READING A BOOK ABOUT READING A BOOK

 

Name: The Final Reflection

Author: John M. Ford

Publication Date: 5/1984

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #16)

Page Number: 253

Historian’s Note: Takes place sometime between The Counter-Clock Incident and The Motion Picture.

Cast of Characters:  Captain James T. Kirk       Commander Spock              Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”       Yeoman First Class Janice Rand                Captain Krenn vestai-Rustazh                      Carter Winston            Admiral Luther Whitetree                  Admiral  Douglas Tancred Shepherd            Admiral Marcus van Diemen                 Captain  Kodon vestai-Captain Kadi           Captain Kian             Captain Kessum        Commander Kev      Ensign Kotkhe               Merzhan           Aghi               Admiral Kethas epetai-Khemara             Maxwell Grandisson III                   Colonel  Jael Rabinowich            Dr. Thomas Jackson McCoy               Ambassador Sarek                Amanda Grayson       General Margon zantai-Demma                    Sovin                Sudok         Commander Akhil             Emanuel Tagore                Gelly

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, USS Avebury, Starbase 12, USS Flying Fortress, USS Glasgow, USS Hokkaido, USS Sentry, USS Savannah II, Starbase 8, IKS Blue Fire, IKS Death Hand, IKV Devisor, IKV Fencer, IKV Fury, IKS Mirror, IKS Two Fingers

Planets: Earth, Aviskie, Cibola, Deneva, Qo'noS, Rigel, Triskelion

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The adventure begins as the Enterprise has been getting a starship tune up at Starbase 12.  The opening pages might have convinced the average reader that this is going to be a typical Star Trek adventure.  It is not in fact this small opening prologue is almost all we see of any classic character until the end of the book.  Unlike most other Star Trek stories from this time that focus on our favorite crew, this novel is primarily told from the Klingon perspective, offering a deep and intricate look at their society, values, and internal struggles. In this story Kirk gets a book as a present from Dr. McCoy.  Before he gets to read it, he talks about it with Mr. Spock, the first thing Spock tries to do is make sure the Captain understands that this is fiction despite being written by a Federation historian based on Klingon sources.

Klingons as first introduced

So we, the readers, don’t get a direct adventure but instead it is a book within a book.  This narrative technique allows the writer to present an alternative, more nuanced version of the Klingons than what had been seen in classic Star Trek, the animated follow-up, films, or any other books. The book describes their Klingon society as one that values strategy, honor, and pragmatism, rather than being a purely aggressive warrior culture. Klingon politics are depicted as highly complex, with various factions maneuvering for power, making alliances, and engaging in sophisticated diplomacy.

Vrenn, the protagonist, is raised as a foster child in a Klingon House, where he learns the ways of the Empire and the brutal expectations placed upon its people. His keen intelligence and strategic mind allow him to survive and thrive despite the dangers of Klingon society. Eventually, he is given the name Krenn and becomes a starship captain, where he proves himself as a master of the Klingon concept of The Final Reflection, a philosophy that involves understanding one's enemies and using that knowledge to one’s advantage.

Klingons mean business

As Krenn rises through the ranks, he becomes involved in a mission that places him at the heart of a potential war between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets. The novel portrays the Federation from the Klingon perspective, showing how their diplomatic actions can be interpreted as both a threat and an opportunity. Krenn is sent on a secret mission involving espionage and delicate political maneuvering, where he must navigate the competing interests of Klingon leaders, the Federation, and even Romulans.

The book explores the idea that Klingon honor is not simply about combat but also about intelligence, loyalty, and the ability to see beyond one’s own perspective. Krenn’s character embodies these ideals, and through his journey, which allows us to gain a more sympathetic understanding of Klingon motivations and values. His interactions with Federation characters, including a human diplomat, show that while their cultures are vastly different, mutual respect and understanding are possible.

Kirk vs. a Klingon

As the plot unfolds, Krenn discovers a conspiracy within the Klingon High Command that seeks to manipulate the fragile peace between the Klingon Empire and the Federation for their own gain. He must decide where his true loyalties lie and whether to follow orders blindly or act in the best interests of his people. His choices ultimately shape the future of Klingon-Federation relations, showing that individual agency can have a profound impact on galactic politics.

