On the Good Ship Enterprise
| Title: | On the Good Ship Enterprise |
| Creator: | Bjo Trimble |
| Date(s): | 1982 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
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On the Good Ship Enterprise is a 286-page non-fiction book by Bjo Trimble. Its focus is Star Trek and her role and experiences in that fandom.
One chapter in the book concerns the involvement of local Los Angeles "Star Trek" fans as paid extras in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
"Star Trek" fans on the Rec Deck, 1978
Three-quarters (to the left) of the above photo was published in Bjo's book. (The right side of the photo was included in a Dennis Fischer article, "Part of the Magic: The Experience of Being A Star Trek Extra" for Enterprise Incidents #7, about the Rec Deck filming day.)
Front row, from left: Marlene Willauer (who was incorrectly credited in the book), Grace Lee Whitney's son Scott Dweck (as a Vulcan), Paula Crist (as Worene), Bjo Trimble, Grace Lee Whitney (as Janice Rand), Susan Sackett and Louise Stange.
Next row, from left: Star Trek novelist, Kathleen Sky ("Vulcan!" and "Death's Angel"), Leigh Strother-Vien and the very tall Dennis Fischer. Writer David Gerrold ("The Trouble With Tribbles") is behind Grace Lee Whitney.
Reactions and Reviews
1983
Bjo Trimble's On The Good Ship Enterprise is a remarkable behind-the-scenes account of Star Trek taken from the viewpoint of a fifteen year veteran fan. Not only does it ranges from Bjo's relationship with the actors in the Star Trek set to her experiences in the Orient with Japanese Trek fans, the book will also acquaint you with her personal views and lifestyle both in and out of fandom. It is filled with many heartwarming anecdotes--many are guaranteed to make you laugh--and there are plenty of rare photos and humorous cartoons drawn by artist Scott Hill (Hill's rendition of Spock and his kow-towing female worshippers which precedes the chapter "Spock Appeal", is a real classic.) Because it covers a fifteen year history, the oversized condensed paperback is very intense reading and must be taken in periodic "doses" to fully appreciate it.Bjo reflects heavily on her past grassroot involvement with Trek fandom, climaxing when she, along with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and others, lead the successful international campaign to save Star Trek for another season. Her fannish involvement simmered somewhat after ST:TMP and, as readers will probably notice, her coverage on ST:TWOK is not as extensive as ST:TMP. This is not to say that Bjo had no involvement in Trek II; in fact, Bjo, along with Sonni Cooper (author of "Black Fire") and David Gerrold (author of "Trouble with Tribbles"), has been acknowledged in the film credit roll for fannish consultation. Bjo visited the set periodically and wrote about her impressions of Bennett, Meyer, etc.. For instance, Bjo describes her very first meeting with Ricardo Montalban (who makes her feel like "melting vanilla ice cream") as follows: "Time came for the scene, and Ricardo Montalban took off his robe, making the far younger men on the set look like nothing more than callow youths! Muscles rippling through his torn costume, Mr. Montalban looked every inch a man who was an intellectual and physical giant. After the scene, when he returned to his chair, I decided to accost him, 'Mr. Montalban,' I said, holding out my hand, and then I forgot everything I'd planned to say!"
On The Good Ship Enterprise is written in Bjo's chatty personal style and is sprinkled with enough juicy tidbits to keep Trekkers' literary appetites wetted from cover to cover. As David Gerrold states (back cover): "The only thing wrong about Bjo's writing is that there isn't enough of it. Morel More!" On The Good Ship Enterprise is a truly enjoyable book; its content alone is worth far more than its $5.95 price tag. For those who are familiar with Bjo only through her now-defunct Starlog magazine column "Fan Scene", I urge you to get a copy of this book before it goes out of print - this is a definite "must read" text for all serious Trekkers. [1]
ON THE GOOD SHIP ENTERPRISE is a professional publication, not this author's first, but hopefully it might be the last. It is illustrated with a few cartoon-like drawings, and has a section of photos, mostly of the author with Big Names. The book is divided loosely into parts, many of which consist of chapters just long enough to use up less than 1/4 of a second page, leaving the remainder blank.For the most part, this book is a collection of the author's anecdotes about the many facets of Star Trek that she has been involved with over the past 15 years. Everyone has their own hoard of stories they can tell about their experiences in Trek; these are just bound into one volume, presumably for the author's benefit. Most of them, while attempting humor, aren't really funny, merely good examples of name-dropping.
