Even if you’ve read every authoritative book available on the history of Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Lost Scenes
Written by David Tilotta and Curt McAloney, Lost Scenes is a beautiful, glossy, hardcover coffee table book that takes fans on a journey through the show through a series of high-quality, rich photos, many of which have rarely, if ever, been seen before.
In addition to painstaking research, the authors also put a tremendous amount of thought and work into the layout, which is what makes this book even greater than the sum of its parts. This means that the reader can choose to read it cover-to-cover or just keep the book on the coffee table and pick a page or section at random, and be thoroughly engaged either way. (Just don’t try to take it with you on your commute–it’s too big and too heavy.)
Star Trek: Lost Scenes is the latest Star Trek coffee table book from Titan, seen here with their Star Trek Beyond design book from 2017
Star Trek: Lost Scenes is divided into three sections: Behind The Scenes, Deleted Scenes, and Bloopers.
Behind The Scenes
This section could be considered something of a historical document, as it outlines many of the techniques used to create special effects in the 1960s. Even when the information isn’t all that revelatory, the pictures still make everything pop.
Most people who have read anything about TV know how split screens are used for scenes when a character has a double, but seeing a stand-in facing William Shatner across the table in “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” or lying in a sickbay bed in “The Enemy Within” is still a feast for any fan, and the authors have done a terrific job of telling you exactly what you’re looking at without cluttering up the page with too much information.
Photos of early phaser tests are included, along with a look at the evolution of the transporter effect from pilot to series. There are sections showing directors on the set, a close-up look at slates, ships, and aliens, and early makeup tests, giving readers that historical, fly-on-the-wall perspective.
The book looks at everything from interior sets (noting a spelling mistake on the hangar deck pressure gauge) to matte paintings, exterior locations, ship construction, prop and set re-use (which sharp-eyed viewers tend to notice and love having confirmed). There are plenty of other gems, including a never-seen-on-air look at the anthropoids of Taurus II from “The Galileo Seven.”
A few other highlights:
- test shots of Stratos, the cloud city from “The Cloud Minders”
- extended versions of matte paintings, like the one used for Eminiar VII in “A Taste of Armageddon”
- closer looks at makeup not highlighted on-air, like the burns on Commander Hansen in “Balance of Terror”
- extended, sweeping shots of exterior locations (from studio lot to Vasquez Rocks)
- various models and shots used for the USS Enterprise in the first two pilots
Enterprise miniatures from the first and second pilots (® & © 2018 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Deleted Scenes
This is the crown jewel of Lost Scenes.
The brilliance of this section is in the way it’s presented. A brief intro explains the set-up and describes where the scene would’ve gone, and then places the script pages side-by-side with frames from the scene. Some of them will be completely new, while others have turned up or been talked about in The Vault (which used different source materials), and many will definitely be familiar to fans who grew up reading the James Blish adaptations – he worked from scripts instead of finished shows and that’s why there are scenes some of us THINK we remember but never actually saw. Great to see that conversation between Nurse Chapel and Dr. Ann Mulhall, for example, at the end of “Return to Tomorrow.”
Some scenes definitely SHOULD have been deleted, like the cringe-worthy moment cut from “The Corbomite Maneuver” where Kirk talks to Sulu about being an “inscrutable Oriental,” or the scene from “Elaan of Troyius” when Spock tells Uhura that his people have rhythm. But there are some we really should have seen, like Uhura kicking Lars’ ass in “The Gamesters of Triskelion” or Kirk saluting the Romulan commander at the end of “Balance of Terror.”
The episodes are conveniently in air order and the individual scenes come to life thanks to the presentation; it’s done so well that you almost feel like you’re seeing them unfold on video.
Other highlights:
- McCoy teasing Kirk about giving Charlie the sex talk from “Charlie X”
- McCoy and the Sergeant in the transporter room from “Tomorrow is Yesterday”
- Spock telling Kirk, “The female is right, they must scent us” from “Friday’s Child”
- Matt Decker’s death in “The Doomsday Machine”
- an extended conversation between Kirk and McCoy from “A Private Little War”
- the Enterprise crew very much enjoying their captivity in “I, Mudd”
Deleted scenes from “I, Mudd” (® & © 2018 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Bloopers
These pages are just good fun. The authors identify the episode and then let the pictures speak for themselves. Say what you will about how the original cast got along, anyone who’s seen the blooper reels knows there was an awful lot of laughter on that set. The section’s subdivisions cover frames from the blooper reels themselves, technical gaffes, pranks, general on-set mistakes, bloopers from deleted scenes, and more.
