THESE ARE THE VOYAGES: TOS SEASON ONE (2013) *****
THESE ARE THE VOYAGES: TOS SEASON TWO (2014) *****
THESE ARE THE VOYAGES: TOS SEASON THREE (2014) *****
by Marc Cushman (with Susan Osborn)
Forewords by John D. F. Black and Mary Black (Vol 1); Walter Koenig (Vol 2); David Gerrold (Vol 3)
These paperback editions published by Jacobs/Brown Press, 2013 (Vol 1), 2014 (Vol 2) and 2015 (Vol 3); 649pp (Vol 1), 689pp (Vol 2) and 736pp (Vol 3)
© Marc Cushman, 2013-14
ISBN: 978-0-9892381-2-0 (Vol 1), 978-0-9892381-5-1 (Vol 2), 978-0-9892381-8-2 (Vol 3)
Blurb: In the 1980s Gene Roddenberry and Robert H. Justman gave Marc Cushman permission to write the definitive history of the first Star Trek. They backed their stamp of approval by providing documentation never before shared with the public. These are the Voyages, published in three volumes – one designated for each season of TOS – will take you back in time and put you into the producers’ offices, the writers’ room, onto the soundstages, and in front of your TV sets for the first historic broadcasts. Included are hundreds of memos between Roddenberry and his staff, production schedules, budgets, fan letters, behind-the-scenes images, and the TV ratings, documenting the making of each episode of the “Classic 79” in staggering detail. Buckle your seat belts, the trek of a lifetime begins here.
Comment: After several weeks, I have finally completed my own personal voyage through the history of the original series of Star Trek, courtesy of Marc Cushman’s three-volume account (totalling over 2,000 pages). This exhaustive look at all aspects of production of the series examines studio and network politics, alongside celebrating what became the most influential and widely seen sci-fi TV series ever produced. The story unfolds from Gene Roddenberry’s original conception, through the filming of two pilots, to the production of a further 77 episodes over three seasons, spanning 1964 to 1969. Cushman has compiled the most detailed account I have seen or read of any TV series production, and the book will therefore be of immense interest to both Star Trek fans and TV historians. The research undertaken to pull the story together was undoubtedly a huge undertaking, and it is to Cushman’s credit that he has compiled the results into such a streamlined and readable account. For his research, Cushman was provided with access to all the series documentation, as well as new and archival interviews with those involved in the making of the series. He has therefore been able to give a balanced account of the behind-the-scenes power struggles. He also provides analysis and a detailed production history of every episode, including a full breakdown of the scripting and production process. Although I would probably have liked full credit details for each episode, this would likely have taken too much space and repeated information explored in the text. That minor quibble aside, this 3-volume work is the definitive story of Star Trek‘s original series.
