Book: VOY: Unworthy by Kristen Beyer

The Delta fleet has launched with it's newly installed slipstream drive. However, many of the prominent figures on the expedition have closely held secrets- including Commander Tom Paris. How will these secrets affect first contact with a new symbiotic species group, and how will Seven' mental health be affected by that first contact?

Episode: ENT: Similtude

An engineering experiment gone awry leaves Trip with incurable brain damage. Phlox proposes and unorthodox treatment: growing a fast growing symbiont to provide needed neural tissue. Ethics are brought into question when it's discovered that, contrary to Phlox's original assessment, the symbiont would have to die to save Trip's life. The resolution of this story left me with a bad taste in my mouth (spoilers follow). It's as if you had a kid with two bad kidneys, decided to have another kid and donate his kidney, and when he is born with only one good kidney say "Sorry kid. The only reason we had you was to give Big Sib your kidney. Yoink!"

Book: Titan: Synthesis by James Swallow

Having left the water world Droplet, with one more soul aboard, Titan comes upon a binary system that is populated by sentient machines. The machines are fighting subspace incursions, and t=when the genesis of the incursions is revealed, so is the genesis of the machines. The book ends with the question unanswered as to whether Titan has gained another crew member or not.

ENT: Shipment, Twilight, North Star

In Shipment, the Enterpirse has followed the lead of Psychic Stalker Alien to a planet with a ketracite production facility which provided the fuel for the weapons both lainched and preparing to be launched against Earth. However, when Archer learns that the colonists had no idea what the ketracite was being used for, he has to learn to trust Xindi.
Twilight begins with Captain Archer waking up, shocked to find himself in Forks, WA , surrounded by vampires who.....oops- to find himself on an unknown planet, with T'Pol making him breakfast. In the course of her narrative, he discovers that 12 years previously he had been infected by parasites that prevented him from forming any new short term memories, the Xindi had destroyed most of humanity, the rag tag fugitive fleet of surviving humans had relocated to...Ceti Alpha V! You know that of course, before the end of the episode they find a way to restore history to what had been.
I can see the planning meetings for North Star. "What if we had some humans who had relocated far away from Earth, and lived like cowboys? Then we'd have...Firef...and episode of Enterprise!" Enough said.

ENT: Exile

Hoshi, alone in her quarters, hears a strange voice calling to her. At the same time, T'Pol has found evidence of another sphere in the Expanse. The voice continues to haunt Hoshi, and soon takes control of her consoles too. Hoshi tells Archer she feels compelled to find the s
trange telepathic alien who is calling to her, but he is only convinced when the alien promises information about the Xindi. The alien turns out to be an exile from his people, who fear telepaths. Of course, he is not so eager to let Hoshi go. She is returned safely, and T'Pol makes a shocking discovery about the Expanse spheres.

ENT: Impulse

The Enterprise receives a distress call from a Vulcan ship formerly lost in the Expanse. When the landing party arrives, they discover they have walked into a Romero like setting of crazy, pustulant Vulcans. As their Night of the living Vulcans continues, Phlox discovers the Vulcan madness is caused by Trellium D, the only substance which can shield the ship from the Expanse's anomalies. The episode ends with Archer assuring T'Pol they will find a way to shield the ship AND keep her sane.

ENT: Rajiin

In Our Mrs Archer, the search for both the elusive Xindi and and anomaly shielding trellium D brings the Enterprise to a trading post, where Trip gets a formula for trellium D and Archer gains a mysterious slave woman. As Trip and T'Pol heat up the shielding formula ( among other things) we learn that Saff....Rajiin has more to her than meets the eye.

TOS: Return of the Archons, Space Seed

In Return of the Archons, the Enterprise is sent to investigate the disappearance of a Starship crew. Aside from being another one of Roddenberry's thinly veiled attacks on religious thought (your god is a computer, see!), it recycles the classic "Kirk blinds the computer with illogic' plot twist.

Space Seed is THE classic TOS episode. Even my non Trekkie grandma would watch that one ( no reason to ask why). A wonderful episode with a wonderful actor, which spawned ( in this re viewer's opinion) the best of the Star Trek movies.

ENT:Extinction

While still on the search for the Xindi, the crew sends an away team to an uninhabited planet. Soon after landing, all of the party but T'Pol begin to change. While Phlox tries to discern the best way to deal with the issue, an alien ship and threatens to destroy the Enterprises infected crew members. The aliens are instructive however as the Enterprise crew learn that the planet's long gone inhabitants, the Louque'que, had become sterile and in a bid to avoid extinction, introduced a mutagenic virus into the planet's atmosphere that turned other humanoids into members of their race. Naturally they are able to retrieve their crew without any losses, while sending a cure along with the aliens.

ENT: Xinid and Anomoly

Part of the ongoing story arc of Archer's search for the Xindi home world. Archer gets word of a miner who has a Xindi worker. As Trip and the Enterprise crew deal with the challenge of The Expanse's quirks, Archer and Malcolm attempt to gather information about and from the Xindi miner. The mining operation turns out to be staffed with less than willing workers, and the foreman is not ready to let the Xindi- or a ship full of potential labor- escape.
The Anomaly has the Enterprise fighting both the laws of physics and pirates. Archer gains important information about the Xindi, but at the prise of a piece of his humanity.

Book: DS9: Fearful Symmetry by Olivia Woods

A book in two parts- one, the story of Kira Nerys; the other, of Illiana Ghemor. Two women- one a privileged daughter of the occupiers upper class, the other one of the occupied. The Obsidian Order attempts to intertwine their fates, but Skrain Dukat steps in and their plans go terribly wrong.

ENT: Bounty, The Expanse

In Bounty, Archer is taken in by a Tellarite who charms him with his friendly, helpful attitude ( yes, we're suspicious already). The Tellarite turns out to be a bounty hunter working for the Klingons, who had impounded his ship some years ago. When he finds out what the Klingons have done to his ship, his loyalties change.
The Expanse starts out with a probe launching a horrific attack on Earth. When watching the opening, we debated whether it was actually Earth- as the DM pointed out, "if such an attack had taken place on Earth, it would have been mentioned. Surely they wouldn't add such an event to Earth history retroactively." But oh yes, they would. The Suliban arrive and take Archer to hear a message from the future- the attackers are the Xindi, and it a a preemptive strike against an attack the Federation will make in 400 years. The season ends with Archer and the crew of the Enterprise in search of the enigmatic Xindi.

ENT: First Flight

Archer and Trip learn that an old colleague, the first man to break the Warp 2 barrier, had died in a mountain climbing accident. Whilst Archer and T'Pol do in the shuttlepod to investigate some suspected dark matter, Archer tells her in flashbacks about hid friend A.G.'s flight.

