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

 

Weird Aliens and a Three-Way Showdown

 

Name: The Trellisane Confrontation

Author: David Dvorkin   

Publication Date: 2/1984

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #14)

Page Number: 190

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              Lieutenant Kinitz               Lieutenant Bill               Nurse Christine Chapel           Ensign Pavel Chekov              Governor Lerak Kepac                  Mr. Johnson             many unnamed crewmen     Fleet Commander Kaged               Captain Karox        several unnamed Klingon soldiers   Fleet Commander Tal            Hander Morl   unnamed Nacterns     unnamed Onctiliians      Veedron             Goldor          Goro               Matabele

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Starbase 28, Karox's unnamed battleship, four unnamed Romulan ships, Matabele's unnamed ship, unnamed Sealon attack ship, unnamed Sealon invasion craft, unnamed Sealon shuttlecraft

Planets: Treflog and Trellisane

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is on a sensitive mission near the Romulan Neutral Zone.  They are picking up prisoners from Starbase 28 in orbit around Treflog.  These prisoners are a human named Hander Morl and his band of trained assassins.  Morl is part of a group called the Federation Expansionist Party, who believe it is the Federation’s destiny to conqueror and rule the entire universe.  They planned to refit one of their ships to look like a Starfleet vessel and use it to start a war. It is a good thing they were caught.

The ship receives a distress call from a planet called Trellisane, a planet on a world that is natural territory but one that has been looking to receive Federation membership.  Kirk decides to answer it before dropping off the prisoners because time may be of the essence when it comes to saving lives.  When they arrive, they are attacked by what appears to be a Klingon ship, they however make a short work of it. Upon further investigation, these weren’t Klingons at all, but their ships were only made to look that way.  That sounds familiar to something from earlier.  

They beam down only to find themselves in a conflict

The fake Klingon ship wasn’t connected to our newly captured terrorists but instead belongs to the Sealons.  Sealon is another planet in Trellisane’s own solar system that also has intelligent life.  Its main intelligent species is aquatic and violent.  They fought many wars amongst themselves before the people of Trellisane contacted them.  They decided to help their neighbors by upgrading their technology.  Now due to the prime directive the Federation would never do that and after their experience Trellisane would learn why.  The people of Sealon unified and decided to wage war on their former beneficiaries. They were able to do so with their alliance with the Klingons who Kirk now learns are sticking their noses in this solar system.  It was one of these attacks that prompted them to send out the distress call. 

The Enterprise is again attacked while Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are leading a landing party on the planet.  Sulu, in command on the bridge, easily defeats their opponent but the ship suffers some minor and unexpected damage.  This damage allows the prisoners in the brig to escape.  They are able to head to the bridge and commandeer the Enterprise.  They give an apology to Kirk as they take the ship, letting him know that while he might lose this command the coming war with the Romulans will require officers like him to command ships against the enemy.  Kirk, in brief state of shock, before brainstorming with Spock on how to proceed.  With Veedron, one of the leaders of Trellisane who was assigned to great them, not knowing how to help his planet recover from these attacks Dr. McCoy volunteers to organize relief. 

Desperate to return to the ship!

As the Starfleet officers help the citizens of Trellisane they learn about the planet’s class structure.  The leaders are called the gemot. Each gemot rules either a continent or the head of a government agency.  Veedron is the head gemot of the planet. However, there is also a slave class.  These people are called the yegemot.  These people are considered nothing but chattel with no rights whatsoever.  When one collapses the regular citizens look at Dr. McCoy oddly when he tries to treat them.  Kirk at one point tells the yegemot that things are going to be different if their world joins the Federation.  When McCoy is doing medical work on these enslaved people, he finds chips have been implanted in their heads.  He also finds chips placed in the gemots heads as well. 

Back on the Enterprise, Sulu and Chekov wake up from being stunned and begin to study their situation waiting for an opportunity to strike.  In the meantime, they cooperate and do their duty to make sure the ship doesn’t fly apart. Little do they know that Hander Morl is sending the ship on a suicide run. 

Trying to free themselves from their captors!

On Trellisane, Kirk and Spock leave McCoy to continue the relief and rescue efforts towards the places that were targeted in the attack.  With their disastrous contract with Sealons the locals have given up on space travel.  Kirk and Spock take a small boat to the landmass where the old ships could be found and hopefully get off this planet to track down the Enterprise.

After not getting any real contact from the bridge, Scotty forces his way up there.  In doing so he sees that the ship has been taken over by hostels.  However, Scotty doesn’t flinch he informs Morl that ship needs repairs and as a result is falling out of warp.  Morl assigns a guard for him and has him fix it.  But Morl wants the cheap quick repairs done so they can continue with their mission.

