TNG: Silent Weapons by David Mack Review Thread (Spoilers!)

[Hartzilla2007]

* It's getting tiresome to watch the Picard do whatever he wants with the Enterprise on a whim without there ever being any ramifications for those actions from above.

As long as he keeps saving the day its kind of hard to prosecute him. especially if the people who would have to do so just had their asses pulled out of the fire by him as a result of said day saving.

Besides in a world where Janeway got promoted instead court-martialed Picard facing ramifications from above is kind of hypocritical.

 

[BillJ]

* It's getting tiresome to watch the Picard do whatever he wants with the Enterprise on a whim without there ever being any ramifications for those actions from above.

As long as he keeps saving the day its kind of hard to prosecute him. especially if the people who would have to do so just had their asses pulled out of the fire by him as a result of said day saving.

Besides in a world where Janeway got promoted instead court-martialed Picard facing ramifications from above is kind of hypocritical.

But, like constantly raising people from the dead, it's an overused plot point. They can't figure out how to get the Enterprise involved without it coming off a Picard's personal jet to do with as he pleases?

 

[Hartzilla2007]

coming off a Picard's personal jet to do with as he pleases?

Didn't Paths of Disharmony pretty much say that the Enterprise's current mission profile was go where ever theres a problem and fix it?

 

[BillJ]

coming off a Picard's personal jet to do with as he pleases?

Didn't Paths of Disharmony pretty much say that the Enterprise's current mission profile was go where ever theres a problem and fix it?

Which is pretty dumb.

 

[JD]

coming off a Picard's personal jet to do with as he pleases?

Didn't Paths of Disharmony pretty much say that the Enterprise's current mission profile was go where ever theres a problem and fix it?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was said somewhere (I'm not sure if it was PoD or Losing the Peace) that the Enterprise was pretty much just going wherever there was a crisis they could help with within the Federation.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

coming off a Picard's personal jet to do with as he pleases?

Didn't Paths of Disharmony pretty much say that the Enterprise's current mission profile was go where ever theres a problem and fix it?

Which is pretty dumb.

So what they need to have an admiral show up every book to tell Picard what he's supposed to be doing during that book?

Because otherwise I don't see the problem here.

 

[CaptainDonovin]

Just finished & loved it. Gotta stop reading & watching food network (Triple D) @ 1am, craving a good cheeseburger right about now.

Starting Immortal Coil now since I've seen some positive ratings here about it.

 

[Dsven43]

With the Picard doing whatever he wants topic...I have no issue with it. Because (as stated above) he has saved the day more often than not. And he isnt the kind to abuse that power.

 

[Defcon]

The present-day Unitarian Universalist Church is well known for wearing its politics on its sleeve; it's left-wing, loud and proud. Combined with the political content of the scene, and recent Trek's unsubtle attempt to make thematic commentary on present-day American politics (see Paths of Disharmony), I find Mr. Mack's characterization attempt unsubtle, overreaching and out of place in Trek.

What the Fuck? Mack used one word and that is an unsubtle, overreaching and out of place characterization? You really have to chill, dude.

I read your "criticism" before I read the scene in question and based on your comments I had to assume some kind of several page long Unitarian church commercial was coming (just based on your comments, I know Mack wouldn't do something like that). All kind of religions have been name-checked (and more) over the course of the Star Trek franchise's history and you throw a tantrum because a building was identified as a Unitarian church?

 

[Jarvisimo]

I really enjoyed this, felt it was consistent. Missed more elements of character moments, but the thriller plot was very well done.

Spoiler: Atlas

One thing I didn't understand was why the Atlas had to go. Perhaps because two ships threatened the Gorn one, but after the detente, I don't see why it could not return. It felt a bit silly: even the moment of Chen sending it off felt silly or contrived. And since the Atlas's senior staff were at the reception, it seems hard to imagine or incongruous that they were evacuated pronto with the captain stopping their flight.

Otherwise, a fun, thrilling, addictive book with a fair cost.

Spoiler: Thoughts

Bon voyage Wexler and the other familiar protection agents. I somehow found their deaths (and those of their Gorn equivalents) rather shocking - though they were effectively disposable names & numbers, but in dying so quickly they showed the threat the Breen replicants represented. The tone of that entire sequence was very classic Mack! It reminded me of the many deaths/action sequences he has written so well: including the many grim Tezwa scenes, the close assaults by Hirogen and Starfleet on unsuspecting ships in Destiny, and the stuff on the Breen planet.

Seeing more of Orion, outside Soong's gilded protection, after the first volume was great, and I don't think it was intended as a satire on libertarian politics.

Finally being the ruler of a Typhon Pact state is a precarious position to hold: how many have died, stepped down or been deposed since its formation?

Finally-finally: I don't know what I think of the Picard-Beverly marriage conflict. It felt real and yet over-played. And didn't quite follow-on from the dynamic in Brinkmanship. But waiting to see how this plays out.

 

[Defcon]

Spoilers as I dinnae know how to do the spoiler box thing.

