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

AN ENEMY WHO BECOMES A FRIEND

 

Name: My Enemy, My Ally

Author: Diane Duane

Publication Date: 7/1984

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #18)

Page Number: 210 (Hardcover)  309 (paperback)

Historian’s Note: Two years after the events of The Immunity Syndrome.  Most likely between season 1 and 2 of The Animated Series.

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk       Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”       Lieutenant Commander Lia Burke                     Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Nyota Uhura            Lieutenant John Kyle     Lieutenant Harb Tanzer          Lieutenant Athendë           Dr. Joseph M'Benga              Lieutenant Roz Bates                Lieutenant Jerry Freeman               Lieutenant Harrison                Lieutenant Janíce Kerasus                   Lieutenant Mahásë             Lieutenant Colin Matlock              Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov                 Ensign Brand           Ensign Hwavirë                   Ensign Lihwa                Ensign Robbie London           Ensign Dahai Iohor Naraht          Yeoman Third Class Harry Matshushita                 Crewman Amekentra          Crewman Eisenberg        Crewman Feder           Crewman Edward Fisher Crewman Paul         Crewman Remner        Crewman Rotsler          Crewman Satha      Captain Nhauris Rihaul        Commander Aroun Yihoun                 Lieutenant Commander Lellyn UUriul            Dr. Lahiyn Roharrn           Lieutenant Syill         Captain Mike Walsh            Commander  Raela hr'Sassish       Dr. Aline MacDougall         Lieutenant Commander Iwao Sasoaka             Captain Suvuk         Commander Sehlk      Lieutenant Commander T'Leiar                 Dr. Sobek              Crewman Setek           Crewman T'Kiha      Crewman Si'jsk                Commander-General  Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rllaillieu               Subcommander Tafv ei-Leinarrh tr'Rllaillieu           Nniol t'AAnikh         Dhiemn          Ejiul          Dr.  T'Hrienteh            Master Engineer Giellun tr'Keirianh              Hvaid t'Khaethaetreh                Khiy              Antecenturion Aidoann t'Khnialmnae          Khoal            Liha tr'Rllaillieu              N'alae            Commander LLunih tr'Raedheol           T'maekh

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, USS Constellation NCC-1974, USS Intrepid NCC-1730, USS Hood NCC-1703, USS Potemkin NCC-1657, USS Inaieu NCC-2003, Arakkab, ChR Arien, ChR Battlequeen, ChR Bloodwing, ChR Courser, ChR Cuirass, ChR Eisn, Ehhak, ChR Helve, Hsaaja, ChR Javelin, Kenek, ChR Lahai, ChR Rea's Helm, ChR Wildfire, Ykir

Planets: Levaeri V, Earth, Romulus, and Remus

My Spoiler filled summary and review: This Star Trek adventure begins not with our heroes, but with those who fans regard as the enemy.  The Romulan Star Empire is the oldest adversary for the United Federation of Planets.  We are introduced to Commander-General Ael i-Mhiessan t'Rllaillieu henceforth referred to as Ael, an extraordinarily successful military commander.  However, politics have been removed from her traditional command of the Bloodwing and instead assigned to the Cuirass.  This was done to separate her from her loyal officers and place her with those installed by her political opponents. 

Bloodwing

On the Federation side, Kirk and Spock are now playing 4-D chess, a new game.  Kirk starts to lose but McCoy takes cover and beats Spock.  While discussing this the Enterprise is summoned to the Romulan Neutral Zone.  While on the Romulan side Ael has discovered something horrible that the imperial government is doing that it makes her question her loyalty.  Not to the Empire but to its Senate and Praetors.  She devices a plan where she escapes her present ship and returns to her old command and loyal crew.  When they are given the information from her the crew agrees to join her on her quest.