ENT: Regeneration

An episode which attempts to explain the disposition of the Borg Sphere that crashed in First Contact, and bring the ever popular Borg into Enterprise, whilst not stepping all over canon? Just don't say the word Borg and it will all be alright.

Star Trek: Early Voyages Omnibus by IDW

This fantastic graphic collection showcases the voyages of Pike's Enterprise: before, during, and after The Cage. The 17 issues in the volume were written by Ian Edgington and Dave Abnett, with pencils by Patrick Zircher and inks by Greg Adams. The story starts with Chris Pike taking over the Enterprise from Robert April, choosing his crew, and ends before his tragic accident.

ENT: Cogenitor

An episode that looks at non-interference and tolerance for other's mating practices. The Enterprise is studying a super-gas giant planet, and discover a more advanced race is doing the same. They find themselves sharing technology, information, and culture...until Trip discovers that he cannot sanction their mating practices. The Vissians are tri gendered, but the third gender is treated like an animal. When Trip interferes, the repercussions are harsh.

IDW: Star Trek TNG: The Last Generation

The Myriad Universes storyline crosses over into the graphic world in this offering from IDW. Featuring characters that in our universe would be the crew of the Enterprise D, it weaves in Captain Sulu of the Excelsior and Rachel Garret. A mysterious ship, the Excelsior, has been harrying the Alliance like a ghost. A single man has tried, over and over, to change the timeline. But Picard and his faithful prove to be the stronger in the struggle for temporal control of the MU.

Book: DS9: Soul Key by Olivia Woods

Following on the events of Fearful Symmetry, Soul Key takes place in both ours and the mirror universes. Illiana Ghemor, who had her life and identity taken from her as a surgically altered operative of The Obsidian Order, is mad and bent on revenge. Her vengeance is not confined to her own universe, but to all universe in which Kira Nerys still exists. Like all MU stories, one of the most enjoyable aspects of this story is seeing dead characters brought back to life and familiar characters react to a different life and environment.

Sar Trek Phase 2: The Lost Series

This book by Judith and Garfield Reese- Stevens looks at the Star Trek that never was-the failed 1970's series that eventually became Star Trek: The Motion Picture. From a failed networks, failed scripts, and failed working relationships came a movie and many ideas and characters that found their way into the genesis of Star Trek The Next Generation. Points of interest in this book are the script writing bible and scripts from episodes of Phase 2. An interesting read for anyone who wants to know everything there is to know about Star Trek.

ENT: The Breach

The Denobulan Science Directorate asks the Enterprise to fetch three of their geologists from a planet that is no longer friendly to outsiders. Trip, Reed, and Mayweather are sent to rescue the geologists, and while Enterprise waits a freighter that is leaving the planet experiences core containment issues. When they injured are brought into sickbay, we discover that one of the species represented is an Antaran- the Denobulan's long time enemies. Much healing will have to occur before the healer can heal.

ENT: Horizon

Admiral Forrest orders to Enterprise to turn back to take sensor readings of a planetary cataclysm. The trip will take them within 10 lightyears of Mayweather's family cargo ship, The Horizon, and he asks for leave to go visit his family. His last conversations with his family told him his father was ill, but it was nothing to worry about. En route to the Horizon, he gets a communication telling him his father had died six weeks prior. When he reaches the ship Travis finds his younger brother, now captain of the Horizon, resentful of his attempts to upgrade the ship. An encounter with pirates forces his brother to appreciate what Travis's Starfleet experience has to offer.

ENT: Justice and TOS: Court Martial

Funny how our nightly viewing pairs up sometimes.
In Justice, we open with Archer in a Klingon courtroom, where he is on trial for being a threat to the Klingon Empire. We are told the story in flashbacks, both his, and a Captain Duras's. The Enterprise had rendered aid to a ship full of starving subjects of the Empire. Archer's Advocate, brilliantly played by JG Hertzler, manages to get Archer's death sentence commuted- then gets thrown into Rura Penthe with him. When the Enterprise makes it's predictable rescue, he elects to stay behind to try and remind Klingons of their former honor.
Court Martial starts with the Enterprise at Starbase 11, in for repairs after an ion storm. Kirk has the unhappy task of writing a report on the death of his old friend, Ben Finney. Things take a bad turn when the computer record shows a different story than the one in Kirk's report- and that Kirk had caused Finney' death. As the court martial progresses, Spock discovers a computer anomaly that allows him to prove Kirk's innocence. Wacky tech note- a "microphone" that produces white noise that cancels out people's heartbeats, even when it's no longer in front of them? Riiiight.

ENT: The Crossing

The Enterprise is pursued by a craft many time larger than it is. The craft opens a large cargo door and essentially swallows Enterprise. Archer, Trip and Reed leave the ship to explore the alien ship, and discover strange wispy life forms that do not register on their tricorders. One of the wisps enters Trips head, and he recounts re-experiencing a moment on Earth. Back on the Enterprise, the wisp re-enters him and tries some Earth cuisine. The being informs Archer that they used to be corporeal too, but having evolved beyond that eons ago, they wanted to re-experience it. At ho9s request, the being leaves Trip and sets Enterprise free. However, it soon becomes apparent that the beings were not all they seem, and extreme measures will be taken to save the crew from alien possession.

ENT: Future Tense, Canamar

Future Tense- a story about the Suliban, theTholians, and a mysterious ship. The Enterprise finds the wreckage of a mysterious ship and transport it into their cargo bay. before their investigations get very far, they are hailed by a Suliban ship claiming they have a previous salvage claim on the ship. As the Enterprise tries to evade the Suliban on their way to a rendezvous point with the Vulcans, they continue their investigations of the wreckage. Phlox discovers that the pilot is not just human, as first thought, but a combination of several species, including Vulcan. T'Pol is not amused. Trip and Reed discover that the mysterious ship is bigger on the inside. The Suliban are joined in their pursuit of the Enterprise by the Tholians. A battle ensues, and as the Tholians make good their escape with the timeship in their tractor beam, it dematerialises. A very original concept.
Canamar is another "mistaken identity results in unjust incarceration" stories. Which means there is not much for me to say, because you can imagine how much I loved that one.

TOS: Tomorrow is Yesterday

En route to Starbase 9, the Enterprise is caught in the gravitational pull of a "black star"; when they run the warp engines in full reverse it slingshots them around a star and back in time- to the late 1960's. Air Force Pilot John Christopher is sent to investigate the "UFO" and when the Enterprise attempts to hold him in their tractor beam, it breaks his ship apart, forcing them to beam him aboard. At first Kirk tells him they can't return him to Earth, due to the risk of contamination of the timeline. But Spock's investigations show that one of Christopher's children will make important contributions to the future- and Captain Christopher does not have a son ( yet!) Several beam downs and potential condemnations occur before they devise a way to return everyone to their won time and space- with the future still unknown.

