My thoughts:
Over the years, a number of
Star Trek television writers have also lent their talents to the world of
Trek novels. Chief among these, of course, is Gene Roddenberry himself, who penned the novelization of
Star Trek: The Motion Picture, kicking off the Pocket Books era of
Trek books. However, another writer who has influenced what
Star Trek has become almost as much as Roddenberry himself wrote a
Trek novel back in 1989: Dorothy "D.C." Fontana.
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| Dorothy "D.C." Fontana, one of the giants of early Star Trek history. |
Fontana has story or teleplay credit on 17 episodes of
Star Trek, spread across four series, with the bulk of her work in the original
Star Trek television series. Her writing has given us classic episodes such as "Charlie X," "Tomorrow is Yesterday," "This Side of Paradise," and "Journey to Babel." To say that
Star Trek wouldn't be what it is today without D.C. Fontana is an understatement.
During her time on
Star Trek, Dorothy Fontana was responsible for much of Spock's character development, so it is no surprise that Spock plays a large role in
Vulcan's Glory. There is a lot to unpack with regards to Spock's character in this novel, beginning with his relationship with T'Pring, the woman we learn he is betrothed to in the
TOS episode "Amok Time." There is, however, another romance in this novel for Spock, with a Vulcan woman by the name of T'Pris, another science officer assigned to the
Enterprise. The romance develops quite quickly, and I was truly saddened by her eventual fate. In today's terms, we would say that her character was "fridged," as her death serves mainly to advance Spock's story. However, I felt she was a round character in her own right. Had the novel been written today, I feel that this part of the story would have been handled differently, but it serves its tragic purpose here. I was quite surprised by how much about Spock's character is affected by the events of this novel. We learn a lot about what makes him who he is in later
Star Trek.
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| Spock's first mission as a science officer aboard the Enterprise is explored in this novel. |
This novel also features a lot of backstory and development for Captain Christopher Pike, much more than we had gotten to this point. Remember, at the time, the only Pike we had seen in canon
Trek was the unaired
TOS pilot episode, "The Cage," with parts of it re-purposed for use in the two-part episode "The Menagerie." We learn about Pike's romantic life, as well as get some insights into the kind of captain he is. Many years later, on
Star Trek: Discovery, we see a lot more of Pike, and for the most part I think a lot of what we learn in this novel is still applicable to the character as interpreted by Anson Mount.
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| Captain Christopher Pike is explored in this novel, one of the first times we get more about the character outside of "The Cage" and "The Menagerie." |
Finally, another new crewmember joins the
Enterprise in this novel: a new junior engineer, Montgomery Scott. It's very clear that Fontana has a deep love for this character, and while some may not like that his role is mostly to produce top-notch engine room hooch, it was still a lot of fun to have him included in this story. The production of alcohol in the
Enterprise's engine room does, eventually, tie into the main story.
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| Scotty's first days as a member of the Enterprise crew are shown in Vulcan's Glory. |
Speaking of the main story, it revolves around the search for an artifact from Vulcan's past, lost long ago: the Vulcan's Glory, a huge gemstone that used to be a prize of war but which now symbolizes peace. The
Enterprise does indeed recover the lost artifact, which sets off what becomes a murder mystery aboard the ship. This part of the tale wraps up in a typical murder mystery fashion, and it turns out to be a pretty good whodunnit, in my opinion.
The other part of the main plot involves Pike going undercover on a pre-warp planet that he visited earlier in his career, monitoring their progress as they recover from a cataclysm that left the society in ruins. Three factions have emerged: the townspeople, the nomadic desert people, and the mutants, who live in regions contaminated by radioactive fallout. The resolution to this part of the novel was unexpected and quite well-done, with a typically-
Star Trek lesson for all.
Final thoughts:
Vulcan's Glory was a fun look at the "Pike years" of the
Enterprise, especially now that we have Anson Mount's interpretation of the character on
Discovery. A fascinating adventure set during Spock's first mission aboard the
Enterprise, this novel establishes much about the character going forward. Spock is quite different in later
Star Trek, and we see the beginning of that path for him. Definitely very enjoyable, this is a novel that I could see myself revisiting in the future. It does make me wish that Dorothy Fontana had written more
Star Trek novels as well.
More about Vulcan's Glory:
