Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years

The Star Trek empire is a cornerstone of the Nerd Universe and every empire needs its history told! Well that guide is now here in Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years is the expansive history that covers the first 150 years of the United Federation of Planets in the intergalactic democracy that governs the Star Trek Universe. We had the opportunity to have a little Q&A with the editor, Dana and Rosanna who is part of the creative team. They tell us what was all involved in putting this book together, their favorite parts and if George Takei's voice really ran through their head.

How did the concept for the book come about?

DY: The concept for the book was inspired by our illustrated edition of David McCullough's 1776. John Van Citters, at CBS Consumer Products (the license holder for Star Trek), really wanted to do something similar--a book with removable documents that encapsulated the history of the founding of the Federation. The book grew from there.

What was one of the biggest obstacles you faced putting the book together?

DY: I know that David, the author, was faced with resolving the many disparate story lines (and resulting
inconsistencies), which was a probably more of a challenge than an obstacle. Truthfully, the toughest thing
about the project was the timeline. We were on a tight schedule for such an ambitious project.

RB: Making sure that the design and art were accurate in terms of continuity was not so much an obstacle,
but a big challenge. 

Was there anything that you found researching the book that surprised you about the history of The Federation?
DY: I can't take credit for the research. David really carried that burden. For our creative team, we did more of a crash course in Federation history. David created a cheat sheet of key episodes from TOS and Enterprise that focused on major plot points in our book. While I had watched Star Trek before working on the project, I needed to expand on my knowledge of the canon to keep up!

How long did it take to complete the book?

DY: The creative schedule (writing, design, illustration, and pedestal design) was just short of 8 months, then there was about 6 months for manufacturing. It was very brisk.

What was your strategy in terms of data collection with the archives research you used for the book?

DY: Again, David really handled the extensive research. We also relied on John and Marian Cordy at CBS for lots of art reference for the many alien cultures and scripts. Rosanna, the designer was amazing at keeping everything organized and distributed to our four artists/illustrators.

What is your favorite part of the book?

DY: I love the beautiful chapter opening paintings done by Mark McHaley. In terms of the text, Spock's eulogy to Kirk is a lovely piece of writing.

RB: Khaaaaan! No seriously, my favorite part of the book are the illustrations (esp. of Khan) and all the
historical documents in the book.

In putting together this book, how difficult was it to keep track of the "history of Star Trek? Were there any specific challenges (for example, TOS and DS9 had slightly different dates for the Eugenics Wars - Gordon Dymowski

DY: The author and John at CBS are walking ST encyclopedias. Their knowledge of the canon and timelines amazed me. David was tasked with figuring out how to resolve the different timelines/inconsistencies in dates for things like the Eugenics Wars. It was super important to him as a fan to come up with explanations that really made sense.

Did George Takei's voice go through your head when you were working on the book? - Elliott Serrano

DY: George Takei's voice will be in my head for a long time! I can probable still recite his intro from memory.

What is your favorite Captain, favorite alien species and favorite Federation uniform? - Jamie Dunst

DY: I'm a TOS girl so I will have to go with the classic answer: Kirk in his dress uniform.

RB: Kirk, do tribbles count?, the TOS dress and boots.

What is up next for you?
DY: We have several really exciting Star Trek titles coming out in the Fall, but we can't disclose them just yet. :)


The book is available at Amazon