ENT: Cease Fire

The conflict between the Vulcans and Andorians continues in this episode. Once again the Vulcans are shown as the violent, rapacious race, proving that they have a long way to go until they are the logical race of the TOS era. This episode has a great guest cast- Susie Plakson, Jeffrey Combs, and Gary Graham. The story ends with the hope that the Vulcans and Andorians are on their way to resolving their conflicts.

IDW Graphic Novels: Countdown and Year 4

Countdown is an essential graphic work for anyone who was confused by the Star Trek movie. This story is by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, and is adapted for graphic form by Mike Johnson and Tim Jones. This book draws the crew of the Enterprise E, captained by a Data rebooted from the B4 model (something of a stretch IMO). We find out how Nero and his crew came to be the bald, tattooed Romulans we saw in the movie, and more about Spock's life on Romulus.

Year 4 is a graphic continuation of the Original Series, after the events involving Janice Lester. All stories are written by David Tischman. Some of the stories are a lacking in originality but are in all a good set of tales. One story, in particular,is an obvious homage to the write in campaign that saved Star Trek back in the day. A treat in this collection is the presence of characters we met in the Animated series, such as Arex and M'Ress.

TOS: Arena

What can be said about this iconic episode? One of the classic episodes. It's got Manly Kirk, and alien in a bad rubber suit, papier mache rocks, and Bronson Canyon. This episode is a piece of our cultural landscape.

ENT: Stigma

In which we learn that T'Pol has a disease known as Pa'Ran Syndrome, a disease transmitted through mind melds. Phlox has exhausted all the treatment options at his disposal, and wants to take advantage of the Interspecies Medical Exchange conference to update his research. Porblem- in this time period mind melding is considered socially unacceptable. When lying fails, and the VMD discovers that T'Pol has Pa"ran sybdrome, she is recalled. Archer demands a hearing, which leaves T'Pol still on the Enterprise but another Vulcan's future is uncertain.
This is one of those episodes that whacks you about the head with it's moral. While I understand and agree with the "moral of the story", sometimes the way Star Trek addresses issues is tiresome.

ENT: Precious Cargo, The Catwalk, Dawn

Precious Cargo has the Enterprise taking two aliens into their shuttle bay to offer assistance with repairs to their ship and a stasis unit. When the stasis unit malfunctions and Trip breaks the resident out, he eventually learns that the occupant is not a passenger, but the crown sovereign of Krios, who has been taken for ransom. By this time, the alien captain has left Enterprise and Trip and the Princess must escape. They steal an escape pod and land on a nearby swampy moon, during which time Trip and the Princess have many Han and Leia moments. Although he rescues her, her planet's laws will not allow her to fraternise with him- but she hunts that she could be in position to change those laws soon.
You would think Archer would learn, but in The Catwalk he is once again allowing aliens on board to offer assistance. This time the aliens have warned him of a neutronic storm front approaching and they ask sanctuary. T'Pol and Phlox inform Archer that the storm fron, which they cannot outrun, will kill all organic life on the ship within 3 minutes of exposure. Trip opines that they will be able to survive in "The Catwalk" ( cue the Right Said Fred); the service shaft that runs along each nacelle. However, this requires the warp drive to be shut down, three days into their 8 day confinement, the warp engines come online and Trip discovers a contingent of the same aliens who warned them of the stormfront. Was it a ploy, or were those aliens on the run?

In Dawn, Trip is testing the shuttlepod's autopilot in the orbits of a gas giant's many moons. An unidentified alien ship attacks, and they both crash land on one of the moons. Both their ships and transceivers are interfered with by the selenium isotopes in the moon's crust. When they make contact with the assailant's "mother ship" T'Pol reveals that the race, the Arkonians, is one the Vulcans were unable to establish long term diplomatic relationships with. Despite that they agree to work with Enterprise to find their respective ships. Time is short because the temperature difference between day and night on the moons is extreme- and the missing men must be found before the sun comes up. Because THAT'S original. Trip and the alien get all "Enemy Mine" while their ships search and rescue.

ENT: Singularity and Vanishing Point

IN Singularity, the Enterprise is heading to investigate a black hole in an unusual location, between two stars. As the two day journey to study this unusual occurrence progresses, thew crew acts increasingly erratic and obsessive. Trip wants to build the perfect Captain's chair, reed wants to institute "Reed Alert", Hoshi wants to make the perfect meal, and Phlox just wants to slice up Travis's brain. Of course, T'Pol is the only one not affected, and she uses her knowledge of human physiology to wake Archer enough to help her pilot out of the radiation causing the damage. After everyone recovers, Archer decides that some things were fine the way they were, (His old chair, lowered 2 cm) but that some changes, like Reed's "tactical alert" may just save the day.
"Vanishing Point" sees Trip and Hoshi on the surface of an alien planet, apparently devoid of life, examining the inhabitants ruins. When an approaching polaric storm requires them to be beamed up, Hoshi is anxious. Her anxiety is not alleviated after her return to the Enterprise, when she finds herself increasingly invisible, until she completely vanishes. The end is one I won;t reveal, but that I consider something of a cheat.

ENT: "Marauders" and "The Communicator"

Mauraders has the Enterprise trying to purchase deuterium from a processing facility on a desert planet. Plucky kid on desert planet inspires Anakin jokes. The miners seem scared and unable to part with their deuterium, ands insistent the Enterprise be gone within 2 days. When Archer learns that the Klingons have been putting the squeeze on the colonists, he helps them squeeze back.
In "The Communicator", Malcolm leaves his communicator behind when he, Hoshi, and Archer had gone incognito to explore a prewarp planet. When he and Archer to to retrieve it, they cause a greater cultural contamination than they had tried to prevent, and place their live in danger in the process.

ENT:The Seventh

A middle of the night transmission to T'Pol sends her on a secret mission by request of the Vulcan High Command. She asks Archer to accompany her and Travis, and that his presence be kept secret from High Command. T'Pol reveals that she is in search of Menos, a surgically altered operative -turned -fugitive she had been sent to retrieve 17 years ago. As her emotional recall falters, her banished memories resurface, causing to T'Pol to act irrationally.Archer's presence is much needed by T'Pol as a touchstone in turbulent moments.

TOS : The Squire of Gothos

When Sulu disappears from the bridge, Kirk is also transported away. When sensors are unable to detect them, Spock, Bones and two minor characters transport down to the planet to look for them. there they find an old fashioned Earth style castle and a capricious entity known as Trelane. When Trelane discovers that members of "the fairer sex (gag) are aboard the Enterprise, he transports down the entire bridge crew, including Uhura and the miniskirted yoeman of the week, for his own entertainment. When Kirk realises that Trelane draws his power from his mirror, he goads them into a duel, shooting the mirror instead. However, returning to the ship does not guarantee escape. Kirk is able to escape, eventually, with the help of some even more superior beings.
Note of interest: Kirk describes Trelane's vision of Earth as being 900 years out of date, proof of a writer that can't so math. It's more like 400.

