Star Trek: The Original Series 365

One can spend hours sitting at a couch flipping through this book. The problem is that the hardcover is cheaply made and the glue that binds the spine falls apart and then you're dealing with pages coming loose.

I'm a huge Star Trek fan, and it's a pleasure to receive a new reference book on the franchise (this time, centered around the original series, aka TOS). The Encyclopedia and Chronology were great in their time, but with all the information in the later Deep Space Nine and Voyager episodes (as well as Enterprise and the last few movies), they've become outdated. I expected 365 to be similar to the excellent Art of Star Trek (1997), and it is a great companion piece to that book, offering some beautiful images along with insights into the production and the impact of the classic series over the last 40 years.

In general, the layout has images on the right side, with brief episode teasers and other information on the left.

I'm going to note a few things that came to mind as I read through the book:

Materials
+365 comes in hardcover, with a beautiful image of the Enterprise on the front and a picture of Spock, Kirk, McCoy and Scott (from "Spectre of the Gun") on the back. The pages are semi-glossy and easy to flip through. The page numbers are colored the same as the dvd sets - yellow for season 1, blue for season 2, red for season 3 (and black otherwise).

-The cover can scratch and dent easily, and mine already has a sort of "haze" around the edges. The pages pick up fingerprints (wash your hands before reading!), and several of the text pages had ink smears and other blemishes (not a big deal, but worth noting). The page numbers are all on the text (left) sides and are cut off slightly. I guess this was a stylistic choice, but they're often hard to read.

Episode Guide
+The episodes are presented in production order. Though this was often different from airdate order ("The Man Trap" aired before "Where No Man Has Gone Before", even though "Before" was actually the second pilot), the layout is much more logical and easier to read through.

-There's no table of contents, so it's hard to find your favorite episode or get a sense of which shows aired in which season. The opening page for each episode has a teaser for the show, which might whet your appetite, but doesn't reveal too much. They could have put the episode number on the page (1-79), the stardate, the original airdate, a list of personnel (directors, guest stars, etc) or other things, yet those are all missing. A few notes on specific actors or props might be included on subsequent pages, but you never really know what's coming.

PICTURES
+The big draw for 365 is in its images, and here it rarely disappoints. Many of the pictures are razor-sharp and look like they could have been shot yesterday (Spock mind-melding with Van Gelder from "Dagger of the Mind"). I've read the comments about the rest, which sometimes look a bit grainy; knowing they are from the original negatives and have been cleaned up makes up for this at times, though other times you wish they just chose another shot.

-Sometimes the pictures are from the remastered episodes (the Enterprise and Balok's ship from "The Corbomite Maneuver") without any note of that fact. It wouldn't bother me if it was consistent, but sometimes there is a really crummy original shot (The USS Constellation approaching "The Doomsday Machine") that would have looked much better if they used the remastered footage instead (the original shot used a model with almost no detail). There are also some episodes that are missing things that should be there...for instance, there are no pictures of Elaan in the collection for "Elaan of Troyius" (!), or of Mudd, who was in two episodes ("Mudd's Women" [5 pictures with the women, none of him!] and "I, Mudd"). Actually, several villains should be pictured but aren't, like Merik from "Bread and Circuses" or the Klingons from "A Private Little War".

INFORMATION
+I guarantee you'll not only learn a lot about TOS, you'll learn things that will make you smile (like how Vaal - the big dragon head from "The Apple" - was actually made of aluminum foil!). There are nice tidbits on some of the guest actors, locations, costumes, episode scores and more. You'll find out why several planets seem "just like Earth," why Sulu was missing for most of season 2, and why William Shatner sometimes kept...pausing in the middle...of his dialogue!

-Some of the information is presented randomly (a comment on the look of the transporter platform comes in-between episode summaries for season 3). They keep mentioning how NBC gave the show a small budget, but not WHY this was so, or WHY so many people left before the third season (also no mention of Freiberger, the producer for that season). Also, there's too much information in some places and not enough in others. For instance, we get a whole page of text dedicated to the belly dancer from "Wolf in the Fold" yet nothing on Klingon warrior Kor ("Errand of Mercy") or Kodos the Executioner ("The Conscience of the King"). I also expected more interviews and actual quotes from the actors and others; how did Ricardo Montalban approach the role of Khan? What did Mark Lenard think about Sarek's relationship with Spock ("Journey to Babel", as well as the third and fourth movies)? Surely these people (and the main cast) had something to say about the show (and its effect on their lives) that could have been reproduced here. Finally, it would have been cool to include a bit on the 2009 movie, like a trivia section on the little homages to TOS people might have missed.

I know I've piled on the book a bit, but what it all boils down to is: did I enjoy it? Yes, I did. It was fun to go through once, and I'll surely be checking back to it whenever I view the episodes again. I still think the DS9 Companion is the best Trek book out there though (even if it's only in black and white).

This incredible Star Trek book is the perfect companion to all 3 full-season, remastered DVD boxed sets released last year. Informative, insightful and loaded with great photos and artwork, this book is a must have for even the most casual Star Trek enthusiast. Beam up your copy today!

