A compelling timeline of the Star Trek saga
The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman Thomas Dunne Books
Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman have compiled hundreds of interviews to create this first volume of The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek.
The saga of a failed TV show growing in popularity after it was cancelled in 1969 is the stuff of fairy tales. Conventions featuring the stars of the show were followed by movies, other TV shows, novels and fan-made films.
The authors of this oral history have interviewed people directly involved with the franchise, including the actors, producers, writers and even famous fans of the series. The result is a compelling and fascinating timeline.
Fans of the show might worry that this book is nothing more than regurgitated material already revealed in earlier works. But Fifty-Year Mission gives everyone the freedom to express an opinion without fear of reprisal, creating an honest and eye-opening history.
The layout of the book covers the first 25 years of the original series’ franchise, skipping the creation of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which will be covered in the second volume, scheduled for publication in August. With revealing insight and honesty, the book showcases the stories of the original series, the creation of the animated series and the feature films up to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Gross and Altman do a fine job of letting the people speak for themselves, while also providing pertinent background.