Star Trek Legacies – Captain to Captain

“Right on schedule,” Kirk observed.  “I always heard that she was known for her punctuality.”
“You heard correctly, Captain,” Spock said.  “In my experience, she is admirably precise in all matters.”

Ok so, there’s kind of a funny story to go with reading this one.  Well, I go away to visit the family for Christmas and then manage to not take a single book with me to their place because my bag with my life in got left at our place.  I was not amused to say the least.   Anyway, after Christmas we went shopping, there happened to be a Waterstone’s book store, I went straight to the Scifi section (you know the drill)… and would you look at that, somehow I ended up buying the 50th Anniversary ‘Legacies’ trilogy.  Considering I have 127 books on their way to me by mail, my partner was not amused… but The Special 50th Anniversary Trilogy hunny!

Before I launch into the review proper, I’m going to clue you up on The Special 50th Anniversary Trilogy (I just like putting it in bold, I get kicks out of strange things) is.  As you can probably guess (unless you are a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fan) there are three books in this trilogy (not four)  and they are as follows:

Star Trek Legacies

Book 1 – Captain to Captain by Greg Cox

Book 2 – Best Defence by David Mack

Book 3 – Purgatory’s Key by Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore

So, we’ve got a trilogy written by four different authors, not particularly unusual.  If Greg Cox sounds familiar, you may have read one of some of his many Star Trek novels, or you might have read my Child of Two Worlds review.  I’ve come across the names of the two other authors once or twice before but I don’t think I’ve read anything by them.  I’ve got to admit, I’m a little disappointed that there are no female authors involved in this project, considering the number of female authors who have written Star Trek novels and how influential female fans have been to Star Trek generally.  Are there no active female authors in the Star Trek novel world at this point in time.  Sorry rambling again.  Anyway, Greg Cox writing the first novel can only be a good thing right?

The Legacies trilogy was initially released from June to August 2016 with the paperback releases running from July to September 2016, all ready for Star Trek’s 50th anniversary in September.

For the cover art on all three books they have employed Alan Dingman and used the more ‘photographic’ or should I say ‘photoshop’ style for the covers.  I’d say the strongest cover of the three is ‘Best Defence’ while the weakest unfortunately is ‘Captain to Captain’.  The three books are colour coded Captain to Captain is predominantly green, Best Defence is most definitely blue and, Purgatory’s Key is… red.  Have you twigged yet?  The original colour for the command uniform was green, science is blue and red is operations / security; they have reflected the uniform colours in the colours of the books.

I have to admit, the cover didn’t win me over immediately, although I was intrigued by Number One or ‘Una’ being on the front next to Kirk and Spock.  I was torn between getting the trilogy and a book with a prettier cover, but as you probably gathered, the trilogy won out in the end.  Probably because book two has a very pretty cover.  You’ll notice on this one though, that Number One has got captain’s braid on her sleeve, unsurprisingly Miss ‘Number One in everything’ got busy climbing the ranks in Starfleet.

Being the first book in a trilogy, Cox has a lot more play in how complex a story he can create.  Being a planned trilogy he doesn’t have to worry about wrapping the story up in one episode, and certainly doesn’t have to worry about tying up any lose ends or returning the universe back to the status quo by the time he types his last word.  This kind of freedom cuts both ways for Cox who has the opportunity to play with a character he really seems to love and get on with but consequently seems to spend a little too much time on her.

Captain to Captain (2016) revolves around a secret, a secret that only the captains of the Enterprise and their trusted first officers have knowledge of.  The secret is a key which has been concealed even from Starfleet and kept on the Starship Enterprise since the time of Captain Robert April (the ‘first’ Captain of the Enterprise) through to Captain James T Kirk (the ‘third’ Captain of the Enterprise).  The ‘key’ is a device that can open a door to another dimension from which a race of technologically advanced but hideously paranoid and genocidal ‘slugs’ hail.

