Star Trek: Federation The First 150 Years REVIEW

BOOK REVIEW To boldly go into the archives

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Star Trek: Federation — The First 150 Years book review .

From the future to your coffee table, Federation: The First 150 Years is an in-universe recap of the Trek universe’s origins, covering everything from Zephram Cochrane’s pioneering warp drive test flight through to the death of James T Kirk.

Originally available in the States with a pedestal featuring electronic lights and sounds (for an eyewatering RRP of £75), it’s a well presented book, especially in its use of illustrations over cast photos, and one that plays things completely straight. When talking about Cochrane for instance, it’s the official version that takes point — no Enterprise crew, no Borg. Later, the Temporal Cold War is mentioned, but only in passing, and with extreme skepticism over Archer’s claims.

The result is very believable as a book the Federation Council could put its stamp on, and one that wins bonus points for focusing on filling the series’ historical gaps rather than just rehashing original series/Enterprise episodes.

The catch is that in being so official, the tone is bone-dry, with the timeframe meaning that civilisation-defining moments like the Xindi attack on Earth barely warrant a couple of pages. There are smaller-scale moments of levity, like a tale of Cochrane having to fix Archer’s fridge, and a Klingon’s post-Tribble hunt report. They’re few and far between though, and while the academic tone works to give the book both its artifact-from-the-future vibe and keep things respectful, it’s hard not to wonder how, say, a Bill Bryson of the future might handle the same material.

Richard Cobbett twitter.com/richardcobbett

Read more of our book reviews .

SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.

Latest in Entertainment
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Fantastic Four: 1234 #2 cover excerpt
Sue Storm and Namor are officially both in Avengers: Doomsday, and fans are wondering if Reed Richards has something to worry about
fool me once
Harlan Coben’s new novel is set to be "more of a sequel" to the hit Netflix series Fool Me Once: "I don’t know any time that’s ever happened"
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers with the rest of the gang during the superhero movie, The Avengers.
The OG Fox X-Men are back, with Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and more joining the cast of Avengers: Doomsday alongside a whole new Avengers team to take on Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom
Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne
Daredevil: Born Again fans are loving the MCU cameos in this week's episodes – especially the Hawkeye reunion
Robert Downey Jr. sitting in a chair at the end of a long line of chairs
Everything announced during Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal live stream
Latest in Reviews
Image of the Corsair Virtuoso Max wireless headset sitting on top of a gaming PC case taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe.
Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless review - a PC headset tour de force
Zombicide box featuring stylized art of survivors fighting zombies
Zombicide 2nd Edition review: "Like a zombie flick brought to tabletop"
Razer Handheld Dock with Steam Deck sitting on cradle, pink and yellow RGB lighting on, and Alienware monitor in background with Tomb Raider Trilogy gameplay on screen.
Razer Handheld Dock review: “Your Steam Deck will ride shiny and Chroma"
Photographs of the Agricola board game in play
Agricola review: "Accurate representation of the highly competitive and often unstable world of agriculture"
Photos taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe of the Shure MV7i microphone, within a pink and white themed room.
Shure MV7i review - convenience and excellence rolled into one superb sounding package
Key art for Atomfall showing a character in the English countryside looking at a nuclear plant some distance away
Atomfall review: "This isn't British Fallout – it's something much better than that"