If you didn't read the subject line carefully, I'll say it again. This topic will contain MAJOR SPOILERS for Last Full Measure. Those who don't want to know plot details should see the thread titled "Last Full Measure." Properly warned ye be, says I.
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Trip is "NOT. DEAD." How he survived and why he needed to have history consider him dead are still open questions. I'm sure Margaret and the authors will come up with brilliant answers sometime during the Relaunch. I'm glad to see that Trip is alive, but I'm also worried about the way his life will change after his supposed death.
The epilogue featured some nice TOS references. I'm not sure what the whole George/Sam thing was about, but I'm guessing it clears up some continuity error. It was cool to see little Jimmy Kirk, but the real question for me is whether or not Trip ever met Scotty.
The trouble with third-season stories is that the heroes can't have too much real success without causing logic problems with the televised episodes. While the solution of making the whole mission of Last Full Measure a decoy set up by the Xindi Council was inventive, I still find the concept a little implausible. If the Xindi are able to keep such close tabs on Enterprise, would it be that difficult to set up an ambush to destroy the ship?
Was it covered in the novelization of "The Expanse"/"The Xindi" why the Xindi attacked Earth with the prototype weapon instead of just completing it and striking in force? The Council scenes in LFM indicated that the Xindi were paranoid about humans finding either their world or their weapon, so it seems illogical that they would make their presence known sooner than necessary.
I take extreme issue with Gutierrez's desire to die blowing up the Xindi facility. She showed no concern for the welfare of her unborn child when she volunteered to sacrifice herself. I don't expect the characters to be perfect, but that sort of disregard for life is disgusting to me.
It may seem that there is a lot I don't like about LFM, but most of those are not entirely in the control of the authors. Anyway, let's move on to the positive side.
The core of the story is about the squids (Starfleet) and sharks (MACOs) learning to put aside their differences and work together. The dynamics explored between these characters made the book successful and worth the time and money spent. In particular, the Mayweather/Chang relationship evolved in an intriguing and wonderful way.
It's so nice to see different sides of Mayweather than we saw on the show. Contrary to expectations, Mayweather was actually the most prominent character in the book with Trip reduced to dreaming of Elizabeth within the main storyline. All of the regulars had some good character moments in LFM. Reed's near-murder during his childhood was one of the standout scenes of the book. I hope we can see him in a Section 31 novel sometime, but I digress.
The missions were very true to the style of early Season 3. While some characters were untouchable, such as Archer and Reed, the presence of "redshirts" in each group lent some excitement to the proceedings.
The funeral and grieving scenes were both touching and respectful. It was tragic that it took combat and death to bring the two groups closer together. While the delaying of the Xindi was more important to Earth, the newfound connections between those on Enterprise were the greater victory.
My favorite bit of humor was the name of Trahve's ship. I wonder how many people get it before Hayes gives it away in a later chapter.
LFM is a quick but interesting read, and I would rate it a 7.5/10. If you're an Enterprise fan, though, it's a must-have, especially since the next story won't be out for some time.
Let the discussion/debating begin!
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Trip is "NOT. DEAD." How he survived and why he needed to have history consider him dead are still open questions. I'm sure Margaret and the authors will come up with brilliant answers sometime during the Relaunch. I'm glad to see that Trip is alive, but I'm also worried about the way his life will change after his supposed death.
The epilogue featured some nice TOS references. I'm not sure what the whole George/Sam thing was about, but I'm guessing it clears up some continuity error. It was cool to see little Jimmy Kirk, but the real question for me is whether or not Trip ever met Scotty.
The trouble with third-season stories is that the heroes can't have too much real success without causing logic problems with the televised episodes. While the solution of making the whole mission of Last Full Measure a decoy set up by the Xindi Council was inventive, I still find the concept a little implausible. If the Xindi are able to keep such close tabs on Enterprise, would it be that difficult to set up an ambush to destroy the ship?
Was it covered in the novelization of "The Expanse"/"The Xindi" why the Xindi attacked Earth with the prototype weapon instead of just completing it and striking in force? The Council scenes in LFM indicated that the Xindi were paranoid about humans finding either their world or their weapon, so it seems illogical that they would make their presence known sooner than necessary.
I take extreme issue with Gutierrez's desire to die blowing up the Xindi facility. She showed no concern for the welfare of her unborn child when she volunteered to sacrifice herself. I don't expect the characters to be perfect, but that sort of disregard for life is disgusting to me.
It may seem that there is a lot I don't like about LFM, but most of those are not entirely in the control of the authors. Anyway, let's move on to the positive side.
The core of the story is about the squids (Starfleet) and sharks (MACOs) learning to put aside their differences and work together. The dynamics explored between these characters made the book successful and worth the time and money spent. In particular, the Mayweather/Chang relationship evolved in an intriguing and wonderful way.
It's so nice to see different sides of Mayweather than we saw on the show. Contrary to expectations, Mayweather was actually the most prominent character in the book with Trip reduced to dreaming of Elizabeth within the main storyline. All of the regulars had some good character moments in LFM. Reed's near-murder during his childhood was one of the standout scenes of the book. I hope we can see him in a Section 31 novel sometime, but I digress.
The missions were very true to the style of early Season 3. While some characters were untouchable, such as Archer and Reed, the presence of "redshirts" in each group lent some excitement to the proceedings.
The funeral and grieving scenes were both touching and respectful. It was tragic that it took combat and death to bring the two groups closer together. While the delaying of the Xindi was more important to Earth, the newfound connections between those on Enterprise were the greater victory.
My favorite bit of humor was the name of Trahve's ship. I wonder how many people get it before Hayes gives it away in a later chapter.
LFM is a quick but interesting read, and I would rate it a 7.5/10. If you're an Enterprise fan, though, it's a must-have, especially since the next story won't be out for some time.
Let the discussion/debating begin!
