Book Launch: The Next Generation
In honour of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s 30th Anniversary today, Vaka Rangi Volume 2: Star Trek Phase II, Original Film Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 1) is now available for order from certain online retailers.
This volume covers the years 1977-1988 and aims to tell the story of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s conception and birth over the course of that decade, starting from the fandom’s staunch resistance to letting Star Trek go in the late 70s leading to the abortive Star Trek Phase II project, which eventually morphed into the Star Trek film series. Every pitched Star Trek Phase II script is examined in detail, with particular emphasis on the ones that were eventually adapted into television episodes and movies: “In Thy Image” (Star Trek: The Motion Picture), “The Child”, “Devil’s Due” and “Kitumba”. Also covered during this section is the fanmade Star Trek Phase II web series and the famous and illustrious “Star Trek Trilogy”-Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Moving beyond fandom history, the book explores the other, less-frequently acknowledged pop culture influences on and antecedents of Star Trek: The Next Generation as well, such as Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Cosmos, Miami Vice, Alien and Aliens. New to the book version is a section on the history of 80s anime and its relationship to the contemporary science fiction scene, and how Star Trek: The Next Generation staffers like Rick Sternbach and Mike Okuda were profoundly influenced by the work being done by Japanese genre fiction creators. This section’s brand-new essays are on Urusei Yatsura, Mobile Suit Gundam, Super Dimension Fortress Macross (and Macross: Do You Remember Love?) and two special revised essays on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Dirty Pair.
Speaking of Dirty Pair, longtime fans will no doubt remember the somewhat infamous run of blog posts through the entire Classic Dirty Pair anime series that accompanied the original version of this project (and that can still be found in Eruditorum Press’ archives). Regrettably this is one of the sections I had to cut for space concerns (the final book is already pared down from what I initially wanted it to be, and as it is I just barely squeaked in under Createspace’s upper page count limit with the biggest possible trim size), but don’t think for a moment I’ve forgotten about Kei and Yuri: I’ve decided that they, alongside Nausicaä, really deserve a project unto themselves, so one of my future books will be a rumination on the themes of animist utopianism in 80s anime, building off of a spun-off, heavily revised and expanded version of that section of Vaka Rangi. I can tell you right now this is not my next blog project, but it is one I’ve been in the serious planning stages of for awhile, so please look forward to that in the future.
And finally, this book volume contains critical essays on every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s landmark first season.
Every essay has been expanded and revised, and some have been rewritten from the ground up entirely. And while there may not be as much Kei and Yuri as a select few of you were hoping for, here’s some of what else you can look forward to in Vaka Rangi Volume 2:
- See what happens when fandom Death Drive finally gets the best of the Original Star Trek.
- Discover the truth behind William Shatner’s infamous performance of “Rocket Man” at the 1978 Saturn Awards.
- Marvel as Margaret Armen hits new lows with “Savage Syndrome”.
- Find out what the terrible, terrible Star Trek Phase II story “Are Unheard Memories Sweet?” has to do with the Myth of Matriarchy and recent discoveries about the origin of oral myth in the Deep Time of Paleolithic Africa.
- Learn the real story behind Dave Gerrold’s infamous “Gay People and AIDS” episode, “Blood and Fire”.
- See if there is actually some redemption to be gleaned from “The Child”.
- Sexual Horror.
- Read a brand-new chapter on the Indiana Jones film franchise and Hollywood’s turn to serialization in the early 1980s.
- Drive down the cosmic highway in your space truck, and tune your dial and frequency to the beguiling and brilliant Coast to Coast AM.
- Trace the evolution of LeVar Burton as a performer and an educator from Roots through Reading Rainbow, and get a glimpse of why I feel Geordi La Forge is Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s conscience and soul.
- Doctor Who.
- Listen to the secret story of Tasha Yar, uncover her connection to Aliens and learn how she becomes Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s soul-fetish and sacrificial lamb.
