Template:Realworld The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion is a trade paperback published by Pocket Books that provides an extensive episode guide for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Written by Terry J. Erdmann and edited by Paula M. Block, the book was first published in August 2000 and provided episode summaries for every episode of all seven seasons, from "Emissary" through "What You Leave Behind". It also offers an in-depth look at what occurred behind the scenes of each episode through interviews with various cast members and production personnel.
The book was fashioned after the earlier The Star Trek Compendium and the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion providing extensive episode summaries, embellished with "making-of" commentaries. The formula was greatly enhanced for this outing by also including larger interviews with production staff members as well as by including production material graphics. The formula was completely abandoned with the follow-up trade paperback for Voyager (Star Trek: Voyager Companion). No companion has been released for Star Trek: Enterprise.
Summary
- From the book jacket
- It might be hard to believe, but there was a time when launching a new Star Trek series was considered a risky venture. Maybe it was just luck that Star Trek: The Next Generation had succeeded. Could another show capture the imagination of viewers?
- The creators of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine built a cast of characters totally different from the more comfortable, familiar ones that had been seen on previous incarnations of Star Trek. One of the writers observed, "You can see right away they're not perfectly engineered humans... They seem more real... They represent a different way to tell a story." The setting for the show was a space station, a dark, almost sinister, alien place – the diametrical opposite of a bright, reassuring starship. This new Star Trek series set every expectation on its head – and it succeeded. Deep Space Nine created some of the most visionary, emotionally charged, and critically acclaimed hours of television ever made, and at the end of seven years it could boast of ranking at the top of the syndicated ratings year after year.
- The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion is the official guide to all 176 spectacular episodes of this revolutionary series. Detailed synopses, behind-the-scenes information, and in-depth interviews with the cast and crew are provided for each show. Hundreds of photographs and illustrations – many never before seen – fill the pages of this book. For the casual reader or the fan who wants to know more, this is the definitive book of this groundbreaking series. From its explosive beginning to the heartrending conclusion, relive it all and see why TV Guide called it "the best acted, written, produced, and altogether finest... Star Trek series.
- Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.
Background information
- The Companion features interviews with the creators, producers, main cast members, recurring actors, guest actors, directors, special effects artists and other production staff members.
- The episode summaries from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion were used in "Shadows and Symbols" to represent Benny Russell's Deep Space Nine stories that he was writing on the wall of his room.
- The Companion features the map of Bajor that Robert Hewitt Wolfe and Bradley Thompson made throughout the run of the series.
- Ira Steven Behr often uses the Companion to jog his memory about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also once said "Everything we wanted to say about Deep Space Nine is pretty much in that book." [1]
- SFX magazine praised the Deep Space Nine Companion in their review, calling it "the reference work fans have been waiting for, and the best non-fiction Trek book to date." [2] The sentiment is shared by its readership as is evidenced on Amazon.com
- The book was designed by Richard Oriolo.
- The book, not in the least due to its enhanced formula, was exceptionally well received by its readership, as was evidenced by the customer review section of Amazon, and has prompted a reply of gratitude from its author, Erdmann.
See also
External links
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion at Wikipedia
- Template:NCwiki
| Previous companion: Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion |
Reference works | Next companion: Star Trek: Voyager Companion |