Book: TOS: Troblesome Minds by Dave Galantar

A well written and mostly enjoyable book with a certain lack of originality. The Enterprise encounters a telepathic alien race that does not have the apparatus for speech (Dark Page, anyone?). In the course of trying to establish communications with the Isitri, Spock gives an dangerously powerful alien an inroad to control him telepathically. Spock the steals a shuttle ( seriously, why do they not have shuttles on lock down?), placing the Enterprise and two warring alien races in danger. Only with the help of another powerful "troublesome mind" can the Enterprise crew save two alien races from annihilation.
Note of interest: In his real life, authour Dave Galantar is an employee of Gallaudat University, which inspired him to create a race that communicates with other races through sign.

ENT: A Night in Sick Bay

Nothing could thrill my kids more- an episode dedicated to the character they consider the star of the show- Porthos. But wait. The show focuses on Porthos because his life is in danger from and alien pathogen picked up on Kretaasa. And while he was there, he was not just picking up alien pathogens, but peeing on one of the Kretaasan's sacred trees. Which Archer must apologise for, because Trip needs to trade for one of the Kretaasan's plasma injectors. After enduring much humiliation at both the hands of Doctor Phlox and the Kretaasans, Porthos is well, and Trip has not one but three plasma injectors.

ENT: Dead Stop

Still trying to effect repairs after their experience with the Romulan minefield, Trip tells Archer that the repair estimate may be years. Archer has Hoshi send out a general distress call, and a passing Tellarite freighter sends them to co-ordinates to a repair facility. The facility they find is fully automated, and able to adjust both it's atmosphere and outer configuration to match the customers. The repair deal seems to good to be true- and they discover it is after Travis is found dead. When Phlox's autopsy shows that it's a fake Travis, Archer goes searching for him and finds him in the Matrix.

TOS: The Galileo Seven

While en route to New Paris with a vaccine for an epidemic, the Enterprise encounters a quasar. Much to the dismay of the officious commissioner Ferris, Kirk enacts his sacred Starfleet duty to study any and all quasars. Kirk sends out the Galileo Seven with Spock in command. Ionic storms confuse the sensors, causing the Galileo to crash land in Bronson Canyon. While Spock tries to find the most logical way to get as many of the crew as possible off the planet alive, Bones, the scientist Boma and the redshirts decry Spock's lack of a heart. Meanwhile, Kirk searches for his missing crew, but Ferris has only given him two days before they must leave for New Paris and the clock is ticking. After being attacked by primitives that make Classic Who monsters look good, the decision about who to leave behind to achieve lift off is made much easier. IN the end, an act of desperation by Spock allows the remaining crew of the Galileo Seven to be rescued.

Book: Vanguard: Open Secrets

Commodore Diego Reyes has caused an uproar and ended his career by releasing details of Starfleet's true mission in the Taurus Reach. T'Prynn is still comatose, suffering the effects of pon farr gone wrong, and Doctor M'Benga embarks on a journey to Vulcan with her to seek a cure.The Klingons kidnap Lt Ming Xiong in an attempt to gain the secrets of the Shedai for themselves. A new commander has come to take command of Vanguard station- Admiral Nogura. Happily, the book was short on actual Shedai action, as I find that much less compelling than the interesting characters in this series.

ENT: Minefield

An episode which had the potential to be tiresome, but which was done well. The Enterprise is investigating a Minshara class planet when it it struck by a mine. Malcolm goes EVA to diffuse the mine, but when he is struck through the leg with a magnetised spike from the mine Archer comes out to assist, and learns much about Malcolm in the process. Meanwhile, an injured Hoshi must translate a message from a new race- the Romulan Star Empire.

ENT: Carbon Creek

I really enjoyed this episode! Maybe it's because I just like Vulcans- or maybe because it was an enjoyable tale. At a dinner with Trip and Archer celebrating her first year aboard Enterprise, Archer asks T'Pol about a trip she had made to Carbon Creek, Pennsylvaia. T'Pol tells a tale of first contact that occurs almost a century before Zefram Cochrane's contact in Bozeman, Montana. Although she leaves Trip and Archer with the impression that it was "just a story", the episode doesn't end before leaving the viewer with the impression she was telling the truth.

ENT: Shockwave

When the Enterprise attempts to visit the mining colony at Paraagan II, a plasma ignition destroys the colony and more than 3000 colonists. The Enterprise is recalled to Earth, but Archer eels sure Enterprise is not responsible for the tragedy. A visit from Crewman Daniels, who was believed dead, reveals that the Suliban were involved. Archer risks not just his crew and his life, but the future, to prove his innocence.

Book:Titan: Over A Torrent Sea

The Borg have been absorbed into the Caeliar, and the Federation is inching back from the brink of near destruction. The Titan and her sister Luna class ships can resume their intedned missions- to explore far beyond that reaches that have been explored before. The discovery of a water planet brings the skills of Pacifican ensign Auli Lavenna to the fore. A disaster leaves the contact situation in chaos, and Riker and Troi seperated at a most important time.

Book: Voyager: Full Circlle by Kristen Beyer

This book follows the lives of the Voyager's crew following the Borg Invasion detailed in the Destiny series. With the Enterprise shattered, the Federation had an audacious plan to determine if the Borg threat are really gone. What members of the shattered Voyager crew will be a part of this mission? How can the Federatio, and it's individual citizens, recover from such loss. Is Miral Paris really the Kuvagh'Mah, and what does this mean for her?

ENT: Two Days and Two Nights and TOS:Shore Leave

Happy coincidence had us watching these back to back. Both carry the same common theme: Shore leave is rarely as relaxing as it is supposed to be. (Of course, if it were, it would not be worthy of an episode and we would simply have a Captain's Log saying, "after an uneventful shore leave, we are on route to excitement".) Shore Leave is one of the classic episodes. It shows the different sides of the crew- we see the romantic in McCoy, and we even see a Spock that is not in control enough of his thoughts to keep himself from thinking of danger when merely doing so causes it to be. Two Days and Two Nights was one of the funniest episodes of Enterprise I have seen so far. It gives us a glimpse into why "what happens on Risa, stays on Risa".

ENT: Desert Crossing

The Enterprise answers a distress call, and when they accept the hospitality of the captain they rendered aid to it has unexpected consequences. Yet another episode which makes mention of the need for earth ships to have a directive about interactions with alien cultures.

TOS: Blanace of Terror

Simply put, Star Trek just does not get better than this. Action, drama, love, loss, strategy and a worthy foe. And Mark Lenard.

