Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek

. Ed(s): Brode, Douglas; Brode, Shea T.

ISBN 10: 1442249870 / ISBN 13: 9781442249875

Published by Rowman & Littlefield, 2015

About this Item

This collection of essays looks at the groundbreaking impact of the original Star Trek series (1966-1969) and the various themes that the show conveyed, not only during its run but in the subsequent film and cartoon versions featuring the original characters and cast members. Editor(s): Brode, Douglas; Brode, Shea T. Num Pages: 234 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: APF; APT. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 162 x 236 x 22. Weight in Grams: 518. . 2015. Hardcover. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9781442249875

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1442249870
• ISBN 13: 9781442249875
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

When it premiered on NBC in September 1966, Star Trek was described by its creator, Gene Roddenberry, as “Wagon Train to the stars.” Featuring a racially diverse cast, trips to exotic planets, and encounters with an array of alien beings who could be either friendly or hostile, the program opened up new vistas for television. Along with The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, Star Trek represented one of the small screen’s rare ventures into science fiction during the 1960s. Although the original series was a modest success during its three-year run, its afterlife has been nothing less than a cultural phenomenon. To celebrate the show’s debut fifty years later, it’s time to reexamine one of the most influential programs in history.

In Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek: The Original Cast Adventures, Douglas and Shea T. Brode present a collection of essays about the series and its various incarnations over the years. Contributors discuss not only the 1960s show but also its off-shoots, ranging from novels and graphic novels to toys and video games, as well as the films featuring Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew. Essays address the show’s religious implications, romantic elements, and its role in the globalization of American culture. Other essays draw parallels between the series and the Vietnam War, compare Star Trek II to Milton’s Paradise Lost, posit Roddenberry as an auteur, and consider William Shatner as a romantic object.

With its far-reaching and provocative essays, this collection offers new insights into one of the most significant shows ever produced. Besides television and film studies, Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek―a companion volume to The Star Trek Universe―will be of interest to scholars of religion, history, gender studies, queer studies, and popular culture, not to mention the show’s legions of fans.

About the Author

Douglas Brode, now retired, was the Creator/Coordinator of the Film Classics Program for The Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, USA. He is a novelist, screenwriter, playwright, film historian, multi-award winning journalist, and multi-award winning educator. His previous books include studies of director Steven Spielberg, Shakespeare in the Movies, Star Wars and Star Trek, Walt Disney, the Western genre, and the D.C. Universe, among more than fifty others. Recently, Brode was selected by the Popular Culture Association of America as person of the year for his lifelong list of contributions to the form.