Star Trek: Ships of the Line

Bookworm Speaks!

Star Trek: Ships of the Line 

by Doug Drexler and Margaret Clark

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This edition of Bookworm Speaks is first for Bookworm, as it is not a novel. It is a science fiction book but it is an art book. In celebration of the beloved science fiction series’ fortieth anniversary, Star Trek Ships of the Line was created using images from the ships of the line calendar series. 

The Story: The book has no story in that there is no real plot or characters. That being said, what it does have is art book story detailing the saga of the various Star Trek television shows. It begins with Enterprise, then The Original Series, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and the various films. Each image has a block of text that describes what is going in the picture. 

The Good: The fact that each picture tells a story is what really separates this from other art books as well as art say from the internet as well. It is always such a letdown when you come across this superb picture of a starship flying through space. It is beautiful and provocative and when you scroll down to the description and all you see is Drawn on Artprogram X and 1600 by 1600 pixels. That’s it!? We want to no more! Who is on the ship? Where is it going and why is it going there at all? It’s these questions that inspire writers and these questions are answered in Ships of the Line. The little block of story on the page may be brief but it does add another layer of depth that makes the concurrent image more than just another pretty picture. 

In space opera stories, the main focus is the characters of course and how they interact with the setting around them, many times the stories do not move beyond the bulkheads of the ship that they call home. The starship is more than just where the show is set. We see it travel through outer space in all its beauty, it fights enemies and gets wounded in the process. It has it’s own quirks and issues that the crew must deal with. In essence, the starship becomes a character all its own. It is exactly that motif that runs all throughout Star Trek, perhaps echoing the tales of ships and aircraft that were the mainstay of popular literature a generation ago. 

The illustrations are top of the line, as to be expected from the world of Star Trek. Even if you are indifferent to Star Trek in general, no science fiction fan can deny the appeal of seeing beautiful starships traveling the heaven in a quality hardcover format. 

The Flaws: The main problem Bookworm has encountered is the physical structure of the book itself. This book is obviously meant to be placed on a coffee table of someone’s house. It’s long and thin book and is an awkward fit on most standard bookshelves, it sticks out. Also, if one is not familiar with Star Trek most of the things mentioned in the stories may very well go over their heads. It is unknown where these people actually are for their whereabouts are shrouded in mystery, but they’re out there somewhere. 

Final Verdict: Star Trek: Ships of the Line is a beautiful and creative look into one of the beloved aspects of the shows. A must have for any fan the legendary science fiction series or simply a fan of starships in general. 

Four out of Five Stars