alternative Factor", "The Empath", "The Galileo Seven", "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", "A Private Little War", and "The Omega Glory".
In his introduction to this volume, Blish confirms what I suspected (and mentioned in my review of Star Trek 7): he has done as little to change the scripts he was working from as possible. In his words:
This is a shame, since Blish isn't a bad author and the scripts could really use some tweaking for the page. Well, it's too late now.
In "The Alternative Factor", the Enterprise encounters a strange disturbance in space, and finds a madman on an otherwise dead world who demands that they help him to defeat the monstrous man who destroyed his civilization. This story is just a mess. It was worse on screen, but this adaptation can't cure what ails it. A number of events transpire with some urgency, but fail to make any impression on the reader, until the story comes to its pat, supposedly-dramatic end.
In "The Empath", Kirk, Spock, and McCoy have their loyalty to one another tested by some aliens who hope to teach an empathic girl certain positive emotions, as a prerequisite to saving her planet from destruction. This is far from my favorite story, but it's well worth seeing the episode for the very different style--minimalist sets, shots heavily focused on the actors. The adaptation isn't bad, but the episode was better.
In "The Galileo Seven", Spock's logical style of command is put to the test when the expedition he leads is forced to crash land on an inhospitable planet. Meanwhile the Enterprise has only a limited time to search for them before they must abandon them for a greater duty. This isn't a bad story, but it feels like they were trying to force a conflict between logical and emotional choices that just didn't have to be there. Even in the end, when Spock makes the supposedly emotional decision to burn up their shuttlecraft's fuel as a flare, it doesn't seem a particularly illogical choice--either the Enterprise was nearby, and might see it, or it had already left, and conserving fuel would do no good. Whatever my disagreement with the story's interpretation, though, it's still good to see Spock in a command situation, and to see him interacting with McCoy.
In "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", the Enterprise plays host to an alien ambassador so ugly that the sight of him will drive a man mad. I liked this story because it's focused on the characters. There are unique dynamics between Miranda and each of Spock, Kirk, and Marvick, and we get a good look at Kirk and Spock's friendship, too.
"A Private Little War" is a metaphor (explicitly stated, even) for the Vietnam War. The Klingons have given one faction on a previously idyllic planet weapons with which to subjugate another faction (coincidentally favored by Kirk). Kirk ultimately determines to arm 'his' side equally to the other, maintaining a careful balance of power, to prevent either side from being totally destroyed. Is his decision correct? I wonder. It's a great story.
"The Omega Glory", frankly, is just embarrassing. It's all very rah-rah about the superiority of the United States, as depicted by a society with a truly unbelievable degree of parallel evolution with Earth, in which the communists took over the world. Don't worry, though, because the Good Guys win in the end, and Kirk recites the Pledge of Allegiance and the Preamble to the Constitution. Because America!
Star Trek 10 features several quite good stories. It's surely one of the best volumes in this series. Maybe I was just in a good mood, but even the writing seemed better in this book. Do check it out, fans of classic Trek.
In his introduction to this volume, Blish confirms what I suspected (and mentioned in my review of Star Trek 7): he has done as little to change the scripts he was working from as possible. In his words:
Up to that point, I'd regarded my role as nothing but that of a pipeline between the scripts and all the rest of you who can't forget the series.
...in this series it was obviously my duty to the originals to keep myself out of them as much as possible.
This is a shame, since Blish isn't a bad author and the scripts could really use some tweaking for the page. Well, it's too late now.
In "The Alternative Factor", the Enterprise encounters a strange disturbance in space, and finds a madman on an otherwise dead world who demands that they help him to defeat the monstrous man who destroyed his civilization. This story is just a mess. It was worse on screen, but this adaptation can't cure what ails it. A number of events transpire with some urgency, but fail to make any impression on the reader, until the story comes to its pat, supposedly-dramatic end.
