Phasers on Stun

I purchased Phasers on Stun  from an independent bookstore after having seen it in the bookstore's window.  I am a Star Trek fan, and I thought this book might contribute to my knowledge of recent Star Trek  developments.  This is my first July read.

Readers may wish to know that I reviewed  Beaming Up and Getting Off , the most recent version of Walter Koenig's memoir , here. Walter Koenig played Ensign Chekov on ST: TOS (The Original Series)

                                     

Author Ryan Britt is a journalist.  In this book, he deals with all the extant versions of Star Trek in depth.  If any version of Star Trek changed your world, you might find what Britt has to say about it significant. 

I was delighted to see Britt's comments about spoilers.  He says that there have been studies which prove that spoilers don't ruin anything.  He points out that spoilers are taken out of context.  So the experience of learning about a spoiler is very different from viewing it in the context of the entire work.  I have often experienced this.  I like spoilers.  They help me to decide whether I'd like a book, a TV show or a movie.  I never feel that the experience of reading or viewing the material in its entirety has been ruined by the spoiler.  In fact, if I thought the spoiler was rather wonderful, I anticipate it and it increases my enjoyment of  the complete work.

 At times, I found Britt very patronizing .  He calls Star Trek "kitsch" and "goofy".  I resented his attitude.  He seemed to be completely unaware that he was offending fans.  Fans aren't just people who watch a series.  They love it, they identify with it and it becomes a significant part of their lives.  I imagine that Britt immersed himself in Star Trek for the purpose of writing the book, but he probably couldn't imagine the mindset of a Star Trek fan.  So it doesn't occur to him that he's alienating a good proportion of his readers with his patronizing comments.  He probably thinks that people who read his book secretly share his opinion of Star Trek.  I hate to break it to him, but no they don't if they are genuinely fans of the Star Trek universe.  There was a time in my life when Star Trek: TOS felt extremely meaningful to me.  It doesn't feel the same way to me now, but I don't disown those feelings.  TOS is a part of me.

 I was shocked to learn from Britt that TPTB (The Powers That Be-- in this case it means the show runners) consulted with a man who fraudulently claimed to be an American Indian to determine if Chakotay on Voyager was authentic.   The man who called himself  Jamake Highwater was actually Jack Marks, and he had no Native American ancestry.   If I were going to use someone as an expert in a certain area, I would vet them first. 

Britt thinks that the ratio of those who have seen the Star Trek movie, First Contact, compared to those who have seen the ST:TOS episode Metamorphosis must be a thousand to one.  Well,  I'm one in a thousand then.  I thought "Metamorphosis" was a beautiful and moving episode, and I absolutely despised  the portrayal of Zephrem Cochrane in First Contact.  Ugh!  It would be hard for me to find a worse translation of a character, who had been portrayed earlier, into film.

Toward the end of this book, there is a reference to fans wearing buttons saying "I like REAL Star Trek, forget that bald guy."  My equivalent button would be "I like REAL Star Trek, forget the White guys."  You see, in my favorite Star Trek a Black man is in command, Avery Brooks. 

I loved Deep Space Nine from the very first episode.  I thought the characters were awesome particularly Dax who is a Trill.  Trills are ancient beings whose personalities are inserted into different individuals over time. Jadzia Dax is a young woman and was the most recent Dax.  We see earlier hosts for the Dax symbiont in flashbacks.  I find this very fascinating.

It was enjoyable to re-live the earlier Star Treks that I've seen through Phasers on Stun and to learn about the newer series that I haven't seen. I'm considering viewing Discovery and Strange New Worlds.  There's just so much for me to catch up on in digital format.