Trek Novels - Star Trek: The Next Generation - Vendetta

It has been years since I’ve talked about any Star Trek novels here. Heck, it’s been years since I really delved deep into a Trek novel. I might’ve tapped myself out on Trek at some point, but I never lost that passion. I’ll do a re-run of old Trek from time to time.I’ve been trying to catch up with the rest of Discovery’s 5th season and have been watching the newest show, Starfleet Academy, on Paramount+. I’ll just say this about SFA… it’s better than I thought it would be. Maybe I’ll say a little something to help out the kids once I’m done watching it.

Anyway, I thought I’d finally read this novel. I think I bought it at this book store in Columbia, but it could’ve been McKay’s as well. It was actually stuck at my parents’ house for years until I decided to dust it off this year. I also wanted to read it because the author, Peter David, passed away last year. I’ve read quite a few of his comics and novels over the years, so I thought I might as well read one of his first tries with the TNG crew. Vendetta was released in 1991 through Pocket Books. Instead of being along with the usual batch of novels, this was a special “Giant” one. I can see why they may have done that with who’s on the cover.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Vendetta

Written by Peter David

SYNOPSIS

By the way, this is supposed to take place around the fourth season after “The Best of Both Worlds” but before “I, Borg”. The USS Enterprise-D is called to a planet that has been attacked by the Borg. Yes, the Borg making another run after their defeat at the hands of the Enterprise. When the Enterprise gets to the planet, Dantar, they find survivors and a lone, damaged Borg drone. They also find out that a Borg cube has been destroyed in orbit. Also, in a weird subplot, a couple of Ferangi ships try to barter with the other Borg ships… just guess how that went!

Picard and the crew eventually find out who destroyed the Borg vessel: Delcara, an El-Aurian with a connection to Guinan and in possession of a powerful, ancient weapon. This “Doomsday Machine” Delcara found is similar to the one Captain Kirk and the crew of the original Enterprise faced decades ago. Delcara, who shares a weird connection to Picard, wants to use the vessel to destroy the Borg entirely. It’s a nice idea if the machine didn’t also suck planets dry of life in doing so. Picard and the crew try their best to deal with the conflict between the Borg and Delcara. Also, Geordi tries to help the lone Borg survivor regain her individuality. 

OPINION

This was a pretty interesting read. I don’t know where it would compare to the rest of the Borg stories we’ve gotten since then, but this was a fine follow-up to “The Best of Both Worlds”. Peter David excelled in trying to combine different pieces of Trek lore together, and he did a good job in meshing the Borg with the Doomsday Machine. We even get a bit of an origin on why the vessel was created. I also felt like the story was a precursor to what would happen with the Borg. I got hints of Seven of Nine here with the lone Borg female. In fact, Geordie’s subplot reminded me of how he is in “I, Borg”. I wonder if someone from TNG read this book. I thought the action we got here read well and was pretty engaging. We also see a couple of other former crew members return here.

I thought the novel handled the crew well for the most part. Of course, we get a lot with Picard here. Not only do we see some of his Academy days, we get him deal with the love bug with Delcara. Even though Geordi’s subplot with Reannon (the female Borg’s original name) felt familiar, it was an interesting plot. Even though they weren’t perfect, it was cool to see where both their plots ultimately end. I also liked that Guinan had a major role to play since we’re dealing with another one of her species. Outside of Saran from Star Trek: Generations, we haven’t seen too many El-Auriens.

As for any negatives, I did think that the characterization of some crew members was weird. Picard definitely felt off with his weird connection to Delcara, and it’s not stated why that is. Geordi kinda felt the same way too. The one that really felt off was Dr. Crusher. She could normally be a bit harried on the show, but the way she was acting here was off especially with Geordi. I also couldn’t stand the Captain of the Chekov, Captain Korsmo. We find out that he and Picard were rivals in the Academy, and the jackass apparently continues it here. Korsmo feels like he popped out of the TOS era or from a novel written by Peter David. 

There’s also the Ferengi plot that comes and goes nowhere. Maybe it needed to happen in order to see another race deal with the Borg issue, but kind of felt out of place. The only time it kinda works is at the end when a Borged up Ferengi faces Picard in the final battle. I also thought Delcara herself was an alright antagonist. She (and the machine) are so obsessed with destroying the Borg that they don’t care what happens. There’s not a lot there with her character, but I did enjoy her ultimate fate. 

In the end, Vendetta was a fine read. While it now feels derivative since most of these plot points have appeared in future Trek media, it’s still cool to see what could’ve happened right after the big Borg attack on Starfleet. To me, it’s not David’s best Trek novel, but it still works. I’d definitely check it out for him… heck, check out a lot of his Trek work if you’re missing some old-school goodness. Well, I’m off to bed. I might touch on another Trek novel one day, or something else may pique my interest. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there.