Make It So: An Essential Component of Every True Star Trek Fan’s Collection

Star Trek has been an been an element of American culture since its beginnings in the 1960’s, and remains so today. What started as a three season attempt at pulling viewers away from their beloved Westerns grew into something larger than life. Something larger than life was exactly what Gene Roddenberry dreamed of when the inkling of a science fiction spacefaring program flickered in his brilliant mind. He wanted to plant the notion of a better future in the public’s vision of years to come. But that wasn’t all. His aim was to present a future where there was no longer national tensions or biases due to meaningless cultural differences, varying characteristics, or different appearances.
Further still, Roddenberry wanted to suggest to the population that they might not be alone in the universe. The thought that the galaxy was full of life at diverse points in their development was outlandish to some. But to others it gave promise and hope that someday we, the people of Earth, would be just one species of many in the galaxy who could work together for a better life and future. Gene knew that he had to make the premise believable, and while the group of planets who allied themselves with one another were admirable and altruistic, there had to be villains. Every good story, and Star Trek told hundreds of them, had to have a hero and villain. He began by assembling the cornerstone hero, called the Federation of United Planets. As for villains, to start Roddenberry cooked up two extraordinary ones; the Klingons and the Romulans. They would be the thorn in the side of the Federation. Eventually the Federation would explore, expand, and thus encounter more enemies. Thus, the introduction of the Dominion, the Undine, and the dreaded Borg. We cover in this volume the inception of Star Trek, the five completed Star Trek television series, as well as all of the movies. We examine Starfleet technology, from the original Enterprise to Deep Space Nine, and their capabilities compared to the Borg Cubes and the Bioships of Species 8472. Each major character of the Star Trek franchise has his or her own capsulized biography. From Kirk to Picard to Sisko to Janeway to Archer; the book studies the dynamics of the crews, with special consideration for the chemistry of the original triumvirate of James T. Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Leonard McCoy. In addition, the economy of the Star Trek Universe is scrutinized. This leads us to consider how the cast member’s salary of the original series compared to the compensation garnered by the actors who subsequently manned the deck of the Enterprise, Voyager, and DS9. Gene Roddenberry had a wonderous, captivating vision of the future that enthralled several generations. His vision included the most fascinating, terrifying aliens. He gambled that the American public would accept the notion that we are not alone in the universe, with good and bad out there awaiting us. It was scientist, Arthur C. Clarke, who once said, “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”