#Xindi Fleet

[spockvarietyhour]

The Guardians' sphere activates.... "Countdown"

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Human Politics

“Session is called to order,” the human speaker announced in a booming voice, “prepare to seal the hall.”

Xindi took note of how quickly the human senators rushed into the room and took their seats as pairs of guard took up station at every entrance to the chamber. He had expected one or two of them at least to argue or ignore the speaker as he was technically of a lower status then they were, yet all of them finished whatever they were doing and rushed to their seats like children in a school.

The speaker slammed the butt of his staff into the ground three times and in unison the guards began closing the doors. A few senators who were unlucky enough to still be outside tried to force their way inside but the guards would not let them. Xindi could hear them arguing and pleading with the guards but still they remained unmoved until one by one the doors closed shut.

“Those absent will be noted and chastised in the following session.” The human speaker announced as they quietly scanned the room and wrote down those missing from their vacant chairs. When this was finished they looked towards Xindi and motioned for him to stand.

“This emergency session has been called to hear the proposal for assistance by the Drenari Federation delegation.” The speaker then motioned to the opposite side of the chamber where another group sat waiting. “We shall then hear the Ken’dar delegation’s response before beginning open debate.”

Xindi glared towards the small group opposite him in the hall. He had not been aware that the Ken’dar would send a delegation as well, but he imagined that they had learned of the Drenari’s plan to seek assistance from humanity and sent the delegates to block any hope for an alliance between the two powers.

With this the speaker stepped down from the central podium and Xindi walked over. He could feel every pair of eyes in the room locked on him as what should have been a short distance suddenly felt like an eternity.

He took the podium in stride and felt the warmth of the lights bearing down upon him. The heat made him wince in pain as his people had evolved deep underground and were averse to intense light sources. He could have made a comment to the speaker to adjust the light, or worn thicker clothing to dull the effect; but he wanted to show the humans that he and his people were not so fragile that light alone could break their resolve.

“For the last month,” Xindi began, “my people have endured a series of constant attacks from the Ken’Dar fleet along our borders.” He removed a small holographic display unit from his robe and placed it on the podium. With a few short key entries it hummed to life projecting a large image at the center of the room.

The hologram showed a territorial map displaying the systems controlled by the Drenari in green, and the Ken’dar in red along an extensive boarder. Markers appeared at several points to highlight the border skirmishes between the two powers.

“These attacks we were able to contain with little effort but within the last week the nature of the conflict shifted drastically.”

Entering a new set of keys the hologram showed a long stretch of red suddenly appear and carve its way through the green territory nearly cutting it in two with how far it expanded. “The Ken’dar launched a massive invasion force that overwhelmed our fleets and put to siege several of our primary worlds.”

Several of the human senators murmured amongst themselves and those around them as they took in the new information. “While this attack was sudden and unexpected, this is not the reason I stand before you.” Xindi continued.

“On each and every world the Ken’dar have set foot on we have received reports, both transmitted and carried first hand by survivors, of the brutality and senseless destruction they have carried out against my people.”

Yet again the hologram changed from a star map to playing hastily taken footage. From behind chest high cover the camera holder watched as Ken’dar soldiers kicked in door of hab units only to then fire wildly into them before moving on to the next one and repeating the horrific process. Screams could be heard from inside each unit that sounded like women and children.

The feed cut away to another scene of horror as Ken’dar soldiers lined up several Drenari civilians against a wall and executed them one by one. The backs of their heads exploding out like popped balloons before slumping over into a pool of their own blood.

Xindi didn’t have to look at the faces of the human senators; their gasps and more vocal bodily movements were enough to tell him that they were equally surprised and disgusted at what they were seeing. Precisely the reason Xindi had chosen those records for viewing out of the collection of gathered intelligence. He knew that humans were visual creatures, and seeing such horrors would do far more to reinforce what he was going to ask.

“I come before this august body and ask for the Terran Alliance to intervene and end this senseless violence that has been unleashed upon my people.”

There was no thunderous applause or cheers at the end of his speech; only the hushed murmurs of conversations. Xindi let his eyes wander over the gathered senators but only saw their undecided eyes looking back. From the side of the room the speaker struck his staff three more times and Xindi stepped down and returned to his previous spot.

“We will now hear the Ken’dar delegation.” The speaker announced as the Ken’dar stepped forward to the podium. Their robes were elaborate and richly designed, highlighting a certain level of status and nobility.

To Xindi the delegate looked like a sofa had learned to be a real biped and decided to walk.

Just like Xindi, the Ken’dar delegate pulled out a holographic projector and activated it. To Xindi’s surprise the footage shown was the exact same he had just played to the delegates.

“This footage,” the delegate said as the feed of the soldiers kicking in doors played, “was taken during a raid of a suspected Drenari resistance cell that was responsible for twelve bombings; many of them civilian targets of those that supported our occupation.”

Moving along the images showed the same soldier kicking in the door, but this time the sounds of screaming women and children were oddly not present. Instead, there were the angry shouts of man Drenari before the soldier opened fire again. “As you will have noticed, this is the original audio from the raid; not the manufactured material that my Drenari opposite has played for you all.”

“That is a lie!” Xindi shouted as he stood to his feet. Before he could say another word the speaker struck his staff again and Xindi fell silent.

“The Drenari delegation will remain silent.” The speaker announced. “You were allowed to speak uninterrupted; you will provide the same curtsey to the Ken’dar.”

Xindi gritted his teeth and returned to his seat. “My thanks to you, honored speaker.” The Ken’dar delegate spoke before resuming the feed. It switched to the Drenari being lined up and executed.

“What you see here is indeed as it seems.” The Drenari said, much to the surprise of everyone. “We have recently learned of this incident were one of our officers went against military orders and began executing civilians.”

More murmurs as the Ken’dar delegate continued. “Once our military was made aware of this horrible outrage, the commanding officer was immediately arrested and will be brought up on charges of war crimes.”

Xidni observed the gathered humans. Some nodded in agreement; others looked unconvinced, and many remained neutral and allowed the Ken’dar to finish.

“I am sure many of you today view the Drenari as the victims of this sudden and seemingly unprovoked act of aggression; yet they have carefully forgotten to inform you of what truly drove us to this conflict.”

“Delegate Xindi makes special mention to the last month, and yet he fails to mention that within the last year his people have conducted numerous raids on our shipping lanes in open acts of piracy.”

