Inside Star Trek: The Real Story

Rating:
Summary: A Lively Look into Production on the Fringe
Review: Excellent Book documenting many of the little known/untold stories from behind the scenes. Written in an interesting and easy to read format. Lots of pictures and draws document the information contained in the book. A must read for a Trekkie or Treker.

Rating:
Summary: Priceless for every TOS fan and trekkie
Review: I could never have dreamed of the value of this book - I bought it and was amazed! This book is a must-have for every fan of the original series and real trekkie!
The complete background of the beginning of the series, the problems, the costs and the riscs to make the series - all covered within this essential book. It was great fun to read and
extremely interesting. Believe it or not, I had some good laughs too!

Hard to realize how some things have been done and worked out. The real point in trying to catch a copy of it is that the writers were really there at this time! They perfectly know what they are talking about.

Try to get a copy of that book as fast as possible. Out of print for some time now it is very hard to find and I'm afraid I won't sell mine... *g*

Rating:
Summary: Good but Not 5 Stars Good! (Personal Opinion)
Review: I like Star Trek so when I saw the audiobook version of Inside Star Trek The Real Story I bought it and listened to it and for the most part it was good and was informitive but I also found parts of it to be very gossipy and whiney and that really turned me off and the authors of the book both took turns reading for the audio and I think they should have let professional audiobook readers do it instead. I totally agree with the reviewer who said that Solow and Justman's readings were flat and boring and I Had to keep myself from dosing off so if you have this audiobook and are planning on listening to it I would recommend reading it at home and not while driving, walking or jogging. By the way, If you are a big fan of the original Star Trek series then you will probably be able to overlook the gossip and the whining and enjoy the interesting tidbits that explain how this show came about but I would recommend buying the regular book and skipping the audiobook. I just personally found the authors attitudes to be a little too defensive especially when referring to the fact that some things they say contradict other sources who were also heavily involved in the making of Star Trek both in front of and behind the camera. But I guess like any tell all book you need to take this with a grain of salt and not as the absolute gospel truth!

Rating:
Summary: A refreshingly different perspective on the Star Trek legend
Review: I read and thoroughly enjoyed Stephen Whitfield's book when it appeared in the late '60s, and have since read many of the cast memoirs, including Majel Barrett's adoring biography of Gene Roddenberry. The latter all started to fall into a mold -- 'I was great but under-appreciated, Star Trek was wonderful and Shatner was a louse'. This book gives a refreshingly more objective view of the whole thing, letting us see the people in a more realistic light (and one of the few books where Shatner isn't raked over the coals). Little tidbits, like the origin of the "Great Bird of the Galaxy", add to the fun. Yes, it drags at times, but Trek fans should find it well worth the read.

Rating:
Summary: Good producers' account, but mean to Gene
Review: Justman and Solow have given here an interesting account of the making of Classic Trek. Compared, say, to Bill Shatner's on-the-set perspective in his STAR TREK MEMORIES, this one is more of what went on in the offices. I have read a fair amount on the making of the show, and it seems to me there are new details and perspectives here. Particularly fresh and interesting is their account of the environment at Desilu Studios as the genesis of Star Trek. There is also a good section on the making of the terrific music for the series. And much more. I was a little irked, though, that the book is so rough on creator Gene Roddenberry. I don't know that the unfavorable incidents recounted here are untrue, but I thought a lot of it was unnecessary and did not leave much room for making more positive comments on him. But, all in all, INSIDE STAR TREK is surely one of the primary books on the making of the show. It's a good choice for those who know a lot about it, or know nothing at all.

Rating:
Summary: Star Trek: The SAME Story
Review: This account is nearly the same as Shatners expect it is read in such montone voice that you may NOT want to listen to while driving. There are a few new tidbits here and there but nothing of any great substance that wasn't known before. I have the utmost respect for these two guys, heck, they worked near the nerve center of all our loves, Star Trek. However, that doesn't mean you will have the tolerence to listen to them drone on and on. Whether you love or hate Shatner, you have to admit his book Star Trek Memories is read with feeling and has the same general information and is more balanced to boot.

The thing that bugged me more than the tone of the dialogue were the comments about Gene Roddenberry. I don't care if 100% of the negative things they said had really occurred. There is something profoundly disturbing about commenting on someone who has absolutely no way of defending themeselves. It saddens me to no end to think that Gene Roddenberry and Gene Coon are no longer around to give their accounts, in that I feel you would find Star Trek: The "Realest" Story.

Of coarse this book is to be purchased by true Trek junkies, but don't expect to have much of a rush from this fix.

Rating:
Summary: This is the best non fiction book I have ever read.
Review: This book is a masterpiece of non fiction documentary reporting. It explains what really happned way back when far more clearly and deeply then anything I have ever read, period! We need books like these on almost every subject. This book dispells so many myths its mind boggeling. I encourage everyone to read this book even if they hate star trek, just for an example of good writing.

Rating:
Summary: VERY IN DEPTH LISTENING!
Review: This set of two tapes sete the record straight on alot of myths about Star Trek: TOS. Herb Solow and Robert Justman do a real good job in telling their version of the story. The story of a man, myth, his dream, the team that put the series togther, and of Desilu Studios, and NBC who took a gamble to help fufill the impossible dream. STAR TREK! Kudos to Herb and Robert or RJ for giving an unbaised version of the genesis of a television legend!