Template:Realworld Inside Star Trek: The Real Story is a reference book on the production of Star Trek: The Original Series written from the first-person perspective of the operational decision makers at the time, in this case the producers. Both authors, Herbert Solow and Robert Justman were producers on the first two seasons and entire run, respectively, of show at the time. The book is liberally illustrated with production art and behind-the-scenes photographs, mostly originating from Justman's personal collection.
Summary
- From the book jacket
- Before the actors were cast, before the U.S.S. Enterprise™ was designed, before the phenomenon exploded, there were three men who set about creating the Star Trek legend. Gene Roddenberry died in 1991. Herb Solow and Bob Justman now remain the only two people on the planet Earth who really know what happened in those early, heady days.
- INSIDE STAR TREK is a comprehensive look at the development and life of a television and cultural phenomenon. It is also the story no one else could tell. Between them, Solow and Justman had a hand in virtually every aspect of the development and production of Star Trek – from the battles with NBC and the internal conflicts with studio executives to the behind-the-scenes decisions about actors and their characters, writers, scripts, directors, budgets, and the endless details of weekly television production.
- Together, the two men debunk many of the myths that have developed around Star Trek in the last thirty years. At last, here is the fascinating and accurate account of a unique television series launched against astronomical odds – a television series that transported millions of viewers into another world and into an unprecedented, thirty-year, multimedia, multibillion-dollar cultural phenomenon.
- Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.
Contents
- note: from the paperback edition
- Who Are They?, pp. ix-x
- Preface, pp, xi-xiv
- Prologue: Riding the Red-Eye, pp. xv-xx
- Act One – Genesis: The Two Pilots
- 1 The Back Story: Boy, Could He Tap-Dance, pp, 3-12
- 2 A Dreamer of Dreams, pp.13-24
- 3 Get on Boatd, Li'l Chilun, pp, 25-42
- 4 Magic Time: The First Pilot, pp, 43-54
- 5 The Good Witch of the East, pp. 55-68
- 6 Magic Time Revisited: Ihe The Second Pilot, pp. 69-86
- 7 Strange New Worlds, pp. 87-96
- 8 The Key to the Asylum, pp. 97-106
- Act Two – The First Season:A Struggle For Life
- 9 Another Fine Mess, pp. 109-122
- 10 And The I Wrote, pp. 123-150
- 11 New Faces of 1966: The Actors, pp. 151-158
- 12 These Are the Voyages: The First Season, pp. 159-210
- 13 Haute Couture, pp. 211-218
- 14 Gene's Genes, pp. 219-230
- 15 Who'd on First? The Pecking Order, pp. 231-246
- 16 Flirting with Disaster, pp. 247-258
- 17 Running on Empty, pp. 259-274
- 18 On the Edge of Forever: Waiting for Harlan, pp. 275-290
- Act Three – Death and Transfiguration: The Second and Third Seasons
- 19 Saved by the Bell, pp. 293-314
- 20 Money, Money, Money, pp. 315-328
- 21 A Shoe Drops: The Second season, pp. 329-364
- 22 If They Give You Any Trouble, Screw Them!, pp. 365-376
- 23 First, the Good News: The Final Season, pp 377-410
- Act Four – Rebirth: Star Trek Lives!
- 24 Reborn in Reruns, pp. 413-424
- 25 All Our Yesterdays, pp. 425-446
- Epilogue: Live Long and Prosper, pp. 447-446
- Acknowledgements, pp. 447-448
- Author's Biographies, pp. 449-452
- Index, pp. 453-458
Background information
- While a reference book, also dealing with the operational managerial aspects, was already written as early as 1968, The Making of Star Trek (followed as recently with the 2013 book series These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One, et al. and which heavily references Inside Star Trek), this work was mostly written from a third-person perspective, even though contemporary internal memos were literally quoted. Inside Star Trek, afforded the authors an opportunity to tell their side of the story in their own words, elaborating on information given in prior works by delving deeper into the subject matter at hand. It allowed them to dispense intimate information that authors of other works, including those written by former Original Series cast members, were usually not privy to, which included the everlasting balancing act the producers had to perform between the interests of the studio executives and their own creative staff. Much production information on the Original Series was divulged in this book for the first time. To date it, and its derivatives, remain some of the most important and influential works on the creation of The Original Series.
- Three years previously, former Captain James T. Kirk performer William Shatner had written an autobiography covering the Original Series-era in which he also delved in-depth into the making-off aspects of the series. That book, Star Trek Memories, to which Justman had made considerable contributions, therefore shared similarities with the one Justman and Solow wrote. Ironically though, Shatner's book has never been quite recognized as a making-off reference book – even though he had interviewed several production staffers contrary to Justman and Solow, who had not, writing from their own first person perspective – and as such was overshadowed by Inside Star Trek.
- The audiobook version was abridged by George Truett.
- A film version of the book, containing additional information not included in the print publication, was released in Japan in 1999 as an English language laserdisc. For this outing Justman did interview several former Star Trek production staffers.
- In the period 1999-2003, Justman wrote a series of "From the Wormhole" articles for Star Trek: The Magazine in which he covered subjects he either had not touched upon in his book, or delved deeper into ones he had mentioned, and as such can be considered addenda to the book.
- Upon completing the work of putting his recollections on paper, author Justman sold off his collection of Star Trek production material, which served as the basis of his writings, in two specialized Profiles in History Star Trek auctions; the 2001 The Star Trek Auction, the 2002 one that bore his name, The Bob Justman Star Trek Auction, and with the remainder of his Star Trek possessions auctioned off in the 2003 The Ultimate Sci-Fi Auction.