This time the projector shifted to show what appeared to be an exterior camera feed on a Ken’dari freighter. Several bright flashes shot past the camera before it turned to show a fast approaching vessel bearing down on it. As it drew closer the design could clearly be seen and it was of Drenari design.

Firing another volley, the freighter took a few hits and multiple cargo containers were blasted off the ship. The freighter began to trail a thick trail of smoke before the feed went black and terminated.

“That ship was the “Comoto” and was carrying food stuffs to Milon III that was experiencing a food shortage.” The Ken’dar finished. “It was destroyed enroute and the death toll on the planet skyrocketed.” With that the holographic projector shut down and the light was focused on the Ken’dar delegate as he gave his final statements.

“What my Drenari opposite will call “senseless violence”, is actually the result of countless unprovoked strikes against the Ken’darian people by their own forces; and now that we have finally stood up and said enough is enough they have come before you crying foul.”

“We ask you to not to be swept up in a wave of misguided emotion and join us instead to put an end to Drenari threat once and for all.”

Xindi had heard all he could stand and rose to his feet to denounce the Ken’darian when the speaker took the podium once more.

“We thank both delegations for their petitions and information that has been laid before us.”

The speaker pointed his staff towards a set of doors at the end of the hall which slowly opened to the outside waiting area. “You will wait outside until we have finished our discussions. Please take care that we will not end this session until a resolution has been reached.”

Human guards ushered the two alien delegations outside and Xindi watched as the chamber doors closed behind them. --------------------

Several hours passed before the doors opened once more and the delegations were allowed back in. Both groups were led to the center of the great hall once more were the speaker resided.

“After going over the details from both parties and examining the information each has provided before the hearings began, we have decided...”the speaker paused for dramatic effect as the tension in the room built up, “that we shall reject both proposals.”

“What?!” both delegations let out at once.

“It is the determination of the senate, that both delegations have provided altered facts to suit their own needs rendering any information you provide us questionable and unreliable.”

“But-“ Xindi began before the speaker banged their staff three times to interrupt him.

“We will continue with new fact finding missions, but we will not send our forces to aide a cause that has misled us.”

With that the senate doors opened once more and the senators shuffled out signaling the end of the special session. Both alien delegations stood dumbfounded at this turn of events; unable to grasp the outcome they had just been dealt.

Both had been so sure of themselves that they could manipulate humans into helping them by preying on their nature, and yet each one had been outdone by the very nature they sought to control.

[whovianwatchingstartrek]

A Whovian Watches Star Trek for the First Time: Part 083 - Vulcan Corruption Undone

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season 4 Episode 9 - Kir'Shara

We open with the Vulcan High Command preparing to Invade Andoria. Their leader is claiming that the Andorians have the Xindi prototype weapon, from Season 3. Of Course, we know that Archer destroyed that Prototype when the Andorians tried to take it, so these are just lies for the Vulcans to justify a war.

Meanwhile, Archer is on his way to the Vulcan Capital with the Kir'Shara, and Enterprise is heading to Andoria. Trip's plan is to meet Shran, because of course he's the only Andorian who would trust Enterprise without evidence. Apparently, if the Kir'Shara is revealed to the public, it will prove that the Syrranites are correct about Surak's teachings, and will remove most of the Vulcan High Command's support.

Apparently the Syrranites also know a cure for Panar Syndrome, from way back in the episode Stigma. This doesn't feel like as big a revelation as it should be though, because we haven't really seen how T'Pol's Panar Syndrome has effected her since that episode. If we had been shown its effects throughout, say switched out her Trellium Addiction for the effects of Panar Syndrome, I feel like the revelation would feel more important.

Enterprise arrives at Andoria and tell Shran about the invasion. His anger in this scene is really well performed. Instead of believing their plans however, they transport Savol onto their ship for a torture session. I love that their way of torturing Vulcans is to just forcibly lower their emotional inhibitions, I thought it was a little bit funny. Savol also got a few good lines while being tortured, specifically about his story about the Soldier who's name now means fool in the Vulcan Language. Eventually Shran and the Andorians do come around though, and even invite Enterprise to join them in the battle

A few Vulcans working for the High Command intercept Archer's group, and we get a pretty cool Melee fight scene. T'Pol also lying about where they're taking the Kir'Shara was also great. Archer and T'Pau's various guerrilla tactics in the desert make for some great action.

Meanwhile T'Pol is taken to Vulcan Command, and I just love how slimey V'las sounds when he talks about executing her, like he's just so delighted to have an excuse for an execution. Sent a shiver down my spine. However, his plans are interrupted by the Andorian fleet intercepting the Vulcan fleet. Plus, scans aren't showing the Xindi tech, because it doesn't exist. A Firefight breaks out between the fleets just as Archer arrives at High Command to present the Kir'Shara, and the fleet is called off.

Apparently, also T'Pol's husband has annulled the Marriage, which is a nice conclusion to that particular conflict, I just wish he was more directly involved in the arc for him to come to that conclusion. It looks like Vulcan is going to go through a huge reformation now.

The episode also ends off on a really weird note of revealing that V'Las was working for some other Vulcan dude, and the episode acts like it's a big reveal, but I've never seen this guy before.

This was definitely the political intrigue focus episode I've been looking for since the start of this arc. The Vulcan religion and Worldbuilding stuff is fun, but I'm glad we're really digging into the political corruption themes. I find it really interesting that the Religious sect of the Vulcans seem to become the dominant force on Vulcan after this arc. Is that what they're like going forward? I'm here for it, it's just weird that what I thought about the Vulcans before starting these posts was more akin to how they've been so far.

[weerd1]

ENT Rewatch Starlog, 02 May, 2024: Episode 4.01 and 4.02 “Storm Front Part 1 and 2”

After being attacked by P-51s, Tucker and Mayweather return to Enterprise and determine through Hoshi’s intercepts that they are in fact in 1944…but in a timeline where Nazis (and man, do I hate Nazis) have invaded the United States and hold much of the Northeast. Archer is there, being transported as a POW when the convoy is attacked. He’s captured by the Resistance, who assume he must be Navy based on his uniform.

Enterprise has surprise visitors: the Time Traveling Daniels has appeared, but is a mess with his body all aging at different rates after unsyncing with time. Also, quietly, the Suliban Silik has snuck on board, eventually stealing a shuttlepod.  Daniels reveals that the Temporal Cold War has turned ugly, and one particular time terrorist, Vosk, has escaped with his followers to this Earth. He’s building a time machine and if successful will return to the 29th Century and START THE TEMPORAL COLD WAR. 

