Too Many Treks, Too Little Time

A few months ago, I decided I wanted to get into Star Trek; setting out to consume every piece of its media ever released. It’s only been 60 years since the first show, certainly I’m not too late, right? If you weren’t already aware, the Star Trek cinematic universe is considerably massive; the complete collection totaling 14 shows (four of which are animated), 13 movies, around 55 novels, and over 100 comics. My progress? Pitifully negligible: I’m only on the seventh episode of the first season of the first show. If that wasn’t bad enough, at the start of the new year, Paramount+ began releasing the first episodes of a brand-new Star Trek show—Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

My ultimate goal may sound impossible, but only because it is.

In all seriousness, becoming invested in a series like Star Trek is worthwhile for this exact reason—it has so much to offer, to the point you feel you may never run out of options. Of course, not every option is completely satisfying, or entertaining, or really makes sense as an addition. But the beauty of having all these options is that you get to choose! So maybe you feel Starfleet Academy isn’t great and spits on Star Trek’s legacy. You can always read a story about the titular academy instead!

In Star Trek Academy Collision Course, by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens alongside actor William Shatner, you can read about how events would have happened differently if fan favorite characters James Tiberius Kirk and S’Chn T’Gai Spock had met even earlier than aboard the USS Enterprise, even earlier than Starfleet academy. In fact, what if they had met in jail? Instead of letting these two deviants rot in a cell together, Starfleet in its overwhelming wisdom offers them the chance to enroll at their academy instead. A strangely dubious choice.

It’s possible you’re the type of person who likes to pick a show apart and learn everything about the universe and its mechanics. Well, if that sounds like you, try The Star Trek Book, by Paul Ruditis and Sanford Galden-Stone, with options in both blue and yellow! Each is a comprehensive guide to the television series, giving you information on every world visited and every dimension fallen into, with a delightful collection of images and quotes to bring the information to life.

Though I can’t relate, I understand that not everyone is a Kirk and Spock fan, and that’s okay. Try a book that focuses on Captain Picard instead. For example, Star Trek the Next Generation: Mirror Broken, by Scott and David Tipton, features evil alternate dimension versions of Picard and his crew, who attempt to replace them in this universe. Or maybe you’d like to read about characters that aren’t even a part of Starfleet at all? Such as Kahless, by Michael Jan Friedman, where the current Kahless, emperor of the Klingon empire, requests Starfleet’s help with information that may topple his entire kingdom and people’s way of life.

If you wanted to get acquainted with where it all started, and happen to have a convenient DVD player on hand, try watching Star Trek: The Original Series, created by Gene Roddenberry. Season one provides 29 entire episodes, each at least 40 minutes long. Get introduced to the earliest versions of these characters, their backstories, and the hijinks they encounter while following Starfleet’s prime directive: Don’t interfere with other civilizations and their cultures (which at times will be blatantly ignored). After that, if you’re still looking for more, try seasons two and three, also available at the MCLS.

Other Trek television series include Star Trek: Enterprise, by Rick Berman, with its presentation of humanity’s earliest ventures into distant space, an entire century before Kirk’s team, under the captaincy of Jonathan Archer. Another similar option is Star Trek: Discovery by Bryan Fuller, which moves away from the Enterprise to instead focus on the crew of the starship Discovery on their own space mission.

Maybe you’re not in the right place to commit to an entire show yet, and that’s perfectly alright. Try a movie instead! Star Trek: Into Darkness, under the direction of J.J. Abrams, returns the Enterprise and its crew to Earth, where they’re horrified to find Starfleet in shambles from an attack of unimaginable force. Follow Chris Pine as James T. Kirk in his mission to capture the perpetrator.

If you’re more interested in animated mediums, no problem! May I present to you Star Trek: Lower Decks, created by Mike McMahan, an animated comedy following the goings-on of a less well-known section of the Enterprise crew: the employees of the ‘lower decks.’ How different does exploring the universe become when your characters aren’t in the command room?

This overview is just a small part of all that Star Trek has to offer. From books to films, your options are many and varied, and conveniently available across the branches of the library system! If you feel that spring is taking too long to finally show up, you can always bundle up at home and start your journey into the universe of Star Trek.

-Asha, Ewing Branch