STAR TREK - THE LOST ERA- SERPENTS AMONG THE RUINS

POCKET BOOKS

Written by David R. George III

Copyright 2003 by Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.



In Serpents Among the Ruins, the legendary Tomad Incident - in which thousands were killed - is finally told. Flight tests conducted for a prototype starship, the U.S.S. Universe with it's new engines, ends tragically in disaster close to the border space of the Romulan Star Empire. When the news of the observed disaster reaches the Romulans, the Romulans believe that the Federation is developing weapons of mass destruction to be used against them. As a military buildup ensues on all sides, which includes the Klingons - who want to regain the glory of their Empire - Captain John Harriman of the U.S.S. Enterprise confronts an old Romulan enemy aboard the Romulan flagship Tomad.

This is an older John Harriman of the Enterprise than the one who was shown in the movie Star Trek: Generations.  Harriman is not the insecure bumbler that he was in the movie, but a mature experienced individual who is quite at home on the Enterprise B  - and is also an almost burned-out Captain approaching the end of his career. The diplomats deal with the tense strategic negotiations between the three major powers in order to prevent another Federation/Romulan war and having the Klingons fighting for peace. Harriman, in what is basically his final mission, is sent on a classified mission by Starfleet Special Operations - which includes a young Elias Vaughn. Harriman and Vaughn are snuck aboard the Romulan Flagship Tomad, commanded by Harriman's old enemy Admiral Aventeer Vokar, deep in Romulan space - while Harriman leaves Demora Sulu in command of the Enterprise as they rotate the personal in the outposts monitoring the Romulan Neutral Zone. Vokar's desire for vengeance against his old enemy Harriman makes Harrison's mission extremely dangerous as they perform sabatouge on Vokar's ship Tomad. This mission is also sad as Harriman must undertake the mission while his father Admiral Harriman was critically injured during the U.S.S. Universe disaster. You wish that Harriman and his father the Admiral would reconcile with each other after the Admiral's injury as Admiral Harriman has been disappointed with him ever since the events of Star Trek: Generations and the book Star Trek - The Captain's Daughter. It is also sad when Vaughn is forced to kill for the first time.

This book is basically the flash point where several parts of the Star Trek universe changes after the events in the book, at least in the Star Trek literature.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - DEEP SPACE NINE - THE SOUL KEY

POCKET BOOKS

Written by Olivia Woods

Copyright 2009 by CBS Studios Inc.

The Soul Key, has insane Cardassian agent Iliana Ghemor from an alternate universe - who was trained to be the double for Kira Nerys - dreaming to be the one true Emissary of the alternate universe.

When reading about the Mirror/alternate Universe, it is often difficult to remember which universe you are in. What makes it even more difficult to keep track of which universe you are in, is that Iliana wants to conquer and eliminate all the other Kira Nerys/Iliana Ghemor in the other universes as well. With this messiah complex, Iliana also wants to gain access to the Celestial Temple so the Prophets can make her the one true emissary. Insane, power-hungry Iliana has Intendant Kira from the Mirror Universe killed and takes her place. While you recognize the other characters, it can be disorienting to see them performing in other roles. These roles are often roles that would have been appropriate for the characters if the series were revamped. We have good guys being bad guys and bad guys being good guys in the alternate universes. The crew of Deep Space Nine are now resistance fighters, with Deep Space Nine/Terok Nor targeting Cardassian cities on Bajor.

After a method of communication with the Mirror Universe is developed, Commander Vaughn is sent from our home universe to the Mirror universe to go after the insane Iliana. It is painful to see his relationship with his Mirror Universe's daughter - especially after meeting his infirmed self in the Mirror Universe. A sane Iliana Ghemor from the Mirror Universe tries to help our universe's Captain Kira Nerys in stopping her insane counterpart, despite Kira's mistrust of Iliana.

Pancho 
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - DEEP SPACE NINE - FEARFUL SYMMETRY

POCKET BOOKS

Written by Olivia Woods

Copyright 2008 by CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In Fearful Symmetry, the Jem'Hadar Taran'atar, sent by Odo, has attacked Captain Kira Nerys and has fled Deep Space Nine. Apparently he was being controlled by Iliana Ghemor from the Mirror universe. Of course Kira and the Deep Space Nine crew does not trust our universe's Iliana who wants to help Kira. After establishing contact with their counterparts in the Mirror universe, Commander Elias Vaughn and a recently healed Kira travel to the Mirror universe to stop Iliana.

