This book is one of the better for a Star Trek's fan. In their chapters are many sketches and original pieces of the series. The designs of Matt Jefferies for the sets, (Part1), the design of the original Enterprise, (- born almost like a Warbird?-, Parts 2,3 & 4), the shuttlecraft and the weapons (Parts 5 & 6). Brillant the Part 7 with The Lost Set and the original scale model of it, (great ! ). The following chapters show the wardrobe by William Ware Theiss in sketches and tests, the make-ups of Fred Phillips (the ears of Spock, the green skin and deformity of Vina, klingons, romulans, etc.), and the accessories created by Wah Ming Chang, (did you know that he received a payment of U$S 520.00 for the design of the original phaser ?). This book shows the courage and innocence of those first pioneers that created the most famous adventure of the Universe, Star Trek.

Star Trek First Contact by J.M. Dillard was an excellent book. it showed emotion, fear, dispair, and anger. IT was a well written book considering it was made after the movie. I encourage all Star Trek fans to read this book and watch the movie.

Star Trek - The Next Generation: First Contact a novel by J.M. Dillard based on the film Star Trek: First Contact story by Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, and Ronald D. Moore is a book that combines one of the Federations greatest threats the Borg with Earth's first warp flight and the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew.

As the relentless Borg work their way toward Earth, the only hope to stop them rests with the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew. Now, the Borg are even more dangerous... stronger and have a devious plan. As the Borg begin to launch their plan of attack against the Federation, a startling confrontation will take them back in time as Earth's first warp space flight is about to take place.

This is a fast paced book and the narrative is spot-on as the character-driven plot makes its way throughout the book. We read about Zefram Cochrane and the Phoenix on the eve of the first warp flight from Earth, the relentless Borg and their Queen as she now wants the U.S.S. Enterprise for herself and of course the "First Contact" with the Vulcans.

What I found to be a most pleasent surprise was that between the book v. movie is that the book gave far more detail. As you read about the characters you get a feel for their emotions and their train of thought. Of course, there are scenes in the book that weren't in the movie, making the book flow much smoother.

The book works on detail and the characters are robust and this makes the story engagingly fascinating... the Borg say, "Resistance is futile," that may have been so, until they came in contact with the Enterprise and her crew. Another wonderful feature in this book is the color pictures of the movie and there is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film.

This is an excellent book with a lively portrayl of vivid characters.

J.M. Dillard once again, in Star Trek First Contact proves why they go to her for the movie novelizations. This is the perfect accoutrement to the movie. It gives us great incite into what the characters might've been thinking. It also gives us some of the scenes that were left on the cutting room floor. Again, a great book that should definitely be read if you've enjoyed the movie!

'FIRST CONTACT' IS A WONDERFUL STAR TREK NOVEL. IT EXPLORES THE FEDERATION'S GREATEST ENEMY - THE BORG. THE NOVEL VERSION HAS MUCH MORE DETAIL/MATERIAL THAT IS NOT FOUND (BECAUSE, I AM SURE, OF TIME/LENGTH ISSUES) IN THE EQUALLY WONDERFUL MOVIE. (ALTHOUGH, I WISH THAT THEY WOULD HAVE INCLUDED IN THE MOVIE DENISE CROSBY [THE LATE, GREAT LT. TASHA YAR] MAKING A CAMEO, OR EVEN USING FLASHBACK MATERIAL FROM THE TNG EPISODE 'THE NAKED NOW', WHEN DATA IS MENTALLY RE-LIVING TASHA YAR'S SEDUCTION OF HIM WHILE SHE WAS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE PSI 2000 VIRUS.)

'FIRST CONTACT' IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BUYING THE HARDCOVER EDITION (AS OPPOSED TO THE SOFTCOVER) IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO KEEP THIS NOVEL. THE COLOR, GLOSSY PHOTOS (ESPECIALLY OF THE BORG QUEEN) ADD AN ENTIRE EXTRA DIMENSION TO THE ALREADY-EXCELLENT NOVEL. A MUST HAVE FOR ANY STAR TREK FAN!!!

After having read the book and have seen the movie, I must say that the book is deffinately worth reading. I also thought that the plot of the book was a combination of Star Trek 2 and Star Trek 6. Questionable as to whether this is the true end for this crew or not. The story is left so open for another, but that is also to be expected. I liked the end scenes in the book better than in the movie. All in all I would highly recomend this book.

