******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!******

One of my favorite activities in my free time is book shopping. Back in the day, when we had many used bookstores in my area, I would love to spend an afternoon leisurely perusing through titles, looking for my next read. Rarely did I go into a bookstore knowing exactly what I was looking for–the thrill was in the hunt. Unfortunately, those days are rapidly fading, as bookstores are quickly disappearing. Others, like Barnes & Noble now have to expand their inventories with toys, games and other items to stay afloat. While I miss the days when book hunting itself was the point, I don’t entirely mind the more sedentary satisfaction of ordering a book from Barnes & Noble (or Amazon, if I’m desperate) and finding it at my doorstep just a few days later, though I feel like a zoo tiger being thrown a cold slab of raw meat instead of stalking my prey in the wild. Either way, the hungry animal eats, right?

In the last few years, Titan Publishing has released a series of coffee table books chronicling the making of the “Star Trek” movies that are Trek’s alternatives to the late J. W. Rinzler‘s definitive books on the original “Star Wars” trilogy. Personally, I’m grateful that Titan and other publishing houses are continuing to produce big, glossy, movie tie-in coffee table books, and I’ve been buying them since “Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Inside the Art & Visual Effects,” by Jeff Bond & Gene Kozicki. They’ve since produced books for “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and “Star Trek: First Contact” as well (more on those below). Granted, these big books are somewhat lighter on the day-to-day minutiae of filming than their Star Wars predecessors, yet there are enough insightful anecdotes, rare behind-the-scenes photos and colorful production artwork to make them worthy collectibles for a Star Trek fan with passion and means (used online copies can be found for these admittedly pricey books).

Now, some 41 years after its debut, the movie that began the late Leonard Nimoy‘s feature film directorial career has also been chronicled in “Star Trek III: The Search For Spock: The Making of the Classic Film,” by John & Maria Jose Tenuto.

A Look Inside

The Tenutos’ second Star Trek movie book is a more in-depth than their “Wrath of Khan” book, with more details on the earlier versions of the late writer/producer Harve Bennett‘s script, which was titled “Return to Genesis.” Though diehard fans already have access to Bennett’s 20 or so page treatment via Reddit or other forums, the book features it too; along with updates to the script which detail the eventual progression into the final film.

The original versions feature a main villain who evolves from a noble, Omar Sharif-like Romulan into Commander Kruge; who later became a more cinematic Klingon on director Leonard Nimoy’s insistence. Speaking of Nimoy, the crew sees Spock’s ghost haunting them; even a paranoid Sulu, who visits Kirk to break him out of house arrest. Other deleted/changed scenes include a pointless, mercifully deleted romantic subplot between Saavik and Kirk, and a filmed-but-cut bar fight as McCoy tries to book illegal passage to Genesis (an homage to the Mos Eisley cantina from “Star Wars”). Bennett’s original treatment feels a little ‘made-for-TV’ at times, and lacks some of the bigger set pieces seen in the final film.

The book also chronicles the often-told stories surrounding the cast and crew’s mixed feelings about Leonard Nimoy taking the director’s chair, including Gene Roddenberry, whose largely figurehead role as ‘consultant’ still allowed him some say. Nevertheless, Nimoy did his homework and eventually won the confidence and trust of his cast and crew. Admittedly, STIII feels more narrow in scope compared to Robert Wise’s “The Motion Picture,” or even Nicholas Meyer‘s “The Wrath of Khan,” but it delivers the goods emotionally, if not cinematically. It’s also loaded with interviews and spotlights on various actors and artists connected with the film (living and deceased), including Robin Curtis (“Saavik”), who also wrote the foreword, Christopher Lloyd (“Kruge”), the late Phillip R. Allen (“Captain Esteban”) and the late Mark Lenard (“Sarek”). There are spotlights on the actors/stuntmen who played the Klingons, and even a young actress who appeared in the Fal-Tor-Pan ritual scene on Vulcan. I appreciate that the book garners perspectives from the top on down.

There are also detailed photos and anecdotes of the movie’s production art and how it shaped the final film, often cutting corners to fit within the movie’s relatively limited production budget. For example, a fleeting hope to shoot the surface of the Genesis planet in Hawaii was nixed in favor of filming on the more easily controlled (and cheaper) venue of the Paramount soundstages. When a fire broke out on the stages during production, it was briefly hoped the production might be forced to shoot in Hawaii. However, the fire was contained, and that dream was dashed. The book also reveals that during the infamous Paramount fire in August of 1983, Nimoy calmly and coolly made the decision to press on ahead with the day’s filming, which happened to be Nichelle Nichols’ scene with “Mr. Adventure” (Scott McGinnis). Meanwhile, William Shatner himself was reportedly aiding the firemen.

