Star Trek was one
of the most thoughtful American shows from a pre-Golden Age period when most
series didn’t share a single brain between them (I’m looking at you, Gilligan
and Jeannie). Nevertheless, you shouldn’t really expect great thoughtfulness
from a book with a title like Star Trek:
The Book of Lists. Even as far as a book of 100 lists about topics such as
“Kirk’s Most Memorable Kisses” and all the times Shatner appeared on screen
shirtless goes, Chip Carter’s Book of
Lists is pretty simple-minded. Commentary is minimal, and in some cases,
non existent, as lists of characters who appeared in mirror universes and time
travel episodes consist of nothing but names and titles.
But the nice thing about Star
Trek is that it was thoughtful and fun, and while Star Trek: Book of Lists doesn’t try to deliver thoughtfulness, it does
a fairly good job of bringing the fun. Lists of props and costumes that were
remade and reused from episode to episode, 21st century devices and
technology Star Trek predicted, merchandise,
and actors and actresses who appeared on both Star Trek and Batman are a
kick. Since the design is image heavy, graphically appealing run downs of the
series’ various uniforms and most outré fashions, as well as side by side
comparisons of how various aliens were depicted across various Star Trek incarnations, are groovy too.
Some of this stuff is even informative. I hadn’t realized the Shari “Lambchop’s
Mom” Lewis co-wrote the “Lights of Zetar” episode or that none other than MLK
was a Trekkie.
There are some questionable inclusions too, though, as
“Assignment: Earth” guest star Teri Garr is erroneously credited as a star of High Anxiety and Ronald Reagan is listed
among famous Star Trek fans simply
because he once screened The Search for
Spock at the White House (he didn’t even like it). However, a photo of the
U.S.’s last functional president, Barack Obama, snuggling with Nichelle Nichols
and flashing the Vulcan salute is a geeky gas, and that’s really the kind of
thing you should be hoping for from a book like Star Trek: The Book of Lists.