Well since Rick Berman and his production team took over the Star Trek movies, there was a trend to have some of the TV writes work on the scripts for the movies. Rick Berman, Brandon Bragga, and Ronald Moore did the scripts for Generations and First Contact...both of which were very weak stories and seemed like a continuation of the shows. Then Michael Piller tried a script for Inserection, and again it was a weak story. Then for Nemesis, they said "Look let's get an acutal screenwriter to do the screenplay" and they got John Logan, and his screenplay for Nemesis (which this book follows closely) was actually very good.
It was better written, the characters were explored more in depth, and it had a more epic feel to it. This is how a Star Trek movie should be written and acted out. So I would hope whatever movies they do next, they keep the TV writers out, and have actual Movie screenwriters do the stories for the films. Treat the movies like they were movies.

In this story the Enterprise finds a prototype of the android Data near the Romulan neutral zone, and soon after the Enterprise is called upon to visit the planet Romulus at the request of Shinzon, the new Praeter of the Romulan Empire. Shinzon has a mysterious origin, soon to be revealed, and he professes peace between Romulus and the Federation, but can he be trusted? This novel is full of intrigue and action, and becomes philosophical at times, in a well concieved plot, with good character development, a joy to read even after first seeing the movie. Much of this novel centers around Data and what it means to be human, including friendships perhaps worth dying for, very well executed.

I have seen the movie also, I consider it to be one of the two top films for 2002, no exceptions, and about as good as THE WRATH OF KHAN. The screenplay was written by John Logan, Rick Berman, and Brent Spiner, with the novelization by J.M. Dillard, all Star Trek fans in their own right and also great talent. John Logan gives a moving introduction here in this book. This is great page-turning science fiction.

... of the behind-the-scenes design, artwork, and storyboarding for the first two Next Generation movies, "Generations" and "First Contact." Indispensible to a real starship hardware fan, this book gives plenty of details and is interspersed with interviews, recollections, and notes from some of the principal talents involved in creating the location sets, some of the special effects, and the new ships seen in both films, as well as much unseen material from the design of the Borg presence. I found the evolution of the Enterprise-E, Phoenix warp ship, and Vulcan ship from First Contact especially interesting. My only criticism is that, even at 340+ pages, there is not enough! First Contact alone should occupy a 400-page "Making of" book. Nevertheless, this volume is a gem which belongs in the library of any hard-core Trek devotee.

Not only is this volume a must for anyone interested in production design, it is also a well designed book all round. Each page is a stunning work of art in its own right. Full compliments to John Eaves for so carefully selecting his, and other artist's work, for the book. His commentary throughout is informative and interesting. JM Dillard holds it all together with his, as always, brilliant text. I hope Eaves releses a new book about Insurrection, or at least, has the existing book expanded to include this film. Well done, S&S, John Eaves and JM Dillard.

I interviewed John Eaves two years ago and first heard about this book at that time; I am more than slightly relieved to say that it was worth the wait! Profusely illustrated -- with artwork that has NOT already appeared everywhere else -- the book is both reader- and Trekkie-friendly, with brief anecdotes which humanize the filmmaking process while also supplementing the nice pics. Eaves' attention to detail -- especially in regard to properly crediting those responsible for a given design -- is both noteworthy and surprisingly welcome ... This book almost makes up for previous "authorized" illustrated Trek volumes, nearly making me forgive Pocket/S&S for THE ART OF STAR TREK, and gives cause for one to hope Eaves will contribute in a similar fashion to STAR TREK 9. (and generate another book like this as well.)

Star Trek-The Next Generation: Possession written by J.M. Dillard is well-written book. This book is a sequel to an eariler book by Dillard called Demons in the ST-TOS series.

This book is about energy beings... bodiless entities that brought a planet-wide plague to Vulcan eighty years ago that were trapped inside special containers. Now, the containers are being opened... unless the entities can be stopped once again, they will spread their madness, their maelstrom of emotion, hatred and rage throughout the Federation.

This book has fleshed out Deanna Troi and Worf characters as they battle the energy beings as they begin to take over the minds and bodies of all they encounter. The Enterprise and her crew are amoung the possessors targets and Captain Jean-Luc Picard will face this deadly enemy.

