"Phasers on Stun!" by Ryan Britt

“Star Trek” isn’t just an old TV show—it’s an industry.  Or as Ryan Britt, the author of “Phasers on Stun!” might say, a universe.Britt’s new book beams us down to the show’s origins back in the 1960s, its acceptance after initial resistance and relates the offspring of the series—both film and TV shows.“Mr. Spock and Data weren’t just cool space superheroes to me as a kid, they were beacons of resilience,” wrote Britt. “Living long and prospering doesn’t jusat mean getting older and not dying. It means embracing change.”And change is something that Trekkies can understand. After all, following the original 79 episodes of “Star Trek” that concluded in 1969, we’ve had “Star Trek: the Animated Series” (1973-74), “Star Trek: the Next Generation” (1987-94), “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (1993-99), “Star Trek: Voyager” (1995-2001), “Star Trek: Enterprise” (2001-2005), “Star Trek: Discovery” (2017-present), “Star Trek: Picard” (2020-present), “Star Trek: Lower Decks” (2020-present), “Star Trek: Prodigy” (2021-present), and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (2022-present).That’s just the TV side. There have also been 13 feature films, the first six featuring the original TV cast. It adds up to 800 hours of programming and Britt has consumed it all.In his interview with Steve Tarter, Britt underscores the role Leonard Nimoy played, both as Spock and as the director of two of the films. He also points out what a contribution Nichelle Nichols (who played Uhura) made in the U.S. space program, calling for women and minority hiring at NASA.Bill Shatner may have flown into space but as a passenger. Nichols, who trained as an astronaut, could have actually (wo-)manned the controls, noted Britt.