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Articles of the Federation help!

GalaxyClass1701

Captain
Captain
I'm having trouble getting in to this novel. It's interesting but I'm 100 pages in and can't really pick up a main story. It seems to be all over the place?
 
That's kinda the whole point. The idea was to show all of the different things the Federation President has to deal with during her first year.
 
It's been a while but I think most of them stay fairly independant throughout the book. Like I said it's a year in the life of the UFP President, so it's not meant to be one story, it's more of just a couple big crises and some smaller events.
 
It's kind of like real life. In a futuristically, high level, sci-fi, politically, novelly sort of way...
 
I'm about 130 pages ahead of you. Stick with it, I'm enjoying it more and more.
 
It is a very different type of Trek book, but IMO it's also one of the best.
 
I just finished the book and can definitely say it's well written and worth finishing for sure. I personally don't have a lot of interest in politics or even necessarily knowing what a year in the Federation President is like. To me, there were several "crisis" or situations that while well written, just didn't interest me all that much.

That being said, I still ended up enjoying the book quite a bit and recognize it as a very well written story in the same way I can hear a really well done piece of music that I don't care for personally as much as other do.

So, bottom line, push through........it's a book well worth reading and chances are you'll end up enjoying it like most of us did.
 
So, bottom line, push through........it's a book well worth reading and chances are you'll end up enjoying it like most of us did.

I like all of KRAD's work that I've read so far, though to be honest, I haven't had an opportunity to read a whole lot yet. I'm about halfway through Titan: Taking Wing right now so I just need to read Titan: The Red King and then I'll be ready for this one. I can't wait.

I may take a short Trek break though and read The Night Eternal, the final novel in The Strain trilogy. I just got it today and am anxious to see how things end and I've read absolutely nothing but Trek since Christmas!

- Byron
 
Reminds me of the dead ringers spoof of the West Wing:

"What are you doing sir?"
"I'm writing a bill that will end world hunger"
"I meant the other hand sir"
"I'm writing a poem about it"
 
I find Nan Bacco boring on occasions because as the leader of an interstellar organisation - you'd expect her to be dealing with far more corruption and extremely sensitive diplomatic ventures than she actually does. Granted, she's the most interesting Federation President so far in the franchise...

I found TVH's President too non-confrontational and happy to let Sarek and the Klingon Ambassador throw insults at each other with the council members acting as a jury.

The Efrosian President was far too obsessed with appeasing the Klingons, despite the fact there was a potential insurrection on his hands with the likes of Colonel West and Admiral Cartwright planning covert rescue missions. Then you had Starfleet ships like Excelsior and Enterprise disobeying orders and going off the radar to attempt the same thing!

The DS9 President was far too fearful for someone in his position and nearly ran away during Sisko and Odo's "security test". It came across as if he'd spill all just to save himself and that's not the kind of person you'd want in that position. To be fair though, he could have been voted in based on political meddling and it would be very interesting if such political scandals still occured on a regular basis.

I think it could be potentially awesome if Nan Bacco turned out to be the most corrupt of them all and formed a splinter organisation within the Federation that makes Section 31 look like the Ferengi Alliance. This would lead to an internal power struggle that would threaten the very core of the Federation and give the Typhon Pact their biggest advantage yet.

It makes me uncomfortable when politicians are far too clean!
 
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I find Nan Bacco boring on occasions because as the leader of an interstellar organisation - you'd expect her to be dealing with far more corruption and extremely sensitive diplomatic ventures than she actually does.

I'm not sure why you would claim she doesn't deal with many sensitive diplomatic ventures. Most of her appearances have featured her dealing with just that -- from the Reman situation (and numerous other diplomatic crises) in Articles, to recruiting allies against the Borg Invasion in Destiny, to deciding how to retaliate against the Breen in Zero Sum Game, to figuring out what to do about the Romulans in Rough Beasts of Empire to recruiting Picard to keep the Federation together in Losing the Peace to dealing with the Andorian situation in Paths of Disharmony.

As far as corruption -- well, she had to deal with Federation corruption in her first two books, A Time for War, A Time for Peace and Articles. And there's a very real question about how moral her actions were in Zero Sum Game. But for the most part, you have to remember that the Federation simply doesn't have corruption. It's a remarkably honest liberal democracy.

I found TVH's President too non-confrontational and happy to let Sarek and the Klingon Ambassador throw insults at each other with the council members acting as a jury.

I'm fairly certain it's a bad idea to be too confrontational to the accredited ambassador of a foreign state who has just discovered that your government was developing a technology that could in theory be used to destroy all life on numerous planets.

The Efrosian President was far too obsessed with appeasing the Klingons,

Absolute bullshit. He didn't appease anyone -- appeasement means giving in and not standing up for your own rights and interests. Appeasement is the opposite of negotiations. President Ra-ghoratreii in The Undiscovered Country was all about negotiations, not appeasement, and all about upholding interstellar (read "international") law -- you know, what a President is supposed to do.

despite the fact there was a potential insurrection on his hands with the likes of Colonel West and Admiral Cartwright planning covert rescue missions.

You are severely misremembering ST6. President Ra-ghoratreii had no idea there was a conspiracy against him -- that was the entire point of it being a conspiracy.

The DS9 President was far too fearful for someone in his position and nearly ran away during Sisko and Odo's "security test".

Which is the rational thing to do when, so far as you know, there's a homicidal Changeling that's infiltrated the Presidential Office and the only two guys nearby with guns are the ones who brought him there. I'd much rather my democratically-elected President run and get help than stand still and get killed, thank you very much.

It came across as if he'd spill all just to save himself and that's not the kind of person you'd want in that position.

You're reading way too much into that if you assume that.

To be fair though, he could have been voted in based on political meddling

"Paradise Lost" established quite firmly that the Federation President is democratically elected.

and it would be very interesting if such political scandals still occured on a regular basis.

Um, no. That would be sad. The entire point of Star Trek is that it's a better future, not just the same thing but with phasers and space ships.

I think it could be potentially awesome if Nan Bacco turned out to be the most corrupt of them all and formed a splinter organisation within the Federation that makes Section 31 look like the Ferengi Alliance. This would lead to an internal power struggle that would threaten the very core of the Federation and give the Typhon Pact their biggest advantage yet.

Why would that be awesome? The entire point of Nanietta Bacco as a character is to depict a President who is (for the most part) a good leader, just like, say, Picard is supposed to be a good starship captain.

What you want is for her to turn out to be another Min Zife. I'm not saying there shouldn't be room for some stories about corruption in the Federation -- the Min Zife novels are excellent. But corruption in the Federation should be the exception, not the norm.

It makes me uncomfortable when politicians are far too clean!

Oh, yes, how dangerous, those honest people are! Obvious proof that they're corrupt and not to be trusted!
 
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