Sunday, December 31, 2023

Positively Trek Book Club: Making It So - A Memoir

Positively Trek Podcast:

Making It So - A Memoir
Sir Patrick Stewart's Life: In His Own Words


Purchase:
Hardcover: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk


Positively Trek 256: Book Club: Making It So - A Memoir
Sir Patrick Stewart in His Own Words

Since first appearing on our television screens in 1987 as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Patrick Stewart has been a bit of an enigma to Star Trek fans. Over the years, this “Unknown British Shakespearean Actor” (as he was referred to as in the LA Times that year) has become a familiar and much-loved presence as the lead of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Now, his life is laid bare in his new memoir for all to read.

In this episode of the Positively Trek Book Club, hosts Dan and Bruce discuss Making It So: A Memoir by Sir Patrick Stewart. We discuss our expectations for the book, his early life, his relationships, his time before and after starring as Jean-Luc Picard, and much more!





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Previous episode: The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko
Next episode: Star Trek: Godshock

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

The Battle of Betazed

Star Trek: The Next Generation
The Battle of Betazed by Charlotte Douglas & Susan Kearney
Published April 2002
Read February 12th 2020

Previous book (The Next Generation): A Hard Rain
Next book (The Next Generation): Do Comets Dream?


Purchase:
Mass-market paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

Spoilers ahead for The Battle of Betazed!

From the back cover:
In the darkest hours of the Dominion War, as the Federation's downfall seemed ever more certain, Jem'Hadar and Cardassian forces conquered Betazed, the homeworld of Deanna Troi. Their victory sent shock waves through the Alpha Quadrant, and put the Dominion within striking distance of Vulcan, Andor, Tellar -- and possibly Earth itself.

To secure their position in the very heart of the Federation, the Cardassians begin constructing the space station Sentok Nor in orbit of Betazed. The station is to serve as both the seat of the Dominion occupation and the site of horrific experiments by Cardassia's foremost exobiologist, the infamous Dr. Crell Moset.

With Starfleet's forces spread too thin in the ongoing struggle to retake Betazed outright, the U.S.S. Enterprise along with some old and new friends, is deployed to carry out a dangerous and desperate plan. But no matter what the outcome, the consequences could alter Betazed irrevocably, forcing Deanna Troi to choose between her world's survival and its very soul.

My thoughts:

In the 6th season episode of Deep Space Nine "In the Pale Moonlight," it was decided to have the Dominion attack and capture a planet that would have a great deal of meaning to Star Trek fans. According to the writers, they wanted a world that a Trek character hailed from. Going through a number of possibilities, they eventually landed on the homeworld of TNG's Counselor Deanna Troi: Betazed. Because this happened on Deep Space Nine, we as the audience weren't able to see the effect this had on Troi and her colleagues over on TNG, but at the time, I was very curious as to how Deanna reacted, how this affected her mother, Lwaxana Troi, and a host of other questions surrounding this event. Thankfully, these questions and more are addressed in The Battle of Betazed.

After capturing Betazed, the Cardassians construct a familiar-looking station in orbit: Sentok Nor, identical in design to Terok Nor, the station that became Deep Space Nine. Commanding the Cardassian occupation forces is a face we've seen before: Gul Lemec, the Cardassian who negotiated across from Captain Jellico in the TNG two-parter "Chain of Command."

Sentok Nor, a station similar in design to Terok Nor, Deep Space Nine's original designation, is constructed by the forces occupying Betazed.

This novel by writing partners Charlotte Douglas and Susan Kearney features the re-taking of Betazed from Dominion forces. However, rather than a huge fleet action featuring hundreds of ships facing off in orbit, the plan to take the planet is more subtle. A team consisting of Starfleet personnel (including crew from the Enterprise and Elias Vaughn from Starfleet Intelligence - a name familiar to fans of the Deep Space Nine relaunch novels) as well as Betazoid resistance fighters will drop behind enemy lines. Their mission: to use Hent Tevren, a Betazoid criminal, to train Betazoids to replicate his skill: killing with the mind. 