Kirk and Spock run into a Klingon named Karox who is aiding the Sealons against Trellisane.  Kirk lets Karox know that his ship has been stolen and tries to convince him that it is his best interest to help him get it back.  Spock points out that the Romulans won’t believe Mohl’s plan as they are more likely to capture the Enterprise rather than destroy it.  If they do that the Romulans will develop an interest in this solar system.  The Klingon agrees to take Kirk so they can capture the ship for the Klingon Empire instead.

Kirk works out a deal with the Klingons!

Turns out the Romulans are already on their way, which means to Mohl’s eternal disappointment he won’t be able to provoke a war because he can’t invade Romulan space.  He might get a Starfleet ship captured anyway, giving the Romulans a huge edge in future conflicts.  This would clearly derail his dreams of the Federation galactic conquest.  They are surrounded and are about to be boarded but Mohl does a rather cruel trick on the Romulans: moving the ship just as the Romulans are beaming over causing them to beam into empty space.  However, it is out of the frying pan and into the fire because the Enterprise now faces the Klingons. Kirk tricks the Klingons into allowing him to lead the boarding party.  When he beams over, he finds that the crew has retaken the ship.  This changes the legalities somewhat and now the Klingons can’t take the Enterprise without formal war.  Kirk contacts the Romulan Fleet Commander who turns out to be Tal from “The Enterprise Incident.” 

Surrounded

When McCoy’s collection of chips explodes, he realizes just how the gemot are controlling the yegemot.  McCoy confronts Veedron about this.  All along Veedron insisted that the yegemot’s weren’t “fully people” and were bread from lower animals.  McCoy as a medical scientist can see this is not true. Then Veedron shows him how much his people truly believe it.  Veedron brings up the meat they ate together as part of a ceremony, even though the people of Trellisane are vegetarians 90% of the time.  He takes McCoy to the local butcher shop, and it is something out of a horror movie, as McCoy is introduced to butchers who are clearly slicing up yegemot people.  McCoy sees numerous torsos hanging from the ceiling. 

The Sealons turn on the Klingons killing those who are on the planet.  Spock is able to use these events to negotiate a peace on the planet.  At the same time Kirk negotiates a peace with the Klingons and Romulans.  Everything ends well and the crew of the Enterprise goes along their way. 

Additional thoughts: The overall story has some good concepts, but the execution of these concepts leaves a lot to be desired. I’ll elaborate as I go on.

The Federation expansionists were an interesting bunch.  They clearly love the Federation a lot while simultaneously not understanding anything about the Federation.  These people would be much more at home in the Terran Empire of the Mirror Universe, I bet their counterparts are happy.  (Or miserable, if that is the case then maybe they should switch places.)  The group also reminds me a bit of American settlers that would live in the late 18^th and 19^th centuries would move to and live in territory that was outside the United States hoping that the nation would expand and absorb their new home territories.  I also found reading this story feels very odd in a post-911 world.  With their suicide mission to bring about their desired world, caring not for the people they were about to kill. It’s hard not to think of the terrorist attack while reading this.  

According to this book the Klingon Empire is larger than the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation is larger than both combined.  I suppose that makes since in a way, since the Federation is a diverse society of thousands of planets and species working in harmony together that they would have a larger home territory than either of their homogenous enemies. 

When they discover that the Trellisanians have a slave caste our three primary heroes are taking a back.  They inform Veedron that the Federation only permits free societies.  However, I remember that not being true.  In the episode, “The Cloud Minders” we meet a Federation member world that clearly had a caste system with one group clearly in a slave-like status.  It was Ardana and when confronted about their planet by Kirk the leader, Plasus, invokes a state-rights argument.  So, is this a new rule the Federation has come up with? 

"No slavery in the Federation!  Are you sure?" 

It was good to see Tal again, and good to see that he has advanced higher in the Romulans Star Empire.  Tal was always an interesting adversary.  I assume the “death” of his Commander was a “spiritual death” as we have seen her in other stories. 

Fleet Commander Tal

My main issue with this book is that things got resolved too quickly or didn’t matter at all.  Take McCoy’s trip to the cannibal butcher shop in a scene that seemed to come straight out of a horror movie leads to nothing.  Nothing.  McCoy is never seen even so much as talking about it with his shipmates. Kirk and Spock both quickly but together peace deals.  There seemed to be something major missing.  It’s almost either the author got bored with his own story or he quickly came up to a publishing deadline and had to submit what he had.  As I said earlier, there are a lot of good ideas, but the execution fails.  

Should it be canon: Yes, as I don’t see anything here that would interfere with it.

Cover Art: A strange ship in the background with Spock and an unknown woman in the front of it.  Next to the characters on the viewers’ left is a Sealon, I believe.

Final Grade: Final Grade 2 of 5

 

WE SEE NO STARS

 

Name: The Abode of Life

Author: Lee Correy

Publication Date: 5/1982

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #6)

Page Number: 207

Historian’s Note:  Given the events mentioned in the book this story takes place sometime after the episode “A Private Little War.” Most likely it takes place sometime between season 2 and season 3 of classic Star Trek.

