A PRINCE AND HIS SWORDS

 

Name: Shadow Lord

Author: Laurence Yep

Publication Date: 3/1985

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #22)

Page Number: 280

Historian’s Note: In between the episodes “Balance of Terror” and “What are Little Girls Made of?”

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk       Lieutenant Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”       Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Nyota Uhura            Prince Vikam         Bacha           Chit           Diwan              Jata              Megra            Lord Bhima                  Bibil               Gelu               Mumtas        Pagu          Lord Rahu          Schami          Tayu          Urmi

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets: Angira

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The adventure begins when the Enterprise is assigned to journey to the planet Angira, whose government is asking for assistance in updating its star charts.  Mr. Spock will handle that assignment while the ship drops them off and completes another mission to deliver medical supplies to Beta Carinae.  Angira is a primitive planet and how it made contact with the Federation is never explained.  Angira is controlled by an Empire whose territory encompasses the entire world.  The Empire’s government is a hereditary monarchy.  Their latest Emperor, who goes unnamed is just referred to as “the Emperor,” is trying to reform and update his world.  He wants to turn his Empire from an agricultural civilization to an industrial one.  For his family’s Empire dominated the world before the industrial age ever had a chance to start.  To help improve his world the Emperor sends Prince Vikam, his youngest and therefore least important son, to Earth to attend university and report back on the ways of outsiders so that they may copy their better ideas. 

The ninth in the line to Throne of Angira took to the assignment like a fish takes to water.  He loved learning, discovering new ways, he thought Earth was great and the entire Federation even better, and when he is summoned home by father, he was rather disappointed.  As he and his tutor Bibil, the only Angiran with him, board the Enterprise, the crew is pleased to discover he is nothing like what they would expect an Angiran prince to be.  He is open, friendly, and eager to learn about other people.  He bonds with Sulu over fencing.  They work out in the rec area practicing with various types of swords European, Asian, and Angiran.  Vikam’s people still use swords as a big part of everyday life, Sulu requests to go to Angira with Spock and it is granted.   

Spock and Sulu team up for this mission.

 The group of four beam down to the planet Angira.  When they arrive, they discover that not many people are not happy to see their prince.  Everyone they encounter simply invokes anger at the interference of outsiders.  This xenophobic attitude crosses over the political spectrum.  It includes people such as Lord Bhima, who fears the influence of outsiders will continue to undermine the traditional hierarchical patriarchal medieval culture; and those such as Urmi, Bibil’s niece, who thinks that the Federation is going to give the Emperor new ways to oppress the people.  These various sides for similar reasons opposed the Emperor’s reforms.  Nevertheless, the Emperor is employing an all-hands-onboard approach and has retained several of his critics in positions of power.  

It turns out giving power to those who don’t like you is a major mistake because the landing party finds themselves under attack and are forced to defend themselves using Angiran swords.  (Spock and Sulu were not allowed to bring their phasers.)  They fight well but Sulu does feel that the dream of life-stakes sword fighting is quite horrifying in actual reality.  It turns out that this attack is part of a larger coup led by the reactionary Lord Rahu.  The Imperial family has been slaughtered, I would compare them to the Romanovs, but this fictional imperial family went out fighting.

Sulu's dream not so fun reality. 

They escape with some assistance from members of the Emperor’s loyalists.  After passing the Prince’s grandfather’s torture chambers they are attacked by these giant beetle creatures and Bibil is killed by these creatures saving the rest of the landing party. While this is going on Rahu is building support and recruits the once loyal and more moderate Lord Bhima to his cause.  As the four (Vikam, Spock, Sulu, and Urmi escape the place first head to Urmi’s home village.  One the way they are attacked by a group of bandits whose leader is a local lord whose fiefdom was seized the Emperor in the reforms.  They escape but Spock was injured in the process, and he has to remain behind in Urmi’s village while the other three Vikram's family's fortress at Kotah. 

Throughout their trip both to the village and to the fortress options are discussed.  At one point Spock suggested they hide somewhere and wait for the Enterprise to pick them up, with Vikam and Urmi given refuge status.  Vikam actually likes the idea, but Urmi wants to fight for her home and Sulu tries to convince the Prince not to give up.  With so many of his family dead Vikam is now likely the lawful heir of the Empire.  Except he wants nothing to do with it he was not trained for it and on top of that he thinks his society is horrible.  Everything he sees just reinforces that.  All his father’s reforms while nice in theory had been horrible in practice.   

Despite his dislike for such crew weaponry it turns out Spock is quite good. 