At the Neutral Zone the Enterprise joins several other starships including the new Constellation and Intrepid.  They have an all-staffs meeting where they decide to come up with a plan to deal with the Romulans.  However, before they are finished the Bloodwing shows up and the Ael wants a meeting with Captain Kirk.  Ael has fought Captain Kirk on many occasions, and they respected each other as rivals.  They agreed to meet.  They engage in some small talk, and we learn that it was Ael’s niece that that Kirk and Spock had tricked in “The Enterprise Incident.”  This originally made her despise Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise.  However, as time went on, she came to see her adversaries as honorable people despite what happened to her dear niece.  As “good to meet you” conversation came to an end that is where Ael gives them some shocking information.

Commander Ael's niece 

The information she gives them is this.  The Romulan Empire has been raiding civilian vessels that had been carrying Vulcans.  They kidnap the Vulcans and use the bodies for experiments in order to capitalize on the telepathic capabilities that the Romulans seem to have lost to evolution.  They are using Vulcan biological material to create a telepathic superweapon.  This knowledge is what caused Ael to become disillusioned with the Empire and wants to help Starfleet to stop it.  Where this monstrosity is located is on a Starbase orbiting the planet Levaeri V, which is deep in Romulan space.  Ael proposes that they allow her and her crew to “capture” the Enterprise and bring it in is a prize before they attack the base together. 

She agrees to a mind meld with Mr. Spock, but Kirk doubts they will be able to cooperate with this plan.  There are too many X-factors and Kirk couldn’t justify risking his ship.  However, they then received news that the Romulans using this new Vulcan bioweapon were able to capture the new Intrepid.  Kirk is now forced to go along with the plan.

As they sneak into Romulan space with the Enterprise pretending to be the prisoner of the Bloodwing, the two crews get to know each other.  There is much cultural exchange, and friendships are made at all levels from the commanders to the doctors, and even a good deal of the regulars on each crew.  The first Romulan ship they encounter has an arrogant commander who will not except explanations and insists on inspecting the captured ship.  This results in a quick battle that ends in that ship’s destruction.  

The Enterprise captured

They get to their destination and organize a giant landing party to free the Intrepid crew, their ship, and destroy this weapon the Romulans have created.  They run into two unexpected problems.  The first is the weapon is made of biological matter from the earlier Vulcan victims an it’s alive.  Spock now wants to rescue and not destroy it so it can have a home on Vulcan.  Also, the Subcommander of the Bloodwing, Tafv, who also happens to be the Commander’s son, betrays his mother and her cause by leading the younger members of his crew to try to steal the Enterprise for real.  Sulu and Chekov lead a resistance to this.  Both the problems on the ship and on the ground are resolved by our heroes shooting their way out. When the Enterprise, Intrepid, and Bloodwing are ready to leave they defeat the Romulan fleet which was sent to stop them.   Tafv was mortally wounded in the battle, and he is dying but he lives long enough to explain to his mother that he did what he did to avenge his cousin on Kirk and Spock. She then takes his life as custom dictates she must to a traitor, although he was going to die anyway.    

The two leading the ship resistance.

In the end the Federation is in a good position, the Starfleet characters are set to resume their lives, while Commander Ael embraces her new existence, taking her ship elsewhere to become a freelance operator in space.  Kirk is fine with this so long as she doesn’t take up piracy.

Additional thoughts: When “The Search for Spock” was being written the Romulans were supposed to be the villains.  Nimoy changed it to the Klingons because he wanted to explore their culture more.  This is why the Klingons in that film had a cloaking device on a ship called a bird of prey.  This book gives the Romulans a chance to shine.  However, it is one that pits Romulan against Romulan.  The honorable ones vs. the corruptible.

Okay, one error the author has in this book is forgetting that Kirk is better at chess than Spock.  Spock is a scientist; Kirk is a military tactician.  Often Kirk’s “illogical” thinking confounds and confuses him.  We first see this in “Where No Man Has Gone Before” and in “Court Martial” Kirk, thinking his career is over, tells Spock “Maybe he can beat his next captain at chess.”

Kirk is more the master

This book takes place toward the end of the five-year mission but what is neat is when Intrepid arrives it is clearly the Constitution-class refit design, the Enterprise herself will have by "The Motion Picture."  It is also a little sad because it is a reminder that this is the first Star Trek adventure that features the Enterprise where we know her final fate.  We know the ship will survive this because she is fated to die in orbit over the Genesis planet. 