- See how, even in spite of that, Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s much-maligned first season might actually be one of the very best years in its entire run.
September 28, 2017 @ 11:53 am
Oh, this’ll be great. I actually quite like that your books are in that massive coffetable-book style. Makes it feel hefty, if slightly hard to read leisurely.
September 28, 2017 @ 12:24 pm
Well, I look forward to that 80’s anime project whenever it comes out. I’d be willing to help work on said project (or, indeed, any project) if you feel you need any help for it. Regardless, I look forward to your future endeavors and reading the new book. Hopefully this volume is slightly smaller than the last one…
September 28, 2017 @ 6:20 pm
Fair warning, it is not. These books are simply too long for Createspace to accept at any smaller trim size than 8.5X11.
Trust me. I tried.
September 29, 2017 @ 2:22 am
Alas. Out of curiosity, is the project in-between Vaka Rangi and the anime one the Scooby Doo one?
September 29, 2017 @ 4:32 am
No. I can tell you that much.
It may possibly have something to do with animation, however.
September 29, 2017 @ 4:35 am
Ah well. Again, should you need any assistance, please let me know.
September 28, 2017 @ 1:18 pm
I read a Starlog article about the characters that referred to Tasha by an early-draft name (initials M.H.), so it’s already uncovered for me.
(It was by David Gerrold, as I recall, and ended by teasing us about the science officer. “He’s very special.” tilts head Indeed.)
September 29, 2017 @ 2:21 pm
Dilemma facing me this Thursday evening – I’m forced to spend eight hours in Istanbul airport, the most boring airport in the world, how to entertain myself whilst my good lady wife sleeps ?
Wait, what’s that you say Josh ? Volume 2 can be bought on Amazon ?
You saved my sanity, old chum…
September 29, 2017 @ 3:36 pm
I’m very glad I could be of service!
September 29, 2017 @ 4:40 pm
Oh wait, my dear friend.
You missed Barbary Coast ?
William Shatner, Doug McLure and Richard Kiel in a remake of The Wild, Wild West ? Why didn’t you tell me this existed ? Onto the shopping basket that goes.
As you might tell, I couldn’t wait until Thursday and this is even better than Volume 1. I’m on your Rocket Man essay and nodding happily like a daftie. What a magnificent reading of his performance
( ps i hate people who refer to him as The Shat. In Scots, its not a nice word. More power to you for never using it, Josh )
Keep your end up,
October 3, 2017 @ 10:51 am
To be fair, “shat” isn’t a particularly nice word in English either, it’s just that particular version of the word has lost its power in everyday discourse.
Either way, I respect William Shatner too much to use either version of the word to describe him 🙂
September 30, 2017 @ 9:33 am
I was surprised on a rewatch as to how good S1 of TNG is – it’s got at least as good a strike rate as the rest of the series; it’s just that the terrible ones are awful in a way they generally avoided later.
So I will definitely be looking this one out (even though I’m not really that interested in either Phase II or the Trek movies.)
October 3, 2017 @ 10:54 am
Admittedly, I wasn’t too interested in Phase II or the movies either, and I wrote about them. But knowing about them is essential to learning the history of Star Trek: The Next Generation (which was greenlit because of the success of the movies and basically started as the third draft of Phase II), so they had to be included.
And anyway, that context was the only way I was ever gonna touch “The Child” and “Blood and Fire”.
August 1, 2020 @ 11:15 pm
I love this kind of work, it’s incredible. I have read a lot of similar things, now I want to read this and write my analyzes for the book. I also recommend that everyone read the analysis of the book, which consists of stories told by twenty-nine pilgrims during their journey to the shrine of St. Thomas Beckett, based in Canterbury, go to studydriver.com/canterbury-tales-essay/ for an entertaining exploration of interesting material on sin history, medieval church age, contrasts and many interesting things. Compare with your thoughts after reading the main text, I wish you good luck and enjoy your reading!