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 Kyle           Lieutenant Patten                    Lieutenant Gordon            Dr. Joseph M'Benga        Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov      Yeoman First Class Janice Rand             Noal       Orun     Othol       Pallar         Parna

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets: Mercan

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise has a rather routine mission exploring the gravitational anomalies in the Orion Arm.  They are trying to stay one step ahead of the Klingons in case there are worlds available for colonization. Suddenly one of the anomalies erupts in an unexpected manner causing the Enterprise to fly uncontrollably hundreds of parsecs away.  This does massive damage to the ship’s warp engines.  The damage is too extensive, and they won’t be able to fix it without a Starbase or some other help.  They look around to find they are in a strange solar system.  There is only one planet and the radiation from the star makes it so the planet’s inhabitants would not be able to see any stars outside of their own.

Finding a lost world

It now seems hopeless that any significantly advanced civilization is there to help them.  There doesn’t seem to be any transportation system nor communications network.  However, looks can be deceiving.  Upon closer examination it appears these people with their starless night have no need for starships, but they have built transporters similar to many warp capable species.  Maybe these are advanced like us after all?  Kirk decides to form a landing party and to go find out.  The landing party consists of the Captain, Scotty, Rand, McCoy, and some security officers.

Finding their way on a strange world

When they beam down to the planet, they run into a group of people called the Technic.  At first Kirk thinks that is what they mean by “engineer”, so he tries to present Scotty as one.  These people are very tall and have gold skin, so they find the Enterprise landing party’s appearance strange.  It turns out “Technic” is a group in rebellion against established authority.  The enforcement arm of that authority, the Proctors, show up an arrest the landing party and the one Technic who didn’t run away, Orun.  They are brought before a third group called the Guardians, who are the authority on this planet. 

They reach the Guardians quickly due to the planet’s transporter system.  It seems to be better than Starfleet’s.  Every member in their society carries a device that allows them to transport anywhere on the surface in an instant.  This works so well that they have no automobiles, planes, ships, or trains, for they have no need of them. They also don’t have any sort of communication system as anyone can just beam to someone they need to talk to.  It is a world without distance.

Everyone seems very polite, and the landing party soon notices why.  Every individual they can see is carrying a side arm.  Dueling in a quick draw is a thing on this planet.  Kirk introduces himself and the landing party as visitors from another world.  The Guardians are polite and withdraw to confer with themselves.  Left alone with Orun, the Technic explains many things about the local culture to the landing party.  He tells them that his people are on this planet as the Abode of Life, a place where life was brought from a tiny sliver of space they can sometimes see in their sky.  This planet is the only place where life can exist so it’s special.  The Technic are a group of people who started to challenge the general narrative.  He also explains their gun culture and lets them know if they want to have people’s respect then they will need to open carry as well.  They get arms and open carry over McCoy’s objection.  They also get a genetic sample up to the ship. It turns out they are related to a number of species that the Federation is aware of, including Vulcans.

The Guardians return and declare that the members of the Enterprise landing party are all Technic genetic creations.  They will do an experiment on some of them by forcing them to face the ordeal out on the service.  “The Ordeal” is when the sun goes through its strange flares baking the system with extra radiation.  The Guardians came to power based on their ability to predict these things and have taken precautions for them.  The landing party naturally doesn’t want to be made experiments, so they escape, which wasn’t hard because they weren’t really being held.  They find more members of the Technic who are more friendly than the Guardians.  However, the Guardians have followed. Kirk orders Spock to beam down so he can prove they aren’t from this planet, but the Guardians think it’s another Technic trick, so Kirk does an emergency beam out and the landing party, with the Technic allies, are sent to the Enterprise.

Everyone required to pack heat. 

 It turns out the crew of the Enterprise are not so likely to survive the sun’s ordeal.  Spock discovers that they could fix everything with two well-placed photon torpedoes.  If it works not only, will it save them now, but it will save the planet Mercan from ever having “The Ordeal” ever again.  This would mean a big change to their culture.  Worse, if they screw this up it could lead to the destruction of the solar system.     Kirk decides it’s worth the risk and they do it.  It works and now they must decide what to do next.

Enterprise must host diplomatic function

Kirk decides that the three powers on this planet must talk and that he would be willing to host, with the Prime Directive already shattered, they might as well go all the way.  The Proctors and the Technic are willing, but the Guardians are being pig-headed about it.  It takes a phaser fight and some communicator use, but eventually the Guardians agree.  This is where things get hard for Kirk.  Kirk just wants to host the meeting, but all three groups ask for the Enterprise crew to take a much more active role.  Kirk tolerates he and his officers serving as advisers to the three groups.  In the remarkable short time of ten days the Mercans have completed the planet-wide constitution called “The Enterprise Agreement.”  All three groups agree to share power and alter traditional doctrine to acknowledge other life in the universe.  The Technics aid the Enterprise in their repairs.  Federation xenobiologists have been assigned for the second contact, and Mercan people are looking forward to joining the Federation soon.