I really enjoyed the Horta character, Ensign Dahai Iohor Naraht.  “The Devil in the Dark” is one of the great episodes of the original series. It challenged us to look at life and recognize that the monster in the dark might not be a monster at all.  The Horta looks like a moving pizza, but the Silicon-based life gives them a great advantage in certain situations.

Horta

Commander Ael is a great role model for someone serving in a regime that turns fascist. In the end of the day Ael is a Romulan patriot but she will stand by while her government commits these horrible Josef Mengele-type crimes.  She will even defect to her traditional enemies if she can see they have honor.  Yet, she never supplies the Federation with more information than they need to stop these atrocities, and they do not get any real advantage over the Empire.  It is also interesting to compare her actions to those that Kirk will take in “The Search for Spock” when he betrays Starfleet for the life of his friend. There are limits in his betrayal because he won’t give up Genesis to the Klingons even to save Spock. 

I do like that Kirk doesn’t jump on board immediately with Ael’s plan.  For one it was too great of a risk.  She easily could have been a Romulan plant and given that the Romulans and Vulcans are kin she may have been able to resist or trick a mind meld.  Kirk only agrees when he has no better option. 

In an earlier pair Star Trek novels The Price of the Phoenix and The Fate of the Phoenix, the Romulan Commander from “The Enterprise Incident” shows up as an ally to Kirk and Spock.  This something I found ridiculous considering what they did to her in that episode is something that no one would just brush off as no big deal, and the fact that the Romulans would still have in her in a high-profile position after that major mess-up is absurd.  In this book, her Aunt Ael gives her a more realistic fate, in her explanation of the aftermath of that encounter.  That she was stripped of her command, rank, and House.  This rendering her a non-person in Romulan society.  No one knows where she is now or what she is doing.   

Her fall only makes sense.

I felt the use of the Romulan language to be distracting, it was interesting at first, but I had to keep reminding myself that Rihannsu and Romulan are the same thing as the author keeps using the former.  I don’t mind them mentioning it once but since every other word I don’t see why they don’t continue to use throughout the book.

Something I found odd, so the Enterprise is summoned to the Neutral Zone with four other starships.  So, you have four separate equally ranked captains and command staff, don’t you think a flag officer such as a rear admiral or commodore would have been sent to direct operations instead of a committee of captains?  I thought that the absence of one was very odd. 

Overall, I thought this was a good story.  However, I do feel the ending was a bit rushed. There was a lot of time building up to this but when the final event came it was just “shoot and get out of there”-type scenes.  

Should it be canon: I see no conflicts with stories depicted in the action or animated series of any of the shows.  So, I have no issue with this book being accepted into the general canon of Star Trek.

Cover Art: The cover art is pretty cool.  It has Captain Kirk on the front holding what I think is a Romulan disruptor because it doesn’t look like any phaser I have seen.  Behind him is Commander Ael holding a similar weapon and behind both is a futuristic looking city.

Final Grade: Final Grade 3 of 5

 

THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK, THE BOOK

 

Name: The Search for Spock   

Author: Vonda N. McIntyre

Publication Date: 6/1984

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #17)

Page Number: 297

Historian’s Note:  NA

Cast of Characters:  Rear Admiral James T. Kirk       Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”       Commander Hikaru Sulu              Commander Nyota Uhura              Commander Pavel Chekov         Commander Max Arrunja           Lieutenant Commander Kyle                Dr. Christine Chapel          Lieutenant Commander Janice Rand                Lieutenant  Saavik            Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Foster        Fleet Admiral Harrison Morrow                    Captain J.T. Esteban                    Commander Miguel Darby                            Captain Lawrence H. Styles                  Lieutenant (junior grade) Heisenberg                    Dr. David Marcus              Commander Kruge          Torg            Maltz               Ambassador Sarek                    Valkris             T’Mei        T’Lar  

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, USS Grissom NCC-638, USS Excelsior NX-2000, Earth Spacedock, IKS B'rel

Planets: Earth, Genesis Planet, and Vulcan

My Spoiler filled summary and review: Since this is a review of the book version of the movie Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, there is no need to provide a summary of the story as I already did that in my last review.  So, I am just going to focus on the differences between the book and the movie.