Archer is questioning the resistance about why he’s saw an alien when he woke up, and they lead him to an informant who has been providing information to one of the aliens posing as a Nazi. As they capture and question him, he reveals to Archer Enterprise is in orbit; but the mobsters turned freedom fighters are more than a bit taken aback by the alien and kill him, which alerts the patrols. Archer takes the alien’s communication device and with a young woman who’s been helping him named Alicia is able to beam up before they are shot or captured by Nazis. 

Beaming up he finds that Silik has stolen a shuttle. Trip and Mayweather went down and blew it up, but were captured. Archer briefly questions Daniels and resolves to stop Vosk. 

Vosk meanwhile, sees an opportunity. He offers to trade back Trip and Travis for Archer to consider helping him. Vosk promises to restore the timeline Archer knows in the 22nd Century if he does. Phlox realizes the Trip they have brought back is really Silik who has left poor Tucker in a closet in the Nazi HQ.

Silik offers to help Archer though in a plan to sneak into the compound to lower their shields so Enterprise can destroy the time machine. Archer also reaches out to Alicia and the Mobsters again to help put together a distraction. As the Resistance breeches the gate, Archer and Silik sneak in.

  Silik is killed in the process, but Archer finds Trip and lowers the shields.  They all get out as Enterprise fights its way through laser-equipped Stukkas to drop a couple of photonic torpedoes on the Nazi base (good riddance) just as Vosk is trying to return to the future. 

An again healthy Daniels shows Archer the timeline reasserting itself and tells him the Temporal Cold War is over, and the 22nd Century will never be troubled by it again. Enterprise phases back into 2154 near Earth where they are met by a fleet of Earth and Vulcan ships.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with these episodes per se, but I’m still griping about not getting a proper finish to the Xindi storyline before taking this little diversion. Nice to see the Suliban back, and indeed, I would like to see them get some more mention elsewhere in Trek; is Silik dead, or will the timeline reset restore him? Indeed, has the war ending meant Future Guy will never modify the Suliban in the first place? Is Future Guy connected to the Romulan temporal agents we see operating on Earth in the 21st Century in “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” on Strange New Worlds?  Come on, New Trek- we need a little more Enterprise love.

One big question I do have here…these dozens of ships that fly out to meet the NX-01 when they come home; where were they when the Xindi weapon was about to blow up Earth and the NX-01 and Shran’s Andorian cruiser had to fight it alone?

I suppose we can say the timeline was already shifting when that happened, but the episode doesn’t say that. I think I would have preferred the idea that Vosk and the Space Nazis were unleashed by the Sphere Builders after their network was destroyed by Trip and T’Pol, but no one mentions it.  I’d say considering how good the rest of Season 4 is we should wonder why this one doesn’t quite connect, but it’s a Berman and Braga story, and their other contribution to season 4 is “These Are the Voyages.”

So, since we STILL don’t quite have the Xindi arc resolved, looks like I have one more review to do.

NEXT VOYAGE: The Xindi Arc FINALLY gets its close when the NX-01 makes it “Home.”

(Images taken from the main website for @trekcore; I am happy to remove the images if asked.)

[allstartrekgames]

Star Trek: Attack Wing

Original Release: 2013

Developer: Christopher Guild, Andrew Parks

Publisher: WizKids

Platform: Board Game

Star Trek: Attack Wing is the main miniature-based Star Trek game, and is sort of still going now, although mainly in the form of repackaged sets. From what I can tell, the last new ship was a Xindi-Reptillian ship in 2017, with the game also being used as a basis for a new co-op version called Star Trek Alliance.

Attack Wing does a good job at representing ship combat in Star Trek without being overly complex (although if you star incorporating many different sets, cards start overruling and contradicting each other). Each round, you both set your planned ship manoeuvre on a dial, then move on to using abilities and attacking. Not only is your ship important, but many special abilities and actions are provided by the crew you have.

There’s a lot of strategy in the game. One example is how you use shields. Some abilities require shield usage, so you have the ability to allow a shot to bypass your shield in order to protect your shield in order to use that ability. You’re also constantly moving and circling each other.

There are also a ton of missions you can get for the game, and some colossal Borg ships you can use (including one with pop out sphere). It’s a fun game and can be scaled and made more complex, or kept to a simple game with a couple of ships.

I also want to point out the superb Tabletop Simulator version, which spawn ships/cards based on fleets you design online, and also has a ton of features to help you out, such as control cards that make the ships move automatically.

[quarkspeed]

⭐️ 💫 S T A R T R E K ASK GAME: CREATE YOUR OWN TREK SHOW 💫 ⭐️

1. Give your show a title! (“STAR TREK: ___”)

2. Would your show be episodic like TOS, serialized like Discovery or some kind of mix like DS9? And will your show be animated or rather not?

3. Choose a ship! Or does your show mainly take place somewhere else, like a space station or maybe a specific planet?

4. Which Star Fleet uniform would you want to wear in your show? (e.g. Lower Decks uniform, TOS uniform, TNG season 1, …)

5. A new uniform color will be introduced in your show— which color would it be? (Bonus: what task would you assign to that color?)

6. What position and rank would you have in your show? Can be anything from Cadet to Admiral—or even non-Starfleet!

7. Who would be the ultimate enemy of your show? (e.g. Klingons, Xindi, Romulans, or someone entirely new?)—and what alien species do you never want to encounter during your show?

8. What ‘vintage’ souvenir from the 21st century would you keep in your quarters?

9. Give your captain a catchphrase! If you can’t think of one, just recycle your favorite catchphrase from the already existing ones!

10. Which already existing Star Trek character would you give a cameo in your show?

BONUS. What would the premise of your show be? Exploring new worlds? Finding back home from the Delta quadrant? Fighting a war against a species from a wormhole? Or something entirely different?

💫 -> reblog -> send numbers -> reply to specific numbers OR answer 1 through 10 (+ bonus) 💫

[startrek-readerslog]

Rosetta by Dave Stern

After a little bit (read three month) break, we have returned with our friend Dave Stern for a Hoshi centric book. The idea of a book about Hoshi really excited me. I think she is an extremely under utilized character in the show, and needed a little depth.