The officer who first led the mission which ended with sending the ‘slugs’ back to their dimension and acquisition of this mysterious key?  None other than ‘Number One’ or ‘Una’, who is of course Majel Roddenberry’s (nee Barrett) character in the original pilot.  In Captain to Captain, Number One is back now as ‘Captain Una’, on track to being promoted to Commodore Una, she has to act fast to undo mistakes of the past before she is stuck behind a desk and new territorial lines are drawn which may put the Libros system deep in Klingon territory.  Captain Una takes a well considered risk and steals the key from a secret compartment in Kirk’s quarters and escapes from the Enterprise and into the Libros system, slingshotting herself around a sun to give herself the edge over a pursuing Enterprise.  At this point I expected some cooky timetravel escapade, but instead I was forced into a walk down memory lane which felt like it was never going to end.   Una’s ‘adventure’ is actually her recollection of the first away mission she lead, which of course went hideously wrong.  For all intents and purposes it really shouldn’t have gone wrong, Una is apparently an incredibly able and intelligent Illyrian, but… she’s also remarkably dull.  I rather liked Cox’s rendition of her in Child of Two Worlds where she is competent and no nonsense, but here she seems stricken with ISS and a strange psychosis where she keeps reminding herself (and us) that she’s number one in everything, aside from critical thinking.  Perhaps I’m just suffering from ‘Number One’ over exposure, since about 80% of the book over concerns itself with her.  Kirk and Spock are on the cover just to reassure us that they will have a part to play eventually.  I have to admit, I don’t find young Una a very compelling protagonist.  ANYWAY long story short, her away mission crew get transported into an alternate dimension by the horrible slug people, the secret item is the key for unlocking the stargate device that could bring them home.  Unfortunately, at the time she was unable to manipulate the machinery to bring them back (and she was explicitly told not to by the good slug person), but now, in a nice link to the episode ‘Mirror Mirror’ and her excellent memory she is confident that she can bring them back, if they are even alive.  After an incredibly protracted sojourn in the past, we return to the present to follow Una again and watch her cock up again until she finally meets up with a waiting Kirk & Spock who finally get some action.   

Predictably, although she can manipulate the machinery, the arrival of the Klingons gives her little time to locate her crew members to bring them back, so she goes into the desolate alternate universe to find them, hoping to bring them back to the right location in 30 days and have Kirk and Spock operate the machinery and bring them home.  Of course, the Klingons are now swarming the place and coming back to the planet seems almost impossible.

Kirk and Spock are then left to their own devices to escape the Klingons, which they do, but not before their ship is irreparably damaged and only get saved by the Enterprise in the nick of time.

Kirk and Spock seal the Key back into the new safe in the Enterprise, and finally let McCoy in on the secret, since not trusting your crew mates /  friends is what got everyone in this mess in the first place.

There’s a plot twist right at the end, clearly marked with flashing neon signs.  It’s incredibly contrived and irritating.

End of Book 1.

Number One is kind of a problematic character, in that she’s this super confident, super able officer and she has apparently always been this way but suffers from the author’s attempt to make her young and inexperienced – think what Vonda N McIntyre did to the crew in her abomination ‘The First Adventure’.  It was quite surprising actually because Cox’s treatment of Number One in Child of Two Worlds was really strong and a really nice expansion of the character.  Cox obviously has a love for the character of Number One and I can see his enthusiasm, but… I can’t feel it.  It’s unusual but, I didn’t dislike the character but I felt a little confused over what she actually was.  Oh sure, I know she’s an Illyrian, I know she’s outrageously competent, I know she prefers trousers to skirts but I don’t know why she has to keep confirming her competence.  I don’t think she’s arrogant, she just knows she’s the best and it’s true, but then why does she have to confirm her actions or her intentions or her abilities over and over again with internal dialogue like ‘because I’m Number One’?  Is she actually nervous? Neurotic?

I agree that if you are going to use Number One for any length of time then you’ve got to do something to the character to bring her down to earth, but even with her slight neurosis and hideously stupid mistakes she remains unrelateable – which is a problem when 3/4 of the book concerns itself with her.  Although her idiosyncrasies and illogical actions were at times frustrating, she doesn’t spoil the book, I just got the feeling that there was a better was to express her or perhaps a better way for the events to unfold.  Perhaps, for example, it isn’t her leading the landing party and she has to fix other people’s mistakes but it’s too far down the pan for even her outstanding abilities.