Ent: Fallen Hero

The Enterprises Shore leave is sidetracked when the Vulcan High command asks them to detour to Mazar retrieve the Vulcan Ambassador V'Lar, and then rendezvous with the Vulcan ship Sh'Raan for transfer. When they find themselves persued by Mazar ships , Archer realises there is more to Ambassador V'Lar's presence there than meets the eye. V'Lar, portrayed flawlessly by Fionulla Flanagan has got to be one of my favorite Vulcan characters, in all the series.

Enterprise: Detained, Vox Sola

Detained started out with two strikes against it in my eyes. I don't like "prison" episodes, and I don't like the Suliban. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this episode. It did a nice job a drawing a parallel with the Japenese internment camps of WWII, and was surprisingly open about the historical lesson it was trying to teach instead of being coy.

Vox Sola concerns an alien presence which takes over cargo Bay 2, and 5 of the crew. there is also the matter of a misunderstanding between the Kreetassans and the Enterprise crew, concerning the human's shameful mating like behaviour of eating in public ( makes you wonder...) surprisingly, all the red shirts survive.

Enterprise:Oasis

IN search of engineering supplies, Archer negotiates with an alien trader. The trader cannot get them supplies, but knows of a derelict ship where they may claim "rights of salvage". Of course, the ship is haunted. The away team discovers that indeed, the ship is not empty, despite the lack of biosigns. A dampening field seems to explain this- but what it cannot explain is what the Enterprise finds in a life pod orbiting the planet. Rene Auberjonois guest stars in this episode.

Enterprise: Aquisition

One of the annoying things about Enterprise: contact with alien races that we saw supposed first contact with in later series ( whether filming wise, timeline wise, or both). Here, as we can tell by the title, it's the Ferengi. There are some very amusing moments in this episode ( as tends to be the case with Ferengi) and some stellar performances by Ethan Phillips and Jeffrey Combs.

TOS: Conscience of the King

The Enterprise is diverted by a call to investigate the discovery of a foodstuff that could end famine. The call is false however; one of the few survivors of mass murder believes the actor Anton Karidian is the killer Kodos the Executioner. This suspicion is seems well founded, as he soon is murdered. Kirk has the transportation of the Karidian Players cancelled so that Karidian's daughter, Lenore, asks for his help. Spock, finding Kirk's behaviour suspicious, does a computer search and discovers the link between Kirk, Karidian, Kodos, and Kevin Riley (hey, alliteration). Riley, back in Engineering, does not sing "I'll take you home Kathleen", but instead gets poisoned. Kirk discovers that some women may seem interested in him, but are really just psychos using him like a tool.

Enterprise: Rougue Planet

The Enterprise comes upon a rogue planet, that has broken free from it's solar system. Despite having no sun, life thrives around hot volcanic vents. Detecting an energy signature on the surface, archer decides to take down a shuttlepod and say howdy. T'Pol advises against it, and Archer ignores her like usual. They discover a smashing guest cast portraying hunters from a planet which places great value on the hunt. When a mysterious visitor pleads with Archer for help, he discovers that these hunters prefer prey that can think.

Enterprise: Fusion

The Enterprise is hailed by a Vulcan ship of outdated design. When they render assistance, T'Pol discovers, to her dismay, they they are "Vulcans without logic" ( and , so it would seem, without vegetarianism). T'Pol warns Archer that these illogical Vulcans are dangerous- he disbelieves her, until the compelling Tolaris psychically assaults T'Pol. We learn in this episode that the mind meld has not been used for centuries, although by the time of Voyager they seem to be all the rage. With the exception of Tolaris, I found the other Vulcans quite like able ( too bad, he was the cute one).

Enterprise: Sleeping Dogs, Shuttlepod One

Sleeping Dogs brings us to a type 9 gas giant. When the Enterprise detects a power source and life signs in the upper atmosphere, they send down a shuttlepod to investigate. Hoshi proves she is starting to get her space legs, but is not all the way there. Archer hones his Klingon relation skills.
Shuttlepod One has Trip and Reed on an exploratory mission in Shuttlepod One. An encounter involving a an alien ship and microsingularities, leaves part of the launch bay door smeared across an asteroid at the rendezvous point. Trip and Reed's attempt to return to echo Three to report the Enterprise's destruction leads them almost to the brink of death. Some quite amusing moments.

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TOS: The Menagerie

The two part episode which incorporated much of "The Cage", the original original series pilot rejected by NBC. Majel Barret is a smashing and strong brunette in this episode- it's a pity she was bleached, put in a skant and made weaker in the series. Spock's former captain, Christopher Pike, has been severely disabled as a result of an accident. When Spock kidnaps him and takes him to the forbidden planet of Talos IV, clips from the original pilot show why. Features the all time classic big head aliens.

Enterprise: Shadows of P'Jem

The Enterprise is invited to visit the Coridan system, which boasts the biggest shipyards in the sector. And Warp 7 ships. Oooh! En route Archer receives notice that a Vulcan ship will be arriving to transfer T'Pol; the High Council blames her for the events at the P'Jem monastery and their aftermath.
The Chancellor of Cordian forgot the mention one thing: insurgents, who end up kidnapping Archer and T'Pol. Help arrives from unexpected quarters, and for unexpected reasons.

TOS: The Corbomite Maneuver

Not a favorite of mine, though a fan favorite. The Enterprise encounters a mysterious and powerful ship from The First Federation. A helmsman, Baily, cracks under stress, but is let back onto the bridge at the last and most crucial minute- feel good, but good captaining? When the Enterprise is out of power and all hope seems lost, Kirk calls his classic buff. Bad voiceover ensues.

Enterprise: Dear Doctor

Dear Doctor- is a look into what makes Phlox tick- how he views the crew, how he interacts with them, how he acts as a doctor and ethicist, and Donobulan society as well. We hear his thoughts in an ongoing letter w=he writes to a human colleague working on Denobula. Phlox talks to and cares for his pets, then comments on the oddity of that behaviour in humans. We learn that he has three wives, each with two other husbands, and yet that does not seem to preclude him per suing romance with a crewmate. When the Enterprise encounters members of s pre warp culture on a quest for medical aid, they have a moral dilemma. However, they have made prior contact with warp cultures and have specifically sought the help of such a society. The moral dilemmas increase when Phlox makes a discovery about the genome of the two humanoid races co existing on the same planet. I am not sure I agree with the decision Archer makes at his behest, but I will let you watch and decide for yourself.

TOS:Dagger of the Mind

The Enterprise gets an unexpected delivery when they exchange supplies for reports at the Tantalus penal colony. When they return to the Tantalus colony with their highly agitated visitor, Kirk beams down with a psychologist he has "met before" (Spock's expression at this is priceless; so subtle, yet makes clear that he knows what it means when a woman has "met" Kirk). The patients become the counselors, and the doctors become the treated. Like many Star Trek episodes,this has an underlying moral thems; in this case, at what price does a cure come?

