Star Trek Hunter Episode 28: The Covenant
- Thread starter Robert Bruce Scott
- Start date
Finally wrapped up reading STH. I think I was going slowly towards the end because, like some others have said, I didn’t want it to end. 
I’ll echo what everyone else has said. A great story, wrapped up a lot more cleanly than I expected it to be (although maybe not so cleanly, given Bashir’s party-pooping words on what the consequences of the Borg recruitment drive is actually going to be, long-term!). I’m usually a little averse to Trek stories that lean too much into ‘blowing up the universe’-type crises, I’ve always thought Trek is stronger when it tells smaller stories. But STH does it so entirely and unapologetically, and with a solid Trek-like sense of allegory for our own approaching Gamma Wave Of Doom in the real world that I was more than happy to go along with it once I realised that was where we were heading!
Sidebar: Another thing I loved, which isn’t strictly relevant for this chapter but I don’t think I’ve mentioned before, was the sense of square pegs in square holes in the Hunter’s crew as well. Whenever they had a job to do, it really felt like everyone onboard had a role to play in pulling it off. I’ll admit to having gotten lost and confused as to who is who a few times amongst the crew, but there’s a realistic level of delegation and specialisation to get a job done. Compared to the TV show way of doing things where you have a crew of hundreds of officers, but basically everything important is done by the same 7-8 people every week. I mean, I get why they do that on TV, but from an ‘in universe’ context it’s a little silly.
It’s been pretty incredible to watch the story evolve. When I first started reading the adventures of a judge/captain pursuing a pesky planetary governor for stirring up trouble, I would never have guessed we’d end with Minerva Irons becoming a god and the EMH being crowned king of the Borg.
Thanks so much for sharing!
I’ll echo what everyone else has said. A great story, wrapped up a lot more cleanly than I expected it to be (although maybe not so cleanly, given Bashir’s party-pooping words on what the consequences of the Borg recruitment drive is actually going to be, long-term!). I’m usually a little averse to Trek stories that lean too much into ‘blowing up the universe’-type crises, I’ve always thought Trek is stronger when it tells smaller stories. But STH does it so entirely and unapologetically, and with a solid Trek-like sense of allegory for our own approaching Gamma Wave Of Doom in the real world that I was more than happy to go along with it once I realised that was where we were heading!
Sidebar: Another thing I loved, which isn’t strictly relevant for this chapter but I don’t think I’ve mentioned before, was the sense of square pegs in square holes in the Hunter’s crew as well. Whenever they had a job to do, it really felt like everyone onboard had a role to play in pulling it off. I’ll admit to having gotten lost and confused as to who is who a few times amongst the crew, but there’s a realistic level of delegation and specialisation to get a job done. Compared to the TV show way of doing things where you have a crew of hundreds of officers, but basically everything important is done by the same 7-8 people every week. I mean, I get why they do that on TV, but from an ‘in universe’ context it’s a little silly.
It’s been pretty incredible to watch the story evolve. When I first started reading the adventures of a judge/captain pursuing a pesky planetary governor for stirring up trouble, I would never have guessed we’d end with Minerva Irons becoming a god and the EMH being crowned king of the Borg.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks for the thoughtful and well-written critique! You captured things I was very much trying to achieve, and it is really gratifying to see those themes come across.
Yeah... me neither...
Thanks!! rbs
Forgot to mention that I also really loved the Doctor’s cartoon message in this final episode. Having to communicate with every intelligent species at the same time in slightly different ways is such a fun idea. 
Weirdly reminded me of the linguists designing warning signs for nuclear waste sites, having to figure out how to communicate with humans (or whoever else might be around by then) 10,000 years in the future without it being meaningless gobbledygook, given how much our own languages evolve in much shorter spaces of time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_nuclear_waste_warning_messages
I think this one is designed in case any Klingons happen to pass by:
Weirdly reminded me of the linguists designing warning signs for nuclear waste sites, having to figure out how to communicate with humans (or whoever else might be around by then) 10,000 years in the future without it being meaningless gobbledygook, given how much our own languages evolve in much shorter spaces of time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_nuclear_waste_warning_messages
I think this one is designed in case any Klingons happen to pass by:
Such efforts, historically lead to...
...the creation of a TV show that drags the viewers into years of expensive and concerted effort to defeat the designed safeguards for the sake of fame and profit.
Perhaps a message next to a small chest of gold be laid near the surface that says, "This is the hidden treasure which was buried here long ago. You have found it, all of it. There is no more. You can stop digging now and go buy a boat to retire to."
Maybe even better: an empty treasure chest that just says, "HA HA HA HA! Fooled you."
-Will
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