As their journey continues Vikam experiences a change of heart he starts to understand that he may be able to do some good if he assumes power.  When they reach Kotah he finds the Council of Elders hesitant to acknowledge him as the true heir.  Nevertheless, he is able to raise an army amongst the people made up of many of his father’s veterans that he will use to oppose Rahu.

The two sides engage with their armies, and it turns out that the Angirans do have some larger gun-powder type weapons.  During the course of the battle Vikam is knocked unconscious, so Sulu in a very non-prime directive way takes command. When the Prince wakes up, they are about to see victory only to discover that Rahu has Spock as a hostage.  Vikam challenges Rahu to a dual Rahu accepts so long as he can have Lord Bhima as his champion.  Vikam accepts this and defeats his former mentor.  Rahu tries to weasel out of it but his attempt to kill Vikam fails when Bhima takes an arrow meant for the Prince.  Rahu is killed and the war is won. 

Vikam is now set to become emperor and will hopefully have a regium that is better than his father’s.  The Enterprise arrives to pick up its two officers, and Captain Kirk gives Sulu a run-down about the Prime Directive.  It turns out Sulu is in the clear as Spock had already sent a report in that provided an explanation and justification for his actions.

Captain Kirk drills Sulu for his PD violations 

 Additional thoughts: I enjoyed this story because there was a great deal of action and pacing of the story felt quick but not rushed.  Prince Vikam is an interesting person.  His position reminded me of a few people I knew in college.  They came from developing countries, the then came to the United States on a student visa with the idea of getting an education and then going back to their home countries to help make life better there.  But as human beings as they got used to living in a rich country like the United States it created a condition, that the person who explained this to me called “brain drain.” They enjoy America so much that they didn’t want to go back.  Vikam is like this at the beginning of the story despite the fact at home he is a Prince of the imperial house, he found that life was much better as a college student in the United Federation of Planets. 

 I also felt that perhaps Vikam’s initial reluctance to accept the throne also makes me wonder if his conditioning as a younger son had a lot to do with it.  In royal houses governed by the inheritance of primogeniture as a younger prince he would have been taught at a young age that the throne was his oldest brother’s destiny not his.  As ninth in line to the throne he would rarely move closer to it but every time his older brothers had sons of their own, or when their sons produced sons, he would fall further.  The whole point in sending him away was to give him something to do.  He was probably made to feel guilty if he ever secretly wanted the crown.  Now that it was being thrust upon him, he would be hesitant to accept it.  As we saw in the movie The King’s Speech it can be something that a younger brother has a hard time accepting. 

Even though it’s addressed a little bit at the end, there are still some major prime directive violations here.  For I don’t understand while the Federation is even talking with the government of Angira.  The story keeps repeating that their technology at best is comparable to the 17^th century Earth. The Federation should not even allow the people of Angira to know that other more advanced civilizations exist.  Instead, we see the Federation sending Spock to update their star charts and their schools accepting foreign exchange students. Despite the liking of the Prince, they shouldn’t be helping him fight off a coup.  If the destiny of Vikam’s dynasty is to go the way of the Romanovs, then that is planet’s natural development and no Starfleet officer should interfere, much less command his armies, as Sulu did.  I don’t really buy Spock’s explanation at the end because that Rahu was not a real revolutionary.  Rebels might have many reasons, not all of them good.

Now in the episodes “Errand of Mercy” and “Friday’s Child” have Starfleet contacting and negotiating with underdeveloped civilizations.  However, in those episodes the Federation has survival type reasons to do so.  In the former the Federation is at war with the Klingons and planet Organa is in a strategic location for both powers.  If the Federation doesn’t make a move the Klingons certainly will. In the later the planet had a source important natural resources that was extremely important to again both the Klingons and Federation and like before if they don’t move the Klingons will.  To the Federation credit they didn’t try to force their way in, nor would they offer unfair deals. None of these scenarios are present in this situation.  

Not the first time the Federation dealt with a planet their values say they shouldn't.

Should it be canon: I wouldn’t mind the story being canon despite my prime directive concerns it is not only Star Trek tale that contains contradictions.  Maybe they could come up with a better explanation for the Federation’s involvement later.

Cover Art: The cover has Spock, Sulu, and Prince Vikam armed with swords fighting off the giant beetle creatures seen in the story.  Somethings are off though.  The creatures seem bigger than described, Prince Vikam, who is said to have fur doesn’t seem to have any, Sulu is in a blue uniform, and neither he nor Spock have any rank insignia showing.

