The Making Of Star Trek....

[Christopher]

Yeah, they gave Maureen a serious case of the stupids for that and John said, kind of "not exactly," and then launched into an explanation that show it was nothing like blood plasma. Then, like a simpleton, Maureen smiled and said, "I see." Prompting John to say, "no you don't." It's really a hilarious scene. Unintentionally, no doubt.

It looks bad now, but women of the period, the majority, were not that into mechanics and science. Rosie the Riveter was sent home after the war. For every Amelia Earhart or Hedy Lamarr, there were a million and a half homemakers whose big brush with technology was the electric mixing bowl.

Actually it's not quite as bad as all that. Maureen Robinson was established in the pilot as a doctor of biochemistry. She was a scientist in her own right, she just wasn't an expert in physics or engineering. So her ignorance in that scene is plausible because it wasn't her field of study (and it's consistent that she'd ask about blood plasma, which is in her field). Granted, her doctorate was only mentioned once after the pilot, but it was an established part of her background.

 

[Sybok Was Wrong]

The Making of Star Trek, along with David Gerrolds books "The World of Star Trek" and "The Trouble With Tribbles" are essential books.

More recently I'd add "Inside Star Trek", and "Star Trek Sketchbook" to that collection.

I would think "Star Trek Costumes", and the "These are the Voyages" would be good additions.

 

[Warped9]

They all provide pieces of the puzzle.

I'm finding with TMoST that it is very much an overview of how TOS was developed and produced. It completely avoids the real personal interactions that were going on and affected how the show developed and by extension the friction and conflicts as well as collaborations of the people involved.

Succinctly it's a sanitized look at Star Trek's birth and early development. That said it's still an interesting look at an aspect of the television industry of the era.

The real gold, for me, is the detailed background information on the fictional universe, science and technology, and the characters.

 

[drt]

[That's interesting. Long ago, I came up with my own idea for how I'd do a Trek-style starship-exploration series, and though I never saw Search until fairly recently, it was coincidentally similar to the approach I came up with: a "mission control"-style complex behind the bridge where a team of experts would be constantly monitoring and advising the survey team. Given that Bob Justman produced Search and co-developed TNG, I kind of wish he'd brought that same setup to TNG's away-team approach.

I think that it was considered for TNG, I seem to recall from early/season 1 material (maybe the writer's guide?) that there was to be more careful monitoring of the away teams (that's also in Gerrold's The Galactic Whirlpool as well), and I believe that one of the bridge stations in the back was specifically supposed to be used for the task. However, I'm sure the production realized early on that while probably more realistic, it's dramatically less interesting, as it's hard for the away team to get in trouble if they're being carefully watched from the bridge.

 

[Christopher]

I'm finding with TMoST that it is very much an overview of how TOS was developed and produced. It completely avoids the real personal interactions that were going on and affected how the show developed and by extension the friction and conflicts as well as collaborations of the people involved.

Which is only natural, given that it was published while the show was still on the air and with the cooperation of the production staff. That's not the best forum for airing dirty laundry -- if there is a good forum for such a thing. For the most part, no matter how fraught or troubled a production may be, the people involved won't risk damaging its profits by speaking negatively about it ahead of or during its release -- well, unless they're named Josh Trank and have a Twitter account.

I think that it was considered for TNG, I seem to recall from early/season 1 material (maybe the writer's guide?) that there was to be more careful monitoring of the away teams (that's also in Gerrold's The Galactic Whirlpool as well), and I believe that one of the bridge stations in the back was specifically supposed to be used for the task. However, I'm sure the production realized early on that while probably more realistic, it's dramatically less interesting, as it's hard for the away team to get in trouble if they're being carefully watched from the bridge.

I think Search proved that isn't the case, that you can have danger even with an open comm line. Ditto for the countless TV shows and movies today where the hero or team in the field is in constant communication with their support staff back on the base. It's become quite a standard practice today. The Arrow has Felicity guiding him, the Flash has Cisco and Caitlin, Reese and Shaw on Person of Interest have Harold Finch directing their efforts, any FBI or CIA team has the techs back at the home base speaking in their earbuds, etc. I've often been struck by how much modern screen acting involves conversations between people in separate locations.

 

[drt]

I think that it was considered for TNG, I seem to recall from early/season 1 material (maybe the writer's guide?) that there was to be more careful monitoring of the away teams (that's also in Gerrold's The Galactic Whirlpool as well), and I believe that one of the bridge stations in the back was specifically supposed to be used for the task. However, I'm sure the production realized early on that while probably more realistic, it's dramatically less interesting, as it's hard for the away team to get in trouble if they're being carefully watched from the bridge.

I think Search proved that isn't the case, that you can have danger even with an open comm line. Ditto for the countless TV shows and movies today where the hero or team in the field is in constant communication with their support staff back on the base. It's become quite a standard practice today. The Arrow has Felicity guiding him, the Flash has Cisco and Caitlin, Reese and Shaw on Person of Interest have Harold Finch directing their efforts, any FBI or CIA team has the techs back at the home base speaking in their earbuds, etc. I've often been struck by how much modern screen acting involves conversations between people in separate locations.

