Articles of the Federation [spoilers]

[DorkBoy [TM]]

I just finished reading Articles of the Federation. I had kind of skipped it (and taken a bit of a break from Trek books in general). I am not at all interested in politics or political fiction, so the book never sounded very interesting to me. (I consider myself an apolitical conservative.) My wife had a brief period of fascination with The West Wing, which I tolerated.

I did enjoy the bits of "Star Trek: The West Wing" in the A Time To... books though - I picked up on the West Wing similarities immediately.

Anyhow, I found the book used a long while back and finally got around to reading it just now.

I was completely blown away by how good this book was. I could not put it down. And it left me wanting more.

A few thoughts:

It was interesting reading this book after Before Dishonour. I kept wondering when that book exactly happened, and how the president and her staff would have handled it, what they would have been doing, etc. Also, I noticed Janeway was still around in March (?), which spaces the relaunch books out a lot more in time than I had imagined originally.

(Still well within the realm of reason though.)

The ending and Admiral Ross's forced retirement was shocking for me. I had forgotten about the "retirement" Section 31 had arranged for the former president - that little bit at the end of A Time to... I was genuinely curious about where Zife had ended up because I just couldn't remember.

Now that I think about it, I remember it being shocking to me the first time as well. So, you got to shock me that they'd make the president and his henchmen quietly disappear ... twice!

Ross's resignation made me sad. Ross was the one Starfleet Admiral I really liked in all of televised / movie Star Trek. (Except, of course, Admiral Kirk.) It seemed fitting considering his associations with Section 31 in the past that he'd resign to protect them though.

Janeway gone, Ross gone. At least we still have L J. Why can't you people get rid of the annoying admirals???? Like, I dunno, Jellico? (Peter David wouldn't have anything to write about then, of course.)

I wonder if we'll hear anything more about the events at the end of the book in the Romulan Empire. These seem like logical events to eventually follow up on in the TNG relaunch books, though they're a year out from where it started.

[Christopher]

DorkBoy [TM] wrote:

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It was interesting reading this book after Before Dishonour. I kept wondering when that book exactly happened, and how the president and her staff would have handled it, what they would have been doing, etc. Also, I noticed Janeway was still around in March (?), which spaces the relaunch books out a lot more in time than I had imagined originally.

My assumption in writing Greater Than the Sum was that Before Dishonor took place between the May and August sections of the book, specifically in June, shortly after Bacco's commencement speech to the Academy. It couldn't be earlier, since Bacco said this was the first Academy class to make it the entire four years without the Federation being at war. I also assumed that Resistance took place in late April, again between sections of AotF, and that Q & A took place in early May, between chapters 16 & 17 of AotF.

[KRAD]

Thanks for the kind words! I'm especially glad that you enjoyed it after being so apprehensive about it in the first place.

And what Christopher said regarding the dates.

[Trent Roman]

DorkBoy [TM] wrote:

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It seemed fitting considering his associations with Section 31 in the past that he'd resign to protect them though.

From Ross' perspective, he was resigning to protect the president. He took the fall for 31's actions because he was concerned what 31 might do if Bacco found out about them.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

[flandry84]

The Ross resignation scene played very cinematically for me,I could almost see Barry Jenner's adams apple bob as he realised his fate.To be honest I wanted Ross to fight/argue his cause,but I respected him even more for not doing so.
The constant baseball thing did begin to grate to the extent that it kinda made the president of the federation look a little eccentric(and not in a good way).
Bacco's bitch-slap to Tal'aura was almost worth the price of admission.(which reminds me...any plans to examine the romulan senates executions effect on that society?If the romulans live up to stereotype,there must have been wholescale skullduggery afoot to fill the new senate seats etc.)

[KRAD]

flandry84 wrote:

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The Ross resignation scene played very cinematically for me,I could almost see Barry Jenner's adams apple bob as he realised his fate.To be honest I wanted Ross to fight/argue his cause,but I respected him even more for not doing so.

Thanks. I have to admit sheepishly that that was probably the scene in the book I was happiest with.

The constant baseball thing did begin to grate to the extent that it kinda made the president of the federation look a little eccentric(and not in a good way).

As Esperanza explained at one point, baseball was her pressure valve -- the thing that keeps her sane in an insane job.

Bacco's bitch-slap to Tal'aura was almost worth the price of admission.(which reminds me...any plans to examine the romulan senates executions effect on that society?If the romulans live up to stereotype,there must have been wholescale skullduggery afoot to fill the new senate seats etc.)

Heh. And there are plans to deal with the Romulans, yes.

[CaptainDonovin]

My favorate character in the book was Bacco. I've said once before about AftF that she really made me laugh my ass off at times but she also seemed to be very tough (loved her dealings with Martok and Tal'aura).

As for the all the baseball talk that was kinda fun though I was kinda pissed there wasn't a New Detroit Tigers team on Cestus.

[DorkBoy [TM]]

Yeah. I thought it was really laugh-out-loud funny. And with subtle wit and character humor, not bathroom stuff.

Peter David used to be able to make me laugh out loud like this.

[21Spike65]

KRAD wrote:

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Thanks for the kind words! I'm especially glad that you enjoyed it after being so apprehensive about it in the first place.

And what Christopher said regarding the dates.

Just a question about the dates of the TNG relaunch books...

I initially agreed with the placement of Resistance, but having just read Q&A, I found something that made me revise that. 'One day before the end of the universe,' Admiral Shelby was reading reports on the Reman ship approaching Outpost 22 on the Neutral Zone. Sometime in March, (the end maybe?) that ship made a suicide run at the outpost, according to AotF. If the ship was still en route in Q&A, that would place it in early-mid March at the absolute latest, and Resistance even earlier. Is this just going down as a discrepancy?

[KRAD]

^ Yes.

[21Spike65]

^ Fair enough. Guess Shelby was a couple months behind on her report reading.

[Technobuilder]

Can someone remind me how long a Federation President serves a term in office?

Also, Are they limited to a particular number of terms?

I only ask because Nan Bacco should be Federation President for life.

Also, I want a scene to be written in the future where Bacco visits DS9 & Bajor so she and Sisko can compare notes.

[KRAD]

^ The terms are four years long, but there's no limit on the number of terms a president can serve.

I have to admit that I did that because I think the 22nd amendment is one of the most stupid-ass amendments Congress ever passed. It was an overreaction to one president who served four terms under unique circumstances. Prior to FDR, no president had ever served more than two terms because it's a goddamn impossible job that pretty much drains the life out of anyone who does it for eight years.

Having said that, there's no reason, none, to limit the number of terms a president can serve. Like I said, reality kept every president prior to the 22nd to two terms, and if another situation comes by where we have/need an FDR to serve four terms, I don't want that stupid-ass amendment to stop it from happening.

But that's just me.

[David Mack]

^ I'll remind you that you said that when W starts his fifth term in 2016.

[Turtletrekker]

^
OFF WITH HIS HEAD! OFF, I SAY!