Final Grade: Final Grade 3 of 5

THE CATS ARE SICK

 

Name: Uhura's Song

Author: Janet Kagan

Publication Date: 1/1985

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #21)

Page Number: 373

Historian’s Note: Sometime between Turnabout Intruder and More Tribbles More Troubles

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk       Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”       Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Nyota Uhura            Dr. Evan Wilson          Dr. Joseph M'Benga          Lieutenant Kevin Riley                Lieutenant Vuong               Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov                 Ensign Marie-Therese Orsay         Ensign Azuela             Yeoman First Class Jaramillo                 Crewman Ridly         Crewman Thomas        Colonel Mickiewicz     Dr. Dziedzic              HotSpring to-Allanien         All Loops               Brave Tongue       Jinx to-Ennien          Catchclaw to-Ennien              EagerTalker to-Ennien       Grabfoot to-Ennien          Sunfall to-Ennien              TooLongTail to-Ennien             WhiteWhisker to-Ennien                Knots      Left Ear Patterner of Vensre            SilverTail           Brightspot to-Srallansre            CopperEye to-Srallansre       Distant Smoke to-Srallansre               Fetchstorm to-Srallansre            Quickfoot of Srallansre         Stiff Tail to-Srallansre            Winding Path to-Srallansre               Sunfall of Ennien           ThreeTimes       Rushlight to-Vensre         Settlesand to-Vensre        

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, USS Dr. Margaret Flinn (registration unknown), Dr. James Barry (registration unknown)

Planets: Eeiauo and Sivao

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is in orbit around the planet Eeiauo, whose main inhabitants are an intelligent humanoid cat-like species. The planet is under quarantine due to a disease known as ADF syndrome that has symptoms that begin with hair loss and conclude with total body paralysis, although the brain appears normal.  Among the afflicted is Lt. Uhura’s old friend Sunfall, whom she meets as a young officer and uses to exchange songs with.  Dr. McCoy is on the surface of the planet trying to lead research into the epidemic.  To help the Enterprise out, Starfleet has assigned Dr. Evan Wilson, to temporarily take McCoy’s place as Chief Medical Officer.  The new Acting CMO has a personality that clashes with the other senior officers, particularly Spock and Kirk.  

Uhura, going over some of the cultural songs she learned from Sunfall, comes to the conclusion that the people of Eeiauo might have been originally from someplace else.  She shares her evidence with Spock, and he agrees.  When they try to confront the Eeiauoans about this they are quick to deny and wish to change the subject.  However, McCoy gets his assistant, Quickfoot, to admit the truth to them.  Two thousand years ago, their ancestors were exiled from their home world, Sivao.  The reasons are not given but it is a clear mark of shame for them.

Trying to figure out, how they will help the Eeiauoans.

Things get from bad to worse when it is discovered that ADF Syndrome can jump species and Nurse Chapel and others are infected.  The disease works faster in humans with more deadly results. Two crew members are redshirted by it.     

Uhura and Spock come up with a theory that the original home world’s inhabitants may currently hold the cure to ADF.  Using astronomical references in some of the older Eeiauoan songs, Spock and Uhura locate the planet.  Kirk leads a landing party that includes Spock, Wilson, Uhura, and Chekov.  They find the local people friendly enough but when Kirk tries to explain why they are here one of the locals slaps him.  Back on Eeiauo, McCoy comes up with a treatment that can delay the effects of ADF but does not eliminate.  The extra time is needed because he too is also infected.

McCoy discovers that humans can get this thing. 

 The reason the Sivaoians have a hard time dealing with the Enterprise’s landing party is they are not sure whether their visitors were adults.  Kirk makes the point that he commands a starship, and Starfleet does not grant such commands to children, or for that point employee children at all.  Nevertheless, they are still confused.  They discover through their friends (Sivaoians who clearly seem like adults but are legally considered children) that in order to be called adults they have to undergo a rite of passage that has them journeying to another village.  The journey can be dangerous with predators lurking and geographical challenges. One of their new friends, Jinx, tried and failed three times. 

Kirk leading the landing party!

Kirk decides the landing party will attempt the rite.  Unfortunately, they have to leave the phasers and communicators behind.  They face many challenges and must hold a night watch to guard against predators.  During the journey a bridge collapses on them sending Kirk, Wilson, and Jinx into the water.  Kirk is able to rescue Jinx, whose people have not mastered the art of swimming. When the landing party does not report Scotty goes to check up on them but doesn’t learn much.

After the landing party is reunited Chekov begins to exhibit symptoms of ADF syndrome, which he takes to it hard.  Wilson notices that Jinx, who is an apprentice healer, was unable to recognize the plague song that Uhura had learned, she suggests to Uhura that she sing the song in a different key. Uhura attempts this and that seems to end the difficulty in translation.  Jinx eventually identifies a variation of the song and explains that the disease is one that the call "Noisy Baby," easily cured it years ago.

Uhura spreading the news of the plague being beaten.

They complete their journey and are all now considered adults by local laws.  Jinx chooses AnotherStarFreedom as an adult name, in honor of Uhura.  They are able to reconnect the two groups who had separated for 2,000 years both are embarrassed by the cause of separation. The cure is passed along, saving the population in the nick of time.  The Enterprise gets three cheers from the other Starfleet vessels. 

In closing it turns out that Wilson wasn’t who she says she was. After the mission was over, she was immediately reassigned.  Kirk and McCoy decide to reach out, but when they do they meet a male Evan Wilson.  It turns out this “Evan Wilson” they were working with was a Sivaoan name Tail-Kinker to-Ennien.  She is a benevolent trickster, and this wasn’t the first time she did this.  She once impersonated an engineer named Martha Bodner who also critically helped Starfleet before. In her final message she challenges Spock to find her.

Additional thoughts: This okay Star Trek story.  One on hand there was a classic Star Trek problem of “these friendly people are dying and how do we save them?”  However, it was often slow moving and it didn’t really command my attention the way some other stories can.  I did like how Uhura has a much more prominent feature in the story.

There was, however, a big plot problem that I had with the story.  So, the local Eeiauoans are stricken with this horrible illness.  While treating them it is discovered that they originally came from a planet called Sivao.  Uhrua and Spock then to the conclusion that since the Eeiauoan people originated there, then the people living there now must possess the cure to the condition. I am sorry but that doesn’t make any sense.   That is like if a disease in the United States struck the Italian-American population hard, that since they are Italian-American and their ancestors came from Italy then logically Italy must have the cure.  Now this turns out to work because of plot armor, but I would have liked someone to make an objection.  

I also thought it was interesting that the Enterprise is told by Starfleet that the prime directive could be ignored when they arrive at Sivao. Although we saw in “Friday’s Child” that Starfleet and Federation may look the other way when their important interests are involved.  In that episode they were trying to secure dilithium mining rights.  This case is more noble, trying to save the lives of innocents from a deadly plague.

So, the character of Dr. Evan Wilson.  Throughout the book I was wondering what the point of this character was. I thought it was odd that Starfleet would send a doctor out to temporarily take over McCoy’s responsibilities when he was gone.  McCoy has other doctors on his medical staff either one of them could step into that role, M'Benga being an obvious example, why does Starfleet feel the need to send someone of equal rank to replace him?  It would be if Kirk was going away for a week and Starfleet assigning another captain instead of just having Spock runs things for him in the meantime.  Well, we get our answer in the end Dr. Wilson wasn’t Dr. Wilson, but a Sivaoian, who appears to have wanted to have a firsthand in helping to re-unite her species. It reminded me of the second part of “The Menagerie” when we learn that Commodore José Mendez was just an illusion created by the Talosians. 

Should it be canon: I don’t see anything in this story that would contradict established on film.  Therefore, I would have no problems with it being canon.

Cover Art: The cover has Spock, Uhura, and a Sivaoian (from the viewers right to left) standing in front of a planet that I assume is either Eeiauo or Sivao.  Above their heads and in front of the planet flies the Enterprise. The cover is a bit of a lie, because it shows a refitted Enterprise and Spock is wearing his “The Motion Picture” uniform.  Yet, this story takes place in the original five-year mission.

Final Grade: Final Grade 3 of 5

 

MURDER WHERE THERE SHOULD BE NONE

 

Name: The Vulcan Academy Murders

Author: Jean Lorrah

Publication Date: 11/1984

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #20)

Page Number: 280

Historian’s Note: Right in between the episodes “Journey to Babel” and “A Private Little War” (Production order, of course)

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk       Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu              Dr. Joseph M'Benga                   Ensign Pavel Chekov                 Ensign Carl Remington             Ambassador Sarek                 Amanda Grayson         Dr. Daniel Corrigan             Eleyna Miller            Sorel              T'Pau               Soton        Storn              T'Mir                   Sendet                   T'Par                   T'Zan

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, unnamed Klingon K't'inga-class battle cruiser

Planets: Vulcan

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The adventure begins in the middle of a battle.  The Enterprise is attacked by a Klingon warship.  Kirk quickly outmaneuvers his opponent and all but destroys the Klingon ship.  They take a few Klingons prisoner and tend to their own wounded.  One of their wounded, Ensign Carl Remington, is extremely injured.  His injuries surpass that of Captain Christopher Pike and are more like that of Joe Bonham.  Fortunately for the injured Ensign there is hope.  On Vulcan, at the Science Academy, there is currently a medical experiment being done that could reverse the Ensign’s condition. Spock knows of this because the procedure is being used to treat his mother right now.  While the ship is being repaired Kirk, Spock, and McCoy all take Remington to Vulcan.