Additional thoughts: This was one of the first two Star Trek books that I ever bought.  The other one being “The Disinherited.” I bought them when I was eleven years old at Boarders bookstore located in the Windham Mall in my hometown of Windham, Maine on May 2, 1992.  I know the exact date because on the back of the front cover I signed my name, put in my address, phone number and dated it. You know in case I lost it and you found it, you could mail it back to me and call me ahead of time to let me know what you did.  The reason I picked the two that I did is I was rather drawn to their striking covers. Both were eye catching and stimulated the imagination. 

Not the one but close enough!

This was a fascinating story and probably one of the best “Prime Directive” debates.  Most Prime Directive debates involve “General Order Number One: Good or Bad.”  This one takes a much more nuanced view and asks: are we always judging whether to make first contact based on the correct reason?  As most fans know there are two levels to the Prime Directive. The first (although listed second) is no interference in the internal affairs of others.  Are the Romulans having a civil war, and do you like one side more than the other?  Too bad, the people of the Federation don’t get to decide the fate of the Romulans only the Romulans can.  Now if the Romulans were attacked by Omne and they requested help that is different.  The second part (but listed first) of the Prime Directive is its most stringent.  It was first spelled out in the episode “Bread and Circuses.” 

a) No identification of self or mission.

b) No interference with the social, cultural, or technological development of said planet.

c) No reference to space, other worlds, or advanced civilizations.

The level of development that a species/culture needs to achieve in order for the Federation to establish diplomatic relations is warp drive.  That is usually a good standard, but in this case a planet whose people can’t see the stars will have people who have no motive to attempt space travel.  Yet, they developed a superior transporter system to the Federation, and they have matter/antimatter power plants.  With that in mind, should Captain Kirk try to establish relations?  He decides yes but he realizes Starfleet might not agree with his logic. 

I do I have an issue with the whole “fixing the sun thing.”  Not that they did but how they went about it.  The situation was the sun’s ordeal was going to put the crew at risk of death.  Not guaranteed death, but clearly a likely death.  They had a chance to save themselves by fixing the sun and it would benefit the people on the planet.  However, if they messed up, they all might die, including everyone on the planet.  I don’t feel they had a right to make that decision for those people.  Instead, they should have just taken the risk themselves.  It reminds me of the end of the first season of Flash, where Team Flash of STAR Labs are helping Barry go back in time to save his mom but along the way they discover there is a chance that doing so would open up black hole on the Earth and kill everyone.  They then say, “well Barry deserves this because of all the times he saved people.”  Saving thousands does not give you the right to gamble the lives of billions.  I would have felt better if they presented the sun’s problems as ultimately going to kill the people of the planet if they don’t act.  The heroes in this moment don’t act like heroes. 

Origin of Starfleet

Similar in many ways!

I thought it was interesting when Spock and Kirk were talking about history and Kirk not wanting to accidentally become a conquistador.  My favorite part was when they explained that Starfleet was based on the United States Coast Guard. This makes a lot of sense when you think about it.  That organization has a command structure similar to the Navy and they also have a law enforcement arm to it.  Kirk’s actions in "Mudd’s Women" shows Captain Kirk in a law enforcement type role.

This book takes place during Classic Star Trek.  However, this book came out a year after “The Motion Picture.” I love how the author uses that to his advantage such as when Kirk and Spock are talking about how to deal with conflicting emotions, Spock references Vulcans who try to undergo Kolinahr.  Spock then expresses his desire to someday do that.  Which is a great little foreshadowing to Spock’s actual actions in the first film. 

There is a minor error at the end of the book.  It’s not that big of a deal but I found it annoying. Kirk twice refers to Spock’s rank as “Lieutenant Commander.” The problem is this story clearly takes place sometime past the middle of the second season.  This means Spock is now a full commander not a lieutenant commander.  What is weird is the author gets it right through most of the book.  Now it is typical to refer to a lieutenant commander as “commander” but when Kirk is noting his Captain’s Log he refers to both his first officer and chief engineer as “Commander Spock and Lt. Commander Scott.”  So it appears Spock’s correct title is being used here.  So, I view the error in the last few chapters as lazy editing.

 I like McCoy’s pep talk in the end to Kirk.  Where he tells the Captain that he should not think of himself as a conquistador rather as the second coming of Commodore Matthew Perry.  

Should it be canon: Yes, I don’t see why not.  It is a self-contained story that doesn’t conflict any standing canon.  It would be a great addition to canonical adventures in Star Trek.