In "The Empath", Kirk, Spock, and McCoy have their loyalty to one another tested by some aliens who hope to teach an empathic girl certain positive emotions, as a prerequisite to saving her planet from destruction. This is far from my favorite story, but it's well worth seeing the episode for the very different style--minimalist sets, shots heavily focused on the actors. The adaptation isn't bad, but the episode was better.
In "The Galileo Seven", Spock's logical style of command is put to the test when the expedition he leads is forced to crash land on an inhospitable planet. Meanwhile the Enterprise has only a limited time to search for them before they must abandon them for a greater duty. This isn't a bad story, but it feels like they were trying to force a conflict between logical and emotional choices that just didn't have to be there. Even in the end, when Spock makes the supposedly emotional decision to burn up their shuttlecraft's fuel as a flare, it doesn't seem a particularly illogical choice--either the Enterprise was nearby, and might see it, or it had already left, and conserving fuel would do no good. Whatever my disagreement with the story's interpretation, though, it's still good to see Spock in a command situation, and to see him interacting with McCoy.
In "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", the Enterprise plays host to an alien ambassador so ugly that the sight of him will drive a man mad. I liked this story because it's focused on the characters. There are unique dynamics between Miranda and each of Spock, Kirk, and Marvick, and we get a good look at Kirk and Spock's friendship, too.
"A Private Little War" is a metaphor (explicitly stated, even) for the Vietnam War. The Klingons have given one faction on a previously idyllic planet weapons with which to subjugate another faction (coincidentally favored by Kirk). Kirk ultimately determines to arm 'his' side equally to the other, maintaining a careful balance of power, to prevent either side from being totally destroyed. Is his decision correct? I wonder. It's a great story.
"The Omega Glory", frankly, is just embarrassing. It's all very rah-rah about the superiority of the United States, as depicted by a society with a truly unbelievable degree of parallel evolution with Earth, in which the communists took over the world. Don't worry, though, because the Good Guys win in the end, and Kirk recites the Pledge of Allegiance and the Preamble to the Constitution. Because America!
Star Trek 10 features several quite good stories. It's surely one of the best volumes in this series. Maybe I was just in a good mood, but even the writing seemed better in this book. Do check it out, fans of classic Trek.
February 26, 2021
“Star Trek 10” is the tenth collection of Star Trek Original Series episode novelizations written by James Blish. The six episodes included in this collection are cover all three seasons and are as follows:
The Alternative Factor (Season 1)
The Empath (Season 3)
The Galileo Seven (Season 1)
Is There in Truth No Beauty? (Season 3)
A Private Little War (Season 2)
The Omega Glory (Season 2)
As always with these novelizations, Blish has done a more than competent job in converting the episodes into this form but there isn’t really anything new or additional. This book contains stories from all three seasons and the quality of the stories drops of as the seasons progressed. Basically, if you have seen and enjoyed the relevant episode then you will more than likely enjoy the novelization included in this collection.
Overall, there isn’t much else for me to say except that if you have never seen the episodes before then the stories should still entertain you. However, there are a lot better Star Trek novels out there from the original series period so unless you are a completionist I wouldn’t bother. The only other people I could recommend this to are those who have seen and loved the episodes included here.
The Alternative Factor (Season 1)
The Empath (Season 3)
The Galileo Seven (Season 1)
Is There in Truth No Beauty? (Season 3)
A Private Little War (Season 2)
The Omega Glory (Season 2)
As always with these novelizations, Blish has done a more than competent job in converting the episodes into this form but there isn’t really anything new or additional. This book contains stories from all three seasons and the quality of the stories drops of as the seasons progressed. Basically, if you have seen and enjoyed the relevant episode then you will more than likely enjoy the novelization included in this collection.
Overall, there isn’t much else for me to say except that if you have never seen the episodes before then the stories should still entertain you. However, there are a lot better Star Trek novels out there from the original series period so unless you are a completionist I wouldn’t bother. The only other people I could recommend this to are those who have seen and loved the episodes included here.