The Enterprise captures and damages an enemy ship!

       When they arrive, they stop at Sarek’s house and then go to the hospital where they meet Dr. Daniel Corrigan and Healer Sorel, the pair who had perfected the procedure.  Dr. Corrigan first tested the process on himself. (McCoy didn’t say anything but I am sure he was proud.) Corrigan was unnaturally aging fast the under the treatment he went from being a man in his physical sixties, restored to his physical thirties.  Amanda, Spock’s mother, and Sorel’s wife T’Zan were currently undergoing the procedure.  Corrigan states that this treatment is only for conditions that would otherwise be permanently disabling or terminal.  The process is risky as the body involuntary functions are all controlled by machine.  If the device somehow loses power even for a few seconds, the patient will die.  A number of redundancy systems are installed to prevent this.  

Spock and his comrades visit his father  

However, since Chekhov's gun must be fired, there is a power failure that results in the death of T’Zan.  Since Vulcans are touch telepaths and are mentally bonded to their spouses, her sudden death led her to instinctively call out to her husband.  This message through the mental link sends Sorel into shock and his own mind starts to shut down, and Vulcan intervention is needed and they create a mind meld between Sorel and Corrigan and his friend helps him survive.  With T’Zan dead her and Sorel’s adult children, Soton and T’Mir, arrive back home with a little assistance from Captain Kirk.  During T’Zan’s funeral a male Vulcan named Sendet shows up to make an offer for T’Mir to become his mate.  Making a pass at someone during their mother’s funeral is just as off putting to Vulcans as it is for humans.  Sendet is sent packing but not before he expresses anger at humans at this ceremony.

Angry Vulcan man

After the ceremony is over T’Mir takes a pass herself at her father’s long-time friend.  It appears that T’Mir has had a Celine/Rene-type crush on Dr. Corrigan. The newly de-aged doctor starts to warm up to the idea when he discovers that her family supports the match.

Shortly after that another power loss results in the death of Ensign Remington.  The death of two patients dying in one in a million type accidents convince Captain Kirk there must have been a murder.  Others protest that there has not been a murder on Vulcan since the modern age began.  Because of what happened in “Amok Time,” Kirk doesn’t really buy that claim.  Kirk concludes that one of the patients was the target and the other was killed to through investigators off, or the target was the research team’s legitimacy someone wants to see them fail.  Kirk begins an investigation and begins to interview likely suspects.

They attempt to track which computer was used to sabotage the stasis chambers.  However, the memory banks overload, starting a fire. While helping treat the wounded McCoy notices the medical computer is giving of the wrong medical diagnosis to patients.  McCoy remembering the incident in “Court Martial” where Spock’s chess program was corrupted exposing sabotage.  (What we since the late 1980s called a “computer virus.”)  This is evidence of sabotage to the Academy’s computer system. 

Kirk, after getting treated for burns, proceeds with his investigation and he interviews T’Pau, and leaves both impressed with her and a little embarrassed about suspecting her.   After returning he is invited by Eleyna Miller to go out in the dessert to observe T'Khut and its moon.  The pressure was off as Sendet attacked Corrigan when he learned of his relationship with T’Mir.  It is now assumed that he was targeting Corrigan’s research. 

Kirk goes off on his date while Sendet is forced to undergo a Verification ceremony.   The Verification ceremony is a forced mind meld done by healers, to determine guilt or innocence.  During the Verfication's group mind meld, it is discovered that Sendet is a member of the Followers of T'Vet, a minority Vulcan group hoping to return Vulcan to its warlike past.  When they look into his actions they find he is innocent of the two murders.  He may be a throwback and follows a violent unpopular philosophy, but he is no murderer.

While Kirk and Miller are on their date, Kirk slips and is injured with a broken ancle making it impossible for him to walk.  Miller says she is going to get help but does not return.  Kirk did not fall, he was pushed.  Fortunately, he told McCoy where he was going a McCoy grabbed a vehicle and rescued Kirk.  Before Kirk could recover and revel the identity of the killer to McCoy, Miller goes ahead with her plan to kill Amanda.  She then feels that Sarek will need to be saved, and he will then fall in love with her.  She fails because she is stopped by Sarek, Spock, and Sorel.  Miller is exposed as the villain; she is judged to be mad and sent elsewhere on Vulcan for treatment.

Time to fill Amanda in

The story ends with everyone gathered around Amanda explaining to her everything that happened.