Budget and a need for secrecy regarding Spock’s return also dash plans to shoot exteriors for the planet Vulcan in California or the Nevada desert (which was eventually used in “Star Trek: Generations”) and shoot on soundstages as well. The book’s many anecdotes, coupled with its virtual cornucopia of onset candids, made Robin Curtis her feel as if she were ‘eavesdropping’ behind the scenes in 1983 (which she mentions in her foreword). You see stills from the deleted scene with McCoy’s San Francisco bar fight, as well as the shooting of Spock’s changing prosthetic head on the Genesis planet as he grows into adulthood (too early for age-morphing CGI) . We Trek fans (speaking largely for myself, of course) love these kinds of details and rare photos, as they connect us more deeply with our objet du désir. On that score, this book does not disappoint.

There is also a treasure trove of storyboards, production artwork and visual effects secrets and photos, many of I’ve never seen published prior to this volume. I admit, a large part of this book’s appeal also comes from its glossy, graphics-heavy coffee table book treatment, which (either duly or unduly) gives STIII a “classic” film status that some critics–or even some fans–might dispute. Personally, I wish Titan would drop “The Making of a Classic Film” from future titles in this book series. Whether or it’s worth $55 (or less, depending on where you shop for books) is entirely subjective. But this is where a public library might come in handy, too…

For my Federation credits, this book is worth it for its collection of priceless stills, as well as the Tenutos’ more exhaustive research for their now second Star Trek making-of book (like Nimoy with directing “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” their training wheels are off). Not to mention the fact it’s a big freaking Star Trek coffee table book. Of course I’m going to get my mitts on it.

Previous Log Entries

Perhaps the best of this five-year old book series to date is the first book, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Inside the Art & Visual Effects,” by Jeff Bond & Gene Zozicki (2020). Jeff Bond already had mad respect from me for his excellent book “Planet of the Apes: Evolution of the Legend,” cowritten with Joe Fordham, and this book continued in that high standard.

One of the reasons why I enjoyed this book most is because it’s Ground Zero of the Star Trek film series. It’s a painful, convoluted evolution from a mid-1970s low-budget Star Trek revival movie called “Planet of the Titans” (where the Enterprise goes back in time to give humankind fire) to a 1977 would-be TV series called “Star Trek Phase II” (a forerunner to “Star Trek: The Next Generation”). An extensive history of production artwork, sketches, miniatures and story drafts from those aborted attempts are well-chronicled; including many anecdotes and photos I’d never seen are nicely preserved within its pages.

Production artwork and test film stills from Phase II abound; including the first full miniature of that aborted series’ USS Enterprise, which was ultimately scrapped in favor of a more detailed version for the motion picture. Legendary James Bond production designer Ken Adams‘ thumbnail sketches from “Planet of the Titans” are included as well. Sketches from the late Ralph McQuarrie–the production artist whose paintings helped give “Star Wars” the green light–are in the book too; including a revamped, Imperial Star Destroyer-looking USS Enterprise (docked inside of an asteroid) which later inspired the starship Discovery from that same-named Star Trek series, which ran from 2017 to 2024. We also see a very different vision for Spock’s home planet of Vulcan than what was shown in the final film. The book also contains spotlights on little known visual FX artist Bob Abel, whose work on the movie was ultimately usurped by his replacement, FX legend Douglas Trumbull (“2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”), as well as other artists, actors and technicians associated with the production.

The book is also quite frank in its reporting of The Motion Picture’s wide array of production issues, including rushed concepts and ideas that were forced to change in order to aid the troubled movie’s ever-changing script. One of the abandoned ideas including an extended spacewalk for Mr. Spock inside V’ger’s “Memory Wall,” where Captain Kirk would join him, only to become trapped within mirrored memory cells. The book details production of the sequence with some nice stills. When the Memory Wall sequence was scrapped, Spock’s spacewalk was hurriedly reshot using a new design for his thruster suit and new visual effects to give the sequence more energy and action.

If you only buy one book in the Star Trek movie coffee table books, the first book is truly a must-have for other forgiving, patient fans of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” (1979), which has enjoyed a renewed appreciation of late.

Note: Another recommendation for those interested in the production of The Motion Picture would be the less graphics-heavy but extremely detailed 2014 softback “Return to Tomorrow : The Filming of Star Trek the Motion Picture,” by Preston Neal Jones.

The first Star Trek movie production book by husband and wife writers John Tenuto & Maria Jose Tenuto was 2023’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: The Making of the Classic Film.” The former sociology professors and Star Trek fans turned authors follow in the footsteps of the admittedly superior TMP book. Nevertheless this first book from the Tenutos was bright, colorful and filled with many rare photos and other goodies that are now a staple of this book series, though it’s a little soft on fresh anecdotes and behind-the-scenes gossip/tidbits that push these books into must-have territory.

Many of the stories told in the book I’ve read elsewhere; in the late Cinefantastique magazine (aka CFQ), as well as the late Allan Asherman’s paperback “The Making of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982); a smaller, but surprisingly detailed book with no shortage of stories from the set, which was also published the same year as the movie’s release. It was 43 years ago in Asherman’s book where I first read about the earlier, thankfully discarded drafts of the movie’s screenplay (including a version without Khan that features two bizarre energy beings instead).