If you ever have a chance read Star Trek-The Original Series Demons #30 first and then Star Trek-The Next Generation: Possessions #40 in that order it will make better sense. This book really gets into the character's minds and you think you're reading a horror book. There is a high degree of intrigue and mystery as the characters turn from friends to foes and no one can be trusted.

This one's bordering on a horror novel, really. It's an excellent book - it's just that some parts are really, really suspenseful and freaky. Dr. Kyla Dannelke is a good character, and a match for Worf (!). The aliens possessors really make your skin crawl. The scenes on Vulcan, and with the Ferengi, were frightening. Sometimes I just wanted to yell at the characters, "Don't you see what's going on?", but there wouldn't have been any storyline if they had figured it out immediately! The tension is lifted during the Alexander-and-hamster scenes. The solution to the problem is really creative, too.

In case any of you are wondering,this book is a sequal to an earlier book of Ms. Dillard's:TOS #30:Demons(look for my review on this book also).The two book have basically the same storyline(aka. energy beings that feed on fear invade the Enterprise)but not the same plot.This book was definately chilling.The author really makes you feel Deanna's instense fear of these creatures.Like its prequal,a MUST read!

This author is unquestionably the best at novelizing episodes or movies. The same author has done many Star Trek novelizations, and they've all been fine jobs. This one is no different; I admit that it's been a while since I saw the episode, but this certainly FEELS faithful to what I remember. The characters certainly come across well, and the storyline seems essentially unchanged.

It's great to get inside the heads of characters, that are seen on TV, and be privy to the way their minds work and see from where their attitudes stem. "Emissary" was a good book for that but -- boy! -- are those chapters long! Not wanting to put the book down until reaching the end of the chapter, you can easily finding yourself propping your eyelids open with matchsticks, if you're reading in bed. Like most film tie-ins, the book keeps faithful to the pilot episode but adds very little to the general story.

Great novelization of the pilot episode. It's really interesting hearing what Sisko's thinking. It more or less sticks to the episode's storyline and shows all the characters at their black-and-white first season best. Dax is cool, tranquil, and brilliant. Bashir is naïve but well-meaning. Kira's snappy, snarly, and tough. Sisko is grief-stricken but in command. Odo is surly and grumpy, but compassionate. Quark is - well, Quark! And, O'Brien first goes head to head with the Cardassian computer. ("This is no computer! This is my archenemy!") :) {And just a funny note - look at the cover. Everyone's combadges are on the wrong sides - the picture is backwards!}

The movie version of this story was not bad, certainly not as bad as the movie version of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier". Still, just as Dillard managed to turn that abysmal movie into a more than passable book by managing to plug a great many of the holes in the plot with better explanations of what was happening, so here, too, the same author manages, while MOSTLY remaining true to the plot of the movie, to turn a fairly good movie into an excellent book by explaining a couple of things that the movie failed to make clear. (Now if we could just turn this author loose on a few of the original-series episodes that made no sense, we'd be in business...)

Brilliant. Innovating. Moving. J.M. Dillard has done a splendid job intrepreting one of my favorite ST movies. I mean J.M. Dillard's knowledge and understanding of Klingon culture is not only more than adequate but also is almost genuinely flawless. There is no more unique Klingon than a bald, one-eyed Shakespearean Klingon like General Chang. Only a human-raised Klingon in Starfleet can equal to it in uniqueness.

I am not a TOS reader, but I found this book really exciting! It is by far the best Star Trek book I've ever read. The pace was ideal. There weren't unnecessary details. Everything was straight to the point. I really recommend this book.

STAR TREK-A History In Pictures, is yet another book that examines the popular space saga and how it came to be, and where it's headed. However, unlike the various episode and movie guides that have been published over the years, this book concentrates more on Trek's stll photo record, as opposed to detailing every adventure in text form.

