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Written by Bill Williams, edited by Steve Krutzler

Some of the most interesting aspects of any television series are the details of its production. For fans, a series compendium to guide readers and fans of the series through the progression of their favorite series from beginning to end, covering aspects of casting, filming, directing, writing, and even references to past episodes, series, and films is a wealth of knowledge. Through these compendiums fans can relive the making of their favorite series again and again. Star Trek: The Next Generation is no exception.

Author Larry Nemecek originally produced the first edition of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion in 1992, after the conclusion of the series' fifth season and during the development of the third series, Deep Space Nine. A second edition followed in 1995 after the conclusion of the series and the release of the first TNG feature film Star Trek: Generations. Now Nemecek has returned to the series a third time to discuss the progression of the series through the release of the current feature film Star Trek: Nemesis.

Sparing no detail, Nemecek has provided an additional 32 pages of material for the synopses FIRST CONTACT, INSURRECTION, and NEMESIS. The new section includes interviews with directors Jonathan Frakes and Stuart Baird; writers Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga, Michael Piller and John Logan; executive producer Rick Berman; production designer Herman Zimmerman, makeup supervisor Michael Westmore; art director John Eaves; and production crew from the visual effects houses Industrial Light and Magic and Foundation Imaging.

Nemecek goes into thorough detail covering each aspect of the films' production and their place in the TNG legacy. As with the show's episodes, he provides fascinating and interesting minutae into the little-known and seldom-seen details of the film (including naming the Vulcan transport in ST:FC the T'Plana-Hath, after the reference to the matriarch of Vulcan philosophy in The Voyage Home; naming Picard's yacht in INSURRECTION the Cousteau after the legendary explorer; the return of Voyager's Kate Mulgrew as Admiral Janeway in NEMESIS; and others too many to mention). The little details are a Trek fan's trivial delight and a testament to the longevity of the series.

The one limitation of the new volume, however, is an incomplete account of all the films' missing scenes and/or alternate endings. Nemecek does not discuss some of the forgotten elements in GENERATIONS, INSURRECTION and NEMESIS. While he does mention the cameos by Armin Shimerman as Quark and Max Grodenchik shot for INSURRECTION, Wil Wheaton's cameo as Wesley Crusher in NEMESIS, and that film's extended ending, he does not mention the many lost scenes of GENERATIONS or INSURRECTION's original ending. Details like these are vital additions to the Star Trek universe, as they present a look behind the curtain of how the films evolved from initial filming to final released product. These details should have been included and covered with greater depth.

The third edition of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion makes for hours of wonderful and insightful reading for fans of the series, and it serves as the perfect complement to all seven seasons and three of the four films on DVD. An excellent addition to the Star Trek library.

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