The attitude is that of a snotty diatribe toward anyone who wasn't in the author's select group of friends and special fans, and who therefore haven't really earned the right to be in fandom. The author relates anecdotes about all of the Big Names except for the two in top billing, out does include a chapter on "Spockies," including her favorite opinion of K/S.
Most of the chapters are just such short stories, except for one near the end of the book, "The Star Trek Newsletter That Never Was." This apparently stems out of Paramount's refusal to allow Ms. Trimble to publish an "Official" ST newsletter, and has the tone of an "I told you so," 6 pages worth.
The one chapter that might have been fascinating was ruined when the author told more about her purchases and meals in Japan than her meetings with Japanese fandom.
This book could have been really interesting if someone at the publishing company had done some serious editing. But it appears that they took the author's word that she was the "Grande Dame" of fandom, and printed it as is. Personally, I didn't care to read an entire page about the Trimble's dogs and cats, and their various television appearances. The paragraph that began "The play I won't inflict on readers, but suffice it to say ..." could have been left out completely.
Thoughtful editing and standard paperback size and price might have made this book a good value, but at $5.95 I was pleased that I had read a borrowed copy and saved my money for something else. [2]
Dozens of ST books that have appeared since Stephen Whitfield's now-classic Making of Star Trek, all have dealt with the show itself or its attendant phenomenon; none has concerned itself with what it means to be a Star Trek fan. Until now. And who better to write such a book than Bjo Trimble, a woman generally acknowledged to be the world's number-one "Trekkie" (no disparagement intended; she applies that abhorrent term to herself), in much the same way that Forrest J. Ackerman is considered king of sci-fi fandom.
Touted as the first and only Star Trek memoir, On the Good Ship Enterprise: My Fifteen Years With Star Trek is a gift of love to fans everywhere. It's refreshing, witty, and revealing, thanks to Bjo's inimitable personality. She's surely one of the most pragmatic, down-to-earth ladies around. Nothing fazes her; she meets life's crises with calm practicality, and can rub shoulders with Hollywood's giants without succumbing to a "gosh-wow" attitude. What Bjo does get excited about is the inherent goodness of the human heart and the dream that mankind will one day reach the stars.
Her book is divided into eight parts. starting with an account of her first involvement with Star Trek, including her visits to the set. In the early days of the show, visiting fans were allowed, but they were barred from the set after embarrassing displays of "groupie" behavior. Bjo, however, was always welcome; no one considered her a "fan".
When the show was losing its battle of the Nielsens, Bjo spear-headed the "Save Star Trek" campaign. and when this goal was realized, she discovered a network of fans out there. The studio began paying the Trimbles to handle Star Trek's massive mail load, and some of the best pieces of correspondence are reprinted in the book's second chapter.
Part Three describes both the harebrained schemes and the worthwhile projects that fans have concocted, and it also addresses the sub-phenomenon of "Spockies".
Chapters Four and Five could be considered "name-droppers"; in them, Bjo recounts her experiences with the ST stars. I think you'll treasure these personal glimpses of your favorites. She also tells of her involvement with conventions, both as a participant and as a sponsor of the infamous Equicon).
Chapter Six was the only one I found at all boring. Bjo describes every detail of her trip to Japan, and while it makes an interesting travelogue, it runs on far too long.
Chapter Seven is tailor-made for Mark Lenard fans. It concerns Bjo's days on the set of Mark's show "Here Come the Brides".
The final chapter deals. of course. with the two ST movies.
Bjo writes of her thrilling experience as an extra in the rec-deck scene of ST:TMP (by the way, the petite middle-aged woman in the front row is not Bjo, it is the wife of Robert Wise).
She also explains her very minor contribution to ST:TWOK which earned her screen credit. Above all, this is a book we can identify with. Bjo is one of us. and never pretends to be anything else. Her book will infuse its readers with infectious warmth and the true joy of being a Star Trek fan. [3]