The Great Chronological Run-Through

[Jarvisimo]

Very nice, Nasat!! I loved the themes you are discussing, and the concession to Klingon societies. I guess the Klingons are the true second society of Trek? In that vein, is Summon the Thunder the first appearance of the IKS Zin'za. I think as the 'hero ship' for the Klingons in Vanguard, it's a 'First Appearance' worthy mention

Also is this the first appearance of a modern Romulan Bird of Prey? And it's very nice to see the Senate meeting at the book's end, and get a sense of tradition, the role (or centrality) of the nobility in the navy, and the recourse to expansion in the Star Empire.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

... the concession to Klingon societies. I guess the Klingons are the true second society of Trek?

The Klingon-Federation antagonism is definitely a defining theme of this era. Despite only a few episodes of TOS featuring them, so much of the 23rd Century novel 'verse makes use of the conflict; evidently the Klingons were popular? The opportunity to reconcile later series' portrayals with the original depiction is also a draw, I suppose. Often, merging two differing presentations of a culture or character together gives you an even stronger integrated culture/character.

Like I say, it's difficult to win with Klingons. If you're going about your business, they see nothing wrong, and much right, with charging in and attacking you with deadly force. If you successfully fight back, and triumph through martial prowess and determined will - and assuming you didn't win in a "dishonourable" way, and assuming the Klingons are in a good enough mood to refrain from deciding you were dishonourable anyway, and assuming they aren't trying to operate politically or with other, practical goals in mind therefore placing honour second today - then they'll think highly of you. They'll sing songs in your honour. Of course, you'll be dead. On the other hand, if you don't fight back effectively enough, or worse try to sue for peace, they'll find you morally abhorrent and not only will they still carve you up anyway, they'll probably kick you a few times while you're down, because you offend them.

I've always appreciated that the Star Trek universe has created a society that is in many ways completely incompatible with the protagonist society - mutual incomprehension and, more than this, mutual unwillingness to accept the perspective and morality of the other even when it is comprehended (recalling my comments on "The Ruins of Noble Men") - and showed over time how these societies manage to deal with one another and even become "friends".

 

[Christopher]

The Klingon-Federation antagonism is definitely a defining theme of this era. Despite only a few episodes of TOS featuring them, so much of the 23rd Century novel 'verse makes use of the conflict; evidently the Klingons were popular?

Well, "a few" is relative. Klingons were used in seven episodes of TOS, more than twice as many as the next recurring villain civilization, the Romulans. In that episodic era, seven out of seventy-nine was quite a lot. They were unquestionably the primary antagonists. (Although in TAS, the Romulans actually surpassed the Klingons with three appearances to two, if you count Xerius in "The Time Trap.")

I've always appreciated that the Star Trek universe has created a society that is in many ways completely incompatible with the protagonist society - mutual incomprehension and, more than this, mutual unwillingness to accept the perspective and morality of the other even when it is comprehended (recalling my comments on "The Ruins of Noble Men") - and showed over time how these societies manage to deal with one another and even become "friends".

Except the way they did it didn't really make sense. "Heart of Glory" indicated that the Klingons had developed into a less aggressive culture and that those who still sought conquest and war as a way of life were political outcasts, relics of the old ways. But later productions increasingly played up the Klingons' warrior ethos until they were pretty much indistinguishable from TOS Klingons in their commitment to violence. KRAD's Gorkon novels even show them actively conquering and subjugating other worlds in the late 24th century. I don't see how the Federation can ally themselves with a civilization that still does that. Defensive force is one thing, but being the aggressor is something else -- the very thing that the Klingons had supposedly given up in "Heart of Glory."

I suppose it could be reconciled with the assumption that Gowron reverted the Empire to a more aggressive ethos, undoing the reforms of his predecessors. But Martok, in the books, has continued the practice of conquest, and the Federation still counts the Klingons as allies despite that. And that makes the UFP seem hypocritical. Openness to alternative ways of life is good, but there are certain basic moral lines. An alliance of diverse societies can't work unless there's agreement on certain fundamental principles of life and liberty, principles that are violated by a policy of imperialistic conquest.

 

[Hando]

^Perhaps the Federation's only attempt at realpolitik.

