I do wish there was a bit more of the Enterprise's crew in John and Maria Jose Tenuto's Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home-The Making of the Film, but this is still a pretty wonderful book that really conveys the film's warm, joyous spirit. The writers provide a clear idea of Leonard Nimoy's sensitive directing techniques, the challenges and triumphs of bringing the film's humpback whales to life, and the key members of the film's crew, most notably Kirk Thatcher, the wunderkind who not only served as associate producer, but also played the punk who gets memorably silenced by Spock and wrote and sang the punk song that so displeases our favorite vulcan.
The crew that doesn't get much of a say in this book is the one played by William Shatner, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, and the rest. There are scant quotations from these stars, although new Starfleet-pal Catherine Hicks contributes a lot, and her presence is one of the things that makes The Voyage Home such a delight.
The wealth of concept art, model, production, and poster images also makes Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home-The Making of the Film visually delightful, while the trivial tidbits about such matters as Eddie Murphy's aborted involvement in the film and George Burns's approval of it will also delight fans of this delightful film.