Cover Art: The cover art is very beautiful and as I mentioned earlier it caught my eye and triggered my then-11-year-old imagination.  The Enterprise hangs in the sky over a mountain range. Kirk and Spock are on the ground in identical uniforms with no rank insignia, but the Star Trek delta is seen clearly on Kirk’s shirt. Kirk is holding a type of phaser.  As nice as the image is it is a complete lie.  Based on the uniforms and especially the Enterprise in post-retrofit state make it seem that this story takes place after “The Motion Picture.”  It doesn’t.  It clearly takes place sometime after the middle of the second season and before the third season of classic Star Trek. 

Final Grade: Final Grade 4 of 5

 

TIME TRAVEL AND MURDER

 

Name: The Entropy Effect

Author: Vonda N. McIntyre

Publication Date: 6/1981

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #2)

Page Number: 224

Historian’s Note:  This book takes place prior to the events of The Infinite Vulcan

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk       Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”       Lieutenant Commander Mandala Flynn                   Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Nyota Uhura              Lieutenant Bernardi al Auriga                Lieutenant Maximo Alisaunder Arrunja           Lieutenant Snnanagfashtalli                    Lieutenant Neon            Nurse Christine Chapel          Ensign Pavel Chekov      Ensign Jenniver Aristeides          Chief Petty Officer  Beatrice Smith      Yeoman First Class Janice Rand              Captain Hunter                 Lieutenant  Ilya Nikolaievich           Ian Braithwaite         Dr. Georges Mordreaux                Mree           Perim                      Defense Attorney Lee                     

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, USS Aerfen registration unknown., Aerfen unnamed shuttlecraft

Planets: Aleph Prime (an asteroid) 

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The adventure begins with the Enterprise investigating a strange singularity that has appeared out of nowhere. This process is time-consuming and stressful for both the crew’s minds and the ship’s systems.  The shields must be on all the time, the Enterprise can’t stop for some shore leave at some planet they must continue.  Spock has been running at all hours, using a special Vulcan technique that prevents him from sleeping, personally handles the study.  Spock discovers something horrible: the universe only has a century of life left to it.  Such an extraordinary and troublesome find creates extra incentive for Spock to perform the necessary task of repeating the experiment to see if he can get the same results.  However, before that can occur a priority message is sent directly to Captain Kirk, and they must drop what they are doing to answer it.  

The universe maybe doomed

A less universe shattering event, the Enterprise has a new chief of security.  Lt. Cmdr. Mandala Flynn was a transferee from the border patrol and fit in with the crew right away.  She was a huge improvement to the security department, which frankly could always have used some improvement.  Under her leadership there was higher moral and list of accomplishments.  She earned Kirk’s respect when out right told him she was shooting for his job.  She is even more to Lt. Sulu.  The two of them share many interests and are learning from each other.  She teaches him Judo while he teaches her fencing.  Their friendship is on the verge of turning into a romance.  Sulu is also developing a new look, allowing his hair to grow long and growing a mustache.

The Enterprise arrives at the mining colony on Aleph Prime.  Kirk and Spock beam down to meet with the local prosecutor Ian Braithwaite.  Braithwaite is excited to see them, a little too excited to see Mr. Spock.  Braithwaite seems to recognize Spock, thinking he saw him earlier but that is impossible as Spock was on the Enterprise doing experiments.  Braithwaite explains that he needs the Enterprise to transport a prisoner.  This sends Kirk into a rage similar to when Under-Secretary Nilz Baris used the emergency service to get the Enterprise to station K-7 in order to guard some grain. The main difference between Baris and Braithwaite is while the former was proud of his violation the latter denies doing it.  He has no idea who sent the signal, but he would still like them to take the dangerous prisoner to the rehabilitation colony.  Braithwaite is very concerned at getting this criminal off world as he already murdered the judge and the defense attorney, and logically he is next. 

Spock explains to Braithwaite in no uncertain terms that Starfleet vessels do not transport civilian prisoners as a matter of policy.  However, Spock quickly changes his tune when he learns the identity of the prisoner, he convinces Kirk to accept the assignment.  When the prosecutor leaves Kirk then asks Spock what that was all about.  Spock explains that the prisoner, Dr. Georges Mordreaux, is a former teacher of his and one he had great respect for.  Spock had been following his work ever since. The First Officer finds it impossible that his former mentor is guilty of the crimes of which he has been convicted.  These crimes are promising his test subjects to send them back in time but murdering them instead and then the killing of the magistrates on Aleph Prime.

Spock explaining things

Since they are here Kirk takes the time to look up an old flame: Captain Hunter of the USS Aerfen.  The Aerfen is a ship in the boarder control division of Starfleet.  Her squadron of ships defends the Federation/Klingon boarder.  Like her ex-boyfriend Hunter is a legend in her own right.  Sulu greatly admires her for saving a colony he was living in from a Klingon attack. 

Flynn converts a VIP personal quarters into a holding cell.  To Kirk’s annoyance, Braithwaite decides to join.  Insisting that in his role as prosecutor requires that he sees this to the end.  Braithwaite acts like an exited kid to be aboard a starship.  As he has only been on solar flare ships.  Spock confronts Mordreaux.  The old scientist is confused, disoriented, and drugged up.  Spock lets him know he thinks he is innocent.

