THE STAR TREK COMPENDIUM

The creation and longevity of Star Trek's original series is documented here, along with the description of fan support, through and after the three year run of the Starship Enterprise.  The pilot episode is described in detail, and the whole battle to create a second pilot, and then, years later, a second Star Trek series. 

Then follows full- or two-page synopses and commentary on the various incarnations of the original Trek.  The summaries were very helpful in refreshing my memory of the episode, and to shock me into realizing that I had actually seen only about half of the episodes! 

So I looked into it, and discovered that two episodes were airing every week on a local TV station.  I picked the right time, because they ran twice, and haven't been seen since.  (Of course, they are still shown every day on Space, but I don't get that station.)  And every time I watched an episode, I would pull out this book, and, after the episode was done, I'd read the synopsis over, and all of the commentary that came with it.  Some of this was behind the scenes, and others were general feelings by either the author, the producers, or the actors.  Most of it was very interesting.

I have not watched any of the feature films since receiving this book, but I think I should someday soon.  The summaries and commentary are not much compared to the episodes, but they serve to enlighten nonetheless.  I have no intention of searching for the Star Trek animated series, though that, too, is featured here.  The summaries are much shorter, and there is no commentary at all, which is just fine by me. 

All in all, a great reference.