Now this is something I haven’t done in a while. One reason
I haven’t reviewed any novels here lately is because I’ve been reading some
novels instead of talking about them. There is one series of books that I’ve
recently gotten into and I think it’s time to talk about it. I was going to
hold this off until the end of the month, but I might as well get this first
book out of the way. Star Trek: New Frontier is a series of novels that was
started in 1997 by Pocket Books. From what I’ve read, the series takes place in
Trek canon and uses its own created characters and other lesser known
characters from Trek lore.
The concepts were put together by writers Peter David and
John Ordover. Peter David is the author of the first book and he pretty much
writes the whole series. Not only is he an accomplished author, he’s also an
accomplished comic book writer who’s worked on books like The Incredible Hulk,
X-Factor, Spider-Man, and Star Trek. I
got into his well-received Incredible Hulk run through a podcast called
PADSmash: an Incredible Hulk Podcast. I also heard New Frontier get a good word
on another podcast, so I looked for the series at McKay’s. The books were
really cheap, so I bought the first 8-10 books. So, let me see how this first
book fares.
Star Trek: New Frontier – House of Cards
Author: Peter David
QUICK BLURB: The Federation must put a new crew together
when the Thallonian Empire falls. We also get flashbacks on some of the main characters.
SYNOPSIS
About a quarter of the book is full of flashbacks that
center on three crew members: Mackenzie Calhoun, Soleta, and Dr. Selar. The
rest of the book takes place in present
day.
Mackenzie Calhoun’s flashback takes place about 20 years ago
on his home planet of Xennex. On his planet, he was known as Mk'k'n'zy of Calhoun. He led a rebellion
that fought against the Danteri, a race that occupied their planet years ago. We see him fight some of Danterian soldiers and we also find out how he got that scar on his face. His life changes when the Federation
sends the Stargazer to end the conflict. Mk’k'n’zy meets a younger Jean-Luc
Picard and Jake Crusher. After the negotiations take place, Captain Picard
suggests that Mk’k’n’zy join Starfleet someday after all the conflict ends.
Soleta’s (half-Vulcan, half-_______) flashback occurs about
10 years ago when she is on Thallon, the head planet of the Thallonion Empire.
She’s on the planet doing research which isn’t necessarily good since the
Thallonians aren’t a part of the Federation. When she is captured by the ruling
family, she is locked in jail. She then gets another cellmate: a disguised
Spock who was trying to get a look at the empire’s status. She and Spock escape but get caught by Si
Cwan, a member of the ruling family. Si Cwan decides to let them go since their
escape will tick off another family member. Selar’s (Vulcan) flashback takes place 2 years
ago. She is on Vulcan going through the pon’farr. She’s with her betrothed when he
suddenly dies of a heart attack. Because of this, she shuns all emotion and becomes even colder
than most Vulcans.
We then come to the present day where the Thallonian Empire
has fallen. On the Enterprise-E, Captain Picard and his crew are heading to a
starbase that’s on the edge of Sector 221-G. When they get to the starbase, Riker
and Picard meet up with an old “friend” of Riker’s, Admiral Edward Jellico.
They also meet with Admiral Nacheyev, Ryjann of the Danteri, Si Cwan, and Ambassador
Spock. They all talk about the situation in the unexplored sector. It’s fallen
into chaos since the empire fell. Si Cwan, who’s the only surviving member of
the ruling family, asks the Federation for assistance.
Eventually, Riker puts out an idea of sending a ship into
the sector. It’s met with some resistance since this is around the time where
the Borg attacked Earth for the second time. After some discussion, the idea is
accepted and the ship that’s chosen is the Excalibur. Si Cwan wants to have a
place on the ship, but the Federation says no. Picard suggests that Calhoun to
command the ship since his planet is close to that sector, but Jellico
disagrees. Apparently, Caulhoun is a bit of a troublemaker and not in Starfleet
anymore. After the meeting ends, Nachayez tells Picard that Calhoun is actually
doing undercover work for Starfleet and she tells him where he is.
On Mojave Station, Picard finds Calhoun in a sticky
situation with some Orions. After they leave, Picard asks Calhoun to come back
to Starfleet and command the Excalibur. Calhoun is reluctant at first but
Picard is able to sway him with one his awesome speeches. Calhoun also sees
this as a way to tick off Admiral Jellico some more. On Earth, we catch up with
Soleta who is now a teacher at Starfleet Academy. She is offered the position
of Science Officer since she was one of the only people who’s been in
Thallonian space. She tries to decline, but they order her to go. After she
gets her orders, she gets held at gunpoint by an unknown assailant.
OPINION
This was actually a pretty nice read. Since the book was
only about 180 pages, I was able to slog through it especially when it got to
my favorite parts. This first book is akin to a pilot for a TV show. In fact,
it’s a lot like most pilots from Trek series. Here, we have Picard, Riker, and
Spock making an appearance a lot like how Picard made an appearance in the DS9
pilot. The writing is pretty good. David was able to get me to care about the
new characters that were introduced. He also kept the existing characters from
the TV show in character for the most part. He even made some aspects of this
new sector interesting.
The characters introduced here were interesting for the most
part. Calhoun is probably the most interesting of the four introduced. He’s
like a mix between James Kirk, Han Solo, and Major Kira. I know that last name
feels thrown in, but it’s a weird combination that kind of works. The rest of
the newer characters are also pretty interesting. Selar’s situation is becomes
a bit of a running subplot in the later books. All I will say is that it is
pretty… different. My favorite part of the book was the meeting between Picard
and the others. It was pretty funny.
I don’t have too many issues with the book. Some info in the
flashbacks is a little bland, but the good material helped them move along.
Also, while I liked the meeting on the starbase, Picard and Riker did sound a
little out of character. It was just a little bit though. Other than those
minor things, I really liked this first book. It’s a good introduction to this
new situation. Since the next three books in the series are about the same
length as this one, I’ll be looking at them eventually. Next time will be a
little different as I look at a book that brought back a fan favorite.
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