Having said that, there is still a fair amount of history outlined in the book, written by J.M. Dillard. It is a well written overview of the franchise. There are still plenty of interviews with, and remarks by the actors and creative staff behind all of shows and films. In fact key episodes, the films, and many of those responsible for its success over the years, are highlighted with special "sidebar" pages If you are inclined to follow all things TREK, many of the stories and facts will probably seem familiar to you...Still Dillard's style and love for the subject she writes about makes for a fun trip down memory lane for fans, while newcomers will be brought up to speed quite nicely

The photos in the book are well chosen, and as I said before, really set the book apart. Many of them have been published before, while others seemed "new" to me and quite rare. The 2nd edition, (released in 96) features an introduction from William Shatner (Captain Kirk from the original series) and is "updated" to include Star Trek Voyager's first two years and then some Since the last edition though, that series ended, along with Deep Space 9, another has premiered, and there's been some more films, I guess it's time for a 3rd edition. As a fan of this great pictorial, I would welcome it, for now this 239 page book (including appendices) is recommened and will have to do

This book aims to be a review of the series in pictures, and it does it very well. A lot of shots with great quality throughout the book makes it very enjoyable reading. An extensive reference for all series, even the animated ST:TOS. A lot of interesting behind-the-scenes information makes this book more then a bunch of pictures. Half of the book is on TOS, we also get a good section on DS9 (no Voyager, as it has been written in 1994). All and all, a great collection book for the Star Trek fan.

Crossovers rarely work. Period.

That is one of the constants with working with a spinn-off series consept.

Star Trek: Klingon is a novelization of the CD-ROM with the same title, wich, I should note, I've never played. In the novelization Gowron tells the story of the CD-ROM at Quark's bar. He happens to be on DS9 because a Federation-Klingon peace negotiation just happens to take place there, and it also just happens that the crew of the Enterprise-D are present.

The novel doesn't offer any insight to the characters. Old or-Universe forbit-new. And- most dissapointingly- we learn absolutely nothing new about Klingons.

In fact the story could as easily have been told without involving DS9 as the setting of the storytelling sessions or the Enterprise crew as additional and useles characters, and those aspects of the novel seem to hold no purpose whatsoever. So in the end it became apparent that they were only includet to show DS9 and TNG cast work together, wich they really don't even do.

I have nothing against crossovers between the series. On the contrary. But there must be some logical reason to unite the different series. Star Trek: Klingon doesn't offer any.

For example; one of the few things the makers of Voyager did right was to show what happened in the alpha Quadrant conserning Voyager after they found out about it being whole and relatively well in the Delta Quadrant.

They needet a boost in ratings, and they managet to make a succesfullm crossover, because the characters involved with Voyager on Earth were Lt. Reginald Barclay, and through him, Commander Troi. It wasn't forced crossover. It was continuity.

I admit that as far as the stories went, the characters needen't have been our familiar TNG friends, but it was much less obvious than that horribly written appearence of Scotty in- analytically- one of the worst episodes of TNG: "Relics", the best example of desparately pathetic attemts of continuity and grounding a weak story completely in the appearance of a familiar face.

Star Trek: Klingon was even worse. There wasn't even a forced reason to unite the crews. Backed with an entertaining, but short and aimless story containing no real insight on the Klingon mind and culture, missing characterization, and endless clichés, we get a Star Trek books that hasn't got anything to do with the potential in creating a Klingon based story.

There are really two stories here, artfully interwoven: the story of young Pok's coming of age, an interesting look into Klingon culture, as told by Gowron while he is taking part in Klingon-Federation negotiations on Deep Space Nine, and the story of those negotiations themselves, and the attempts to sabotage them and assassinate Gowron.

The stories are interesting, the characters artfully handled, and the writing good (with the exception of a couple of what I'm willing to assume, given the quality of the rest of the writing, to be typographical and copy-editing errors rather than flaws on the part of the writing itself).

This book is not identified on its cover with a specific generation of Star Trek; this usually indicates that it is set in the original series. Don't be fooled; it is something of a hybrid between Next Generation and DS9, which is why it is not identified as either. There is nothing of the original series in it.

Star Trek Klingon is a wonderful audio experience. It is narrated by Michael Dorn (Lt. Cmdr Worf) and Robert O'Reilly (Chancellor Gowron). The main character is a young Klingon named Pok. He is thrust into the center of Klingon politics, when on the day of his Rite of Ascension his father is murdered in his own home. Chancellor Gowron immediately takes young Pok under his wing and sets out for revenge. The entire plot and the way it plays out is very, very good. This tape is a wonderful way to spend an hour and a half on the highway. The book makes it even better, giving you the full details of the entire story. If you're a fan of Klingons and you've not picked this one up yet, you're wrong.