The novel's climax is a tense and thrilling confrontation where Krenn must use his knowledge of both Klingon and Federation strategies to outmaneuver his enemies. His understanding of The Final Reflection allows him to see through deception and find a path that avoids all-out war. By the end of the story, Krenn emerges as a legendary figure in Klingon history, one who reshaped the destiny of his people through intellect and strategy rather than brute force.

               The book finally goes back to the traditional setting with Captain Kirk reflecting on what he, and thus we, just read.  Although this book is fictional as stated so strongly by Mr. Spock, Kirk deeply wants it to be true.  Kirk, who has always had strong feelings against Klingons, has now come to view them in a new light.  I find this very ironic considering what is going to happen in the next Star Trek adventure.

Additional thoughts: What this reminds me of strongly is the famous two-part episode “The Menagerie.”  Like this book the episode takes us away from our traditional setting and places in an unfamiliar setting filled with characters, most of whom we didn’t know.  So as “The Menagerie” was an episode of Star Trek where the main characters watch an episode of Star Trek, The Final Reflection is a story of book where someone reads a book.  This is part of where it fails for me.  First, I don’t care about any of the new characters and the characters I do care about are nowhere to be seen.  At the episode mentioned was filmed almost as a “The Cage, the commentary tract.”  We keep checking back with Captain Kirk who gives us his thoughts on what’s going on.  It would have been interesting to hear his take as he proceeded through the story.  Instead, he disappears until the very end.

I will give the story one compliment.  It took the Klingons who were really, with some exception, one dimensional space villains.   The author’s depiction of Klingon society as highly stratified yet meritocratic, where intelligence and cunning can allow an individual to rise regardless of birth. The book also introduces the concept of Klingon “thought exercises” and simulations, which are used to train future leaders in strategic thinking and decision-making. This makes the Klingons much deeper than before.

               Nevertheless, I didn’t enjoy this book all that much.  When I pick up something that says “Star Trek” I expect it to contain certain characters.  This book is nearly empty of them, instead it gives me a bunch of characters that I don’t care about and have no emotional connection to.  The author takes a while to develop these characters only never to have them interact with the main characters who we as fans are the ones we are fond of.  The child Spock doesn’t count.

Should it be canon: I have no problem with a story about Captain Kirk reading a book being canon, Captain Kirk has read plenty of books.

Cover Art: A traditional looking Klingon plays a young Vulcan in what appears to be classical chess, in the background an older Vulcan is watching. 

Final Grade: Final Grade 3 of 5

 

The Oldest Living Thing in the Universe Wants Us Dead!

 

Name: Corona

Author: Greg Bear   

Publication Date: 4/1984

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #15)

Page Number: 192

Historian’s Note: This story takes place after the third season of classic Star Trek but before the first season of Star Trek: 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  Hikaru Sulu              Lieutenant Nyota Uhura              Lieutenant Jan Veblen             Lieutenant Wellman             Lieutenant  Anauk         Lieutenant Devereaux          Lieutenant Grake           Lieutenant Harauk              Lieutenant Yimasa         Nurse Christine Chapel           Ensign Pavel Chekov          Ensign Edward Olaus   Ensign Pauli         Crewman Elias R. Rostovtzev              Crewman Jonathan Shallert              Crewman Wah Ching                      Admiral Hiram Kawakami             Rowena Mason                  T'Prylla             Grake                   T'Kosa              T'Raus              Radak         Corona       Prime Commodore Uligbar Dar Zotzchen

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Galileo NCC-1701/7, Black Box Nebula Station One, unnamed Kshatriyan vessel

Planets: Yalbo

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The book opens with the Vulcan scientist T’Prylla who is on a research mission with her own family as the research team.  That seems kind of nice until it appears they are going to be attacked by their own children.

The Enterprise arrives at the planet Yalbo, a human Federation colony, where they pick up a reporter named Rowena Mason.  Mason comes from a very isolated world and has not much contact with nonhumans.  As a result, she is not comfortable around them.  She talks of humanism, which is now a human supremacist ideology and Uhura shuts her down with as she explains how things go on the Enterprise.  

