Review by Ian Wheeler

The Book: The story of early Star Trek as told by the cast and crew of The Original Series. This lavishly illustrated oral history of the Star Trek phenomenon covers the exploits of the original crew across three seasons of live action television, two seasons of animated adventures, and the six movies.

Featuring interview material with all seven regular cast members – William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, and Nichelle Nichols – this volume also includes contributions from guest stars, writers and directors.

The Review: They say never judge a book by its cover. Publishers and book sellers would probably disagree because a book’s cover is the first opportunity to grab the interest of a potential reader. And the cover of Star Trek: The Illustrated Oral History – The Original Cast is a corker, featuring the seven main cast members of the original series, with their facial features in black and white but their uniforms and other elements of the cover highlighted in bold, vibrant primary colours. It’s an eye-catching design with a pleasing 1960s aesthetic.  

The format of the book follows a simple and elegant structure – the pilots, the three seasons, the animated series and the movies are each given their own section. We’re guided through the history of the show via quotes from many legendary Star Trek actors and creators, many of whom are sadly no longer with us,

The first pilot, “The Cage”,  is of course, more relevant than ever, because its characters and situations form the basis of current Star Trek smash hit, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Via quotes from the late Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, we are reminded of Roddenberry’s belief that Star Trek should exist not just to entertain but to challenge and stimulate the audience. With this philosophy from the very beginning, it’s no wonder that the programme went on to be such a worldwide success.

There are some stunning photos from the pilot which demonstrate just how good the costume and set design were on the programme from day one. The second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, is also well covered, and it’s interesting to learn that William Shatner was keen to introduce more fun and humour into the show, having been shown the original pilot and feeling that it was too serious.

The three seasons of The Original Series are dealt with in pleasing detail and it’s good to hear from all the main actors as well as those we hear from less often, such as Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand. It’s also nice to have input  from guest actors such as William Campbell who portrayed Trelane, the famous Squire of Gothos. It’s fascinating to read behind the scenes details such as the fact that one of the reasons the Klingons rose to prominence is that the make-up was less time-consuming than that needed for the pointed-eared Romulans.

Star Trek: The Animated Series is an element of Star Trek history that often gets overlooked so it’s nice to see it have its own section here, although it understandably receives slightly less prominence than its live-action counterparts. What really comes across, particularly in comments from writer DC Fontana, is that the production team were keen to make the animated series a quality programme that was true to the philosophy of the original series, rather than just a quick knock-off for the children’s market.

The movies featuring the original cast are probably my favourite era of Star Trek history – I still fondly remember going with my father to see Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979. I relished reading the section on the films – once again, there are choice quotes and lavish photos aplenty. It’s great to hear from key contributors such as directors Robert Wise and Nicholas Meyer, composer Jerry Goldsmith and even major guest stars such as Ricardo Montalban. You really get a feel for how the fortunes and popularity of the films fluctuated over the course of the six movies.   

Overall, this is a terrific book. There are some lovely, full page photographs and the book has a clean, unfussy page layout. The idea of explaining the history of Star Trek entirely using quotes from those who were there at the time works really well, allowing the original actors and creators to speak for themselves. And at around 100 pages, it’s the ideal length for a good summer holiday read!

Ian Wheeler

• Star Trek: The Illustrated Oral History – The Original Cast, published by Titan Comics, is available now from all good bookshops | ISBN: 978-1787738645 | Buy it from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)

Ian Wheeler

Former Co-ordinator of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society. Publisher and Editor of comics-related fanzines. Contributor to books on Doctor Who from Virgin and Miwk Publishing. Contributor to cult TV fanzines and periodicals.

Categories: Books, Other Worlds, Star Trek, Television

Tags: Gene Roddenberry, Review, Star Trek, Star Trek Magazine, Titan Comics, William Shatner