Star Trek 101

Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

Author(s):	Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann
Artist(s):	Richard Oriolo
Publisher:	Pocket Books
Published:	23 September 2008
Pages:	320
Timespan:	Unknown
Reference(s):	0743497236 (paperback) ISBN 9781439117873 (eBook) ASIN B0015DYIN6 (Kindle)

Star Trek 101: A Practical Guide to Who, What, Where, and Why is a reference work written by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann. Published by Pocket Books, and first released in September 2008, the book is intended to serve as an introduction to the Star Trek universe. It features episode guides for each series and the Star Trek films, as well as descriptions of notable ships, species, places and characters in the Star Trek universe.

Summary

From the book jacket

In the future, a heroic captain and his crew explore the Galaxy in a really fast spacecraft. The crew's standing orders are:

"…to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before."

Simple, straightforward – that's Star Trek. So what's all the fuss? Why do news crews always seem to find someone, somewhere dressed up in a Star Trek costume? What could be so interesting to so many people?

Star Trek 101 is the answer. You'll learn just a little about the heroes (Captain Kirk believes that man wasn't meant to live in paradise), the villains (Klingons have a thirst for conquest), and the important aliens (Vulcans live their lives by logic). In the handy recaps for all things Star Trek, you'll discover that the television shows and movies run the gamut from action-adventure to comedy. Just want to sample? The ten essential episodes are offered for your consideration. Star Trek 101 is a quick primer of the television shows and movies that carry the Star Trek name.

Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.

Background information

• The title was first announced at the Creation Las Vegas Convention in August 2007, where co-author Erdmann noted that he had been working on the title for over two years at that point.
• Further details were revealed at the New York Comic-Con in April 2008, including that the book would feature "a list of the 10 essential episodes of each live-action series, as well as a "Spock's Brain" award for each series". [1]
• The cover art was revealed at the Shore Leave convention on 11 July 2008.
• The book is dedicated to "the fans – past, present and future".

Episode awards

• The "Ten Essential Episodes" selected from each series are as follows (For Star Trek: The Animated Series, the episode "Yesteryear" is cited as "The Best Episode"):

• • TOS:
    • "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
    • "The Naked Time"
    • "Space Seed"
    • "This Side of Paradise"
    • "The City on the Edge of Forever"
    • "Amok Time"
    • "Mirror, Mirror"
    • "The Trouble with Tribbles"
    • "Journey to Babel"
    • "A Piece of the Action"
  • TNG:
    • "Encounter at Farpoint"
    • "The Measure Of A Man"
    • "Q Who"
    • "Yesterday's Enterprise"
    • "Sins of the Father"
    • "The Best of Both Worlds" & "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II"
    • "The Inner Light"
    • "Relics"
    • "Tapestry"
    • "All Good Things..."
  • DS9:
    • "Emissary"
    • "Duet"
    • "Necessary Evil"
    • "Crossover"
    • "The Way of the Warrior"
    • "Little Green Men"
    • "Far Beyond the Stars"
    • "In the Pale Moonlight"
    • "The Siege of AR-558"
    • "What You Leave Behind"
  • VOY:
    • "Caretaker"
    • "Flashback"
    • "Scorpion" & "Scorpion, Part II"
    • "Year of Hell" & "Year of Hell, Part II"
    • "Timeless"
    • "Bride of Chaotica!"
    • "Dark Frontier"
    • "Relativity"
    • "Blink of an Eye"
    • "Endgame"
  • ENT:
    • "Broken Bow"
    • "Shockwave" & "Shockwave, Part II"
    • "Cogenitor"
    • "First Flight"
    • "The Expanse"
    • "Twilight"
    • "Similitude"
    • "Kir'Shara"
    • "In a Mirror, Darkly" & "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II"
    • "Terra Prime"

• The DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" is also given special mention, separate from that series' list; in an infobox about that installment, the writers state that the episode "is so special that we didn't want to hide it in the Top 10 list."
• In addition, the authors bestow the "Spock's Brain" Award on the least episode in each series. The award is given to TAS: "The Lorelei Signal", TNG: "Genesis", DS9: "Profit and Lace", VOY: "Threshold", and ENT: "These Are the Voyages...".