Kirk welcomes the reporter to the Enterprise

One of the things Mason is reporting on is new technology that the Federation is employing for this mission.  One is experimental transporter data that in theory could allow each of the crew to be cloned or perhaps fundamentally altered.  That is not the main thing, however.  The big news story is the monitors, AIs that are designed to monitor the actions of the entire crew up to and including the Captain, and if the AI disagrees with the action, it is to take over the ship and counterman the order.  Each of the monitors is programed with the minds of Starfleet officers who were considered to be the experts in their respective fields.  Kirk meets with Mason and sets up interviews for her with all the important people in her story.

The Monitors taking over

Suddenly the ship gets an emergency call from the Vulcan scientists in the opening chapter.  Spock points out that the mother of the family is a relative of his.  Kirk asks Mason if she would like to leave.  As much as she would like to, she is a reporter, and she was duty bound to stay.  On their way to the Black Box Nebula to answer the distress call the engines are given a test, and Kirk competes his interview where he gives the poor reporter a number of non-answer answers. 

While on their way a Kshatriyan vessel tries to intercept them.  Kirk has some words with his counterpart on the other ship, this gets his counterpart to allow them the safe passage the Kshatriyan government already promised them.  Kirk solves the problem with the monitors’ complete approval.

 It takes a couple of trips to find the Vulcan science team.  Once they do Spock notes how odd it is that the children seem to have authority over their parents.  This is very unusual for a Vulcan family; Spock feels that something is off.  In addition to the Vulcan science team, they have a number of people in suspended animation.  McCoy wants to use the new transporter technology to wake them up, but the monitors shut down that idea because the participants in suspended animation have legally died.  This pulls a lifesaving situation out of McCoy’s hands.  

Mason goes to talk with the officer in charge of the monitors, Lt. Jan Veblan.  Veblan is defensive about his work and thinks the monsters in the long-term will support future space exploration.  Because of nearby stars this area of space is full of Ybakra radiation, and after an attempt to bring Mr. Chekov up from the station causes a delay.  Kirk restricts transportation to just shuttlecraft back and forth.  What the crew didn’t realize at the time is that an intelligent entity called the Corona uses the Ybakra radiation to transport its essence to other life forms.  Although he got to the Vulcan science team easily, he had to wait for the humans to be in transporter mode for it to work on them.

Chekov and the Vulcan children sabotage both the ship and the station.  However, McCoy and Spock find a way to block the Ybakra radiation and doing so rescues Chekov from the entity’s control.  They do the same with T’Prylla, and she informs them that her children will be harder because they have been under control longer.  Kirk tries to take the landing party back to the ship via shuttlecraft, but it malfunctions due to the sabotage.  Kirk orders and emergency beam out but Spock and the reporter Mason did not make it out.  While the others went back to the ship those two were relocated somewhere in the space station. 

Vulcan Family as research team!

On the Enterprise the crew works to free the rest of the Vulcan family, while on the station Spock and Mason are assessing their situation.  Spock is fighting to remain in control of himself and not be taken over.  He mind-melds with Mason to absorb some of her strength and give her information for her to fight Corona. 

Mason is able to contact Corona, she learns that it is a sentient energy that was born at the beginning of the universe.  At the time there was lot of sentient energy floating around.  As the universe expanded the other sentient energies faded away.  Corona desires to restart the big bang so it can have friends again.  Mason tries to convince Corona of the value of life in the current universe.  Meanwhile, Kirk convinced the two of the Vulcans to allow Corona to control them again so he can talk directly to it.   Kirk also tries to get Corona to drop its attempts at using the Nebula to restart the big bang so it can have its people back.  There is no guarantee of their return, but it will destroy all the life in the current universe, some of whom Kirk points out are non-corporal like itself.  While these arguments are ongoing the monitors decide that Kirk is taking too long and take control of the ship and begin to attack that station to no avail. 

The Monitors have the Enterprise attack

Corona is convinced by both Mason and Kirk not to destroy the universe and gives in.  The universe is saved.  The crew of the Enterprise agrees the monitors were dumb.  The Vulcan Science Council invites the Vulcan research team back, admitting that they might have been right about a few things.   Reporter Rowena Mason is allowed to go home. 