I don’t want to give too much of the idea that she’s a bad character, you might have less of a problem with her than I do, and certainly it’s not a bad story by any means. It’s just a little weak at times, which I can only really attribute to the prolonged section in the middle with Una (formerly Number One)… and then the prolonged section in Enterprise’s ‘present’ with Una.  I’m Una’d out! 

Pretty much the only interaction with the TOS crew is between Kirk and Spock, McCoy is pretty much written out Captain to Captain pretty early on and other characters are just bit parts.  Even so, characterisation is both good and bad in equal measure.  In the first part of the book, before the story jumps backwards to Number One’s first away mission, nothing really jumps out at you as being inconsistent.  Again the focus is on Captain Una and not on the Enterprise crew, interaction is limited to Kirk and Spock exchanging furtive glances and shutting down McCoy’s enquiries.  The final section of the book (post Una’s departure) details Kirk and Spock’s escape was fast paced but also had the most lapses in the characters of Kirk and Spock:

“I think I’ve had enough of you piloting, no offence”
Spock gave him a bemused look.  “If I had feelings they would be hurt.”
“Somehow I doubt that.”

Yeah, that face you’re pulling?  That’s my face too.  I’ll make sure we’re on the same page with an emoji – 😒 .  The less said about that stirling dialogue the better, yes?

Some reviews I’ve read for this novel have been glowing, others less so.  For me personally, it was OK, middling, worth reading but nothing special.  I’m still looking forward to the rest of the trilogy though because the story is interesting and I’m also looking forward to seeing what the other three writers are going to bring to the table.  First books in a trilogy are always pretty difficult for writers, especially when they are only writing the first volume, and while I don’t agree with other reviewers that the instalment can stand alone, it’s merits aren’t completely dependant on a follow on story.

3/5 – Time to change pilots.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!  FYI, I’m in a good, rested mood, I’m not just being mean!  EDIT: Also, I can’t seem to spell… ahh well, all fixed!

Star Trek – Child of Two Worlds

“The Klingons have responded, sir,”  Garrison said. “They’re warning us not in interfere”.

Remember I said I’d bought a handful of the more recent novels on the basis of they had Spock on the cover?  This is another one!

Child of Two Worlds is written by Greg Cox, an experienced writer with many Star Trek novels and other franchise novelisations under his belt; his experience and knowledge of Star Trek shines through in his confident handling of the ‘pilot era’ Pike, Spock, Number One and the older Enterprise crew.  Even with limited knowledge of Star Trek TOS you could enjoy this story as Cox fills in all the necessary details for you without overloading you with information.

Child of Two Worlds is set in 2255 and not long after the pilot episode ‘The Cage’.  Spock is young, inexperienced and struggling (in a Vulcan sense) with finding his place.  Christopher Pike is the Captain of the Enterprise and his first officer is ‘Number One’ an Illyrian, whose name is difficult to pronounce so she is known by her title.  The initial premise is that a case of the rigelian fever has broken out on the Enterprise, they are far away from help and Boyce (the ship’s doctor) suggests a revolutionary treatment using a rare substance called ‘ryetalyn’.  Unfortunately, this substance is not easily obtained, however they could procure some from an alien colony situated on the borders of Federation and Klingon space.  Although they would have to take care not to agitate the Klingons, Pike sees little choice, as rigelian fever is lethal if not treated and highly infectious.

The plan goes awry however as the Enterprise picks up a distress signal from a small ship being pursued by Klingon vessel, which leads to the Enterprise and it’s ailing crew being caught up in a family drama and political machinations, delaying the receipt of the much needed ryetalyn.

Spock’s storyline ties in directly with the main one, in that his presence as mediator helps to resolve the situation between the Klingons and the Cyprians.  He doesn’t act  as a diplomat in an official sense, but his experience, his unique situation as a child of two worlds enables him to develop a rapour and an understanding with a young Cyprian woman who has been brought up a Klingon following her kidnap during a Klingon raid.  Her discovery by her sister and leak of her return to the Cyprian world’s press becomes a flashpoint.  The Cyprians want the girl returned to them and will not supply the Enterprise with ryetalyn until she ‘comes home’, but the Klingons threaten war if their adopted daughter is not returned to them.  The girl is also a child of two worlds, although in her case it isn’t biological, it is cultural; nature vs nurture.