Kirk tells McCoy that Hunter has once asked him to join her polygamous family setup.  Kirk had refused but now he thinks he made a mistake.   Later, Hunter would come up in discussion as Kirk was performing a career assessment for Sulu, at the Lieutenant’s request.  The two men agree that Sulu’s career directory is headed for either no command or a small one.  Sulu needs some different sets of experiences in order to get himself to wear he wants to be.  Following his girlfriend Flynn’s advice, Sulu asks Kirk to recommend him for Hunter’s Aerfen.  Kirk sadly agrees and Sulu is quickly transferred. 

Sulu doubting his future with the Enterprise

Scotty runs into Spock in the transporter room, who makes some comments on the power.  When Scotty makes his way to the bridge, he sees Spock there talking with Kirk and Flynn.  Scotty demands to know how Spock got there.  Spock points out he has been here all along, which everyone else can confirm.  Kirk thinks Scotty is overworked and needs some rest.  This annoys the engineer as he feels people think he is crazy.  As if on cue, a real crazy person shows up.  Dr. Mordreaux, looking older and wearing a rehabilitation colony prisoner jumpsuit, appears on the bridge with a firearm.  He shoots Captain Kirk in the chest and gets Flynn in the arm.  Kirk is seriously wounded, and the bridge crew are attending to him. Flynn chases after the assailant. While Kirk is bleeding out on the floor, Spock helps him by performing a mind meld to make him emotionally calm.  It works but it allows Kirk to evaluate the situation and realizes he is going to die.  If he does die mind melded with Spock it will severally damage Spock’s mental state.  Kirk grabs Spock’s hand and pulls it off his face breaking the mind meld.  He tells Spock to take care of his ship.  McCoy comes to the bridge to stabilize Kirk and get him to sickbay. 

he's a crazy guy with a gun!

Flynn arrives at Mordreaux’s cell and discovers he is still in it.  More importantly her team insists he never left.  She orders a ship wide search for the double and his weapon.  She finds it hard to think and she realizes what is wrong.  It is not the loss of blood that is hurting her, it is the bullet she was hit with was a spiderweb.  A type of weapon that that choke the Human nervous system with organo-metallic fibers.  If your hit with one and not killed by your immediate injuries the spiderweb will eat up your brain.   Flynn calls to the bridge about her discovery and then dies.  McCoy tries to save Kirk and does save his body, but the spiderweb ate his brain.  Spock convinces McCoy to take his body off life support.  Braithwaite overhears this and completely misunderstands it.

McCoy, drunk and depressed, approaches Spock and demands they go back in time to save Jim.  McCoy argues that they have gone back in time before to save a universe of strangers then they should be willing to go back in time to save their friend.  Spock points out that what he is suggesting is not only dangerous but wrong.  Spock counters that they only go into the past to alter it if they are correcting an already tampered with timeline.  (Spock is very nice not remine McCoy how the timeline was tampered with in “The City on the Edge of Forever”) What has happened is what has supposed and there is nothing he can do about it.  Spock announces the deaths of Kirk and Flynn to the whole crew over the ship’s intercom system.  Later, Spock decides he is going to transfer to be a science officer somewhere else.  He doesn’t want command of this ship and he doesn’t want to serve under a third captain. 

Spock goes to interview Mordreaux, who is no longer drugged, he explained that he developed a method of time travel.  His supporters and financial backers, who had also become his dear friends, were looking for a way to travel to the past permanently.  His friends all had a burning desire to live in a different historical period, and he helped them do that.  He didn’t murder anyone, he sent them to live in the past. (Although technically that would mean that they are dead now.)  When Spock pointed out the dangers, his old mentor defended himself by saying he sent them so far into the past that the chances of them altering history is almost impossible.  (That doesn’t make any sense but more on that later.) Spock explained to Mordreaux what happened to Kirk and what the “other him” looked like and they agreed that the murder was an insane future version of Mordreaux.  Mordreaux points out that maybe they have already altered things by their conversation.  However, Spock notices his memory hasn’t changed and Captain Kirk hasn’t suddenly woken up.  Spock gets Mordreaux to help him build a time travel device like the one the future Mordreaux possesses, but Spock is forced to promise not to try and pull his mentor’s friends out of the past.

McCoy tries to apologize to Spock, but Spock then insists McCoy was right.  This 180-degree turn is a little hard for McCoy to accept but Spock explains that the timeline has already been messed with and it is their duty to correct it.  While they are planning this Braithwaite is conducting his own investigation, he explains what he saw to Mr. Scott.  Scotty has a hard time believing this however Braithwaite makes a case for his conspiracy and asks Scotty for his assistance.

working to fix this 

 Spock uses the device to go back in time.  In the present, McCoy covers for Spock.  He tells people that Spock, who was near exhaustion, was medically ordered to rest and that Spock had placed himself, meaning McCoy, as the new second-in-command.  This offended Mr. Scott who normally would be next in line, but McCoy tells him it’s because he is needed for the overworked engines that are long overdue for a Starbase tune up.  Braithwaite also comes calling with his insane assassination theories, even going so far as accusing the late Flynn of being in on it.   McCoy agrees to take him to see Mordreaux but when they get to his cell McCoy has the Flynn loyal security team arrest him and look him up.