This fun little item is a recap of the entire 79-episode run of the original Star Trek series from the 1960's. It's filled with lots of interesting information, screen captures from the series, photos used to sell the series to sponsors, and other odds and ends that make it a great table book. You can read it either straight from the beginning or enter it at any point and begin reading. It brings back a lot of memories from the show, but also provides a few things that you might not know (unless, of course, you're full schooled in all the Star Trek publications, many of which far surpass this volume in specific information and detailed content). The photos look like they were taken from the show before it underwent that incredible restoration to bring it up to high-definition levels (see the link below), but they are generally good quality. The book is printed on heavy, soft-finish paper (not glossy), and is heavy, therefore, for its size. It's a great price, too, for what you get, and is a great gift idea for anyone interested in the series. I've enjoyed browsing through it, reading the content, and reviewing the photos. The word that keeps coming to mind as I reflect on this book is "FUN." And its really well priced, as well. Five stars.

this book arrived in a timely manner but unfortunately the binding was completely unglued from body of book. we reglued it ourselves and hope that it holds at least for a while.

Granted this book is loaded with 365 full page pictures on the right side of the book, and a few on the left side of the book, that I will not count. The print is way way too small making it a tedious chore to read if lighting conditions are not at optimum level. And because the print is so small there's a lot of wasted page space. All on high quality gloss paper. Final opinion: This book needs to be reissued in a normal print edition, which would look like large print compared to this.

I am a new Star Trek fan. I grew up watching the Next Generation, and wasn't into it, except for the Captain (I thought he was cool). At 26 years old, I decided to give the original Star Trek a spin since I saw it appear on my Netflix streaming as "recommended". Little did I know what I was getting into! I am totally obsessed now! I now own most of the original cast's autobiographies, read the novelettes, have a Star Trek emblem on my car, and a motion-detecting replica of the original communication panel, which "swissssshes" whenever you walk through the kitchen...geez.

But about the book! It's FULL of awesome photos and little tidbits of info. Those that are well-read and versed in the shows history won't be surprised with a handful of the stories/anecdotes (how many times have we heard about Shatner stealing Nimoy's bike on set?). It's just awesome though. If you feel like you can't get enough visual stimuli of Star Trek, this book is an excellent coffee table purchase, and conversation starter (as if your friends didn't already realize that you are a Trekkie).

It's big and heavy (so not a good bedside reader), but the reason it's so cumbersome is because it's packed with awesomeness. Tons of full color bright photos and laid out in a non-chronological order...it's just fun to sit around and flip through.

Love it.

This is an interesting little book. Strange size (about 6" high and 9" long but 2" thick) but a cool book. It's very heavy (seems like the weight of a phone book)!! Basically it devotes 2 or 3 pages to each episode sometimes with a summery of the episode; other times with some behind the scenes information. It also has the appropriate corresponding photos (which look grand). Mostly screen caps but there are many behind the scenes photos and some photos that have not been seen before. Has some interesting tidbits like the doomsday machine was actually made by dipping a wind sock into concrete. The only bummer is that there are full page photos of the phaser 2, communicator and tricorder . . . . wait for it . . . . . yes, they are all fakes! Anyway well worth picking up.

I love Star Trek. (I'm a gay Jew; it's practically genetic.) When it comes to the world's most famous Sci-Fi franchise, however, there's always been one caveat: I'm not a big fan of Star Trek: The Original Series. Don't get me wrong, the movies with the original cast are OK, and of course there are episodes, plots and moments in the TV series that I've always thought to be fantastic, but those gems have never been able to outweigh the spaceship-on-a-string, alien-monster-whose-zipper-is-showing-in-the-back "challenges," inherent in early entertainment of the genre. (And that, of course, is ignoring the whole "William Shatner thing"...)

Fortunately for me, every now and then I'm forced to face Star Trek: Original Series ("TOS") - usually in paper form - and end up, if only for an hour or so, wondering how I'd failed to see the brilliance - the magic - behind Gene Roddenberry's incredible creation. The idea, the casting, the effects - as cheesy as they are today - were all well ahead of their time... and somehow managed to retain some of that sparkle- and with subsequent series and films, to turn the sparkle into a shining star.

Simply flipping through Star Trek: The Original Series 365 lit me up; I became slightly giddy, and although it was late at night (or early in the morning) and I had to be in my office in mere hours, the book grabbed me by the heart and wouldn't let go.

Much more than just a compendium, this book is a treasure trove of previously unseen photographs, new (and newly uncovered) interviews, and a whole slew of other ST:TOS goodies, about which fans become atwitter. Star Trek: The Original Series 365 is a visual celebration of the voyages of Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, and the entire cast and crew of the Enterprise- and everyone they meet along the way. Although the book features synopses for each of the series' 70 episodes, that's barely the start, and hardly scratches the surface.

Fans of TOS will have bought this book before reading any reviews, and they'll be overjoyed. Star Trek fans in general, however (that is, fans of the subsequent "more modern" series and films), owe it to themselves to pick it up and give it a chance. As someone who turned the first page with a bit of bitterness, prepared to be annoyed, I can honestly say that I'm a changed fan. It may not be my favorite Star Trek franchise, but it just jumped up a few notches, and clearly deserves the respect and celebration bestowed upon it through this book.

This is a Great Book !
I love the size of it and the quality of the construction of the book is excellent! The content and pictures are very well done. I like how there are interesting tidbits oposite each picture. It is a very nice coffee table book or one to put on display in yout Star Trek Room !!!
For $19.77 it is a EXCELLENT BUY !!!!!!!!!!