Some fun on-set moments, and the Melkot puppet sporting a mustache and what were probably Bob Justman’s glasses (® & © 2018 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved)
More from inside Star Trek: Lost Scenes
Here’s a glimpse at a few more pages.
Test footage of Albert Whitlock’s matte painting from “The Devil in the Dark” showing color and grayscale chips (® & © 2018 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved)
An unused effect from “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” (® & © 2018 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved)
A deleted scene from “The Alternative Factor” (® & © 2018 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved)
A deleted scene from “Errand of Mercy” shedding more light on Kirk and Spock’s escape (® & © 2018 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved)
Available now
This book, which includes an introduction by Doug Drexler, is a great addition to any Star Trek fan’s book collection, and will keep you entertained for a long time. It’s also a great companion piece for The Roddenberry Vault Blu-ray — and a great deal at $25.44 on Amazon
Very tempted by this, but I need another coffee-table book like I need a hole in the head. Quality looks excellent, though.
I got this book on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it! The Deleted Scenes section was amazing, and having the script excerpts side by side with photos illustrating those scenes was priceless.
My favorite deleted scene — the one I really, REALLY wish we’d gotten to see — was from “The Deadly Years.” At the end of the competency hearing, Spock says that everyone who votes that Kirk is no longer competent to lead the Enterprise should raise their right hand, and everyone except Spock reluctantly raises their right hand. Stocker prompts Spock with a pointed “Mr. Spock,” and only after prompted by Stocker does Spock reluctantly add his hand to the rest. Oh, I would have LOVED to have seen that! I just adore those moments of Spock loyalty. :-)
There’s an illustration early on of what the film looked like when the authors got it and how much they had to remove scratches and color-correct the film to restore it to its original appearance. It’s clear that the authors put a HUGE amount of work into this book, and I’m thrilled that they’ve given us the wonderful result of their labors.
Anyone who’s visited the “Fan Art” forum at trekbbs.com will recognize more than a few of these images. This book has been in the works for literally years now, and some of the dedicated fans who have been tracking down these images have shared some of these photos over there. I’m glad to see that their hard work has finally paid off!
I’ve given Titan a lot of crap for some of their recent output (a couple of the STAR WARS mags they did last year have got insanely bad info that must have been cutNpasted from the most unreliable sources on the net, like claiming John Dykstra worked on 2001, even though he was on the wrong continent and probably still in high school), which seems nowhere near up to their previous standards.
But in the case of LOST SCENES, here is one done right, very very right, by people who have a genuine sense of scholarship as well as passion. Serious ‘Bravo!’ from me, a full endorsement.
With this book, the Roddenberry vault, and LaLaLand’s complete sound track collection, I really have been going where I never thought I could go with Star Trek after 48 of Trekking!
As Scotty might say about his beloved Enterprise, “She’s a beauty!”.
Very very very tempted to pick this up. The web page is FANTASTIC.
I have to ask is there anything in this book that is not already featured at the startrekhistory.com website (and for free)?
Yes. Quite a bit is new or different for the book.
Looks great, will order it.
Ummm…why is this book being pushed by TrekMovie when 3 volumes of behind the scenes photos (representing each season)from the collection of Gerald Gurian were completely ignored by this site? Makes me wonder…
They probably got sent a preview version.
@GQMF – You’re probably right…
Geez, are we going to go down this road with Gurian and Cushman again? We’ve got a national antichrist to deal with, don’t bog us down with the lowest-rent trek hacks too (not counting Gross and Altman in there, they did good work, just to be clear.)
@kmart – Your baseless and personal attacks on a long-time fan (Gurian, 4 decades+) is indeed very Trumpian of you. It’s elementary psychology that some folks despise traits in others that are remindful of their own worse instincts / traits.
Excellent book, highly recomendedrecomended. LLAP
This looks Great! Star trek history.com is one The best sites on the net for this kind of stuff in the book looks like it’s even step above that can’t wait to get it !!
Bought it today at a bookstore. Simply superb. This is a book that is going to go on giving back for *years*.
I’ve seen this book and it is one jaw dropping reveal after another. And the restoration of the film images is state of the art.