In the past Spock’s rescue attempt did not go as planned.  First, Spock did not expect the ill physical feeling the time travel caused.  (His previous time travel experiences did not have such problems.)  He runs into Mr. Scott, which became the start of Scotty’s problems.  In addition, Mordreaux gets the jump on him, even shooting him with his weapon.  Fortunately for Spock, the bullet only grazed him, not penetrated inside, protecting him from the spiderweb.  This, however, delays Spock.  He fails to save Captain Kirk and has to watch him die again.  Spock returns to the present to report his failure.  After talking to present Mordreaux again.  Spock realizes he must go back even further in time to prevent the damage.

Captain Hunter and Lt. Sulu return to the Enterprise via shuttlecraft to investigate Captain Kirk’s death.  Scotty frees Braithwaite and the four go to confront Spock and McCoy.  Now Spock has to go back father in time than before.  So, First Officer and CMO have to work quickly as Hunter is not taking “no” for an answer.  Spock, now dressed in civilian clothes, boards the transporter with the device as Hunter enters the room, she orders him to stop but Spock proceeds anyway.  Hunter didn’t stop him even though she could have.  While they are all questioning McCoy, Braithwaite has an allergic reaction and needs to go to sickbay.  McCoy tries to no avail to save him.

Spock now back on Aleph Prime, days before he arrived, he ends up running into Braithwaite.  The encounter is brief, but it explains why the man thought he knew Spock.  This makes Spock wonder if he has failed here too.  Spock finds Mordreaux and subdues him only to discover he has found the wrong one.  This version is the oldest one yet, who has now recovered from madness and had come back in time to stop himself from diverting the Enterprise.  Now they are both too late.

This Mordreaux explains to Spock that it was him sending his friends to live out their dream times that caused the anomalies that will cause the universe’s premature death.  In the original timeline it was Spock’s discovery of this that led to his original arrest.  He went back to divert the Enterprise so he could make contact with Spock and hope he would understand.  This led Captain Kirk to advocate for him to be rehabilitated instead of being sent to a penial colony, it was during this rehabilitation where he went mad.   In his madness, he sought revenge against everyone he blamed for his predicament including Captain Kirk.  Now that he has recovered, he wants to make right by preventing the incident by preventing the Enterprise from being diverted restoring the original timeline.  Spock points out that is only a small part of the problem.  The singularities that are being created by the temporal anomalies must be stopped.  In order to truly prevent this tragedy from occurring, they must go back and prevent the time travel experiment from ever occurring.  Mordreaux releases Spock from his earlier promise not to interfere with his friends’ trips to the past. 

Their actions are causing a lot of suspicion    

    The two go back to Mordreaux’s lab.  Mordreaux is surprised that his lab is such a mess and wonders if they are on a new track as he always went peacefully when arrested.  They decide Spock should be the one to go because his Vulcan physiology gives him the ability to better deal with the rigors of this form of time travel. 

Spock travels back to the time before Mordreaux’s friends were sent back.  They are a small group of people, who respond with Spock’s warning from the future with as much enthusiasm as the Science Council of Krypton took to Jor-El’s warning of the planet’s impending explosion.  They immediately demand this time traveler, who just appeared as they were about to do their own time traveling, to prove what he is saying is true.  Spock attempts a computer simulation, but they deny its authenticity.  That is when Mordreaux from a time period after Spock had left, also appeared.  He warns of the horror they are about to create.  They all decide to give up on the dream, the older Mordreaux disappears, and Spock returns to his own time.

Joe-El can understand predictiment

 Back on the Enterprise the madness has all disappeared and everyone remembers what has happened as just a bad dream, one they quickly find themselves forgetting.  Spock takes the longest, he also had a little trouble explaining his get up that he wore for his mission that now never happened. He reports that the singularity will soon dissipate and will be no threat.  Kirk holds a meeting with Sulu where he tells the helmsman how much he means to the ship.  He decides to increase his responsibilities and recommend him for a field promotion to lieutenant commander.  Sulu stops all thoughts of a transfer and just focuses on his new relationship with Flynn.  The Science community is shocked that Mordreaux didn’t publish his final paper.  

Additional thoughts: This book holds some special significance for me.  It is the last piece of Star Trek media to be produced prior to my existence.  The Motion Picture was the last live action that took place before my lifetime, this is just the last piece of pre-me Star Trek period. 

