The Reader's Shelf: Star Trek®: The Text Generation

Editor: Nancy Pearl -- Library Journal, 5/15/2004

How many TV shows have lasted a combined 27 years in five different formats and been the basis for ten feature films? When Gene Roddenberry's sf series, Star Trek ^®, made its debut on NBC in 1966, little did anyone guess the far-reaching impact it would have on the popular imagination. Many theories abound as to why a TV program that barely ran three years could create such a huge phenomenon, but the essence of its success lies in the terrific characters and the stories that echo humanity's continuing struggles.

The novels began appearing in the mid-1970s, when there was no hope on the television horizon for more Star Trek ^® programs. By the end of 2004, there will be over 450 published Star Trek ^® novels, short story compendiums, and ebooks. While not as essential a lifeline as they were back then, the books still resound with great plots and characters Trek fans have come to expect.

Before you begin to explore these series, know that these books do not have to be read in numerical order, even though some of the novels have numbers following the title. These numbers are solely for identification purposes. Each novel can be enjoyed based on its individual merits and not on where it falls in the numerical sequence.

One of the best novels that draws on the original TV series with Capt. James T. Kirk is PRIME DIRECTIVE by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens (o.p.). Things go horribly wrong for the Enterprise's mission to the planet Talin IV when the planet is engulfed in a nuclear holocaust and the starship nearly ends up as debris. Because he violated the Prime Directive and destroyed a world, Kirk and crewmembers Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekhov are thrown out of the service. Scotty stays on board the wrecked Enterprise to try to make her space-worthy again. To prove their innocence and reclaim their lives and careers, Kirk and company will go to enormous lengths to return to Talin IV and discover the truth of what transpired.

If Captain Picard and the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation®, which ran on network television from 1987 to 1994, are more to your taste, then read Peter David's IMZADI FOREVER (Star Trek: S. & S. 2003. ISBN 0-7434-8510-6. pap. $9.95), a compilation of two earlier novels, Imzadi and Imzadi II Triangle. In the first book, Counselor Deanna Troi dies under mysterious circumstances, and 40 years later Admiral William Riker is still distraught. Called to Betazed, Deanna's home planet, to attend her dying mother, Lwaxanna, Riker reflects back on how he met Deanna and became her imzadi ("beloved"). Chastised by Lwaxanna, Riker decides on a bold move that will change the fate of the entire galaxy as well as the woman he loves. The second novel deals with Lt. Commander Worf and his relationship to both his deceased wife and Counselor Troi.

Even though the TV series has ended, fans of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ^® will be happy to know that the story line continues in print. Beginning with S.D. Perry's AVATAR (Star Trek: S. & S. 2001. ISBN 0-7434-0050-X. pap. $6.99), the new "season" concludes in grand fashion with Perry's UNITY (Star Trek: S. & S. 2003. ISBN 0-7434-4840-5. $23.95). The finale has tons of material to wrap up, including the arrival of Kai Opaka to the station (yes, she is still alive), the paranoia surrounding the new enemy that has invaded DS9, the arrival of the starship Defiant back from the Alpha Quadrant, and the pending birth of the Emissary's child.

Star Trek: Voyager ® fans can rejoice as well. Now that the Voyager crew has made it home, their continuing adventures on Earth can be found in bookstores and libraries, starting with Christie Golden's HOMECOMING (Star Trek: S. & S. 2003. ISBN 0-7434-6754-X. pap. $6.99) and continuing with her THE FARTHER SHORE (Star Trek: S. & S. 2003. ISBN 0-7434-6755-8. pap. $6.99). Problems arise as soon as Admiral Kathryn Janeway and company return, making some of them wish they were still in the Delta Quadrant, where problems with the Borg continue unabated.

Trek novels are not just based on the familiar TV programs. Peter David, the author of numerous Star Trek: The Next Generation ® books, has created an original series of his own. Now compiled into one giant omnibus edition, NEW FRONTIER (Star Trek: S. & S. 1998. ISBN 0-671-01978-3. $15), the first four novels in David's "New Frontier" series—House of Cards, Into the Void, The Two-Front War, and End Game—relate the ongoing adventures of Capt. Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the starship Excalibur. Assigned to Sector 221-G, the ship patrols the remains of what was the mighty Thallonian Empire. Part spoof and part sex romp, this volume features characters that are top-notch and live up to the ideals set by producer Roddenberry.

Another new series deals with the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, the best team of troubleshooters in the quadrant, who operate under the supervision of Montgomery ("Scotty") Scott from his Starfleet office. Starring Capt. David Gold and the crew of the U.S.S. da Vinci, the first four novellas (some previously only available in ebook format) have been collected in HAVE TECH, WILL TRAVEL (Star Trek: S. & S. 2002. ISBN 0-7434-3996-1. pap. $6.99), by Keith R.A. DeCandido and others. In the first tale, Dean Wesley Smith's "The Belly of the Beast," a giant sphere battles Captain Picard's ship for several hours until it is disabled by a stroke of luck. The crew of the da Vinci and engineer Geordi take charge to investigate the gigantic remains, which holds a sinister and deadly secret.