1.       The opening scene is during a wake for Spock and the rest of the dead.  This scene is not in the movie, in fact I would say 2/3 of this book is material not in the movie.  The wake is a disaster, bad alcohol is served, and everyone is messed up.  Kirk tries to revive his old relationship with Carol and gets shot down.  Carol becomes angry and revels that she had a boyfriend recently who was one of the scientists killed by Khan. Their son David is luckier in his love life as he ends up sleeping with Saavik.  We learn the reason Spock’s coffin survived is because Saavik altered its course. Instead of Spock’s body burning up in the atmosphere she placed it to be absorbed by the genesis wave.   

2.       Sulu is a captain in the book and referred to such throughout even though in the movie he is just a commander.  

3.       In the book Kirk and David’s relationship still is not reconciled with Kirk reaching out but David continuing to slap him away.  David’s personality often comes up in the book as just a spoiled brat where in the movies he is just helpful. 

4.       The Grissom shows up and its Captain Esteban, not Admiral Marrow, who tells them Genesis has become a hot topic and Starfleet has classified everything.  It turns out Kirk and Esteban go far back, and Esteban has a long list of accomplishments that proceed Starfleet trusting him with this assignment. 

5.       Carol Marcus refuses to help the Grissom investigate Genesis as she has to contact the relatives of her team who were killed by Khan.  She has lots of services to go to that are her priority.

6.       David fights to get himself invited to go with the Grissom.  This makes Kirk sad because David didn’t want to spend time with him.

7.       McCoy’s break into Spock’s quarters is not the first sign something is wrong with McCoy; it is rather the final cumulation of what was a growing problem.  McCoy muttering stuff in Spock’s voice to both Kirk and Saavik on a number of occasions.   

8.       Kruge and Valkris are not together like the movie implies.  The book versions never meet.

9.       Scotty had further objections to going to the Excelsior.  One being his nephew’s funeral.

10.   There is an interesting scene where Scotty’s niece says she wouldn’t trust Kirk because both times he went back to the Enterprise the Captain died.  

11.   Kirk informs Sarek on stronger terms about why he didn’t bring Spock’s body back to Genesis.  In the movie Kirk is unaware of this even being an issue.  Where in the book the reason he acted as he did is that the Vulcan people had often mistreated Spock and therefore, he felt no obligation to follow their wishes over Starfleet customs. 

12.   Kruge killing of subordinate is less of a random scene.  In the movie, after the destruction of the Grissom, Kruge killing his gunner is something done in sudden anger.  Where in the book the gunner is ordered to undergo a ritual suicide.  He refuses and is then vaporized via Klingon disruptor. 

13.   Explains that Uhura locked the young Lieutenant in the closet so that he wouldn’t get in trouble for their actions.  It also shows that Sarek helped Uhura get off Earth and to Vulcan.

14.   When Kruge orders the death of one of the prisoners the Klingon on the ground tries to get Saavik to take her own life she attempts to escape, and David is killed in the struggle.  

15.   Klingon landing party start hearing the countdown as soon as they get onboard.  Which makes them seem stupider.  Maybe they should have called about the counting beforehand?   

16.   After they escape Saavik clears the way on Starfleet channels their captured Klingon ship to make it to Vulcan.

17.   The risks of refusion are explained in greater detail. The biggest is that no one has tried this science antiquity, and they don’t know that the result was.  Most of the time the dead Vulcan body doesn’t suddenly come alive again, so no refusion attempt is even tried.

