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The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years cover art

The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years

By: Edward Gross,Mark A. Altman,Seth MacFarlane - foreword
Narrated by: Helen Litchfield,Alex Hyde-White,Jason Olazabal,Susan Hanfield
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Summary

This is the unauthorized, uncensored, and unbelievable true story behind the making of a pop culture phenomenon. 

The original Star Trek series debuted in 1966 and has spawned five TV series spin-offs and a dozen feature films, with an upcoming one from Paramount arriving in 2016. 

The Fifty-Year Mission is a no-holds-barred oral history of five decades of Star Trek, told by the people who were there. Hear from the hundreds of television and film executives, programmers, writers, creators, and cast as they unveil the oftentimes shocking story of Star Trek's ongoing 50-year mission - a mission that has spanned from the classic series to the animated show, the many attempts at a relaunch through the beloved feature films. 

Make no mistake, this isn't just an audiobook for Star Trek fans. Here is a volume for all fans of pop culture and anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of a television touchstone. 

©2016 Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years

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No single truth

Im a trekkie through and through, so am delighted to listen to such a detailed account. There is no overarching narrative here. What there is, is a number of often conflicting accounts. Sociologically and from a project management point of view this hydra of a story is, as Spock would say, fascinating.

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Style takes getting used to

At first I thought ‘what the hell is this’ because I didn’t want to listen to 10,000 clips of people speaking, but once I had gotten used to it, it was incredibly well crafted.

Each quote moves the story on slightly and builds into a fascinating story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Really?

Having read this book about everything that happened on Star Trek, I have to wonder... how did this show become such a success?

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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A Detailed History

What did you like most about The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years?

Very comprehensive look that focuses on the writing and casting etc. Any Trek fan, like me, will know about 80% of the facts quoted here. I would say that the performances were a little hit and miss. There were some different pronunciations of names that I feel should have been standardised and one or two voices became a little irritating after awhile. But overall, an interesting listen that passes the time

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome if you're as much of a TrekNerd as I am.

There are lots of interesting insights into how Trek was made that you won't find anywhere else, except for the These Are The Voyages books but they don't include the movies.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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It works fine and gives a lot of background.

It works ok. Lots of quotes rather than a written text but that is interesting in itself. Demonstrates the egos and differences well.

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Warts and Glory

A great representation of the personal stories behind the iconic series' and movies' . Unique perspectives of people and events that show both sides of the personalities and events. So many stories of, not just what was filmed or written, but also what wasn't. I feel the performance gives a true flavour behind each sentiment. Considering how much information is in it and how many contributors there are, it is well constructed. Great listen.

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Very interesting

Great to hear the behind the curtain going ons of the original cast of Star Trek

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Great Listen

A good balanced view from behind the scenes, I think this is pretty much essential listening.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Interesting, if flawed

Like the people that made Star Trek, I suppose.

Except that they could pronounce the names properly. Takei rhymes with gay - George has said so himself - and many other mispronounciations were very jarring all the way through.

The other thing I found troublesome was that after a while I couldn't remember who was being attributed with the quote in question; the person named before or after. A lack of chapter breaks compounded that.

However, the narrative as a whole was interesting and shed light on some stories I'd heard about, or half heard about.

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