Getting back into ST books after several years... how is Vanguard?

[Christopher]

Granted planets get destroyed a lot in Vanguard but this would be kind of a big deal even if it was covered up. But the timing is right for a "reason Ceti Alpha VI" blew up explanation, provided the Mutara Sector is part of the Taurus Reach.

It isn't. After all, Ceti Alpha (which should actually be Alpha Ceti) is self-evidently in Cetus, not Taurus. It's in the Beta Quadrant, maybe a couple of hundred light-years from the vicinity of Vanguard.

Besides, the explosion of Ceti Alpha VI and the alteration of Ceti Alpha V's orbit were already explained in To Reign in Hell as the result of a cosmic string passing through the system.

 

[James Cole]

Granted planets get destroyed a lot in Vanguard but this would be kind of a big deal even if it was covered up. But the timing is right for a "reason Ceti Alpha VI" blew up explanation, provided the Mutara Sector is part of the Taurus Reach.

It isn't. After all, Ceti Alpha (which should actually be Alpha Ceti) is self-evidently in Cetus, not Taurus. It's in the Beta Quadrant, maybe a couple of hundred light-years from the vicinity of Vanguard.

Besides, the explosion of Ceti Alpha VI and the alteration of Ceti Alpha V's orbit were already explained in To Reign in Hell as the result of a cosmic string passing through the system.

True, in To Reign in Hell Spock does speculate that a miniature black hole could have destroyed Ceti Alpha VI, but Kirk thinks that they may never know what really happened and McCoy offers the theory that the Planet Killer could have done it, which is rejected by Spock for being possible but improbable.

Gateways: Cold Wars blames the destruction of Ceti Alpha VI on M'Ress accidentally setting off a booby trap by scanning an Iconian Gateway with her tricorder on the planet and being dragged 100 years into the future to Ireland. Granted the timeline is a little off here (and it raises even more problems for why the Reliant should have known better about Ceti Alpha V vs VI), but if "Space Seed" was moved after TAS but before the end of Kirk's Five Year Mission the timing could be retconned plus the 15 verses 18 years for Khan being on Ceti Alpha V could be explained. Not perfect but fudge-able (if that's even a word LOL). Since NF and Vanguard are linked by the DS9 relaunch/TNG relaunch/Memory Omega Mirror Universe storyline, it could probably be argued that Vanguard should follow what was established in this NF book. But with Blind Man's Bluff NF is starting to have some difficulties staying connected with the relaunch/Destiny set of books and could possibly be disregarded if a solid story reason presented itself.

Golmira from Precipice is over 100 light years from Starbase 47 and has a Shedai Conduit. Leaving open the backdoor possibility of Ming and Carol Marcus being inadvertently involved in the destruction of Ceti Alpha VI could be potentially used in future Vanguard storylines if the authors chose to go there.