The Summary

This book takes place around an alien trade coalition called The Confederacy. They pop into the Thelasian Confederacy before going back to Earth for a peace conference (that may be the beginning of the United Federation of Planets???). While they pop on on the Confederacy they run into hostile ships which they learn are called the Antianna. Communication attempts fail, and they turn to Hoshi to try and decode a repeating message that they received from the new comers. Hoshi recently back from her stint with the Xindi is still shaken emotionally and mentally. She looses all confidence in her abilities, and this isn't helped by her inability to translate the new message.

On the Confederacy's main planet they meet this obviously shady leader. Hoshi connects with their mediators who are tasked with decoding the same message, and they meet an Andorian who survived a meeting with the mystery species. A lot of politcal nonsense happens, but basically Archer (and shady leader) are blown up and presumed dead. Hoshi goes and spends some quality time with the mediators and the Andorian, Theera. Tucker is in charge of the Enterprise, but doesn't quite want to leave and get to the conference like Star Fleet wants him too.

Eventually we learn that Archer and shady leader are alive (no surprise). Hoshi after a lot of effort (and Theera giving some clues while being tortured) does crack the code of the Antianna. She goes over to their ship with a mediator to try and negotiate peace. The deal is the aliens are AI remnants of an ancient civilization who thought they were still fighting a war. Theera is an android created by them based off of real Theera who died in an attack. The aliens apologize for their destruction and leave. We end with the Enterprise crew back together and off to the conference.

My Thoughts

I read this book with kind of a long pause in the middle so it is hard to really get my thoughts together on this one. I feel like I appreciated Hoshi's trauma from her abduction getting to be explored a little more than it did in the show. It makes sense that this would have a lasting impact on her and her confidence in her abilities. I am also just a sucker for translation stories and things that tend to be academic puzzles at heart. I really appreciated how this author read up a little on linguistics for the novel. I am sure an expert would have seen flaws, but as a casual enjoyer of linguistics I thought it was fun.

I think that Tucker got to shine as a comedic relief in a way that I think is hard to pull off in a book. While he was in many ways the comedic relief I think that it was cool to see him as captain. He is always one of my favorite characters and I think he was super well written in this book.

I think the most impactful moment of this book to me that was really skimmed by was when Theera was reabsorbed???? We had a full "but I want to stay" moment before she was absorbed into basically the Borg. Well not the Borg but they were very Borg like. She reached a state of consciousness that meant she wanted to live her life away from the collective. We didn't really get a moment to mourn for her, or any follow up about her husband she left behind.

I give this book a 6.5/10. It wasn't enough to always keep me really pulled in. Next we pop back to Martin and Magels with The Good That Men Do. Tucker is on the cover so I'm excited!

[nzvalley]

Rewatching some Star Trek: Enterprise

3x13 - Proving Ground

There is an unending “Previously On Enterprise” to open the episode. A full minute and a half to remind the audience what’s going on. Whew, the signs of how convoluted and serialized the show had become. This episode is deeply mired in the Xindi arc, which is decent but not what I love about the show.

One thing I will say about the Xindi arc is that it’s not about xenophobia or total war. The idea that Archer becomes an unreasonable war hawk is pure fanon. It only takes a few of episodes into season 3, way before this point, before Archer starts seeing nuance in the Xindi species.

They’re still enemies of Earth, still trying to attack and destroy it, but the show almost immediately sympathizes them. Whatever parallels were supposed to exist to America right after 9/11, it doesn’t hold up long. 

The major highlight to this episode for me is the return of Shran and the amazing Jeffrey Combs! It’s awesome that the episode starts with Shran, and we get a long look at an Andorian ship. 

One of the many drawbacks of the forced overhaul of the show was the dismissal of the slow-building Federation arc. And thus Shran. Even now he gets shoehorned into the Xindi stuff, rather than as a step towards the Federation.

Still, it’s awesome to see T’Pol, Shran, and Archer back together. And it is another favor called in, another instance of Archer and Shran (and T’Pol) forging a special relationship.

I forgot how much the retooled theme song sucks. I mean, the original was cheesy but at least it was heartfelt and sincere. The retool saps all of that out, and seems empty and failing at edgy.

“Typical humanoid arrogance.” In general humanoid refers to body type not facial structure. So most of the Xindi are humanoids. Besides that point, though… what were the “humanoids” called before the Xindi learned about humans?

It takes nearly five minutes before we see Enterprise or anyone on it. I didn’t check, but that seems pretty long.

The network tried to make this a military show, instead of an exploration show. That’s the real tension, tragedy of this season. There has always been shades of military in Star Trek, but ultimately that’s not (and shouldn’t be) it’s center.

The shot from behind Archer that reveals Shran’s antennae is one of the most memorable images of the whole show.

“The Imperial Guard thought you would be grateful to have an ally… considering no one else (pointed look toward T’Pol) came rushing to your aid.” An unnecessary shot at T’Pol, considering she actually came along.

Shran and T’Pol have great chemistry too. Barely restrained animosity but tempered with grudging respect. It’s the relationship of all three that is important for the Federation. The trust that develops between Archer and Shran is important, but T’Pol’s presence too, constantly making choices that shock Shran and disrupt his attitude toward Vulcans, is as necessary as the other dyad.

T’Pol actually has a similar impact on Shran as she does on Archer (and Trip, for that matter). Because of her loyalty and uniqueness among Vlucans, she shocked and awed them both out of deeply held animosity towards her species. And not just on an interpersonal level, but in a way that would help shake up centuries of moribund relations.

In fact, Shran points out how huge it is that T’Pol remained on Enterprise. A point that doesn’t get emphasized enough, either in show or IRL, is the amount that T’Pol gives up to continue supporting Archer.

Shran: What happened to your uniform, Sub-Commander? Not that I don’t find your new look becoming… but it’s not exactly regulation is it? T’Pol: I resigned my commission. Shran: Yes, I believe I heard something about that. Archer: Why are you here? Shran: Your world is in jeopardy, and where are your friends, the Vulcans? Where is their mighty fleet? They couldn’t even spare one officer. She was forced to abandon her career to remain on your ship! A remarkably selfless act… for a Vulcan.

Archer/T’Pol walk and talk. We get some Vulcan and Andoria backstory, which seems a little late in the game. Shouldn’t they have had a talk about this at some point during their initial meetings with the Andorians? 

Either way, she ends up being right about the need for security and about the Andorians’ duplicity. In retrospect, Shran’s scheme was well-played. Both Archer and T’Pol could buy the Andorians coming into the Expanse simply to one-up the Vulcans, but T’Pol’s knowledge of their history made her hesitant. 

Some good stuff between Reed and Talas. I always found Reed very engaging and interesting as a character, and it’s a shame he didn’t get more attention. 