Despite unavoidable redundancy with its 43-year old anecdotes, the book’s archive of photos and interviews earns it a cozy spot on any Star Trek fan’s bookshelf (or coffee table). To younger or newer Star Trek fans who are rediscovering the movies, I would encourage them to seek out this solid book for its glossy pics and details, which override its more easily forgivable shortcomings.

Personal Note: This past March I hauled my own (hefty) copy of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: The Making of the Classic Film” to WonderCon 2025 in Anaheim (San Diego Comic Con‘s chill cousin), where I was lucky enough to get it signed by director/writer Nicholas Meyer (“The Day After,” “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country”). As a huge fan of Meyer’s 1979 film “Time After Time,” I told him how I wished that film got such deluxe treatment, and he agreed. Meyer also wrote the original miniseries treatment for the nine-episode podcast prequel series, “Star Trek: Khan,” which is (as of this writing) releasing new episodes each Monday on Spotify and YouTube, along with other podcast outlets. Highly recommended.

Published in 2022, “Star Trek: First Contact: The Making of the Classic Film” was written by Joe Fordham (cowriter of the aforementioned “Planet of the Apes: Evolution of the Legend”). Perhaps more so than its siblings, this book features lots of previously examined territory. That’s not to say this book doesn’t do its homework. It most certainly does, but “First Contact” was also released at the dawn of the “information superhighway,” and was arguably better chronicled than its predecessors.

Note: Other excellent takes on this same material include the highly-recommended “Star Trek, the Next Generation Sketchbook: The Movies, Generations & First Contact” (1998) which was cowritten by Star Trek production artist John Eaves (!) and author J.M. Dillard. There is also author Larry Nemecek‘s excellent “Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion” (his revised 2002 edition covers the TNG movies).

Part of the problem with a book chronicling the making of “Star Trek: First Contact” is that Star Trek was more or less a well-oiled production machine when this movie was made. The mid-1990s are now considered to be a golden age for Star Trek, when it felt like the franchise could do little wrong (it made the cover of TIME magazine), and to be honest, a book telling the story of a smooth-running production is less interesting. By contrast, the making of “The Motion Picture” is a real page-turner because of the turbulence. Frankly, I wish we’d seen the much-maligned “Star Trek: Generations” given the coffee book table treatment first. I’d rather read stories from a troubled older child’s shaky ascendence instead of reading about their successful kid brother who became a lawyer.

Despite some familiar stories and anecdotes, Fordham’s book offers the usual treasure trove of newly-published BTS photos, as well as more recent interviews from cast, crew and other artists connected with this nearly 30-year old film. There is also an extensive archive of production art (some borrowed, some new) and visual effects details which also make this one a keeper. While the “First Contact” book is perhaps my least favorite of the bunch (no reflection on the film or the author), the Star Trek completist in me just had to have it for my already overstuffed home library shelves, which puts Starfleet attorney Samuel T. Cogley’s book collection to shame.

Worth It?

In an age where bookstores are increasingly rare, and stories/photos from nearly any movie’s production (true or false) can be found somewhere on the internet, there is, at least for some fans, the luxuriant experience of holding a hefty archive of information in one’s hands. Relaxing in an easy chair while poring over tons of photos and memories from one’s favorite movie is like an experience from “ages past” (to quote T’Lar). These days, people watch new movies on their smartphones, let alone read about them in books. Even movies themselves are no longer painstakingly shot and cut together on celluloid since the digital revolution began earlier in this century. It’s tough living in an age where those things you cherished in childhood are increasingly lost arts.

From my childhood to the present, I will always love bookstore shopping. While that experience isn’t quite what it used to be, these Star Trek movie coffee table books are lovingly produced relics from a time where it seemed nearly every big movie (and many smaller ones) had thick tie-in books waiting for you at your local bookstore after leaving the theater from seeing it for the third or fourth time. At $50-$55 or so a pop (an extra charge now, thanks to dirty tariffs), I certainly don’t recommend going into poverty over book collecting. But for those who can afford them (or who are adept at bargain-shopping), these big and admittedly unwieldy Star Trek books from UK-based Titan Publishing are a welcome return to that seeming gilded age of only 30-40 years ago. They’re also great for collecting in-person autographs, too (try getting a digital copy signed).

Whether Star Trek fans need each of these books is a matter of personal choice, but speaking for myself, the Samuel T. Cogley in me just can’t resist the urge to own them all. Even if you’ve heard all of the stories before (or read them online at Memory Alpha), it’s nice to have them so beautifully illustrated and preserved in such deluxe editions as these. Resistance may indeed be futile…

Where To Buy

“Star Trek III: The Search for Spock: The Making of the Classic Film,” by John & Maria Jose Tenuto is available (along with the previous three books to date) from Barnes & Noble (either for at-home deliver or in-store pickup) or it can be ordered via Amazon.com, if one doesn’t live near an increasingly rare bookstore (a sad fact for many these days). Good hunting!