Additional thoughts: It’s not the first Star Trek story to be a murder mystery. We have seen them before in “The Conscience of the King,” “Wolf in the Fold,” and “Journey to Babel.” It’s not Star Trek’s specialty but it is something they will do from time to time. I generally enjoyed this story but for other reasons. Mostly learning about Vulcan culture, what it is like for non-Vulcans on Vulcan, and interaction between the characters.

The very beginning features a fight with Klingons.  Immediately after reading “Tears of the Singers” where Klingons, such as Kor, are treated with complexity it was a bit of a 180° shock to have Spock dismiss all Klingons as “illogical but predictable.” Well, I suppose he was just speaking in generalizations.

I couldn’t help not thinking of Captain Christopher Pike in this book.  If such medical treatment was available would Spock have risked everything to get him to Talos IV?  Could this have restored his lost abilities?

Sarek was a lot kinder and more open than he was in “Journey to Babel.”  He is actually likeable in this book. He seems generally interested in catching up with his son and getting to know his friends. There is a great scene where Kirk and Sarek are entertaining each other with stories from their pervious adventures that I enjoyed quite a bit. 

I don’t understand why T’Pau was so surprised to see Captain Kirk alive.  I thought she had been informed about what had happened by the Enterprise.  I had always assumed that is why she contacted Starfleet to clear the crew of any wrongdoing by coming there. In this book she starts as a bigoted jerk, before revealing her more complex and interesting traits.

T'Pau

The whole T’Mir-falls-in-love-with-Corrigan story has grooming vibes all over it.  I just have to keep reminding myself that these are aliens not humans with different biological and cultural standards than us.  Also, it was clearly generated by T’Mir.  If I didn’t know that author is a woman, I would swear this was a man’s fantasy.  (I say that as an unmarried 43-year-old, who will be a 44-year-old tomorrow.)

 There is some timeline confusion they often reference “Amok Time” as if it were two years ago.  However, in this book we see Dr. McCoy recruit Dr. M'Benga to the Enterprise.  This explains why he was not involved in Sarek’s operation that McCoy performed.  However, he is in the very next episode.  All of these are part of season 2, which to me has always meant that they happened in the same year roughly.

Now for the plot twist.  I have always said that a good twist is one you don’t see coming but when you go back and check the evidence has been right there all along and you blame yourself for not seeing it. This I would give this twist a “C” grade. That’s because although there was nothing that I could see that made it clear she was committing the murders. There was the warning about the desert being fatal, I totally missed it when she invited Kirk out there.  I thought it was just humans being stupid. It was actually the perfect place to try to kill him.

Should it be canon: I have no objections to this story being canon with exception to the statements about “Amok Time” being two years ago.  

Cover Art: Spock is in the Vulcan desert with T'Khut in the night sky. Spock has a phaser pointed at a le-matya.  It’s cool and all but it’s also a lie, as this scene appears nowhere in the book.

Final Grade: Final Grade 4 of 5

MUSICIAN SAVES THE DAY

Name: The Tears of the Singers

Author: Melinda Snodgrass

Publication Date: 9/1984

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #19)

Page Number: 252

Historian’s Note: The book takes place three years after the events of Errand of Mercy, shortly after the episode The Time Trap

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk       Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”       Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Nyota Uhura            Lieutenant  Bethany Wilson                    Lieutenant T'zeela           Lieutenant Kevin Riley                Lieutenant Fred Ragsdale               Lieutenant Brentano                Lieutenant Donovan                   Lieutenant Lindenbaum             Lieutenant Fred Ragsdale               Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov                 Yeoman First Class Chou                 Crewman Ridly         Crewman Thomas        Commander Li            Guy Maslin                  Harvey Cumberland              Commander Kor               Captain Kandi        Lieutenant Commander  Karsul  Lieutenant Commander Kali          Khant                    Korax                    Captain Shibot         

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Starbase 24, IKS Klothos, IKS Emperor’s Pride, and third unnamed Klingon K't'inga-class battle cruiser

Planets: Taygeta V

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The opening of the story begins with a murder.  A native of the planet Taygeta, is killed for its tears that leave its body and form expensive gems upon death.  The Enterprise is getting a tune up at Starbase 28 and the crew has leave. Spock and Uhura convince Kirk to join them at the concert.  The composer and pianist are the same person, a man named Guy Maslin.  Maslin is considered to be a Mozart-like musical genius and perhaps the greatest of his era.  Kirk enjoys the concert but is called away by the commanding officer of Starbase, Commander Li.

Uhura and Spock team up to get the Captain to relax!

