With over 700 hours of television, 13 big screen movies and half a century of loyal fan worship, there is a torrent of lists that could be arranged into an infinite amount of diverse combinations. Author Chip Carter has delved deep into the Trek galaxy and pulled together this very handy and enjoyable compilation of lists that cover every corner of the Trek galaxy.
It’s very cleverly broken down into specific categories. Kicking off, section one takes a look at Starfleet personnel. How could a list that starts with a look at the original series not give us a list of all of Captain Kirk’s most memorable kisses, or look at Diplomatic Relations with Sarek, K’Ehleyr and Lwaxana Troi – the ultimate diplomat – featured.
As with any great Trek we look to the stars at New Life and New Civilisations with an investigation of First Contact and those key moments where the Federation first meet new alien races. It also takes us to other levels of existence where beings such as Q, Trelane and the Bajoran prophets live.
Ships and Technology of the Future bring us closer to the galactic workhorses of the stars, the various vessels and the tech that fills them. We learn more about the legendary Picard Manoeuvre at the Battle of Maxia, along with other great military tactical moments. List #47 looks at the many – and we mean many – appearances of the number 47 across the various series so far. It’s no coincidence, as writer Joe Menosky added in as many appearances of the number as he could across TNG, DS9 and Voyager while #48 lays out the signs and symbols of the galaxy’s great races.
The Final Frontier takes a look at the history of the future looking at fashion (list #51), time travel (list #54) and temporal anomalies (list #57) while Stories From The Future gives insight into doppelgangers in list #61 and the infamous Mirror Universe in list #62.
It’s a fun and educational blast through the Star Trek timeline, one that’s being brought back to prominence by the recent arrivals of Star Trek Discovery and The Orville. The remainder of the book looks at Behind the Scenes moments, a chapter entitled By the Numbers which details such information as most popular episodes, opening day box office numbers, time travel and alternate realities.
It ends with a look at Trek in pop culture, something that can’t be underestimated. Star Trek has impacted popular culture in a way that no other TV show has managed since, inveigling its way into popular vernacular. That love is mirrored here.
STAR TREK BOOK OF LISTS / AUTHOR: CHIP CARTER / PUBLISHER: HARPER COLLINS / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 16TH
