Book 62 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️
Overly convoluted and far too reliant on what felt to me like exaggerated Asian stereotypes. Not one of the better TNG entries.
Star Trek
Trek has been part of my life since I was an infant. I have bookcases full of Trek books. One of my tattoos is the Vulcan calligraphy for “kol-ut-shan” (IDIC). This is my home fandom.
The Last Stand by Brad Ferguson
Book 59 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A promising setup, as the Enterprise finds itself caught between two factions of a pre-warp interstellar conflict, with one side unaware the battle was still going on as the other’s fleet slowly approached. The antagonist is a little too one-note Evil Leader, though, and I question a society holding onto a 6,000-year grudge. Still, a nicely average Trek adventure.
Star Trek: The Manga Volume 1: Shinsei/Shinsei edited by Luis Reyes
Book 57 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
An anthology of six short pieces; five manga-style comics and one short story. Seeing TOS-era Trek through the eyes of manga artists is amusing, and all the stories were fine for Trek in this medium (though the “twist ending” of the first story was pretty clearly visible quite early on). I think this came from the Norwescon Little Free Library table a couple years back, as I’d had no idea this kind of thing existed. My favorite stories were Chris Dows’ “Side Effects” (even with the predictable ending) and Rob Tokar’s “Orphans” (the Enterprise vs. giant mecha!).
Ranking the Star Trek Films (Again)
An update to my last attempt at doing this back in 2009. I originally posted this to Mastodon back in April after watching Star Trek: Section 31, and after realizing I hadn’t cross-posted it here, am doing that now. Also somewhat prompted by a friend sending me this ranking from Den of Geek, which is close, but not identical, to mine; I do broadly agree with their summaries of the various films.
I gave it some thought, and while the exact placement of any of these might vary slightly depending on time/mood/etc., I think this is a pretty good stab at my personal Star Trek film ranking, best/favorite to worst/least favorite:
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
- Star Trek: First Contact
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Galaxy Quest
- Star Trek (2009)
- Star Trek Beyond
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
- Star Trek: Generations
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
- Star Trek: Section 31
- Star Trek: Insurrection
- Star Trek: Nemesis
- Star Trek Into Darkness
A few more details:
The first three (TWoK, TVH, TUC) are essentially a three-way tie for first. At any given point, the order could be shuffled around and would probably be acceptable.
TMP remains in that place whether it’s the theatrical, TV extended, or directors cut, but of the three, the director’s cut is definitively the best.
Some purists might be surprised at the two Kelvinverse films ranking that high, but for all the faults, the casting was so good at embodying the characters without slavishly copying or parodying (intentionally or not) the original actors, and I think both films are a lot of fun.
Christopher Lloyd’s Kruge almost pushes TSfS higher, but…not quite. But it does mark the dividing line between “films I can put on at just about any time and enjoy” and “films I’ll watch when there’s a reason to” (chronological rewatch, someone else wants to watch one, etc.).
S31 is barely Star Trek. It’s a generic sci-fi spy film that someone spritzed with synthehol and Starfleet emblems; it ranks as high as it does because it’s an acceptable generic sci-fi spy film, entirely suitable for having on in the background and occasionally paying attention to. Michelle Yeoh (and Georgeau) deserved better.
Into Darkness…I just have so many issues with it. I will be quite unpleasantly surprised if they ever make a Trek film that knocks it out of the bottom spot on this list.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season Three Wrapup
(Previously posted on Mastodon.)
Lots of spoilers follow. Stop reading now if you haven’t finished the season yet, unless you’re not invested enough to care about spoilers.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock The Making of the Classic Film by John and Maria Jose Tenuto
Book 51 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The third in Titan Books’s series of Star Trek films “behind the scenes” coffee-table art books, and the second from the team of John and Maria Jose Tenuto. It’s always fun to see all the production art, photos of models and setups, and all the skill that goes into the films. As with the prior books, much of the information I knew, but there are always some gems and stories that I hadn’t come across yet.
Into the Nebula by Gene DeWeese
Book 50 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
As is common for this era of Trek lit, a serviceable entry. I figured out the mystery early enough that the rest was just waiting for the characters to catch up.
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way by Ryan North and Chris Fenoglio
Book 47 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ordered this just after it won the Best Graphic Novel Hugo award this year. The combination of choose-your-own-adventure plotting and Lower Decks humor works really well. Lots of humor and various Trek callbacks, but with some surprisingly dark moments as well, all leading to a fittingly Trek-ish end. Much fun!
Balance of Power by Dafydd Ab Hugh
Book 33 of 2025: ⭐️⭐️
This is the third book I’ve read by Ab Hugh, and the third to get two stars. It’s obviously supposed to be comedic, but isn’t funny (the conceit of a Ferengi who speaks entirely like it’s “talk like a pirate day” may be hilarious to some; to me, it was increasingly annoying), there are numerous typos and inconsistencies, and it was just a slog. Not looking forward to when I get to more by this author (though I’ll read them, because I’m a stubborn Trek completist).
