Star Trek FAQ 2.0 (Unofficial and Unauthorized): Everything Left to Know About the Next Generation the Movies and Beyond

by Mark Clark

Illustrations throughout

Genres: Star Trek, Nonfiction

442 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[Solitudes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for geeks, nerds, trekkies and that's it. If you are not a STAR TREK avid fan, this book will be really hard to read and you might actually prefer some quantic physics or stuff alike. But for a trekkie is almost everything you wanna know about TNG and some interesting takes on DS9, VOY and ENT. Even for a trekkie it can bring a lot of interesting stuff or at least a very useful summary of all the stuff you knew and forgot already ( really, Levar Burton wanted to be a priest?). Not to much to say about it because well, if "warp core breach" or "realigning dilithium crystals" means nothing to you, for sure you'll not be interested in all the stuff happening behind the camera. This being said, LIVE LONG AND PROSPER but read it. Engage!

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Star Trek FAQ 2.0’ by Mark Clark is a comprehensive reference to Star Trek from the first Star Trek movie through Star Trek: The Next Generation.

This book, like the first one, delves deep into the lore of the series, providing in-depth information on characters, technology, alien races, and plot points. All of the movies through J.J. Abrams are discussed and ST:TNG is examined season by season and episode by episode. Along the way, I learned why all the even-numbered original movies were better.

As with the first, I enjoyed this book also. It’s a wealth of information and trivia. This book does not cover spinoff series like Deep Space Nine and Voyager except in passing, but there is still a lot of great reading here.

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why this book is called a FAQ, as it's not presented at all in that format. However, there is some great information included here. There's also some chapters that could have been eliminated (I don't think we needed chapters on which episodes were best for each actor, when that was covered in the individual episode descriptions) and it's a shame that everything after Next Generation is so summarily disposed of with just a few paragraphs.

[Mike Corgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book with behind the scene stories about the Star Trek Movies and Next Generation TV show and movies.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update: The publisher just added a "look inside" feature where you can see the Table of Contents for the book. If you're on the fence about this book, check it out - a lot of great content! http://www.halleonardbooks.com/viewcl...

Recently Netflix Canada starting carrying the entire Star Trek TNG series and we've been binge watching the series. We're about 5 episodes from the 7th season and series finale. And I wish I would have had Mark Clark's Star Trek FAQ 2.0 (Unofficial and Unauthorized): Everything Left to Know about the Next Generation, the Movies, and Beyond when we started.

I was never really a fan of Star Trek the original series and not the movies either, until Generations (the crossover movie), so that definitely colours my review of this book. I skimmed the bits about the movies (and I felt there was a little too much Shatner bashing). BUT, overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am glad I have it as I finish my STTNG odyssey.

Specifically, I enjoyed:

- the history of how the series management evolved, from the gradual removal of Gene Roddenberry and the heavy reliance on Rick Berman throughout the rest of the franchise. I also enjoyed the stories about the writer challenges on the series.

- the bios of the cast and the mentions of them throughout, particularly the focus on those who directed StarTrek (TNG or other) episodes or movies. I didn't really have an appreciation of how much Jonathan Frakes evolved as a director on TNG and what he went on to direct.

- the chapters on StarTrek heroes, aliens and villains. I thought this was a good way to organize this material and really let you see who had guest starred on the show.

- the episode synopses - they, of course, don't have the detail that say, Wil Wheaton included in his recap book Memories of the Future, Volume 1 - but they are handy and snappy.

- all the production details of the series.

- the bibliography - I LOVE a good bibliography!


I did not enjoy:

- so many allusions to ST Original episodes, particularly in the synopses of Season 1 STTNG. I understand why you might want to make the comparison, but having it interspersed and interwoven with the individual episode recaps made me not want to read those recaps because they were essentially meaningless. This was mainly for the recaps of Season 1.

- there are "Shining Moments" chapters for Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn - these feel a bit recycled/repetitive from other parts of the book.


Stuff I was intellectually happy that Clark included but don't personally care about:

- anything to do with the movies. I'm glad he included it because I think having it in there is an interesting foil to STTNG, particularly since they were happening at the same time. But I don't really care about the movies :)


So, all in all, I liked this book. I'm not one to go around the internet and find all the things about something. This is why I read the Panem Companion for The Hunger Games movie and this is why I really liked this book. If you are a hard core INTENSE Trekker, you will probably know all of this. But for people like me who are rediscovering the series, this is a perfect companion.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Hal Leonard Books for the advance review copy!