Enterprise: The Silent Enemy

The Enterprise is in the process of launching subspace relays when it encounters an unscannable enemy who attacks and damages the ship, and destroys the two subspace relays that have been dropped so far. Archer orders the ship turned around so they can return to Jupiter station to have their phase cannons finally installed. Reed and Trip have different plans though- to prove that their crew can do better than the crew at Jupiter station. They successfully install two of the cannons and are able to defeat their mysterious enemy ( don't tell me, but I feel future story lines being set up). As a side story, Archer wants to plan a special treat for Malcolm's upcoming birthday and orders Hoshi to find out his favorite food. A subspace call with Malcolm's parents shows us why he has just about as much personality as T'Pol.

TOS: What are Little Girls Made of? and Miri

In What are Little Girls Made Of?, we discover that Nurse Chapel gave up a promising career in bio-research to board a starship. In order to, get this, track down her missing fiance. In orbit of the planet Exo 3, said fiance Roger Corby's last known whereabouts, Kirk is instructed to come down alone- until Corby hears Christine's voice. Redshirts inevitably die before Kirk figures out Corby's secret. Let this be a lesson to you, ladies. Don't bother tracking down that lost fiance, he may be a power mad android.

In Miri, the Enterprise discovers an exact copy of Earth. Exact. From the continents to the written language. What except laziness could explain that. Not the processes of geological, biological and social evolution. Upon beaming down to a seemingly deserted town, McCoy is attacked by a juvenile humanoid with obvious mutations. He dies, leaving a mystery of a high speed metabolism. A young girl named Miri is discovered hiding in a building. Kirk plays upon her obvious smittenness with him to get him on her side- which only work until jealousy kicks in. Dr McCoy is in a race against time to cure himself and the other Enterprise crew of the disease which killed the adults of Miri's planet.

Enterprise: Fortunate Son and Cold Front

Fortunate Son ( again, with this show and the song cues) has the crew of the Enterprise responding to a distress call from the freighter Fortunate. When they arrive, they are told by the XO that there is no need to help them-sending the distress call was a mistake. Archer insists they help with repairs anyway, and they soon discover the Fortunate's secret- a captured Nausicaan they have been interrogating. This episode left us wondering what happened to Nausicaan society in the time between Archer and Picard, as Archer era Naussicaans are cleaner, more articulate and better dressed.

Cold Front brings back the Suliban and the Temporal Cold War. Archer's new yoeman is n0t what he seems, and the same is true for one of the religious supplicant's on a ship the Enterprise comes upon in a stellar nursery they are studying. Which time traveler is telling the truth?

Mirror Images Archive by IDW

Again, IDW delivers with a graphic look at one of the most beloved story lines from the Original series era. The Mirror Universe archives offers one speculative glimpse into the events that led Kirk to depose Pike as captain of the ISS Enterprise. An interlude gives us a glimpse at a similar journey, this time the one of young Jean-Luc Picard. I would definitely rate this as a must read. Written by Scott and David Tipton.

Enterprise: Civilisation

This episode introduces us to the fact that while the Vulcan have a non-interference directive, the humans do not, and this necessitates a learning curve. When the crew finds a Minshara class planet with over 500 million souls, they cannot wait to get down and meet them. T'Pol advises caution, which simply mean they make themselves up to blend in with the natives. Discovery of neutrino emissions prove that they are not the first visitors to this pre-industrial planet. A native scientist soon introduces them to the deadly mystery the owner of the anti0 matter reactor brought to this planet. Archer pratices some cultural contamination.

Graphic Novel: Star Trek Archives: Gary Seven from IDW

Gary Seven is one of the most enduring TOS characters in the imaginations of the fans- one we would have loved to see much more of. This collection from IDW fulfills that wish, with two intersecting stories that bring together Gary, and the crews of the Enterprises of Kirk and Picard. The story ,one has some interesting "guest" characters and introduces us to more members of the Aegis. Written by Howard Weinstein and Michael Jan Freidman.

TOS- Mudd's Women

While chasing an unregistered Earth ship through an asteroid field, the Enterprise burns out all but one of it's "lithium" crystals. Fans are further confused by Uhura being in gold. The ship's captain and his "cargo" are beamed aboard at the last minute ( of course) . Kirk and Co must discover the true ind entity and true intentions of the smarmy captain while reaching the mining planet of Rigel XII before the ship's last crystal goes. This episode is a modern feminist's nightmare, and I shudder to think of a future where woman would go to such lengths for a husband.

Enterprise: Breaking the Ice

The Enterprise finds itself following a comet- as yet uncharted, and the largest comet found to date. Not surprisingly, there is a Vulcan ship in the vicinity, fueling Archer's belief that they are being spied upon. Reed and Mayweather are sent to drill to the comet's cure to take samples of a rare element, whose name my brain has replaced with "Atmospherium". Archer warns that the must be off the surface before the side if the comet the shuttlepod is on faces the nearby star. Naturally, this means they aren't, and when the grappler fails to rescue the pod Archer must turn to the taciturn Vulcan captain Vanik to tractor them out.

TOS: The Enemy Within

A transporter accident leaves the Enterprise with two Kirks; one good, one evil. It takes the crew some time to figure out they are dealing with two Kirks, and the scratches on evil Kirk's face ( courtesy of Janice Rand) is only a good indicator until Evil Kirk figure out he just needs to scratch up Good Kirk. They missed the most important clue- Evil Kirk wears a ton of eyeliner, and Good Kirk wears none. This episode looks at our human dark and good side, and why we need both side by side.

Enterprise Terra Nova and The Andorian Incident

Terra Nova opens with one of the great mysteries of the Human spacefaring age: what happened to the Terra Nova colony, who had lost contact with Earth 70 years before? Thanks to Enterprises Warp 5 technology, the answer can be sought in days, not years. The crew finds the descendants of the original settlers, living underground in the aftermath of ecological disaster and sure the visitors from the sky are not even the same race as they. (The Boy says he thinks it unlikely that society could degrade that quickly, and I will allow him that illusion). Can Archer convince the Novans to trust him in order to avert slow death?
This episodes notable guest stars are Erick Avari of "the Mummy" fame, and Mary Carver, who played Ma Simon on Simon and Simon.

The Andorian Incident introduces us to the political strife that will characterize Vulcan/Andorian relations through out the series. Archer decides that since the Vulcan monastery of P'Jem is nearby, he'd like to drop in for a visit. So much for solitude. He, TiTrip, and T'Pol discover that the Andorians have dropped in first, and not to meditate. Discover of a Vulcan secret almost makes T'Pol show a flicker of emotion. The casting makes us try to imagine an episode where Shran meets Brunt and Weyoun.