This book actually has two stories. This is what I like to call for this publication branding a media flip-book - where you read the first half of the book, then flip the book over and read the second half of the book, which contains a different story. This is why there is a double cover with the back cover upside-down for the Marketing. Writer Olivia Woods replaced writer Leanna Morrow, hence the different writers on the covers. Actually I was expecting the second half of the book to be the same story told from a different point of view, but that is not the case.

The second half of the book does contain a different story still set in the Deep Space Nine universe. Iliana Ghemor is a Cardassian non-clone look-alike artist-turned-spy for Kira Nerys, so she has become a major character targeting Kira in the books set after the TV series. As a result of her prestigious parents, artist Iliana Ghemor is pursued to be recruited by the covert Cardassian intelligent agency - the Obsidian Order. After her fiance, who served in the military to sustain order as the Cardassians occupy Bajor, gets killed by Bajoran terrorists - Iliana joins the Obsidian Order. After undergoing surgery to make her look even more Bajoran, Iliana's character in the Mirror universe has been made insane by Gul Dukat manipulations and the Iliana in our home universe wants to stop her.

With two universes and several Kira/Ilianas in the stories, I get a little confused as to which universe and characters I am keeping track of, especially in the other books concerning this story.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK - DEEP SPACE NINE - WARPATH

An Original Publication of Pocket Books

Written by David Mack

Copyright 2006 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

In Warpath, Jem'Hadar Taran'atar has attacked Captain Kira Nerys and Lieutenant Ro Laren - and has fled into deep space, taking Ensign Prynn Tenmei hostage. Commander Elias Vaughn goes after Taran'atar and his daughter Prynn while the fate of Kira and Ro hangs in the balance.

It is sad to see Taran'atar return to his Jem'Hadar roots. He was a character I thought was becoming a solid member of the Deep Space Nine new series. David Mack seems to write all the stories that turn Star Trek on it's ear. As the crew of Deep Space Nine deal with Taran'atar's treachery, they do not seem surprised or disappointed as I do that he has gone and done this. Even though Vaughn is doing his duty to get Taran'atar, you could feel the love and agony he has as he searches for his kidnapped daughter and his wanting to free her. I was rather surprised that Taran'atar had kept her alive as long as he had as I suspected he would have used his Jem'Hadar logic and kill her once he got a ship to escape in. Taran'atar's conflicted torment was quite interesting as I think this is the most characterization I have seen of him in the new series.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

STAR TREK: Deep Space Nine - Mission Gamma

An Original Publication of POCKET BOOKS

Written by David R. George III

Copyright 2002 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

STAR TREK is a Registered Trademark of Paramount Pictures.


The Dominion War is over. The U.S.S. Defiant from Deep Space Nine is sent out on a deep space exploratory mission into the Gamma Quadrant. Meanwhile, the planet Bajor is on the verge of joining the Federation.

The first book of a four book series Mission Gama, Twilight is supposed to represent an optimistic future for both exploration of the Gamma Quadrant and for the prosperity of Bajor. However, the Defiant's mission to the Gamma Quadrant goes wrong when a First Contact becomes devastated by energy waves from another planet's star system. Back at Deep Space 9, Colonel Kira feels like she is being heavily scrutinized by Admiral Akaar for her command style of Deep Space 9. As much as the Bajorans want to join the Federation, things will change - and not everyone on Bajor is excited about the change to their home.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Star Trek - The Lost Era - The Art of the Impossible

POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Shuster, Inc.

Written by Keith R.A. DeCandido

Copyright 2003 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.



Star Trek's The Art of the Impossible a Lost Era book written by Keith R.A. DeCandido, is set between the Klingons and the Cardassians as they both try to be the aggressive victors in the campaign to develop a planet.

With the initial discovery of a lost Klingon colony fleet ship which crash-landed on a resource rich planet, the Klingons and the Cardassians use the discovery as a means of exploiting their political agendas. Ambassador Curzon Dax uses his influence to have both races use their abilities to develop the planet. Whoever is the most resourceful in developing the planet the most according to the Organian Peace Treaty gets to keep it.

While the Klingons seem like Klingons with their rich culture, I did not get any real feeling of what the Cardassians as a race are really like. Even with the Cardassians' sinister intelligence organization The Obsidian Order, the Cardassians are very ordinary. You do get a glimpse of Worf as a child and an insight into his real family - just before Worf's rescue by his human father at the destroyed Khitomer base, and why Worf was separated from his brother. These were rather touching scenes to me.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.