Star Trek (Blish)

James Blish and J. A. Lawrence adapted episodes of Star Trek for Bantam Books from 1967 to 1978. They were collected into thirteen volumes, and published as a title series of the same name. The adaptations were generally based on draft scripts, often containing additional plot elements or differing situations from the produced and televised episodes.

Blish is known to have expressed an extreme dislike for tie-in novelizations, however he accepted the commission at $2,000 per volume, roughly $14,400 in 2016 Dollars. He later stated his relative financial stability stemmed from the publication of the Star Trek adaptations, along with the publication of the original novel Spock Must Die!. Earning him an additional $3,000 advance.

Blish was not involved with the production of the television series, nor did he view the broadcasts prior to his relocation to the United Kingdom in 1969. Blish's personal feelings regarding Star Trek were expressed by his use of the pun "an enterprise so well conceived" in the Author's Note prefacing the novel Spock Must Die!. Adaptations released after Blish screened a number of episodes aligned more with the narrative tone and pacing utilized by the television series.

James Blish was credited as the adapter for volumes Star Trek 1 through to Star Trek 11, although it was later acknowledged that releases after Star Trek 6 were written in collaboration with J. A. Lawrence, Blish's wife, and her mother, Muriel Lawrence. It is believed that Bantam Books editor Frederik Pohl was unaware of the Lawrences contributions until sometime prior to publication of Star Trek 11. The final volume, Star Trek 12, released after Blish's death, and was co-credited to Lawrence.

Adaptations involving popular character Harry Mudd were reserved for inclusion with a planned original novel, possibly a follow up to Spock Must Die!, but it was never competed. The excluded adaptations were eventually released as Mudd's Angels in 1978. Included was "The Business, as Usual, During Altercations," an original novella by Lawrence featuring Harry Mudd.

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