The Tao of Trek

By James T. Lambert and Troy Lambert

Star Trek changed the world.

The show started with a vision, the concepts of peaceful exploration, a society without much need for money, a post-scarcity world where humanity had improved, grown beyond our selfish impulses. 

Star Trek inspired a generation of fans, who advocated for it in brand new ways. 

• Letter writing campaigns to save the show.
• Conventions that surpassed expectations
• Fan-created works that took the concept to a whole new level. 

And there was plenty to love. From the impulsive Captain Kirk to the measured leadership of Captain Picard. 

The world itself had years of plentiful content, followed by droughts and comebacks, some of which polarized fans, but fans who still watched and often eventually loved new evolutions of the series. 

The world changed Star Trek

As we journeyed from the sixties to the eighties, nineties, and beyond, Star Trek evolved as well, with a new generation of actors, directors, and ideas. From The Next Generation to Discovery, from Star Trek: The Animated Series to Lower Decks and Prodigy, we saw new takes on characters like Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy, and the introduction of new and exciting characters as well, all displaying values of their own. 

We moved from Old Trek to a revival and New Trek, and we are on the precipice of even more Star Trek with new movies and series ready for release and in production. There's never been a better time to be a Trekkie. 

Or has there? Fans disagree on many aspects of Trek, maybe even this one. 

The Tao of Trek

But unlike a static philosophy, the Tao of Trek, the philosophy behind the series, books, and movies, at first originated with Roddenberry. Those principles, like the world, have evolved and changed. 

But some parts remain constant. And we want to look to those and see how Trek inspires us to live, to coexist with our fellow humans, and to interact with the world around us. 

We want to explore how Trek has changed the world, how the world has changed it, and how we, as Trekkies should respond. 

Join us, as we boldly go.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mooney and Lambert
• Release date: Mar 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201680916

Book preview

The Tao of Trek

THE TAO OF TREK

JAMES T. LAMBERT

TROY LAMBERT

Mooney and Lambert

Copyright © 2022 by James T Lambert, Troy Lambert, and Mooney and Lambert Publishing.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

PRINT ISBN: 9780578392585

CONTENTS

Opening Quotes

Authors’ Notes

Introduction: The Birth of The Tao of Trek

I. The Timeline, Background, Cast, and Fans of Star Trek

1. The General Timeline

About James T. Lambert

About Troy L. Lambert

A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head-on and licks it, or he turns his back on it and starts to wither away. 

― Dr. Boyce, The Menagerie, Gene Roddenberry

 This is a new land, this is a new place, this is a new world, this is unknown. This is uncharted, this is all there is. We don't have any other place to go. I always quote Gene as saying, ‘Why are we now going into space? Well, why did we trouble to look past the next mountain? Our prime obligation to ourselves is to make the unknown known. We are on a journey to keep an appointment with whatever we are.’ And that was his whole philosophy of Star Trek, of life, of everything else. 

― Majel Barrett Roddenberry, 1994 Jim Plaxco interview

AUTHORS’ NOTES

This book is written by two authors, both Trekkies. James T. Lambert is not a pen name: that is Jim’s actual name. And Troy is a sci-fi kid who grew up to write mysteries. Below, you’ll find both of our notes to you, the reader, explaining a little bit about who we are.

Throughout the book, we will use the pronouns we and I. We simply mean this is something we both agree on. When we use I every attempt will be made to identify the speaker, but if you are confused, feel free to reach out, or to ask us at your favorite conference.

We look forward to seeing you out there. With that, it’s time for introductions.

---

James T. Lambert

I’m a Star Trek kid. While born a little late to catch the original series pilot episode — and too young to appreciate the first run on network TV — I watched avidly as it took off in syndication. Long before our first VCR, I’d watched every episode featuring Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov.

Sure, I enjoyed other series. Space 1999, UFO, Ultraman, and Thunderbirds played regularly, but I bought the Star Trek Technical Manual and models of the landing party