Requesting refusion

  

Additional thoughts: When I read the novelization of The Wrath of Khan, I found myself wondering if the differences between the book and movie were based on changes to the screen play that were made by making the film.  With this book I feel a little different.  The differences that the book version of TWK had compared to the film are still present in this book.  For example, in this book Kirk still didn’t know David was his son until Carol told him in the Genesis Cave, David and Saavik continuing their relationship, and Sulu is a captain.  It is if the author wanted to book continuity to line up regardless of what when on in the film.  I will acknowledge that the books line up well and if you are just the reader should be satisfied.  However, in order to continue the books’ themes, it causes larger diversions as we go forward.  As such, we get almost halfway through this book before we get to content that we saw on screen.

One of these continuity questions is the author’s “Captain Sulu” obsession.  She describes him as a Captain despite the fact that in both films Sulu was a commander and wore said uniform.  Also, in this book the author acts like Sulu was already in command of the Excelsior prior to TWOK.  This doesn’t add up with the films because in TWOK Sulu is clearly an instructor at Starfleet Academy, as he is seen on the bridge simulator during the Kobayashi Maru test.  It doesn’t make sense for him to leave his command to go on a training cruise as a favor to Kirk.  The book goes so far to suggest that Sulu even had a hand in designing the vessel.  Sulu’s background is in space aviation and botany.  Captain Styles is not Sulu’s predecessor but rather the man who stole his ship.  It comes off as so weird.

I like the addition of Saavik being responsible for Spock’s body’s survival.  That’s the type of addition that novelization can bring.  It would have taken too long in the movie for Saavik to explain her decision-making process, especially when all Spock’s body is survived. The quick gravity-well soft landing is fine for the movie, but the book allows for greater detail.  I also like the explanation of why David is on the mission and his mother is not.  One of them goes to Genesis and the other took care of making sure their friends and colleagues received proper burials and family notifications.

David and Saavik romantic couple in the books

   There are elements of the book I don’t care for such as David’s beef with his father.  Book David often comes off as jerk in a way movie David didn’t.  It makes less sense in the book for him to be this be this way, seeing as his father had no idea he existed until recently.  Unlike the movie version who did.  The book’s tragedy is that Kirk never resolved the issues with his son, where in the movie the tragedy is losing a son so soon after reestablishing contact.

A character about to be lost

Another element I didn’t particularly care for, although others may like it, is the author devoting so much time to characters who don’t matter.  I didn’t need Valkris’s entire backstory which included the struggles with the alcoholic brother and her difficulties leading her house.  Nor did I care at all for Carol’s lover Vince Mason’s family’s reaction to him being killed by Khan, and his personal contributions the Genesis project.  Also, Carol is bit of a cougar as her lover has David’s age.   We also go some clearly non canon reference to these Galaxy-class ships that can go literally to other galaxies, as the rest of the franchise note that is still quite impossible by Starfleet abilities.

One thing I really did like is David pointing out how this was not the ideal Genesis experiment.  That the device was not supposed to be activated inside a starship that itself was inside a nebula.  Genesis is still untested; I think it deserved a legitimate test. 

I really did enjoy Kirk’s internal monologue when setting the Enterprise to destroy itself. Kirk felt like the computer was sad.  He could hear the grief in its voice.  I really enjoy the description of the view from the surface of the planet Genesis.

“The Enterprise arced brilliantly from its orbit.  For an instant it was a comet, but the gravity of the new world caught it and held it and drew it in.  It would never again curve boldly close to the incandescent surface of a sun, never again depart the gentle harbor of Earth to sail into the unknown.  The Gravity of Genesis turned the dying ship from a comet to a falling star.  It spun downward, trailing sparks and cinders and glowing debris.  It touched the atmosphere and flared more brightly.” Pg. 254-5

In closing on the other good parts about the book is it did focus a little on what Sarek and Amanda had to go through.  From finding out their son had died, that they might have lost the katra, to maybe getting that back, to Spock might be coming back to life.  They experienced a parent’s worst nightmare only to have it reversed.   

Restored Spock

Should it be canon: I prefer to think of what we saw on screen as the canon version of events and the book is just a clever “what if?”.

Cover Art: The cover has Kirk flanked by McCoy and Sulu.  Kirk has a phaser drawn and all three look awesome.  Spock’s face hovers in the background.

Final Grade: Final Grade 3 of 5