Trip has a great moment of sass while watching Reed and Talas banter. “Well, I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.” Reed and Trip were always a good duo, even from the pilot.

Awesome romantic dinner in the captain’s mess between Archer and Shran. Even though Shran is playing a part here, I think a lot of it is also genuine. Shran, manipulative bastard that he is, both uses aspects of the truth to make a lie believable AND using his lies to reveal some truths he had kept hidden up to now.

Then there’s a Trip/T’Pol scene. Three VP sessions a week, jfc. The network was trying so hard, although these are the scenes between them that I prefer. Not the neuropressure crap or the ultra-dramatic plots they throw at them, but when they are connecting over their responsibilities and duties. I mentioned earlier in the season that the writers already had a great way to kickstart any Trip/T’Pol romance they wanted, which was their co-research on Trellium. They would be isolated, passionately invested, and facing high-pressure from the Captain. Perfect combination... but... alas.  Anyway, I digress. I find it interesting that T’Pol doesn’t share her suspicions about the Andorians with Trip.

Reed and Talas bickering!

Intense Trip/Shran scene.  A duo you don’t get to see much of, so it’s nice to see them interact.

Degra’s test… and then the Archerite scene, which is pure brilliance. One of the funniest scenes of the whole show.

At this point the plot really starts to kick in, so my thoughts become sparser. I care more about the quiet moments and character beats, especially on re-watch.

Reed and Talas scene… Talas is really up to something this time. Archer/Shran/T’Pol debrief… the reveal of Shran’s duplicity begins to become apparent. In a second debrief scene, its’ even more apparent to everyone that the Andorians are about to pull a double-cross.

The connection Archer forged with Graelik comes through!

Interesting scene between Shran and the general. The clearest picture in a while of how much of a maverick Shran is for an Andorian, akin to Archer and T’Pol.

Then the double-cross goes down! But Shran telegraphed what he was going to do, so everyone on Enterpise already knew and had prepared. 

And Shran sends the scans in secret in the end, showing that while he might play his part for his military/government, he still personally feels a connection to Archer and T’Pol. He is willing to risk his career in the same way as T’Pol, though not quite as openly as her, to keep his relationship with Archer viable.

Archer and T’Pol were both right this time. The Andorians couldn’t be trusted… but Shran ultimately came through.

The episode ends up back where it started, on the Enterprise at least, with T’Pol, Hoshi, and Archer analyzing data.

Archer invites Trip and T’Pol to dinner to drink some Adorian ale. And like usual now, the show pretends that Archer/T’Pol/Trip have nothing to discuss that might be awkward or uncomfortable.

Screencaps: https://ent.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=117&page=5

Transcripts: http://www.chakoteya.net/Enterprise/65.htm

[t-rina]

Ash’s Star Trek Enterprise Rewatch:

4x9 Kir’Shara

First aired: 3 December 2004

Synopsis: While Trip and the Enterprise try to intercept the Vulcan’s attack on Andoria, Archer and T’Pau have to get the Kir’Shara to the High Command.

Ash’s rating: 3/7

V’Las??? are you being a bit paranoid? maybe?

oh right, the Andorians stole the Xindi weapon prototype

is it *logical* to start a war based on assumptions?

I’M GOING WHERE MY HEART WILL TAKE ME

the Kir’Shara contains the original teachings of Surak!

Aww, Trip basically threw Malcolm out :/

he wants to ask Shran for help :)

Archer wants to take the Kir’Shara to the High Command

V’LAS WIPE THAT SMUG SMILE OFF YOUR FACE

what is going on with him?????

“Open a channel.” - “To who?” - “The Nebula.”

As soon as Trip speaks the Andorians show themselves xD

Shraaaaaan!

he is furious!

understandably

T’Pol is affected by her mother’s death :(

sdfdslkfsjdfklsdfklsdjkf there is a cure for Pa’Nar syndrome!

T’Pau might be able to cure it!!!!!!!!

yeah i definitely ship it

ANDORIANS KIDNAPPED SOVAL

Woah, the Andorian way of torturing Vulcans is cruuueeeel

it’s the 22nd century and they still have torture…

Enterprise noticed Soval’s absence xD

“There are many groups who claim to follow the true path of Surak.” maybe there is no true path then…

can Archer please stop pushing T’Pol to do things she doesn’t want???

Shraaaan???? whyyyyyy???

damn, Shran, you just got burned…

and you still torture him more…

uh-oh, Archer is being attacked

damn, did he just do a vulcan neck pinch???

HOW DARE YOU HIT T’POL!!!

Archer shooing off Vulcans with his torch xD

aaand down the rabbit hole

they left T’Pol behind :(

she lied to the Vulcans :)

Oh no, T’Pol is being taken to the high command

Archer really *can* do the Vulcan neck pinch

V’Las? you wanna execute T’Pol?

ayyyy Enterprise and Andorians have intercepted the Vulcan fleet!

ha! Andorians don’t have Xindi weapons!!! 

space fiiiight

Vulcans firing on Enterprise!!!! (fuck them)

Archer is owing Shran two now :)

HA! ARCHER AND T’PAU MADE IT TO THE HIGH COMMAND

what the fuck is happening?

how did they even get there?

Archer activated the Kir’Shara

prettyyy

yessss, Kuvak shot V’Las!!!

uuh, Koss helped Archer

Koss is proposing a divorce!!! yeyyy

The Katra is not in Archer anymore 

maybe this is why the Vulcans are less emotional in the future shows :) because they relearned the teachings

wait who is V’Las talking to?

Holy shit, Romulan….

[spockvarietyhour]

3/5ths of the Xindi Fleet, "Countdown"

[wuh2k]

So in Star Trek: Beyond there’s numerous references to the Enterprise series. The NX classification on the Franklin, Edison being a former MACO and saying he fought in the Xindi war. Makes sense since the new timeline was created long after the events of Enterprise.

So how was the Franklin the first Star Fleet vessel capable of warp 4 if it was commissioned and placed under Edison’s command as a reward for his service following the founding of the Federation and the disbanding of the MACOs, years after the launch of the NX-01, Star Fleet’s first warp 5 capable ship?

[whovianwatchingstartrek]

A Whovian Watches Star Trek for the First Time: Part 074 - The Battle of the Expanse

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season 3 Episode 23 - Countdown

The Chase is on. We wake up with Hoshi on the Xindi ship, who is now in the hands of the reptilians. Their plan is to use her to steal the Aquatic Xindi arming code for the weapon, and have infected her with a parasite which will rewrite her brain. I'm not particularly fond of seeing Hoshi being tortured, so I'm glad the scene cuts away quickly.