There is a strange space phenomenon that is engulfing starships that is getting bigger near a system of unexplored space that both the Federation and the Klingon Empire have been exploring.  There is a brief discussion of tear harvesting, the killing of these local animals by hunters to make money.  Spock is upset by this because the locals’ behavior shows they may be intelligent.  Indeed, the entire population seems to be involved in this planet-wide song earning the local Taygetians the nickname “the singers.”  While this is going on Uhura has met Maslin in person and the two have hit it off and are having a romantic date.  This comes to an end as Kirk calls everyone back to the ship although Uhura goes slower than normal.

Spock upon investigation forms a hypothesis that the songs that are being made by the Taygetians that are now being disrupted by the hunters are connected to the space phenomenon that is eating up ships.  With this Kirk decides to recruit the latest celebrity that they just saw into their mission.  Uhura is asked to find him which given where she was wasn’t hard.  Maslin shows he is good immediately after listening to the Taygetians song. He instantly points out that part of it is missing, and maybe on a frequency that we can’t here.  Kirk wants him to join them, but he refuses.  It turns out Maslin is a bit of a diva when it comes to things, and he is more concerned about his career than the common good.  This forces Kirk to use a little-known Federation law that allows him to draft Maslin into Starfleet.  This enrages the musician but there is nothing he can do about it. He does reveal he has a serious medical condition, but McCoy can successfully treat it with the ship’s resources.  

The Enterprise arrives to the Singer's world

When Maslin finally accepts that he has to go on the mission, he informs the Captain that he will need a team of musicians.  Now many members of the crew of the Enterprise have musical talents.  Maslin holds auditions and competes his away party with many including Spock, Uhura, and Scotty.  Maslin still has some work to do in regard to other people; he still questions things and offers his unsolicited opinion on matters in which he knows nothing.  He thinks it is his place to tell Kirk how to run his ship at times.

Two Klingon ships arrive under the command of Kor, the Original Klingon.  Despite his record as an adversary, Kor recognizes the threat of the space phenomenon that is eating starships and is willing to work with Kirk to see how to best solve the problem.  The only issue is his first officer abord his flagship, Karsul, wants to attack the Federation starship now while they have the advantage in numbers.  At the moment it is Kor’s way that will prevail, but it will soon become apparent to Kirk that now all is right on the Klingon ships.

Kor, the Original Klingon, is back

A number of things happen rather quickly.  Spock discovers that another world in this solar system was once life-supporting and had on it a sophisticated civilization that was on par with the ancient Sumerians.  They were wiped out some 3000 years ago when the sun went nova. Yet somehow the Taygetians’ atmosphere of their world survived, allowing them to live, while their neighbor who was father away from the star did not.  In addition to Spock’s discoveries a Klingon landing party arrives among them is a female Klingon named Kandi.  She is both a lieutenant commander and the wife of Kor.  She seems friendlier than most Klingons they have met.   

Uhura is torn between loyalty to Starfleet and newfound love

Maslin feels that the reason some of the great song is missing is because many of the singers have been killed and their voices not yet replaced. Maslin’s illness catches up with him and he is forced to accept medical attention on the ship.  Spock has the misfortune to run into the humans hunting the Taygetians for their tears.  Spock tries to reason with them and explain that they are killing an intelligent self-aware species.  The hunters’ response is telling Spock off while referring to their “rights.”  They are here to get rich, and they won’t let any annoying rights of sentient beings stop them.  These same hunters run into Kandi is more vocal and willing to do more to protect the Taygetians, the hunters take her prisoner.  That turns out to be their mistake as Kor shows up and attacks them, wounding some, and rescuing his wife.  Matters start to get worse as the Enterprise and the Klingon ships both start to lose power as something is wrong with their dilithium crystals. 

Another Klingon ship arrives

  Using Spock’s theory of the singer’s activity being connected to the space phenomenon, Kirk arrests the hunters with the help of Kor.  They cry their cries and Kirk could care less. Time is running out and they need Maslin to resume his work.  Uhura, who is now openly recognizing that she is in love with him, strongly objects and nearly resigns her commission before Maslin himself talks her out of it.  Maslin is now fully committed to the mission and wants to finish what he started.  Back on the Klingon ship, Kor needs to meet with Kirk, so he takes a shuttle to the Enterprise rather than beam over because he is having a harder time controlling his crew and doesn’t trust his first officer at all.   

While Kor is on the Enterprise, the Klingon ships move into attack. It is clear that Kor is no longer in command.  Kirk tries to maneuver his ship away, but a third Klingon ship appears with no power drain in its systems.  Kirk takes the Enterprise back down tricks the other two Klingon ships into shooting each other. As the three ships start to gain on our heroes Kirk decides they need to sacrifice for the sake of the universe.  He tricks the Klingon fleet into flying into the space phenomenon with him and his crew.

