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You have seen all of the episodes of The Original Series, The Animated Series, and all of the films depicting the adventures of Captain Kirk and his trusty crew aboard the USS Enterprise. Well, if you haven’t, there is always Netflix, and plenty of winter days coming up to view some classic Star Trek. Boldly go and binge where so many nerds have gone before.
This first-person account covers the entire lifespan of James Tiberius Kirk, from his birth in Iowa through his decades in Starfleet, and ends the day before he goes to inspect the USS Enterprise-B. Even though it is written in a personal journal format, there are not a lot of dates, just a general timeline of events, and everything is based on the innermost thoughts and feelings of Captain Kirk himself.
Many of the classic episodes are covered, at least those that figure into the associations with the events from the movies, and a few others that help to connect tidbits of Kirk’s personal life. Even though there is not a lot of new material here, the connections made by inference are extremely well done, and only the most die-hard fan will be irked by the occasional incorrect reference. I found it all very enjoyable and a great source of relaxation.
The Captain’s perspective of the events depicted in the movies are much more interesting and delve deeper into his personality than those from the television series. This was my most favorite part of the book, and I absolutely adored the creative background painted for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. The book concludes with some fun photos from Kirk’s life and a very sincere epilogue written by Spock.
As is typical with such a delightful reading experience, my only complaint was the brevity; it could have been twice as long and still held my attention.
Rated: Mild. A handful of vulgar terms and plenty of superficial (yet clear) discussions of Captain Kirk’s intimate encounters with female beings throughout the galaxy.
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