Additional thoughts: The overall story here was creative.  When we think about advanced intelligence, we don’t think about lifeforms that might have developed at the early stages of the universe.  Given the condition of the universe, I can’t see any intelligent life forming.  However, since Star Trek already dealt with noncorporal beings it makes some sense that they would have been some of the first intelligences to evolve in the universe.

Despite that this story takes place in during the original five-year mission we do see later Star Trek contributions on to this story.  Most notably the gender-neutral use of the term ‘mister.’  With Captain Kirk calling Rowena Mason, “Mister Mason.”  The funny part is Mason, herself didn’t seem to be too keen on its use.   Maybe it’s just a Starfleet thing. 

The whole we can make copies from transporters is straight out of the Omne storyline in The Price of the Phoenix and The Fate of the Phoenix.  That wasn’t my favorite storyline, so I am glad the author chose to go down a different route.  Also, journalists in the Federation.  I don’t recall journalists being mentioned in the original Star Trek or the Animated Series.  Nor were they present in the first two films.  And I don’t recall reading about them before now.  I do remember Commodore Mendez referring to “subspace chatter” in the first part of “The Menagerie,” but no talk of journalists.  So, this might be a first.  

Yeah, the Enterprise cannot go Warp 11, at least not under its own power.  I don’t care what tricks Scotty is pulling. 

I was disappointed that M-5 was never mentioned in this story.  As soon as the monitors were mentioned my first thought was “The Ultimate Computer.”  Starfleet didn’t learn its lesson and still wants to put machines in charge of living beings.  Computer programs over human instinct.  Someone should have brought that up, but no one does.    

I like how “Humanism” which is typically considered to be a progressive philosophy gets perverted and ends up invoking human supremacy.  It just goes to show you that anything can turn rotten in the wrong hands.

I like how no one was surprised when the saboteurs turned to mind controlled.  They have seen better mind control, like Landru and Vaal.   I also liked the part when McCoy learned that one of his former instructor’s minds was used to build the medical monitors.  It was funny for him to argue and old score with the machine.  

Should it be canon: I see nothing in this story that contradicts anything in the main series, (outside of the warp 11 thing) so I have no objection to it being considered canonical. 

Cover Art: A Vulcan woman who is a scientist named T’Prylla is in the center of the cover.  Mr. Spock is to her left holding her arm and Kirk is off to her right.  Above Kirk is the Enterprise flying away from the viewer. The cover lies by having Kirk and Spock in their Motion Picture uniforms while the story takes place during the original series.

Final Grade: Final Grade 4 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

 

You are serving on the Enterprise!

 

Name: Voyage to Adventure

Author: Michael J. Dodge  

Publication Date: 1/1984

Publisher: Pocket Books (Which Way #15)

Page Number: 118

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 Grogan                Ensign Pavel Chekov                                   Ensign {Insert your name here}         many unnamed crewmen     Admiral Traynor         Captain Robert T. April         Commander Krogan    unnamed Klingon Commander    several unnamed Klingon soldiers   Takoi Queen    hundreds of unnamed Tokoi        Mirror Universe versions of Captain James T. Kirk      Lieutenant Nyota Uhura      Ensign Black    Ensign Wu  unnamed security crewman

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

Planets: Takoi world

My Spoiler filled summary and review: You are a new graduate of Starfleet Academy and as such have been commissioned as an ensign in Starfleet.  You also get your dream assignment serving on the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Kirk. Here you will rub elbows with your heroes and go on adventures in space. To start you get to choose which department you serve under.  You are given the bridge, science laboratory, or the engineering department.

Choose engineering and you might end up in a Jefferies tube

               Each decision you make has consequences mostly for yourself.  You have a total of fifty-one possible paths.  In thirteen possible outcomes you die in the traditional Star Trek red shirt fashion.  In another scenario you are killed but you have successfully outed a spy.  Twice you go back in time to fix things and save Spock but in doing so you end up disappearing, you’re not dead technically in this situation because there is another you who will continue in the fixed timeline.  Twice your fate is unknown, and you may have died.  One of those was heroic saving Kirk and McCoy while the other was just plain stupid. In one case you save an alien race, and your physical body disintegrates.  You’re not dead but your essence is trapped there.  In one possible outcome you are trapped in a time loop where you pull a leaver for eternity.   