Spock, like the Cyprian/Klingon girl is at a pivotal point.  He has been presented with an opportunity by Captain Pike to possibly transfer to the U.S.S. Intrepid, a Constitution-class starship manned by an all Vulcan crew as the position of first officer is available.  To take the position on Intrepid would be the next logical step in the advancement of his career in Starfleet, and being among other Vulcans would be more efficient.  However, Spock concedes he is not ‘most Vulcans’, and though he finds being with more emotional species tiring ‘chipping away at his hard won self control’ he find himself conflicted.  He is reminded of his mothers words “You will always be a child of two worlds,”  and then finds himself with a conundrum ‘What was preferable: to be the only Vulcan among a crew of humans, or the only half-human aboard a ship of Vulcans?’.  Spock’s interactions with Merata and the lessons he learns from the ‘Klingon by nurture’ helps him make up his mind.  I’m sure it can’t be considered spoiling to tell you that he stays on the Enterprise.  Of course, we also know the Intrepid and it’s entire Vulcan crew were lost in 2268.

Number One, the female first officer of the Enterprise has her character expanded upon, which I found quite welcome.  In the pilot ‘The Cage’ her character doesn’t appear very strong and the male characters take the limelight, though as first officer she should have been the eye of the storm in Pike’s absence.  Number One’s failure as a character is that she is altogether too perfect, in that, in trying to make a female character nobody could fault, she is also a character nobody can really like.  She doesn’t make errors, she is ‘number one’ (Number One in name and nature) in everything she does, as such she’s even less relatable to than the Vulcan, who has his own idiosyncrasies which make him rather endearing.  Her seeming lack of a name is explained and she has her own adventure on the planet surface with an away team to keep her busy.  I really enjoyed those sections of the novel actually, it was pretty refreshing to have someone different in charge.

Number One’s team gets caught up in the gradually worsening political situation on the Cyprian’s planet.  The politicians are using the situation with Merata to whip up the populous into a frenzied mob, who begin to perceive the Enterprise as an enemy, leaving Number One and her team in a dangerous situation.

Pike’s presentation in Child of Two Worlds really builds upon why we have Kirk and not Pike in the series proper.  Pike is likeable, capable and has peculiarities (like preferring print outs of reports etc.) which make him human, but also incredibly beige.  He seems to have lost the regret and self doubt which really eroded his character in the pilot, but that may be because he is simply doesn’t have time to indulge self pity or reflection.  I found that Child of Two Worlds endeared me more towards him than the pilot, due to his determination and tenacity to keep control of his ship while fighting a worsening illness.  He is very much a diplomat, a steady, intelligent man, reliable, fallible but making the right decisions… but there is something missing in his character that makes him fall a little flat.  Something missing that breaks Pike but makes Kirk.  Pike doesn’t have the vibrancy that Kirk has, but he is more the traditional naval captain, he trusts his officers to do their duty and stays detached.

Pike is most successful in his dealing with Krunn, the agitated Klingon captain who wants his adopted daughter Merata back.  Krunn is a well written character and to his credit, quite reasonable (for a Klingon), and I think, develops a grudging respect for Pike, despite his irritation.  Similarly, other side characters are satisfyingly written.  Merata’s tenacious older sister, her resentful younger brother and hopeful mother are all believable, Cox is careful to reflect Spock’s mother Amanda in Merata’s mother.

Child of Two Worlds is really worth a read, especially if you like Spock-centric stories.  It doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the table but who can really resist reading about 7 year old Spock trying to be ‘Vulcan’ in front of his mother, or having a little bit of exposition about his feelings at being half-human.  For me it was interesting to read about Christopher Pike as well, but it did really confirm my feelings that he wasn’t the right Captain!  A little bit of Number One being kick ass was an added bonus, but again, I’m glad she morphed into Nurse Chapel!  You can’t really fault the writing, Greg Cox is an experienced author, and it shows in the novel.

Read it, you won’t regret it! 4/5