KOOL TV REVIEW: 'STAR TREK - THE VISUAL DICTIONARY'

New life and civilisations explored in STAR TREK: THE VISUAL DICTIONARY. Images: DORLING KINDERSLEY.

STAR TREK: THE VISUAL DICTIONARY

Written by Paul Ruditis

(Foreword by John de Lancie)

Published by DORLING KINDERSLEY

Reviewed by Scott Weller

Its TREK, Jim, but more than we know of it…

The iconic universe of Gene Roddenberry’s enduring stellar sci-fi opus, STAR TREK, finally gets the detailed visual biography it deserves courtesy of those always innovative people at DORLING KINFDERSLEY books.

Primarily charting the franchise’s television series roots rather than the eleven (so far) films, author Paul Ruditis gives us a briskly efficient and informative text that takes us on an epic jump back to the beginning of creation, presenting a detailed chronological look at the universe that spawned such heroes as Kirk, Spock, Data, Janeway and Sisko: from the birth of mankind and the final conquest of its greed and prejudices, to its indomitable rise to the stars after almost destruction with World War III- the formation of the inspiring United Federation of Planets alongside the emotionally restrained Vulcans, and the launch of the first deep-space exploration vessel, Enterprise, captained by Jonathan Archer.

From those early defining days we head forward at warp speed into the era of the legendary Captain Kirk and his interstellar troop- from the classic ORIGINAL SERIES that stated it all, plus the expansion of the Federation and continuation of the Enterprise family/starship linage with the shows further popular spin-offs, first seen-in by THE NEXT GENERATION and beyond.

The supporting heroes of STAR TREK:ENTERPRISE.

Following the pleasing to the eye, now classic design style that DK uses on this type of specialist book, THE VISUAL DICTIONARY lives up to the Vulcan edict of infinite diversity in infinite combination with its accompanying exploration of the shows many memorable and beloved accompanying ships, key planets, iconic scientific hardware and stunning weaponry that have graced the series in its now rapidly approaching fifty year anniversary-the rich tapestry that Roddenberry and the magic-in-a-bottle casts and behind the scenes teams have built with their genuinely humanist endeavours.

Perusing the vast range of imagery present, it’s intriguing to see how different a universe STAR TREK is to the likes of STAR WARS more fantasy inspired domain, though no less detailed and singularly unique in its serious and intellectually inspired attempts at realizing a believable set of cultures and special exploration - a mantra set down by Roddenberry from the very beginning with his regular dealings and correspondence with the likes of real-life talents and ground breaking pioneers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA, and in his talks/observations with respected scientists and authors like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. Obviously, with the success of the seventies emerging STAR WARS, the TREK universe, especially into its movie series incarnation, has adapted its realism so as to incorporate more fantastical, exciting elements to win over fresh audiences, which have been achieved through the rapid advances in today’s sophisticated production and special effects techniques that came into being from the late eighties onwards- our own real life evolution gaining ground to that prophesized by Roddenberry. One prime iconic example of this fusion, bringing wonder and danger to TREK in equal measure, must be the introduction of those incredibly successful, hard to beat super-baddies, the Borg, who truly made their mark with THE NEXT GENERATION.

Beyond the terrors of assimilation, classic regular enemies like the savage but noble Klingons and the treacherous Romulans also get some fine and deserved representation, adding further riches to the tapestry, as well as other icons, such as the reptilian Gorn and those blue skinned antenna’d warriors, the Andorians. Future modern series foes like the big-necked Cardassians, the evil Gamma Quadrant empire that is the merciless, all-encompassing Dominion (and their ground pounder Jem’Hadar soldiers) all prove standout entries, too.

The specially handled TREK prop photography of this far and wide universe covers everything from phasers and tricorders, from nanotechnology and Romulan disintegrators (even covering Dr. Soong’s early head for Lt. Data!), backed up with some rare photos alongside the now classic posed and episodic imagery.

Present from the shows early days, the Vulcans have made a strong impact on STAR TREK.

Led in by a warmly affectionate and inspiring foreword from popular actor John de Lancie, who played Q- the enigmatically tempestuous alien antagonist to the bold Captain Jean-Luc Picard, in and out of THE NEXT GERNATION’s seven very successful years, it amazes me that a book of this type has never been done before, especially after the success of other sci-fi and comic legends in this format, notably STAR WARS and BATMAN. STAR TREK: THE VISUAL DICTIONARY is a fun primer for fans old and new, what with the franchise’s five TV series evolving restoration onto digital Blu-ray, plus the coming soon, suitably epic new STAR TREK movie adventure taking us INTO DARKNESS...

Now firmly on the path- this book being a sure-fire success- we’ll likely see more specialized DK projects/visual dictionaries linked to the series-perhaps on the previous movies and/or the new, other modern TREK films emerging from the CBS PARAMOUNT/J.J. Abrams powerhouse combo, with their now different time lines and re-imagined heroes and villains.

Imagination, excitement, morality and a whole lot of heart are the prime ingredients that have made STAR TREK in all its guises so successful, and this visual dictionary tribute is an enjoyable embodiment and continuance of that legend.

To Boldly Go...

KOOL TV OVERALL RATING: Lots of history, technology and world-hopping adventure in a very pleasing visual package: 4 out of 5