The key difference with Star Trek is that the second there is trouble they can be immediately beamed back to Enterprise, if the bridge is continually monitoring away teams, part of that really should include constant transporter lock.

 

[Indysolo]

..."These are the Voyages" would be good additions.

No.

Neil

 

[Christopher]

The key difference with Star Trek is that the second there is trouble they can be immediately beamed back to Enterprise, if the bridge is continually monitoring away teams, part of that really should include constant transporter lock.

In theory, though, that's always the case, since it takes only seconds to flip open a communicator/tap a combadge and say "Beam us up." The methods Trek has always used to rule out transporter rescue involve such things as an attack on the ship forcing it to keep it shields up, the presence of some kind of interference preventing transport, the confiscation of the landing party's communicators, and the like. Or in many cases, the party has the option to beam away but chooses not to because they have an urgent mission to fulfill. Any of those would work just as well if they're in constant communication.

Besides, my "mission control" approach would just make more sense. The ship's supposed to have hundreds of scientists aboard, but nobody ever gets to do anything off-ship except a few command officers and security guards. My model would have the ship's scientific experts on hand to advise the landing party in whatever area of knowledge they needed. That way, the landing party has access to more expertise to deal with problems, and all those scientists aboard the ship actually get to accomplish something.

 

[Karzak]

..."These are the Voyages" would be good additions.

No.

Neil

While i am aware of the irony of me saying this, the less said about Cushman's shit books, the better.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

..."These are the Voyages" would be good additions.

No.

Neil

^ What Neil said.

 

[Green Shirt]

..."These are the Voyages" would be good additions.

No.

Neil

Its happening.

Frakkin self-fufilling prophesy.

 

[Harvey]

..."These are the Voyages" would be good additions.

No.

Neil

Its happening.

Frakkin self-fufilling prophesy.

Hey now! Prophecy is something Marc Cushman has experience with. After all, he sought and received the endorsement of Gene Roddenberry (died 1991) and Bob Justman (died 2008) for a series of books that weren't finished until 2013. That kind of beyond the grave enthusiasm isn't something to be taken lightly!

 

[erastus25]

..."These are the Voyages" would be good additions.

No.

Neil

Its happening.

Frakkin self-fufilling prophesy.

My thought process:

Hhhmmm...he CLEARLY can't mean the Cushman book and I didn't realize there was another book titled TATV.

*Heads to Google to search* Strange, I can't find another.

*Confusedly returns here and reads reply* Wait...he DID mean the Cushman one?!?! *%&&(*&^(*%

 

[DMcCam]

It is hard to imagine how awe inspiring it was to have a copy of TMoST back in 1972. My favorite show was cancelled and yet, here was a book with images and plans! It was a beacon of hope for all of the fans. I still have that poor beat up copy. Then in the late 90's I picked up a another copy after I met Stephen Poe.

 

[Galileo7]

It is hard to imagine how awe inspiring it was to have a copy of TMoST back in 1972. My favorite show was cancelled and yet, here was a book with images and plans! It was a beacon of hope for all of the fans. I still have that poor beat up copy. ....

Exactly how I felt as a young boy in 1975 and got my first copy of TMoST. I had been watching both TOS in reruns on a local UHF station and the new Saturday morning TAS since 1973. I had been a fan for about two years.

 

[Christopher]

I think I first got TMoST in 1975 too. I'd been watching both TOS reruns and TAS for about a year and a half at that point. I don't know if I had any understanding of cancellation or fandom yet. I just wanted anything that had the name Star Trek on it.

 

[T'Bonz]

There was so little out back then. I eagerly devoured any book. Some, like Making of Star Trek were good. Others...well...not so good.

 

[DMcCam]

Exactly how I felt as a young boy in 1975 and got my first copy of TMoST. I had been watching both TOS in reruns on a local UHF station and the new Saturday morning TAS since 1973. I had been a fan for about two years.

It was a bit melancholy watching the TAS episodes, at least it was still Star Trek. Fortunately, I was blessed with seeing the entire run of TOS as it aired; great time.

I think I first got TMoST in 1975 too. I'd been watching both TOS reruns and TAS for about a year and a half at that point. I don't know if I had any understanding of cancellation or fandom yet. I just wanted anything that had the name Star Trek on it.

It was crazy how wrong they were about the show's popularity. Once you caught it, you were hooked. We had to wait a long time for the next fix after TOS.

 

[Galileo7]

It was crazy how wrong they were about the show's popularity. Once you caught it, you were hooked. We had to wait a long time for the next fix after TOS.

Agree, absolutely true. As a boy once I saw that '70s reruns on a local UHF of TOS I was a fan.

 

[JE Smith]

Apologies if this has been mentioned before (I didn't read all 10 pages of the thread), but I believe TMoST is largely responsible for many people of my generation (raised on the '70s UHF re-runs) mis-remembering the title of Episode 33 as "Who Mourns for Adonis," rather than "Adonais," because that's how it is mis-printed in the episode guide at the back of the book. I called it "Adonis" for decades.