Meanwhile, Trip and T'Pol are trying to decode the memory core they took from the sphere, but facing difficulty without Hoshi's language expertise. Archer has pushed the remaining Xindi councillors to meet the Aquatic leaders, and it seems the crew's knowledge of the spheres has gotten through to them.

Luckily, Hoshi has managed to resist the Parasites, and has even managed to put extra encryption on top of the codes, delaying the reptillians plans further.

The episode really starts picking up when we get some time with T'pol and Trip, where they have a brief fight, which ends up with T'Pol confessing to trip that she's been loosing control of her emotions and also apologising to him, and confessing that she needs him.

However, the Sphere builders have decided to step in. Enterprise is preparing for a final push, the run to destroy the Xindi Weapon, with three of the Xindi species at their back. We have a brief scene of Trip, T'Pol and Archer talking about the future, which was nice, but then the Reptillians have successfully armed the weapon, just as the Xindi fleet arrives with Enterprise.

The action scene for the battle around the weapon was great. It was lovely to see Hayes finally get some time to shine. The rescue mission went brilliants until the Sphere builders reconfigure the spheres to create an anomoly around the weapon, destroying every ship caught up in it, and leaving Hoshi and the MACOs stranded on the Reptillian ship, as Enterprise's transporter has been taken down. Thankfully Trip gets it back online but Hayes is wounded in the escape, and dies in medbay.

We're left on a cliffhanger again, to lead into the season finale, as the weapon escapes and heads towards earth. Hayes' death really had me in tears, I knew 2005 wouldn't have let him and Reed become the gay power couple they are in my heart, but I thought they'd at least let me dream! That said Malcolm taking command of the MACOs in Hayes' memory was a great scene. It also seems that the Insectoids are pulling out of their alliance with the Reptilians.

I liked this episode, and I'm excited for the season finale, and to finale get this Xindi storyline done with. The action was good here, and that was the main thing the episode was going for. I was entertained, but there wasn't really anything to dig into.

[weerd1]

ENT Rewatch Starlog, 27 April, 2024, supplemental: Episode 3.22 “The Council”

While Degra, T'Pol, and Archer plot to figure out how to approach the Xindi council, they realize the Spheres are networked by an artificial intelligence network. That memory core might provide more information on the Builders, whom Degra says are all but worshipped by many Xindi, particularly Reptilians.

The Reptilians meanwhile have learned Degra destroyed a Reptilian ship to protect Enterprise. 

T’Pol, Reed, Mayweather, and a MACO (read that as “Redshirt”) go on a mission to retrieve a memory core from a Sphere while Degra’s people and the Arboreals escort the NX-01 to the Council planet, and Archer and Hoshi enter the chamber built into a structure that was built millennia before by the now extinct Avian Xindi. The Reptilians, specifically their leader Dolim rail against Archer’s presence, but after some talk, they agree to hear more.

Degra goes back to NX-01 where he will help make a hologram of the Sphere Builder from Phlox’s records they had on board who was testing the environment. He also tries to help Tucker with some power cells, and after a small altercation, they begin to cooperate, Trip finally seeing past his loss to what Degra is risking in helping them.

The Sphere expedition retrieves one of the memory cores, but a defense system kills the MACO in the process, leaving Reed reeling from the loss of yet another crewmen.

After the new visual presentation begins to sway the Aquatics, Dolim has a change of heart and agrees to hear more evidence. Degra tells Archer he hopes this is the beginning of a new future, but Dolim has been talking to the Sphere Builders and plan to steal the weapon and attack Earth with the Insectoids; but first he goes to Degra’s room and murders him. The Xindi Primates warn Archer just as the weapon launches and the NX-01 joins a flotilla of Primate, Arboreal, and Aquatic ships in an attempt to stop them.  In the battle, Dolim beams Hoshi Sato off the bridge of Enterprise as the weapon and Dolim’s fleet enter a subspace vortex.

Things are coming to a head now in the story, and it’s nice to see Archer truly stepping into his role of peacemaker, a great contrast from when he spoke with Daniels earlier in the season. Gratifying to see the progress he’s making, which makes the death of Degra and the launch of the weapon a real jolt when the story pulls that rug out from under us. 

I have to admit, I am still looking a little askance and the fact the species with the mammalian heritage—Humans, Primates, Arboreals, and Aquatics—ally together while the Reptilians and Insectoids are the violent hold-outs. There’s a…xenophobia of some kind layered into that writing I think, and I might suggest it would be a little more “Star Trek” in its way if either of those two species were swayed. Maybe that’s just me. 

Reed makes mention of 23 deaths in the crew, which is pretty significant for a group around 80-90.  It is nice to see he as completely accepted the MACOs as comrades now.  

Not having rewatched these since the initial airing, I have to admit I had completely forgotten about Dolim taking Hoshi, and I am genuinely excited to find out where that story goes…thanks to my old-man brain, it’s like a whole new Enterprise story for me!

NEXT VOYAGE: The weapon is on its way to Earth, and Archer faces a “Countdown.”

(Images taken from the main website for @trekcore; I am happy to remove the images if asked.)

[seekingabba]

Vulcans in ENT were our best allies.

Say all you want about how pompous and annoying the Vulcans behaved on STENT. They were our allies through and through though, not only did they do the best they could to provide intelligence on the Delphic/Xindi expanse. An area inn which they had lost a ships crew in horrific circumstances. They stationed several ships on Earth after the Xindi test attack on Earth. We see at least two at the end of Homefront part two, as well as a probable Andorian cruiser if my eyes don’t deceive me. Not to mention the ships Star Fleet hunkered down on Earth in hopes of being able to defend the Earth. At the end of season three we see Shran helping fight the Xindi reptillians, as well as some of the aid they provided during season three. But the Vulcan aid is not as noted. We don’t see Vulcans fighting side by side protecting the Earth. But that’s because the Weapon never reaching them. But it should not be too hard To imagine that their ships were under orders to fight anything that tried to take a pot shot at Earth. We only see two, but I suppose the High Command had at least four Of their Big Cruisers In orbit. So idk, I just felt like pointing that out.

