Phasers on Stun!: How the Making (and Remaking) of Star Trek Changed the World by Ryan Britt
- 400 pages, Hardcover
- Published May, 2022 by Plume Books
There are many histories written about the original series, probably my favorite is The World of Star Trek by David Gerrold, there are even books on Phase II the unmade 1970s ST series. Taking on the entire history of Star Trek with 800 plus hours of entertainment that is still almost weekly adding to this number is daunting but Ryan Britt appears to be the guy to do it. Featuring a wide range of interviews done over several years it appears that Ryan Britt was fully committed to the process of this history.
If you are a super nerd for the series there is not much new information, although there are lots of great new interview quotes from folks in front of and behind the camera throughout the book. Most importantly I think this book can add context and history to a show for people who don’t love it.
I mean the outside critic might be wondering. Why is Star Trek so important? What does it all mean? This is a terrific book for just that.
Even though I think I know everything there is to know about Star Trek somehow I never heard that Nichelle Nichols named Uhura after a 1962 novel by Robert Ruark. I didn’t know that Gene Coon had a super radical secretary Ann Richardson (who I working on getting to interview), and a few other details but I don’t think this book is for us super fans.
I think the ideal reader is the critic or those interested in pop-culture history that want to understand Star Trek but have only a little knowledge. In that sense, I think Britt did an amazing job writing the history. Big thumbs up.
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