We have actually seen the death of Captain Kirk a number of times by now.  The first was in “Amok Time” where Spock is tricked by McCoy to believe that he killed him.  Both Spock and the audience are quite relieved at the end of the episode.  Spock falsely kills the Captain again in “The Enterprise Incident.”  This time Spock was in on the gag to fool the Romulan Commander.  Kirk dies again in “The Tholian Web.”  This time the crew outright has a funeral and Uhura is terrified when she sees Kirk’s ghost.  Fortunately, they pull him out of that alternate dimension.  In the book “The Price of the Phoenix” Kirk is killed at the very start and McCoy even does an autopsy to confirm it. The villain Omne then offers a clone of Kirk to replace him.  Later we learn the dead Kirk is also a clone and the real one is still alive.  It seems we really need to see the crew react to Kirk’s death.  It has never been done as well as this story, however.  It helps of course that Kirk in this story actually dies, as opposed to just appearing to.  The death will be undone by time travel, but it is real none the less.  Kirk’s death is emotional and impactful.  Kirk, physically breaking the mind meld with Spock to prevent his mental collapse and asking that they take care of his ship is beautifully written. 

Kirk's ghost!

Some minor things I didn’t like.  Sulu’s hairstyle and mustache, what was the point of it?  It doesn’t serve any point in the story and it’s annoying because I forget half the time and have to replay the Sulu scenes in my head to get it right.  I don’t like that Scotty was manipulated by Braithwaite; he has gone through too much with this crew to allow some stranger to put doubts in his head.  It also didn’t make any sense that Spock and McCoy couldn’t take the rest of the senior staff into confidence.  They have all dealt with time travel before they would be able to keep their wits about them.  Also, Kirk has three nephews, not just one.  We only saw Peter in "Operation: Annihilate" as he is the youngest and still lives at home. 

A minor good thing about the story is the new characters created.  Lt. Cmdr. Flynn is a great addition, and her security crew is awesome as well.  It makes me wish they were part of the original show.  Captain Hunter and the border patrol showed a new and interesting part of Starfleet. I also thought it was interesting that Kirk was once asked to join a poly family.

Mordreaux’s friends desire to go back in time?  Why?  They are already living in a great time.  What about being in the Federation is so bad that you need to go back in time to get over it?  These people seem to be overly spoiled rich kids who are looking for adventure without understanding anything about life’s natural difficulties.  I am reminded about the story of two people sitting on the bench and one is reading a book about knights in the Middle Ages when he says “Wow, to live back then what a time to be alive!”  And his friend points out that he is imagining being the knight not the poor sap who has to shovel the knight’s horse’s droppings.  Also, the damage to the timeline Mordreaux says he sent them so far back that the chance of them altering history is statistically insignificant.  That doesn’t make any sense, the farther back you go the greater impact you would have.  We each have two biological parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents.  You go back far enough you should have more ancestors than there were people living at the time and father than that more than were living ever.  Guess what, there is some overlap.  If your ancestors were from Western Europe, then everyone who was in the Roman-Gallic Wars who reproduced is somehow your ancestor. You change the outcome of one of these people and you alter the course of history in a completely unforeseen fashion.  Maybe they were inspired by the people of Sarpeidon?

A planet full of bad ideas

It is a wonder how dense these people can actually be, not only ignoring the dangers of the timeline, but when someone appears in your own time device before you attended to use to warn you against using it, your response is where is your proof?  He is the proof as he just came out of your time machine to tell you it all goes wrong! But you demand a computer simulation?  It isn’t until your friend’s future self comes back that you start to take this seriously. Weird people.

 This book has a lot of interesting twists and turns.  It is important to note that we didn’t see all the time tracks. We did get foreshadows with both Braithwaite and Scotty seeing Spock from the future before we realized that is who they were seeing/taking to.  We don’t see it all, however.   When Mordreaux and Spock go back to Mordreaux ‘s lab, the old man points out that was a mess and wondered if they were on the same track sense he always went peacefully when arrested.  Later, when Spock travels back to get him to call the whole thing off, one of the things the younger Mordreaux agreed to was not to let himself be arrested.  Then we get Mordreaux from that timeline emerge because Spock wasn’t convincing enough. 

It was cool to see Kirk bond with Sulu near the end.  It was also nice to see the origin of Sulu’s promotion to the rank that would see him wear in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.  Now how did Scotty, Uhura, and Chekov get theirs.

Kirk and Sulu

Should it be canon: Yes, I think this a great story to add to the Star Trek lore.  Nothing in this contradicts anything else in the series.

Cover Art: The cover art is a total lie.  It has Kirk, Spock, Sulu in the front and they all dressed like it is Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Right above them is the Enterprise after her post-five-year-mission refit. Yet this story clearly takes place during the five-year mission.  Heck, in a small way this story is the origin of Sulu’s lieutenant commander promotion. The only thing right about it is Sulu’s hair, as silly as that is.   

Final Grade: Final Grade 5 of 5