[ramajmedia]

Star Trek Has More Wars Than Star Wars: Here Are The Greatest

Here are the greatest wars of Star Trek, which has actually had more wars across its franchise than Star Wars. At its core, Star Trek is about an optimistic future of space exploration and the harmonious co-existence of multiple worlds as embodied by the United Federation of Planets. And yet, Star Trek's history is full of conflict; indeed, after The Original Series in the 1960s, every Star Trek TV series has been embroiled in some form of war.

Predating Star Wars' creation by a decade, Star Trek's central tenet is about seeking out new worlds and new civilizations. But even though Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the Starship Enterprise of the 23rd-century dealt with all manner of hostile alien lifeforms, actual full-blown wars weren't something depicted until Star Trek: The Next Generation's 24th-century era. By contrast, George Lucas' creation was titled Star Wars but the films really only dealt with three wars: The Clone Wars of the prequels, the conflict between the Empire and the Rebellion in the original trilogy, and the First Order vs. the Resistance in the sequel trilogy. Meanwhile, the five Star Trek spinoff TV series have involved several wars across the various eras of the Federation.

Next: After 13 Years Of Rights Issues, Star Trek Is Whole Again

Indeed, the history of Star Trek was forged through wars: the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s gave rise to the villainous Khan and World War III in the 21st-century devastated humanity before First Contact with the Vulcans opened the door to the establishment of Starfleet. The United Federation of Planets was then founded in 2161, which Star Trek: Enterprise's Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) presided over. But prior to the Federation's formation, the Earth-Romulan War of 2156-2160 led to the creation of the Romulan Neutral Zone and Star Trek: Discovery's Klingon War of 2257 was an outbreak of open hostilities in the middle of a Cold War that lasted over 70 years, which finally ended when the Klingons sued for peace in 2293, as seen in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

While the Star Trek movies set in the Prime and Kelvin timelines had their share of violent conflicts, the greatest wars of Star Trek were depicted across the various TV series from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Star Trek: Discovery. Here are the epic Star Trek wars that cumulatively outnumber those of Star Wars.

The Xindi War on Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise season 3 saw the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise caught up in a year-long war with the Xindi, which was just part of a larger Temporal Cold War fought across the timestream by different factions. In the Star Trek: Enterprise season 2 finale, the Xindi attacked Earth with a superweapon, which devastated a swath of Earth from Florida to Venezuela and killed seven million people.

Captain Archer led an upgraded Enterprise into the Delphic Expanse to stop the Xindi from launching a second attack; during the course of the war, Archer learned the Xindi were pawns of another race called the Sphere-Builders, who were capable of seeing alternate timelines. The Sphere-Builders were trying to destroy Earth in the 22nd century, fearing a future where the Federation would destroy the Sphere-Builders in the 26th century. Eventually, Archer made peace with the Xindi and convinced them that they were being manipulated by the Sphere-Builders; the Enterprise crew destroyed the Xindi primary weapon before it could attack Earth again and they destroyed the Spheres, banishing the Builders back to their native trans-dimensional realm.

Related: Star Trek's Crazy (& Brilliant) Reason Why So Many Aliens Look Human

The Borg Vs. Species 8472 on Star Trek: Voyager

In 2374, as the U.S.S. Voyager entered Borg space in the Delta Quadrant, they were caught in the middle of the war between the Borg and Species 8472. The two deadly races battled for over 5 months, with the Borg suffering heavy casualties as they encountered the first alien species they could not easily assimilate or defeat. Species 8472 was a highly-advanced biological race that existed in fluidic space. When the Borg discovered a way to access fluidic space, they tried and failed to conquer Species 8472, who then went on the offensive and invaded the Milky Way galaxy. One bio-ship from Species 8472 could destroy 15 Borg Cubes and in one encounter, Species 8472 destroyed 8 Borg planets, 312 ships, and killed 4,000,621 drones.

Fearing this new threat, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) partnered with the Borg, which brought Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) aboard the U.S.S. Voyager. The Starfleet/Borg alliance developed a biological weapon that forced Species 8472 back to fluidic space, ending the war. Later, Species 8472 determined that humanity was a greater threat than the Borg and created simulations in order to defeat the Federation and human beings. However, Janeway brokered peace with Species 8472, convincing them that the Federation had no designs on invading fluidic space.

The War Against Control on Star Trek: Discovery Season 2

In Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Control, Section 31's threat assessment system, attempted to gain sentience and wipe out all biological life in the galaxy - a goal Control achieved by the 32nd century according to the time-traveling Red Angel, who was revealed to be Dr. Gabrielle Burnham (Sonja Sohn). Much of Star Trek: Discovery season 2 centered on the U.S.S. Discovery's pursuit of the secret of the red signals in space, which ended up providing the means to stop Control. This included freeing Kaminar, the Kelpien homeworld, from dominion by the Ba'ul and Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) acquiring a Klingon time crystal.

It all culminated in the final battle against Control in Star Trek: Discovery's season 2 finale, "Such Sweet Sorrow", where the U.S.S. Discovery and the U.S.S. Enterprise were joined by the Kelpiens and the Klingons to battle Section 31's drone fleet. The climactic battle was the most eye-popping and violent space battle ever depicted in a Star Trek TV series and it ended with the destruction of Control as Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) assumed the identity of the Red Angel and led the Starship Discovery into the 32nd century to prevent Control from ever gaining sentience.

Related: Where Was The Enterprise During Star Trek: Discovery's Klingon War?

Star Trek: Discovery Season 1's Klingon War

The Klingon War against the Federation of 2256-2257 spanned the entirety of Star Trek: Discovery season 1. The war was started by Commander Michael Burnham at the Battle at the Binary Stars, which left her disgraced and imprisoned as Starfleet's first mutineer. Meanwhile, the Klingon Messiah T'Kuvma (Chris Obi) tried to unite all of the Great Houses under his leadership but after Burnham killed him, the warrior race splintered off into opposing factions while continuing the war against the Federation.

The Federation suffered devastating losses during the Klingon War: over 8,000 Starfleet personnel died in the first 6 months of the conflict. Nine months later, twenty percent of Federation space was occupied by the Klingons, including Starfleet's Starbase 1, which saw 80,000 lives lost. When the U.S.S. Discovery returned from its diversion into the Mirror Universe, the Terran Emperor Phillipa Georgiou, posing as her counterpart Captain Philippa Georgiou, attempted to commit genocide on the Klingon homeworld in a bid to end the war before the Klingons could invade Earth. In response, Michael Burnham allied with L'Rell (Mary Elizabeth Chieffo) to stop Georgiou's plan; they installed L'Rell as the new Klingon High Chancellor and ended the war.