Reviewing Enterprise: Strange New World and Unexpected

Strange New World brings the crew of the Enterprise to a world so amazingly Earthlike, they must investigate. When the survey team is stranded on the planet overnight due to raging winds, they begin to act paranoid. When one of the redshirt's lifesigns becomes erratic enough to authorize one of those risky transport, Phlox discovers a psychotropic substance blown down from the mountains has caused the team to go crazy.

Unexpected is the most amusing episode of Enterprise so far. When the Enterprise discovers and alien ship riding it's wake, they discover the ship has had engine trouble and send Trip over to help with repairs. Trip comes back with a little surprise- one of the alien females has impregnated him. Getting the little nipper back to it's mother involves dealing with an angry Klingon captain. I'm a little disappointed the embryo was transplanted to another host and we didn't get to see Trip give birth.

Reviewing TOS: The Naked Time

The Naked Time is quite possibly one of the most classic of the classic TOS episodes. Who can forget the crew of the Enterprise losing their inhibitions; Sulu fencing, Spock crying, perhaps most notably Kevin Riley locking himself in engineering and serenading the crew with "Ill take you home again Kathleen" over and over? Full of funny moments despite the death of a crewmember- but hey, we never really got to know Joe anyway. This episode introduced us to the concept that Kirk was going to get his shirt torn on a regular basis- at least when he was on the lower end of the scale.

Ferengi Rule of Acquisistion, number...?

Yes, I have gine and monetised. I hope my faithful readers will not be offended but will rather click, click. Don't worry; neither mine nor the DM's wages or hours have been hit by this economy. But as the kids get older, they get more expensive. Whover said babies were expensive were wrong- back then I could keep them happy and well with a couple of boobs, 2 dozen cloth diapers, and a stack of second hand onesies. Babies just grow up to be people who seem to need swim, dance, D&D manuals, and camp.

Reviewing TOS- Where No Man Has Gone Before

Where No mas has gone before was the first indication to the fans of the nascent series that they could not always count on continuity "Wait, last week they had three colours of shirts- Scotty was in red, Spock was in Blue, Sulu was in yellow, but now..." Of course we know, from our perspective, that episodes were not broadcast in order of filming. WNMHGB has a some great moments, and a storyline not any more farfetched than other sci-fi- breaking the galactic barrier may turn some of your crew psychic, and some of those dangerously so. The most disappointing thing to me in this episode is Kelso's death; I thought he was a quite promising character! I also wonder what happened to the crewmen who were not Mitchell or Dehner, who were affected by crossing the galactic barrier. We know they exist; we heard Spock speak to Kirk of them. Do they eventually return to normal, or just stay somewhat enhanced forever?

Reviewing Enterprise: Broken Bow and Fight or Flight

Broken Bow is the premiere episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. We start with a crash of a space ship in a cornfield, followed by a chase involving a Klingon, unknown aliens, and a farmer with a phase rifle "Clem, there's aliens in the corn again!" All the main characters are introduced in this episode, although it is Captain Jonathon Archer we get to see in the most depth, including flashbacks to his childhood. The tone for the political relationship between the humans and the Vulcans is set early in the episode, with intimations that the Vulcans are not yet as logically evolved as they will be by Kirk's time.

The second episode, Fight or Flight, has the crew of the Enterprise searching for something interesting to explore. The concept is reiterated, as it had been mention in the first episode, that space is big (say it with me ..."Space is big, really really big, you just don't realize how incredibly vast space is...I mean, you might think its a long way down the road to the drugstore, but that's just peanuts to space.) they come across a ship where one set of mysterious aliens has been murdered by another set of mysterious aliens, and Hoshi saves the day with her mad translating skilz. All in all I found it a dull episode.

Reviewing The Original Series: The Man Trap, Charlie X

After viewing the movie last week ( and receiving "Enterprise: the Complete Series the same day) , The Dungeon Master decided we should watch all of TOS from the start, in order. We will be doing the same with Enterprise, and I will be doing mini-reviews of each episode.

The Man Trap is the first episode broadcast of Star Trek. It seems an unusual introduction to the series as it does not establish the Enterprise's mission.
One of the "classic" original series episodes (by classic we mean, non Trekkies would remember it, and who could forget the "salt vampire"). It set the tone for future ship searches , including the expend ability of the guys in red, altough the salt vampire seemed happy to kill crewmen in any colour shirt. we don't see Sulu on the bridge, we see him in the botany lab, along with his hand puppet plant.
***Movie Spoilers Follow***
Everyone has an episode of Star Trek they would be happy to never see again. For my husband, it is Charlie X. He is not a fan of the psycho teenage super being. This episode has some rather pathetic moments, with Charlie mooning after Janice Rand and she trying to explain how human mating rituals work. ONe of my favourite parts is the scene in the rec room with Spock and Uhura's det. Given the smile the usually stoic Vulcan sends her way, I think there may have been some basis for Abram's movie pairing.

The Spoiler filled movie review.

You have been warned. Continue at your own risk. This is ALL spoilers.
We went to see Star Trek at the 7 PM Thursday prescreening, in IMAX. Like most die hard fans, I went in with certain amounts of both trepidation and excitement. I am very glad I went to see this movie in IMAX as many of the effects were spectacular (blairwitchcloverfield shaky camera effects non withstanding) and it was well worth going to see it on the giant screen. The movie changes the tieline right at the start. The scene where George Kirk sacrifices himself just as he hears his son's borning cries is predictable- yet I found myself tear eyed. We then move onto glimpses into the childhoods of Kirk and Spock- I was disappointed by the brevity of the Spock'c childhood scenes, as I had read on the net that there was a good look into life on Vulcan inspired by Diane Duane's "Spock's World". Maybe in the dvd release?
The villain, Nero, played by Eric Bana, and his fellow Romulans diverge from the norm as much as the storyline , seeming more like Remans than Romulans. Nero is a one dimensional revenge driven character who could have stepped out of the "bad guy profile" of any number of past movies.
There are some stellar performances . Karl Urban, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana get their characters spot on. I think we can say the same for John Cho, but there is not enough Sulu in the film to tell. Anton Yelchin is am amusing Checkov with an adorable accent. I can't tell why they took an actor, in the one film I have seen him in ( Hearts in Atlantis) had dark straight hair, hire him to play a character who originally had dark straight hair, and then curled it and bleached it? Chris Pine left me cold. He has no fire. Simon Pegg was also fun but I don;t think he captured the essence of Scotty...and what is up with his cauliflower headed sidekick?
All in all, this was a great movie, but not so great Star Trek. I am sure to watch it again; but if I could watch it with anyone in the world, it would be Joel Hodgeson or Mike Nelson.