  On the surface Maslin manages to communicate first to the Taygetian children and then to the adults.  The great song was created to protect the planet from the solar threat 3000 years ago; it requires their 100 percent attention most of the time making them vulnerable to the hunters.  After some misunderstandings, Maslin gets one of the Taygetians to mind meld with Spock so they can learn that the threat is past, but a different one is here that they have created through their song.  They use their power to bring all four ships back with the small change of putting Kor on his bridge.  This allows Kor to kill his first officer and take back command of his ships.  He explains to the Klingon commander of the third ship the situation and he backs down.  Taygetians’ song comes to an end and with it the space phenomenon.  There is a cost however in helping the Taygetians coordinate Maslin exhausts himself, succumbing to his disease.  Uhura morns the loss of her recently found love.

Additional thoughts: This is a great classic Star Trek story, it uses a science fiction setting to tell a morality tale about our own society. The lesson is what happens when commercially driven activities have a large negative effect on our environment.  In this case the actions of the hunters cause the space phenomenon to get out of control and start consuming ships.  In modern times many industries in pursuit of profits have caused massive environmental damage.  Of course, the Taygetians songs were also going to lead to the destruction of their own sun if they were not told to stop.  Which arguably wouldn’t have happened without the space phenomenon eating ships and that was the fault of the hunters.  Maybe I shouldn’t overthink this.

Since Star Trek is a show that takes place on a starship, where everyone has a Starfleet career, it is nice to see those in the Federation who do different things.  In this case we still have in the 23^rd century celebrity musicians, who give live performances to their fans.  On the other side of the coin, we have the ruthless hunters who are more concerned with what types of fortunes they can build than the potential life they are snuffing out.   Also, it shows that human greed still will unknowingly harm the environment around them.  For some humans in this time period, the fact that we saved our own planet from such a fate hasn’t taught them any wider lessons for the universe.

A few things I noticed.  Maslin often complains about how his tax dollars are used.  Now, I try to keep these reviews focused on when they came out and not bring up other things that occur later in the series. The franchise, however, will try to claim to have a money-free society, it seems odd that anyone would complain about their “tax dollars.”  I suppose it could just be an expression.  I also early in the book, Spock compares the Taygetian singers to the humpback whales of Earth.  They are a species that has gone extinct by the 23^rd century.  Hmm…I wonder if we may have an adventure at some point addressing that.  Lastly if the sun went nova some three thousand years ago how are the terrestrial planets in this system still here?  You would think a nova would take them out.

Lt. Cmdr. Kandi, the wife of Kor, is an interesting character.  Proud to be a Klingon, but willing to stand against certain aspects of the Klingon Empire when she feels it is wrong.  It was brave of her to go after the hunters herself.  Her relationship with Kor seems to be built on mutual respect, this helps show the Klingons beyond their stereotypes. 

This brings me to Kor and the Time Trap problem.  When reading this book, I first thought it might have taken place before that episode, as the events weren’t referenced.  Yet, in that episode he tries to kill Kirk and the Enterprise under the guise of helping them.  It would seem to be a character regression if after this adventure that was how Kor acted.  I would like to think that his character has evolved more since that day so I would say this story happened sometime after “The Time Trap.”  Of course, there is the question of why Kirk would trust him after that encounter.  However, in this adventure Kirk suspects that Kor isn’t in total command of his ships.  Perhaps he doesn’t totally blame Kor from what happened at their last encounter.

We had classic character growth from Guy Maslin.  He begins as a full-of-himself-diva who can’t be bothered with things in the universe outside of his immediate interest. He has no sense of the greater good, he complains all the time about his tax dollars.  Although a genius in his own field, he likes to give lots of commentary on matters in which he knows nothing, like running a starship or overall strategy in dealing with Klingons.  He openly insults Kirk to his face, earning the ire of all fans.  Yet, by the end of the books he reforms completely, is totally likeable, prevents Uhura from leaving Starfleet, and sacrifices himself for the greater good of the galaxy.  A great character arch.  

Should it be canon: I have no issue with this book begin part of official Star Trek canon as it doesn’t conflict with anything and is a great story.

Cover Art: On the cover Spock and Uhura are on the surface of Taygeta V.  There are mountains in the background.  Uhura is kneeling down conversing with one of the Taygetian cubs.  Spock is behind her.  Their uniforms are off, Uhura is in pants and missing her rank insignia and Spock is dressed in his Motion Picture away uniform.   

Final Grade: Final Grade 5 of 5