Finding yourself in the mirror universe 

               There are three possible outcomes where you win but are hurt in the process. One of the possible storyline scenarios has you traveling back in time with Spock to the period where Captain April commanded the Enterprise.  In three outcomes you ended up staying in April’s time.  Two by choice because you are “sick of time travel” even though you only done it once.  In one of those Spock gives his approval, in the other he is dead and you’re not going to bother to save him. One was involuntary as you went to the wrong area of the ship when the ride back home was being offered. Two outcomes involve you disappointing an alien race by either showing your violent side or just refusing to help them.  There are three outcomes where you lose the battle, but the ship gets away to safety.

Explore strange new worlds

               Nineteen outcomes are just straight up victories.  This is whether you are fighting Klingons, going to a strange new world, fixing the ship’s engines, having an adventure in the past or in the mirror universe.  My absolute favorite outcome is when you lead a boarding party on a Klingon ship and once you capture it, you are promoted to lieutenant.

 

Additional thoughts: This book is a lot of fun.  I first read it when I was eleven years old. Reading it now was a little different as I was reviewing it, I wanted to explore all options.  When I read this book just for myself, I always would take paths that I would have taken if it were real.  Although I would try out all three areas of the ship allowed, my favorite was the bridge.  One reason is in the engineering and science paths you only get to hang out with Scotty or Spock respectively, where a bridge adventure allows you to interact with the entire cast.    

Being on the bridge allows you to interact with just about everyone!

There are some contradictions in the paths that you take based on your choices.  For example, one crew member is revealed to be a Klingon spy and how soon you discover that depends on which path you choose.  However, if your journey goes in one other direction early on, that crew member doesn’t end up as a Klingon spy at all, just kind of a jerk.  In another case you are on an adventure with Spock, and he gets knocked out by a phaser set to stun.  However, if you turn in one direction you learn that it wasn’t set to stun and he died, where in every other outcome he survives.  An alien species is either kind or cruel, they either want you to save them or they are trying to steal your ship.

There were some odd things I noticed.  Captain Kirk of the mirror universe has scars.  That was interesting as he didn’t have any in the episode “Mirror, Mirror.”  Also, Spock states that Captain April commanded the Enterprise forty years ago.  Where it was actually around twenty years ago according to the traditional Star Trek timeline.  Also, I don’t remember Spock ever serving with April and if he did it couldn’t have been forty years ago as Spock wasn’t alive at the time.  The book also states that April was dead before your character was born that is baloney because we saw Robert April in the episode “The Counter-Clock Incident.”  There are some art errors such as a lieutenant with commander’s stripes and Lt. Uhura of the Mirror Universe dressed like she is from the prime universe.

Mirror Kirk and Uhura look different from their live action appearance

 

Lastly, I thought it was odd that Captain Kirk would trust a brand-new ensign to lead a boarding party on a Klingon ship.  At least the Captain understands that an ensign is a commissioned officer unlike a certain lieutenant in engineering.   

Should it be canon: Considering it involves you and multiple different endings to the same story I don’t see how it could be incorporated into canon.  It is just a fun little story.

Cover Art: Kirk and Spock are two the viewers right, a “monster” that appears in one story is on the viewers left. Underneath the creature is the Enterprise’s bridge.  It is an interesting cover.

Final Grade: Final Grade 5 of 5

 

FASTER THAN FASTER THAN LIGHT

 

Name: The Wounded Sky

Author: Diane Duane

Publication Date: 12/1983

Publisher: Pocket Books (Star Trek #13)

Page Number: 255

Historian’s Note:  After The Counter-Clock Incident and before The Motion Picture

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 Larry Aledort                Lieutenant Kyle           Lieutenant Amekentra                    Lieutenant Athendë            Lieutenant Jerry Freeman         Lieutenant Heming            Lieutenant Janíce Kerasus               Lieutenant Mahásë               Lieutenant  Harb Tanzer      Dr. Joseph M'Benga        Nurse Christine Chapel          Nurse Lia Burke           Ensign Pavel Chekov      Ensign Anita Ross        Ensign Niwa Awath-mánë ri d'Hennish enu-ma'Qe           Crewman Dithra              Crewman Matlock        Crewman Mosley               Crewman Niliet,               Crewman Mayri Sagady,             Commodore Katha'sat        Commander K’t’lk            

