Star Trek 9

The book was reasonably priced, arrived in a timely manner and was in very good condition. It was meant as a gift and the recipient told me she was delighted to get it. She is a young reader and may appreciate other books by the same author or by Gene Rodenberry the master writer of the series. Thank you very much, Star reader

As an original fan of Star Trek, I must always put myself into a different frame of mind when I read these adaptations of the original Star Trek episodes. As someone who can recite most of the dialog and describe minute details of the plots, it disturbs me when Blish performs acts of poetic license. Nevertheless, my response to these books is generally favorable when the episodes are ones I enjoy and negative when the original episodes were terrible. The episodes adapted in this book are: *) Return to Tomorrow *) The Ultimate Computer *) That Which Survives *) Obsession *) The Return of the Archons *) The Immunity Syndrome In general, these episodes are in my "pretty good" category, my favorite of the group is "The Ultimate Computer." Although it is anti-technology, the casting of William Marshall as Dr. Daystrom was a stroke of genius and far ahead of its time. His booming voice gave him a presence that projected both intellect and a sense of disturbance. The casting of a black man as one of the smartest people in the Federation also was revolutionary. Unfortunately, it is impossible to capture the drama of this episode on the printed page. The other adaptations in this collection also suffer from the same problem. For example, William Shatner was superb in depicting a futuristic Ahab in "Obsession" and it is hard to get that sense in the printed word. Blish still does the best job that was possible under those circumstances.

First published in 1973, these short stories are Blish's adaptations of the screenplays of various episodes from the original series. The episodes aren't sorted into books according to either chronological order or identity of screenwriter. "Return to Tomorrow" (episode 51, season 2, screenplay Gene Roddenberry and John T. Dugan). Investigating a planet left lifeless by a long-ago disaster, ENTERPRISE's crew is telepathically contacted by a surviving intelligence: three of the planet's finest minds were stored in globes during a war that destroyed their species millenia ago, and they now exist as pure thought. Sargon, his wife Thalassa, and their former enemy Hanoch offer a deal: their knowledge in exchange for help in constructing android bodies. "The Ultimate Computer" (episode 53, season 2, screenplay Dorothy C. Fontana from a story by Laurence N. Wolfe) is the AI M-5, which despite 4 previous failed prototypes is brought aboard ENTERPRISE and installed by its creator, Richard Daystrom, to be tested in a series of 2-on-1 wargames, with ENTERPRISE further handicapped by running with a skeleton crew. [Speaking as a programmer: gang, haven't y'all ever heard of running *small* tests before hooking the AI up to a starship with heavy weaponry?] "That Which Survives" (episode 69, season 3, screenplay John Meredyth Lucas and Dorothy C. Fontana) In a change of pace, Spock and Scotty remain aboard and have their own problems to deal with: as the away team begins investigating an apparently empty planet showing signs of terraforming, ENTERPRISE triggers its defense system: the starship is thrown nearly a thousand light-years from the planet, while a mysterious woman appears periodically to kill with a touch, despite the fact that the crew hadn't made any aggressive moves, or even been issued a warning. "Obsession" (episode 47, season 2, screenplay Art Wallace) Dovetails well with aspects of Kirk's character from "Conscience of the King" - someone who can be unscrupulous in what he sees as a good cause. In this case, when the away team encounters a deadly cloud-creature, Kirk identifies it as the thing that killed half the FARRAGUT's crew 11 years before. On the grounds that it is obviously intelligent and poses a threat to inhabited planets, ENTERPRISE gives chase - but how much of the captain's real reason is atonement for hesitating to fire on the creature as a youngster? "The Return of the Archons" (episode 23, season 1, screenplay Boris Sobelman) ENTERPRISE, investigating the area of Beta III to try to resolve the mysterious disappearance of the ARCHON a century ago, learns that the culture of Beta III has some mysterious form of brainwashing that can even effect some members of away teams - and for some reason, their rigidly controlled society disintegrates into complete anarchy in periodic festivals. There's an underlying pattern, but what is it? "The Immunity Syndrome" (episode 48, season 2, screenplay Robert Sabaroff). A giant space amoeba

James Blish was a biologist as well as a prolific writer who wrote more than 27 novels including the Hugo Award-winning "A Case of Conscience." He was also the writer who got to novelize all of the original Star Trek episodes and I have not read anybody who can do it any better ever since. In his ninth collection of Star Trek episodes Blish offers up "Return to Tomorrow," "The Ultimate Computer," "That Which Survives," "Obsession," "The Return of the Archons," and "The Immunity Syndrome." If you have the episodes pretty much memorized, then you will appreciate the small touches Blish adds in filling in the details. It is about time Blish's work is republished for another generation of Star Trek fans.

Star Trek 9 has six more awesome episodes of the classic show, including "That Which Survives." It's a must have for all fans of the show.