Either [ SPOILER="what the spoiler is about"]Your spoilerish text....[ /SPOILER] (without the spaces I put in their at the beginning of the brackets for it to show).


Or write your text, highlight it and use the last icon over the reply screen (the smiley with x as the mouth).

 

[Markonian]

Having finished reading I would not be surprised if Picard resigned his commission at the end of The Body Electric.

I can see Worf becoming captain and Geordi first officer (shiny red turtleneck). The only problem would be, if Data returned to Starfleet, he could just fill the role of second officer again - no real progress in his career except a new gold pin.

BTW, where is Lal's corpse at the moment? Aboard the Achaeus?

 

[Jarvisimo]

Spoilers as I dinnae know how to do the spoiler box thing.

Either [ SPOILER="what the spoiler is about"]Your spoilerish text....[ /SPOILER] (without the spaces I put in their at the beginning of the brackets for it to show).


Or write your text, highlight it and use the last icon over the reply screen (the smiley with x as the mouth).

Thanks!

 

[SicOne]

While reading the posts herein and some of you were quibbling back-bitingly about the accuracy of characterizations of real-life Earth religions as applied to Trek fiction, I could not help but notice as I was consuming a Ziploc bag of malted milkballs and Kraft carmels how much they resembled mini-Borg cubes and spheres. Of course, the colors were off and the dimensions were WAYYYY off, but while we're talking about Mack's book and given his work with the Borg, it seemed apt to share my tangentially and marginally relevant observation. As you were, gentlemen.

 

[BillJ]

While reading the posts herein and some of you were quibbling back-bitingly about the accuracy of characterizations of real-life Earth religions as applied to Trek fiction, I could not help but notice as I was consuming a Ziploc bag of malted milkballs and Kraft carmels how much they resembled mini-Borg cubes and spheres. Of course, the colors were off and the dimensions were WAYYYY off, but while we're talking about Mack's book and given his work with the Borg, it seemed apt to share my tangentially and marginally relevant observation. As you were, gentlemen.

 

[BillJ]

Above Average.

It definitely got better as the story progressed.

A few thoughts...

Spoiler: Silent Weapons

* Don't see the big deal about the Unitarian Church?

* The Esperanza-bot was a nice curve-ball, I never saw it coming.

* Crusher came across as very shallow in the book. She only wants to be around "Action Picard" when they're on the Enterprise?

* The funeral was the piece that pushed the book from 'Average' to 'Above Average'. Very nicely done.

 

[j3067]

While reading the posts herein and some of you were quibbling back-bitingly about the accuracy of characterizations of real-life Earth religions as applied to Trek fiction, I could not help but notice as I was consuming a Ziploc bag of malted milkballs and Kraft carmels how much they resembled mini-Borg cubes and spheres. Of course, the colors were off and the dimensions were WAYYYY off, but while we're talking about Mack's book and given his work with the Borg, it seemed apt to share my tangentially and marginally relevant observation. As you were, gentlemen.

Lindor Truffles are the only correct candies to consider when contemplating Borg spheres. Malted Milk Balls are an absurd comparison.

 

[SicOne]

^ I'm a simple man with simple pleasures. Whoppers were what I had.

 

[Snaploud]

Spoiler: Silent Weapons

I was surprised by Data's willingness to hook his brain up to Breen technology. Noonien Soong made a point of being more careful in book 1, and Data has all of those memories. I wonder if that type of carelessness is going to have consequences in book 3.

Also:

Spoiler: Silent Weapons

Did the Breen plan on Data showing up to save the day? If not, was there another way they were planning to convincingly keep their operatives from killing Bacco and the Gorn leader (other than just by having both short-circuit)?

 

[Paper Moon]

Spoiler: Silent Weapons

* Crusher came across as very shallow in the book. She only wants to be around "Action Picard" when they're on the Enterprise?

Spoiler: BillJ's critique (and details from the end of the book)

I don't think that's quite all of it. I think what was more important to her was that a) it seemed out of character for him [which bothers her] and b) it was hypocritical of him, since he explicitly forbade Jack Crusher from doing the same thing all those years ago. From where she's sitting, it's a matter of him having his cake and eating it too, at her expense.

That said, I'm not sure I disagree with your assessment of her being shallow in this book. But I think your reasoning misses some points, is all.

Spoiler: Silent Weapons

Did the Breen plan on Data showing up to save the day? If not, was there another way they were planning to convincingly keep their operatives from killing Bacco and the Gorn leader (other than just by having both short-circuit)?

Spoiler: climatic scene towards end of the book

No, I think the plan always was to cut the transmission at the last moment. As it happened, the transmissions were clearly cut, but I think it's left a little vague whether or not that was because Data destroyed the transmitters or because the Breen cut the transmissions themselves (and lied to the operatives afterwards). I think we are supposed to think, though, that Data and Starfleet believe that they themselves stopped the operatives. And yeah, I think that, had Data not interfered, the androids would've appeared to short circuit at the last minute and the UFP and Gorn would've believed that the Breen simply had poorly designed androids.