Starships and/or Starbases: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Starbase 18, USS Arizona (Registration unknown), USS Armstrong (Registration unknown), USS Bannockburn (Registration unknown), USS Bismarck (Registration unknown), USS Bonhomme Richard NCC-1712, USS Challenger NCC-1715, USS Clarke (Registration unknown), USS Condor (Registration unknown), USS Constellation NCC-1728, USS Constitution NCC-1700, USS Dataphda (Registration unknown), USS Divine Wind (Registration unknown), USS Eilonwy (Registration unknown), USS Erinnye (Registration unknown), USS Ewet (Registration unknown), USS Ferris's Folly (Registration unknown), USS Henrietta Leavitt (Registration unknown), USS Hypsipyle (Registration unknown), USS Inaieu (Registration unknown), USS Indomitable (Registration unknown) USS Intrepid NCC-1730, USS Isshasshte (Registration unknown), USS John F. Kennedy (Registration unknown), USS Kamë (Registration unknown), USS Lewis (Registration unknown), USS Lookfar (Registration unknown), USS Malacandra (Registration unknown), USS Manhattan (Registration unknown), USS Marya Morevna (Registration unknown), USS M'hasien (Registration unknown), USS Milton Humason (Registration unknown), USS Mor'anh Merin'hen (Registration unknown), USS Na'i'in (Registration unknown), USS Potemkin NCC-1657, USS Queen Elizabeth III (Registration unknown),USS Queen Christina (Registration unknown), USS Ransom (Registration unknown), USS Raptor (Registration unknown), USS Resolute (Registration unknown), USS Rodger Young (Registration unknown), USS Sadat (Registration unknown), USS Sorithias (Registration unknown), USS Sulam (Registration unknown), USS Surak (Registration unknown), USS Tao Feng (Registration unknown), USS Thermopylae (Registration unknown), USS T'Laea (Registration unknown), USS Valkyr (Registration unknown), USS Yorktown NCC-1717, IKS Amak, IKS Enekti, IKS Kaza, IKS K'j'khrry, IKS Kytin, IKS Menekku, IKS Okuv, IKS Tukab

Planets: Altair IV, Mars, and Rukbah V

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The adventure begins when Captain Kirk receives exciting news, the Enterprise has been selected to participate in an experiment in a new type of faster than light propulsion.  They arrive at Starbase 18.  While at the Starbase the meet the inventor of this new technology. Her name is Commander K’t’lk, a Starfleet reserve officer.  Her species is Hamalki, a giant spider-like species, whose center body is shiny and at times transparent.  Someone who fears spiders might have a hard time serving with her, however she could very well win them over with her charming personality.  She instantly makes friends with almost all the crew, particularly the Captain and Chief Engineer.   

K’t’lk explains her device, the inversion drive, operates on a similar level to the transporter, but it is its own pad. They will be able to use it to go to one end of the universe to another in a simple blink.  Scotty assists his new friend install her invention into the ship’s engines.   

Spock and Scotty helping to install the device

As the ship gets underway, they are suddenly attacked by a fleet of Klingon ships that have somehow snuck past the Neutral Zone.  While outnumbered seven to one, the Enterprise files for its life.   Sulu uses a known but rarely used maneuver where he flies the ship close to an unstable star and gets it to go nova.  The Enterprise escapes using the new inversion drive while the Klingon ships are destroyed in the nova.   

The Enterprise under attack from the Klingons

  

They end up going in the exact opposite direction of where they intended.  They are in orbit around a white dwarf star that is located so many light-years away it would take them decades to return to Federation space under normal warp.  Spock is eager to study the new star as not doing so would be a great loss to science, Kirk is more concerned with its instability with the ship being so close.   Most of the crew start to feel odd after the jump.  Spock asks to be relieved of duty because of how it has effective him.  Kirk doesn’t allow it.  After talking with K’t’lk, who has experienced none of the uneasiness that others had suffered, she thinks she can get them back to their original destination  

They jump again and the inversion drive succeeds in getting them where they had intended to be the first time.  However, this trip takes longer.  Captain Kirk feels his mind leave his body and for a while he is someone else entirely, then his mind leaves that person and enters another.  Kirk discovers for a moment that he is Ensign Chekov.  Finally, he gets back to his own body.  It turns out that this experience is unique to him but everyone, except K’t’lk, has had the same experience Kirk had.  How each crewmember dealt with it varied according to the individual.