[Shane Amazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing that struck me while reading this book is the sheer amount of information contained within. Less of a FAQ book, this second installment reads as a historical encyclopedia of every bit and piece that the Trek franchise had and still has to offer. Beginning with the movies, the author lays out a comprehensive guide to every key aspect of events that unfolded. Every detail of cast and crew is covered, both in that time period and the events that led up to it. Backgrounds of all the key players are presented in an interesting way, and even though the information is extremely thorough it remains interesting the whole way through.

But the book does not contain the movies and their impact alone, the book covers the transitionary periods between each offering and then extends into the TV series' reboots. From TNG to the cancellation of Enterprise, the TV outings are covered in great detail. Then as time goes by you will see the impact of J.J. Abrams offering to Trek in 2009 and beyond. But maybe the most intriguing aspect of the book is the inside information about the back-and-forth arguments and personal beefs between the people tasked to bring the fans the entertainment they demand.

The amount of detail is amazing: and even though the detail is extreme, the book is very easy to read. While reading the book I found the author's narrative voice to be smooth and easy to follow. The book reads almost like a TV documentary and is entertaining from beginning to end. My only minor complaint is that the book covers so much and is pretty long(440 digital pages). To me this could have been broken up into two separate installments.

Overall a very enjoyable experience.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

To set the record straight, this is not an FAQ. Instead, this book spells out behind-the-scenes activities surrounding the Star Trek movies and The Next Generation tv show.

The 2.0 signifies it being a follow-up to Star Trek FAQ by the same author.

There is a large amount of information in this book but I read alot of quotes taken from the DVDs. (Nothing real "new" from what Trek fans already know)

Just as you might have gathered from watching the special features of the Trek DVDs, there was incredible bickering and prima donna behavior surrounding the films and into the next generation. Some of the complaining and arguing seemed to be well placed but most of the time I kept thinking, "These people are babies"

The largest section of this book is a summary of each Next Generation episode. You'll read what each episode was about and any small tid bit that Clark wanted to share.

Clark includes actor/actress favorites (which, again, can be seen on the DVDs) as far as episodes and goes into interviews where people like Frakes and Burton complain about the bad movies.

This book covers a long period of time: The Motion Picture through 2009's Star Trek movie. It's a great book for mild Trek fans who like to read about behind-the-scenes.

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Applause Theatre and Cinema Books.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly you have to be one of the greatest fan of Star Trek to read this sequel to Star Treq FAQ 1.0. If the first book was about the original series, this second book starts from the first movie "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and describes not only all those that have followed, but also all the episodes (every single one of them :) of Next Generation. At this point, I expect that the nextbook will be about Voyager and Deep Space Nine, maybe Enterprise also, considered that DSN is only the SF version of "Murder, She Wrote"!

Chiaramente bisogna essere dei grandissimi Fans di Star Trek per leggere questo seguito a Star Treq FAQ 1.0. Se il primo libro riguardava la prima serie, questo secondo libro parte dal primo film di Star Trek (The Motion Picture) e descrive non solo tutti quelli che sono seguiti, ma anche tutte le puntate (una per uno) di Next Generation. A questo punto mi aspetto che il prossimo riguardi Voyager e Deep Space Nine, magari anche Enterprise considerato che DSN é solo la versione SF de "La signora in giallo"!

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND HAL LEONARD PERFORMING ARTS PUBLISHING GROUP FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only major bummer about this book is that the author's overriding focus is on The Next Generation, while I am presently working my way through Netflix's store of Deep Space Nine episodes-- DS9 gets lots of glancing references during discussion of TNG characters/plotlines who later show up there, but only one chapter is allotted to deal collectively with DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise. Meanwhile a recounting of the awards that Star Trek shows and movies have won (which was already sprinkled throughout the book) gets its own dedicated chapter as well! Which gets to the other slight way in which I was a little bummed, not being a Film Studies nut but rather just a Star Trek fan. The good news is, though, that there's a huge wealth of fun for the Star Trek fan as well.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really bad. Really. The guy who wrote this must of done his research just off the web and maybe a few youtube interviews. Nothing new here. This might have been good if it was a senior thesis in HS. Maybe not. Glad it was free.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice book about star trek the next generation!

[Elaine]

p. 113

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed view, but less interesting then the first volume.

[Biff Nightingale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm embarassed to say I read the whole thing. Five stars!