As you can imagine, this opens up a huge moral dilemma for the Betazoid people. Will they turn their backs on their values to use this horrific mental weapon, turning the minds of their people into killing machines? Or will they choose to reject the use of this technique, even if it means the destruction of their world? Moral quandaries such as these are at the heart of what I love about Star Trek, and The Battle of Betazed does a pretty good job of confronting this question.

Crell Moset, Cardassia's answer to Josef Mengele.

The novel also explores the character of Crell Moset, a Cardassian doctor roughly modeled on the infamous Josef Mengele. First introduced in the Voyager episode "Nothing Human," Moset is revealed to be conducting experiments on captured Betazoids, much as he did to Bajorans during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. This creates an interesting parallel between the actions of a deplorable man operating under a fascist regime, and the plans of the Betazoid resistance to use Tevren's skills. If one uses the tactics of the oppressor, does one become as morally corrupt as they are?

I also appreciated the novel's characterization of Lwaxana Troi. Often used for comic relief in TNG, Lwaxana shines when given more dramatic material to work with (see "Half a Life" and "Dark Page"). In The Battle of Betazed, we get to see her react to the Dominion occupation of her world, a situation that allows her character a bit more dramatic range than we typically see.

Final thoughts:

A satisfying read that does a good job of picking up a tantalizing thread from DS9. As soon as the capture of Betazed was mentioned on the show, and it became clear it wouldn't be addressed in the remainder of the series, I had hoped that some enterprising writers would let us know how it turned out. Thankfully, the writing team of Douglas and Kearney has done a stand up job of delivering that story. Some fascinating moral questions are raised, giving us a novel worthy of being Trek. 4/5 stars.

More about The Battle of Betazed:


Next time on Trek Lit Reviews:

The next review is for the first Star Trek: Picard novel: The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack!


Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Release Day! Star Trek: Lower Decks - Crew Handbook by Chris Farnell

 Star Trek: Lower Decks - Crew Handbook

by Chris Farnell


Out today is a fun title: the Lower Decks U.S.S. Cerritos Crew Handbook by Chris Farnell. Featuring what the publisher calls "a funny and illuminating guide to life on the U.S.S. Cerritos," the handbook will make the reader intimately familiar with everything a Lower Decker needs to know about a career in Starfleet.

Check out below for the back-cover blurb and links to purchase from Amazon!





Publisher's description:
A funny and illuminating guide to life on the U.S.S. Cerritos from Star Trek: Lower Decks, through the eyes of the beloved lower deckers themselves.
Join the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos as they seek out new life and travel where people may, or may not, have been before!
Based on the hit Paramount+ animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, Mariner, Boimler and all their friends offer advice and insider knowledge to new crewmembers. This hilarious and informative handbook will help you come to grips with the ship, your duties, and your fellow lower deckers, especially as they’ve generously left comments throughout.


Purchase Star Trek: Lower Decks - Crew Handbook:

Paperback: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk




 

Monday, December 18, 2023

Positively Trek Book Club: The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko

Positively Trek Podcast:

The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko
Exclusive interview with author Derek Tyler Attico!


Purchase:
Hardcover: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
E-book (Kindle): Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk


Positively Trek 254: Book Club: The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko with Derek Tyler Attico
We Interview the Author of The Emissary’s Autobiography!

Positively Trek Book Club is honored to have author Derek Tyler Attico on the show! His terrific entry in Titan Publishing’s line of Star Trek autobiographies should have a place on every single Niner’s shelf. Dan Gunther and returning host Bruce Gibson talk to Derek about The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko.

We discuss Derek’s background as a Trek fan, how he got started in writing, and the incredible story about how he got this writing gig that actually has a connection to host Dan Gunther! We get into the book itself, covering Sisko’s early years and the unique place Captain Benjamin Sisko has in the Star Trek mythos.





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