Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)
(written from a Production point of view)
The unauthorized The Special Effects of Trek is a reference book that essentially collected articles and interviews, done by the author, on the special, and visual effects of the Star Trek: The Original Series, the first six Star Trek films and the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and which were originally published in the fanzines "Star Trek Files" and "Enterprise Incidents".
Summary
- From the book jacket (1st Edition)
- The magic of Star Trek was part acting ability, part good stories and direction and part special effects created by unseen wizards. The special seductive spell of special effects created the wonders of space travel, strange worlds, fantastic vehicles and incredible alien races. This is the untold story of those behind-the-scenes wizards in their own words.
- From the book jacket (2nd Edition)
- "The best book about the magical special effects that bring Star Trek to life ever published."
- - Enterprise Incidents
- An in-depth look at the special effects magic behind the 26 years of Star Trek productions!
- Special effects have always been an important facet of the Star Trek phenomenon. This book explores how the effects have been achieved. From the Emmy Award-winning episode, "The Tholian Web", of the original series, through the spectacular effects of the movies and the challenge of creating new effects week after week on Star Trek: The Next Generation, this lively account describes the fascinating work that goes on behind the scenes.
- Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.
Contents
- By Way of an Introduction: The Age of Special Effects
- The 60s Star Trek: Special Effects on a Budget
- The Motion Picture: The Effects Become the Star
- Special Effects Photo Gallery
- The Wrath of Khan
- The Search for Spock
- The Voyage Home
- The Final Frontier
- Special Effects Photo Gallery
- The Undiscovered Country
- The Next Generation: Television Again, With Budget
- Glossary of Terms
Background information
- While the Movie Publisher Services edition of 1993 is often stated to be the first edition, it was actually a (revised) reprint of the Schuster & Schuster edition of 1988, which was titled "(Files Magazine focus on) Special Effects of Star Trek".
- Written well before the advent of the Internet and before officially endorsed reference works were published, this book has become outdated as it, especially where the Original Series are concerned, contained many inaccuracies, propagating for example, misconceptions that have arisen in "Star Trek-lore". No sources are referenced in the book, and a fair amount of "original research" is contained within the texts, leading up to speculative conclusions which have proven to be incorrect in later times. It served however, as a reminder on how little behind-the-scenes information was available to the general public at the time, especially in regard to the effects production. Caution should therefore be observed when consulting this work, and researchers are advised to cross-verify findings with other reference works.
Gallery
First edition cover from Schuster & Schuster