The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years

by Edward Gross

Other authorsMark A. Altman (Author)
EPUB+PDF, 2016

Description

Biography & Autobiography. Performing Arts. Nonfiction. HTML: This is the unauthorized, uncensored and unbelievable true story behind the making of a pop culture phenomenon. The original Star Trek series debuted in 1966 and has spawned five TV series spin-offs and a dozen feature films, with an upcoming one from Paramount arriving in 2016. The Fifty-Year Mission is a no-holds-barred oral history of five decades of Star Trek, told by the people who were there. Hear from the hundreds of television and film executives, programmers, writers, creators and cast as they unveil the oftentimes shocking story of Star Trek's ongoing fifty-year mission�??a mission that has spanned from the classic series to the animated show, the many attempts at a relaunch through the beloved feature films. Make no mistake, this isn't just an audiobook for Star Trek fans. Here is a volume for all fans of pop culture and anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of a television touchstone.… (more)

Publication

Thomas Dunne Books (2016), 576 pages

Rating

½ (18 ratings; 3.7)

User reviews

LibraryThing member TobinElliott
It took me a while to get into the rotational style of the various speakers in this book (I only expected it to be for the first little bit, then the book would settle into a standard narrative, which it did not).

Once I got used to it, it was often interesting to read a view, then an opposing or
Show More
contradictory view immediately follow it (Roddenberry was a visionary genius/Roddenberry was a hamfisted hack who didn't play well with others).

After getting through the first 25 years, my immediate thought is, how the hell did Star Trek even get made? There's so much infighting, so many egos, so many opposing "let's do it my way" personalities, that it seems rather shocking that anything got past a planning stage without falling apart.

My biggest takeaway from this entire thing was that Roddenberry was extremely good at preaching the Great Bird of the Galaxy (and lord, how I hate that honorific) gospel, but behind the scenes, he was a skirt-chasing, antagonistic *ssh*l* that couldn't see that television and movie making is a collaborative effort, nor the wisdom of surrounding himself with people smarter and more talented than himself. And that he was actually willing to undercut and sabotage those he disagreed with--which was everyone--and harm the Star Trek brand rather than seeing something other than his own vision on the screen.

Oh, and that Gene Coon was the guy we can thank for saving Star Trek.

It'll be interesting to read about the next 25 years.
Show Less

ISBN

1250065844 / 9781250065841

UPC

884896507832
Page: 0.0889 seconds