The Federation Vs. The Borg on Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Federation's conflict with the Borg was mostly fought in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the subsequent feature film Star Trek: First Contact. In the classic two-part episode "The Best of Both Worlds", the Borg Collective mounted their invasion of the Federation, assimilating Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and turning him into Locutus of Borg. It culminated in the Battle of Wolf 359, one of the most destructive engagements of the 24th century: 39 Starfleet ships were lost against one Borg Cube, with over 11,000 people either killed or assimilated. Though the U.S.S. Enterprise-D rescued Picard and destroyed the Borg Cube, it wouldn't be their last encounter with the Borg.

The Battle of Wolf 359 had lasting repercussions: the Defiant-class starships were developed to fight the Borg and Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) lost his wife Jennifer in the conflict. The Borg later attempted to time travel and assimilate 22nd century Earth in Star Trek: First Contact but Picard and his crew foiled them again. However, the Federation never completely defeated the Borg, who will return in Star Trek: Picard, although a faction of the Borg Collective has seemingly been conquered by the Romulans. Still, the Borg remain a hostile threat to the Federation any time they emerge from their home base in the Delta Quadrant.

Related: Star Trek: Picard Theory: The Borg Doomed Romulus

The Dominion War on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The Dominion War in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the greatest war ever fought in Star Trek. At its peak, the conflict involved every major power in the Alpha Quadrant siding with two opposing factions: the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans vs. the Dominion, Cardassian, and Breen alliance. While the formal hostilities lasted from 2373-2375, the Dominion instigated a Federation-Klingon War, destroyed the Cardassian Obsidian Order and the Romulan Tal'Shiar, and successfully executed a coup on Cardassia prior to the Dominion War, which weakened the Alpha Quadrant before the Changelings and the Jem'Hadar mounted their full-scale invasion from the Gamma Quadrant.

The devastation caused by the Dominion War was staggering: thousands of starships and millions of lives were lost on both sides, with Cardassia suffering the most as the Dominion systematically eliminated the Cardassian population, killing 800 million civilians in the waning days of the war. The Dominion also conquered Betazed, homeworld of Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and the Breen attacked Starfleet Headquarters on Earth. Captain Sisko tricking the Romulans to fight on the Federation's side turned the tide of the war, while Section 31's use of a biogenic virus by secretly causing Odo to infect the Founders accelerated the Federation's ultimate victory. Sisko led the invasion of Cardassia that resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Bajor on Deep Space Nine, formally ending the war and forcing the Dominion to permanently retreat into the Gamma Quadrant.

The Dominion War altered the balance of power in the Alpha Quadrant; the Klingons incurred such loses that it would take them a decade to recover and the Cardassian Union completely collapsed, which left the Federation and Romulans as the strongest powers in the Quadrant - until Shinzon's coup wiped out the Romulan Senate in Star Trek: Nemesis. Thanks to the serialized format of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which boasted 26 episodes per season, the series was able to depict the myriad complexities of the Dominion War from the military, political, and characters' perspectives. All in all, Star Trek fans may not see a war as epic and far-reaching as the Dominion War again.

Next: Everything Star Trek: Picard Is A Sequel To

source https://screenrant.com/star-trek-wars-greatest-borg-dominion-klingons/

[startrek-readerslog]

Last Full Measure by Martin and Mangels

So we have skipped some time in the series and now are in the Expanse after the Xindi attack on Earth. Which honestly really surprises me, as it felt like the Xindi was something that could have really been explored in the novels, but maybe because it was so thoroughly explored on screen it shut out a lot of room for story in a novel. Anyway, let’s get into it!

The Author(s):

 Upon some simple googling it looks like these two write their Star Trek novels TOGETHER. I found only a few that Martin wrote a few novels by himself and that Mangels wrote only one short story without his pal Michael Martin. It looks like the two of them wrote a lot of DS9 comics together, as well as stuff for the Titan series which follows Riker post-TNG. 

The Summary:

The MACOs are annoying the hell out of the Enterprise crew, and the Enterprise crew would like to annoy the hell out of the Xindi. To back up a little the intro takes place way after the Xindi incident and at the Star Fleet monument to those who died in war. Its from the POV of someone who we don’t know. Jump back to the Enterprise in the Expanse. They are trying to find anything that they can about the Xindi’s home world and where they are building a weapon. So the captain and some MACOs head down to a trading planet on some intel, while T’Pol has the helm. (A lot of main crew are incapacitated due to an anomaly in the Expanse, so Tucker and Hoshi effectively get written out of the book) While on the Enterprise T’Pol picks up traces of the Xindi fuel and sends Travis and some MACOs out to see whats up. 

So we have an A story line and a B story line. In the A story line they find someone who has been moving packages for the Xindi and kidnap him to take them to where he takes the packages. He does this a little too willingly because he is being paid by the Xindi to bring them there. They make a near death escape and blow up the fake station. In the B story line they find out that the trails are because there is a processing plant nearby for the Xindi fuel. With some loss of life they manage to blow it up, and almost everyone aside from a few metaphorical red shirts make it out. 

My Thoughts:

So this book was 40 dollars...which is a little ridiculous for a 16 year old Star Trek paperback. That was a steal compared to the 80 dollars some people were asking, so I was coming into this book with some anger that I paid 40 dollars for it. However I think this is the best full length novel that I have read so far. 

First of all it is strongest in its ability to recreate the feeling of an episode of the show. It has that classic A story line and B story line that feel indicative of almost an episode of TNG. Following different story with different POVs was really a strong suit of this novel.

Second the authors really took the time to develop almost every character we met, even the ones who died. This made their deaths feel like they have a little more meaning and affect. It also kept me guessing who of the side characters was going to live and die.

Third, it explored something new and interesting that they didn’t get to explore in the show! The relationship between the MACOs and the crew was tense at times especially with Reed, but really we didn’t hear more about it. None of them were developed enough for me to care about. In this novel I felt the authors realistically explored the relationship between the MACOs and the crew and also got to develop that relationship. It makes sense that they would hate each other, and also make sense that they have bonding moments.

LASTLY TUCKER IS ALIVE?????? EXCUSE ME I THOUGH THAT THE NOVELS WEREN’T ALLOWED TO CHANGE CANON LIKE THAT.

I give this book a solid 8/10, fun read that I genuinely enjoyed! Next in the novels we are back to our old friend Dave Stern for Rosetta.