Treason by Peter David

The latest in the New Frontier series brings the Excaliber back to New Thallon when the newly widowed requests that Doctor Selar attends the birth of her son. When the Excaliber leaves, Makenzie Calhoun contacts his son, Xyon, to ask him to check in on Robin's mentally fragile sister in law Kalinda- and he narrowly save Robin , Kalinda and the newborn. Meanwhile, Doctor Selar tries to unravel the mystery of a mysterious Hermat picked up from a derelict- and what s/he might mean to the lifespan of her son. A story of betrayal and redemption ensues, with more of the loss that seems to permeate recent Star Trek books. I especially enjoyed reading descriptions of Robin nursing little Cwansi.

TOS: Mere Anarchy

Originally published as a series of e-books, this story arc takes the crew of Kirk's Enterprise from his earliest days of command to the time after his death. The action takes place on the planet Mestiko, which had just achieved warp drive when a rogue pulsar wreaks devastation on the planet. The Federations valiant attempts to shield the planet from the pulsar's effects, and the populace must deal with the knowledge that they are not alone in the Universe along with the planet wide disaster. Minor politician Raya elMora suddenly finds herself in command of the population of Mestiko, by dint of being the highest ranking official to survive. This anthology contains stories by Mike W. Barr, Christopher L. Bennett, Margaret Wander Bonanno, Dave Galantar, Daytone Ward and Kevin Dilmore, and Howard Weinstein.

ST A Singular Destiny by Keith RA DeCandido

The followup to the Destiny Trilogy, "A Singular Destiny" mainly follows the crew of the Aventine,the hard work placed before Federation President Nan Bacco, and history Professor Sonek Pran. In the wake of devastation by the Borg, the Federation, along with other Alpha and Beta Quadrant races, must rebuild. The fleets are stretched as they attempt to ferry refugees and supplies. The Klingons face an old threat, and the Federation faces a potential new threat. Everyone must grieve.
One amusing thing I must note is DeCandido's obvious nod the The Venture Brothers. Quite amusing. Be warned that this book does have a few moments of "Wow, did he really just kill that character off?"

God Bless JJ Abrams

Spoilerific sneak preview review:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/40683 (language advisory)

Now, this sums up why I love Star Trek:
There’s some powerful thoughts about the future of our people in STAR TREK. That we as a people could be those people in a hundred, two hundred, three hundred years. If we can put away childish notions of borders and differences. If we can culturally keep our differences and celebrate our commonalities. At our best, STAR TREK is our future. Not BLADE RUNNER. Not TERMINATOR. Not any other Science fiction that I’ve seen, but STAR TREK. It’s where I HOPE we’re headed.
It’s the world where we didn’t blow ourselves up, where we didn’t fall prey to the worst of our nature. It’s the part of me that loves reading science journals and reading about the best inventions of any given year.

ST Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows

This anthology continues stories from various MU timelines, many of them as written in "Glass Empires", "Obsidian Alliances", and "Infinity's Prism". Dave Stern's "Nobunaga" details The Empress Sato One's efforts to eradicate rebellion against her rule.
Dayton Ward and Kevin Dillmore's "Ill Winds" is a prequel to TOS Mirror UNiverse, taking place before Captain Christopher Pike takes command of the Enterprise.
Margaret Wander Bonnano's "The Greater Good is also a prequel, taking place three years before the events of "Mirror, Mirror".
"The Black Flag", by James Swallow, is a tale of Vanguard in the Mirror Universe.
IN "The Traitor", Micheal Jan Freidman looks at the MU through the eyes of the Stargazer crew he introduced in Reunion.
In "The Sacred Chalice", Rudy Josephs gives new meaning to the ancient Betazed artifact entrusted to Lwaxana Troi.
"Bitter Fruit" by Susan Wright has the MU Kes, stranded in the Alpha Quadrant, and kept a secret from all- even the man she loves.
Keith RA DeCandido's "Family Matters" is the only story in the book I couldn't finish- although usually love DeCandido's work, the "subspace communications transcript" style was a bit dry.
IN Peter David's "Homecoming", Soleta returns to Romulus- with deadly cargo.
Jim Johnson's "A Terrible Beauty" answers many question about why Keiko Ishikawa came to Terok Nor, but leaves many more unanswered.
Christopher L Bennet's "Empathy" brings together members of the standard universe Titan crew in a web of love, deceit, and telepathy.
The anthology is brought to a close with David Mack's "For Want of a Nail" brings together the unlikely duo of K'Ehlyer and Barclay as a team raised from childhood to protect the secret of Memory Omega.

Deep Space 9 : Twist of Faith (Omnibus)

This volume contains 4 novels and a short story which begin the authorised continuation of Deep Space 9 following "What You Leave Behind".
Avatar, Books 1 and 2, by SD Perry introduces us to many of the characters who will populate the post series DS9 universe, and leads us into the continuing lives of well loved personages. IN the wake of Benjamin Sisko's dissapearance, Colonol Kira is now in command of the station. A vedek brings a mysterious artifact to Jake Sisko in the digs at B'hala, comes to the station- and is soon murdered. A long considered heiretical prophecy causes Jake and Kira both to take drastic action- and both their lives are changed.

Abyss, by David Weddle and Jeffrey Lang, brings back the nuch beloved Section 31. With Sloan dead, a new agent has come to change Julian Bashir's plans. A genetically enhanced doctor has found and abandoned Jem Hadar factory and has set himself up as the new Khan. Can anyone but Bashir bring him down?

Demons of Air and Darkness by Keith RA DeCandido is part of the timeline spanning Gateways series. Havoc is wreaked on the sector when Gateways start opening above and on planets. A group of aliens appear claiming to be the ancient Iconians, and they want to bargain for exclusive rights to the Gateway technology. When Nog and the Andorian Shar discover a gap in the Gateway network around the wormhole, they are able to disrupt the Gateways- and expose the aliens.
However, Kira's fateful step into a Gateway is further explored in the short story Horn and Ivory, also by De Candido. Stranded on a planet in the Delta quadrant, Kira was presented by a Gateyay- the went beack and forth between Ops on DS9, and the Celestial Temple. When she stepped through hover, she found herself 30, 000 years in Bajor's past, before B'hala, and at the time the Pah Wraiths ensconced themselves in the Fire Caves. Her journey back to DS9 is one both physical and spiritual.

Star Trek Alien Spotlight Volume 1 by IDW Comics

Funny story about this one. We got a box from Brian's best friend sent from Amazon, with no explanation of what books were meant for whom. One thing was clear though- everyone hoped that when we heard back from him, they would learn that Alien Spotlight was meant for them.
And the winner was- Andrew. Yes, the kid who could barely read and who less than year ago was as likely to eat a book as to read it.
Luckily, he was willing to share.
This collection of previously released comics spotlights The Gorn, the Romulans, the Vulcans, and the Borg. It spans from a TOS to TNG, and includes the crews of Pike's Enterprise, the Reliant, the Enterprise D, and the Romulan ship from "Balance of Terror".