These jumps are making us feel weird. 

The crew discovers the more they use the inversion drive the worse these out of body experiences get but that is not the worst part.  The worst part is they may be causing the destruction of all reality.  During their last jump another supernova occurred.  While Spock and others are observing that area of space it appears that entropy and the normal flow of time has ceased. The use of the drive has torn a hole with another universe where entropy does not exist.  That reality is spilling over into this one.  

They are forced to use the inversion drive again and this time the crew is displaced to Mars but it’s Mars of a different time period than they were used to.  Here they were themselves, but they were all younger and heathier.  They also were able to read each other’s minds telepathically.  As the ship pulls into normal space again, they have all returned to their positions on the Enterprise.  They are quickly under attack from Klingons again.  They are able to evade their attackers, but they have a bigger problem because the universe is about to get swallowed up.  K’t’lk has an idea that can fix everything.  They have no choice but to leave it up to her.  Spock and others had earlier determined there is intelligence in the other reality.  If K’t’lk can communicate with it, she might be able to put it all back together using her inversion drive.  Spock thinks this has less than 50% chance of success, but Kirk doesn’t see any other option.  They activate the inversion drive and K’t’lk succeeds, but at the cost of her own life.  However, she has laid an egg, and her species can pass memories to their offspring so it’s not that much of a sacrifice.  The Enterprise is welcomed back by the fleet and this adventure is over.

Enterprise is greeted by the fleet!

Additional thoughts: The story presents an interesting concept.  Who wouldn’t want to be able to go faster than warp?  Warp is fast, it allows ships like the Enterprise to move about the galaxy.  However, it has its limits.  The ship’s adventures are all intra-galactic, the inversion drive would allow them to “pop” into any part of the universe they would want to.  It would be the death of distance.  

It makes sense that if the Federation were to develop something like the inversion drive, then the Klingons would have an interest in either destroying or stealing it.  My only problem is the Klingon threat shows up but has little to do with the story.  They are dealt with so easily that they are almost a footnote.  Yet the way they were destroyed was quite destructive, causing a supernova, but the crew acted like that was no big deal, just basic strategy.

I like the author taking advantage of the medium of books and allowing her imagination to come up with a character who looks like a giant spider.  Despite such, to human eyes, a ghastly appearance, K’t’lk is one of the sweetest and kindest characters you will ever meet.  True, her invention almost destroys all of reality, but she sacrifices herself to save it, sort of. 

Who would have predicted these side-effects from a device that was made for traveling the stars: having the crew be mentally displaced from their bodies and scattered about the universe for a time and almost destroying all known reality.   So, let’s talk about the threat.  I have a problem with threats to destroy the whole galaxy, universe, or multi-verse etc.  When you make the story’s conflict that big you know how it is going to end, clearly in the ongoing saga reality itself will not be destroyed. I am not saying you can’t tell good stories with those high stakes, but in order to do so you have to know those are the stakes for most of the story.  A good example of this is “The Doomsday Machine” right of the bat we are exposed to a threat that ended and entire solar system and crippled on the Enterprise’s sister ships.  So, the viewer goes in knowing that this thing the characters are facing is incredible dangerous and the Enterprise, by itself, can’t stop it. When the threat shows up right at the end, it leaves a lot to be desired.  It seems like the writer is just throwing words in to make everything seem more dangerous than it is.  This becomes especially clear when the crew quickly solves the problem to the universal level threat. This threat is big because I say it is.  Yawn. 

Should it be canon: I don’t see why not, nothing in this book contradicts what happened in the series.

Cover Art: The cover has a dark background.  On the bottom of the cover is Kirk and Spock, with Kirk on the viewers right. Behing them is K’t’lk in all her glory.  It is an okay cover.

Final Grade: Final Grade 3 of 5