Trek Navigator: The Ultimate Guide to the Entire Trek Saga Tag: Every Trek Episode...

by Mark A. Altman

Book Overview

In the galaxy of Star Trek books, there's nothing like Trek Navigator--a compendium of punchy reviews, in the style of movie reviewers Siskel and Ebert, critiquing every episode of every Star Trek... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316038121
• ISBN13: 9780316038126
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

An Essential Guide

This is a great compact guide for reading alongside watching most of Star Trek. I didn't always agree with their opinion, but their honesty is refreshing and it was nice to see someone liking some stories that don't always get attention. Some reviewers claim that the writers are baised towards TOS but this isn't reallt the case. TOS episodes get a fair bashing when deserved and it's true to say that only TOS was a cultural phenomenon that entered the culture in a powerful and meaningful way. Their opinion on TNG and DS9 is fair and they do rightfully praise these series, particularly the later seasons. The Patrick Stewart-Shatner debate is not quite what other people are describing. Basically, one actor gives a more internal and restrained while the other is full of energy and intensity. It's possible to like both for different reasons and to ignore Shatner's contribution to ST is to be pretty ignorant about why there are any ST today.

Trek

This is a must-have for any true trekker in the universe. The authors, although slanted towards TOS and DS9, do a good job of reviewing every Star Trek episode (including animated)through 1997. I felt Altman's criticism overly harsh at times, but for the most part the duo sticks behind Star Trek and delivers a gem.

A must read for all Trek Fans

Trek Navigator is the most complete Trek book I have ever bought. As the LA Times sys, "Altman is the world's foremost trekspert" His knowledge shnes through in his comments and reviews. Some of you may find the reviews to negative but that only means you need to look past your worship of trek and be honest about the shows. This book is as complete as it can be up to the point it was published. Altman deserves 5 stars, Gross only 3 1/2 but this book is a must for any trek fan.

The Truth Finally Revealed-Not Every Trek Episode Was A Gem

Altman's and Gross' book is a pleasant trip down memory lane as they review all of the Star Trek films and TV episodes from the Sixties to about a year and a half ago. I have always regarded Altman as the one must-read Star Trek authority writing today as he is the only Trekspert who is not affraid to be critical of the Trek creative talents when they churn out disappointing material in the form of bad movies or bad episodes. I especially can idenitify with Altman's disappointment over the Generations film, the final season of Next Generation, and the entire run of Voyager so far. Altman pulls no punches in his criticism and I apreciate his honesty. However, don't be misled into thinking that Altman revels in finding fault in all things Trek as this is simply not the case. His love and enthusiasm for the Trek universe clearly shines through when he is talking of episodes that are personnel favorites of his. Co-author Gross also pitches in and serves as Ebert to Altman's Siskel but his reviews do not contain the same amount of depth and insight as Altman's. Gross' reviews struck me as being too generous and kind. Even when he writes a bad review for an episode, it always seemes that he makes an effort to mention something positive. C'mon Ed, when an episode is bad then it's bad - there's no two ways about it. Stick to your guns a little more and don't be affaid to be critical. All in all, this book is a must for all Trek enthusiasts and the only reason that I'm not giving it a 10 is that it unfortunately fails to include the more recent Deep Space Nine work (which has been great) and the more recent Voyager work (which has been horrible). I would have enjoyed reading both men's thoughts on the episodes from last season. In addition, the lisitng of the episodes and films in alphabetical order and not by series is a little disorienting for Trek fans like me who are conditioned to look up these entries by series. Overall, a nice piece of work. I can't wait for the second volume!

A handy group of summations, written critically with love.

Although not everyone will be satisfied with the organization of the episodes, most will look back fondly and have fun agreeing and disagreeing with two very knowledgable authors. The inclusion of the animated shows and even the ongoing "Voyager" series make this reference a "must have".