When I was younger, living in Bermuda, back in 1986, I would hit the rather meagre offerings in the book racks of the American Exchange store which served Canadian, British and American forces as our mult-need department store. I would grab each Trek book I came across, and would tear through them, devouring the adventures…
Tag: federation
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973/1974) – The Slaver Weapon, The Eye of the Beholder, and The Jihad
Captain’s log: stardate 4187.3 Larry Niven adapts his story The Soft Weapon to become a Star Trek episode in this tale that first aired 15 December 1973. The race is on when Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) and Sulu (George Takei) discover an ancient weapon. The come up against the cat-like Kzinti who want…
Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973) – The Terratin Incident, The Time Trap, and The Ambergris Element
Captain’s log: stardate 5577.3 The Terratin Incident was written by Paul Schneider and was first broadcast on 17 November, 1973. The Enterprise receives a transmission from Celephus, following the transmission is a flash of light, which disables all the dilithium aboard ship. Added to the problem that the ship is losing power is the fact…
Star Trek: Pawns and Symbols (1985) – Majliss Larson
Ok. It’s just about time for someone to step in and rein in some of these stories. I know it can’t be far off, but at this point, some of them are really starting to annoy me. This week’s Book Shelf lets me visit a non-canon adventure of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Let’s…
Star Trek: Dwellers in the Crucible (1985) – Margaret Wander Bonanno
Before Star Trek V: The Final Frontier came along four years later with the concept of the Planet of Galactic Peace, Margaret Wander Bonanno presented a similar idea in her non-canon Star Trek novel, Dwellers in the Crucible, which finds its way onto the Book Shelf this week. Set before the events of Star Trek…
Star Trek: Killing Time (1985) – Della Van Hise
Hey look, it’s another non-canon Trek novel that features villains altering the timeline to change history, and allowing the author to play with established characters in their own way, with heavy slash tendencies (in this case, a Kirk/Spock romance… again). If you can get your hands on an ultra-rare first edition, there is actually more…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1968) – And the Children Shall Lead and Is There in Truth No Beauty?
Captain’s log: stardate 5029.5 And the Children Shall Lead. Written by Edward J. Lasko, this episode aired on 11 October, 1968. It started out with the some good ideas – the Enterprise arrives at a Federation colony to discover that all the adults have taken their own lives, leaving the children, who seem oblivious to…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1968) – The Enterprise Incident and The Paradise Syndrome
Captain’s log: stardate 5027.3 The Enterprise Incident aired on 27 September, 1968 and was written by D.C. Fontana. It’s a fairly strong episode and a huge step-up from last week’s debacle. We see the return of the Romulans as Captain Kirk (William Shatner) behaves in an increassingly erratic manner, taking the Enterprise across the Neutral…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1968) – Return to Tomorrow and Patterns of Force
Captain’s log: stardate 4768.3 Return to Tomorrow is one of those episodes that never really seem to hold my attention. Written by John T. Dugan, this story first aired on 9 February, 1968. The one thing is does have is Kirk’s (William Shatner) awesome “Risk is our business” speech. It has become iconic and emblematic…
Star Trek: The Original Series (1968) – The Immunity Syndrome and A Private Little War
Captain’s log: stardate 4307.1 Like Balance of Terror, this episode encouraged a lot of daydreams as I navigated my school desk turned navigation console through the unexplored mass of the galaxy. The Immunity Syndrome is mostly confined to the bridge of the Enterprise and ts shuttlecraft as Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), McCoy (DeForest…
The Mind Reels 