February 19, 2019
✭½
“The Alternative Factor”, James Blish & Don Ingalls (Teleplay Author). ½
“The Empath”, James Blish & Joyce Muskat (Teleplay Author). ½
“The Galileo Seven”, James Blish, Oliver Crawford (Story & Teleplay Author), & S. Bar-David (Teleplay Author). ✭✭✭
“Is There No Truth in Beauty?”, James Blish & Jean Lisette Aroeste (Teleplay Author). ✭½
“A Private Little War”, James Blish, Gene Roddenberry (Teleplay Author), & Don Ingalls (as by Jud Crucis) (Story Author). ✭½
“The Omega Glory”, James Blish & Gene Roddenberry (Teleplay Author). ✭
All stories published 1974.
“The Alternative Factor”, James Blish & Don Ingalls (Teleplay Author). ½
“The Empath”, James Blish & Joyce Muskat (Teleplay Author). ½
“The Galileo Seven”, James Blish, Oliver Crawford (Story & Teleplay Author), & S. Bar-David (Teleplay Author). ✭✭✭
“Is There No Truth in Beauty?”, James Blish & Jean Lisette Aroeste (Teleplay Author). ✭½
“A Private Little War”, James Blish, Gene Roddenberry (Teleplay Author), & Don Ingalls (as by Jud Crucis) (Story Author). ✭½
“The Omega Glory”, James Blish & Gene Roddenberry (Teleplay Author). ✭
All stories published 1974.
August 18, 2017
When i was a kid, my older sister's friend GAVE me the entire collection. (I know!) Over the next few years, I read them all in order, starting the first one the day after I finished the last one. Loved them. I'm not sad that I didn't hang onto them and can only hope they still exist to make some other fan happy. (But I doubt it because...well, paperbacks, you know?)
The adaptations got better in the later volumes, but it was Star Trek whenever and wherever I wanted with having to put up with the spastic tripe William Shatner calls acting.
Frankly, I can't remember which story was in which volume, so my rating reflects my enjoyment of the set...which I am hoping will come out in e-book form very soon.
The adaptations got better in the later volumes, but it was Star Trek whenever and wherever I wanted with having to put up with the spastic tripe William Shatner calls acting.
Frankly, I can't remember which story was in which volume, so my rating reflects my enjoyment of the set...which I am hoping will come out in e-book form very soon.
January 23, 2013
I've got a soft spot in my head for this Blish collection, as it included adaptations of "The Empath" and "The Galileo Seven", the first two episodes of Star Trek I ever saw. There's also one of the "Shatner, Lord of the Jungle" episodes with "A Private Little War", and the first truly non-human alien of the series in "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" Some good stories here. Again, most are taken more directly from the episodes than many of Blish's earlier tales.
October 6, 2013
A simple adaptation of some Star Trek original series episodes, this was the first science fiction book I ever bought. I have had one copy for some 40 years and have fond memories of climbing a tree on Summer days and sitting there, reading this book.
It was autographed by Leonard Nimoy, who seemed a little impressed at how old it was and how well-loved it obviously was.
I purchased a new, fresh copy...because cool cover, right? (This was before the Klingons were our friends)
It was autographed by Leonard Nimoy, who seemed a little impressed at how old it was and how well-loved it obviously was.
I purchased a new, fresh copy...because cool cover, right? (This was before the Klingons were our friends)
July 28, 2010
These are Blish's novelizations/storyizations of the original Star Trek episodes. Sometimes they are slightly different from the final episode since they were written from shooting scripts as I understand. Although I enjoyed them, it's because of the tie in with the TV series episodes. The writing here is fairly workmanlike and this is really bare bones kind of work.
September 4, 2009
Another half dozen episodes or so of the Original TV series rewritten as novella-length Sci-Fi stories.
Read
December 29, 2008wrong cover
January 31, 2011
Good episode novelizations. Ayup. That's it.
November 4, 2025
Stories revolving around the Prime Directive. What is right and what is wrong...
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