Also I can understand Martok, he has his hands tied, one man cannot stop a nation, he can at best nudge it to a different direction. (Perhaps not such a different situation as encountered by mirror Spock.)
As they are Klingons are conquerors, warriors, if they were not at war with a different society, they would be at war with themselves.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Except the way they did it didn't really make sense. "Heart of Glory" indicated that the Klingons had developed into a less aggressive culture and that those who still sought conquest and war as a way of life were political outcasts, relics of the old ways. But later productions increasingly played up the Klingons' warrior ethos until they were pretty much indistinguishable from TOS Klingons in their commitment to violence. KRAD's Gorkon novels even show them actively conquering and subjugating other worlds in the late 24th century. I don't see how the Federation can ally themselves with a civilization that still does that. Defensive force is one thing, but being the aggressor is something else -- the very thing that the Klingons had supposedly given up in "Heart of Glory."

I suppose it could be reconciled with the assumption that Gowron reverted the Empire to a more aggressive ethos, undoing the reforms of his predecessors. But Martok, in the books, has continued the practice of conquest, and the Federation still counts the Klingons as allies despite that. And that makes the UFP seem hypocritical. Openness to alternative ways of life is good, but there are certain basic moral lines. An alliance of diverse societies can't work unless there's agreement on certain fundamental principles of life and liberty, principles that are violated by a policy of imperialistic conquest.

I agree that the reversion of the Klingons after early TNG is awkward. Then again, those early episodes seemed to either imply that the Klingons had become part of the Federation or that the two had formed some sort of joint nation (as I believe the RPG materials at the time interpreted the on-screen evidence; a "Grand Alliance", half UFP, half Klingon). In that case, there's no room for Klingons not to share Federation values, since they'd be directly affiliated. It's certainly not logical to form a society with two mutually opposed ethical foundations. After those early seasons, though, it quickly became clear that the alliance is essentially just a willingness not to shoot at each other, to provide some mutual aid and cultural exchange, and to stand back to back against the Romulans. To me, the Federation-Klingon alliance is always just a matter of convenience, an alternative to shooting at each other. If the Klingons were a small power, the Federation might just ignore them, and decline to trade with them as a reasonable expression of its own feelings and position; the Klingons are problematic for being a superpower. I also agree that the alliance is always very problematic and uncomfortable. What isn't? But then the novels do explore this. Fel Pagro, for instance, stood on a platform that addressed as its primary issue the arguable hypocrisy of the alliance. What he said was pretty much true, but I imagine most agree that Bacco's position was the more sensible. And, you know what, that sort of sucks. Because, yes, there's really no way around the fact that planets like Brenlek and its ilk are sacrificed on the altar of galactic stability and long-term cultural influence. The difference between the UFP and Memory Omega is sometimes only a matter of degree. But you don't get to live in a universe that fits your desires or makes it easy for you. The Federation happened to emerge in a universe that has a great sprawl of Klingons next door. It has to incorporate that reality one way or the other, and I think what they ended up doing is probably the best way overall. A necessary evil is still evil, and I would never dispute anyone who points out that evil and the complicity of those claiming the "necessary".

The Federation isn't going to be an enemy of the Klingons - that leaves either ignoring them in stony silence or being their friendly neighbours. I'd say the latter is preferable, and if that involves leaning over the fence and saying, "Well, that's a fine diddly of a mess you've gotten into, why not stop stomping all over Krios?" and the Klingons say "Shut up, Federation", then all they can do is go back indoors. As Bacco tells K'mtok after the Klorgat incident, "If you want to go to war with Romulus over something that looks stupid to us, knock yourself out. We won't join you or support it, though". And of course the implicit point that breaking the alliance causes both their peoples too many headaches is made, and the Klingons are reigned in. This is actually why I love the Klingons; because they don't fit. They're a massive blot on the Federation's ideal picture of how the universe and the Federation itself should work, and they won't go away. So they leave us with an uncomfortable "reality".

If people wish to view the alliance as unacceptable, they can. I'm not going to argue, even if I support it. I agree with Keeve Falor on the Bajor issue; that doesn't mean I think the Federation was in any way wrong. These things aren't mutually exclusive. Pagro is quite right and so is Bacco. If a Brenlekki wants to curse the hypocritical Federation until its throat is sore, good for that Brenlekki. I agree with him. I also agree with everyone in the Federation who upholds the alliance, and with those who oppose it. Of course, I've always been a bit of a Talosian; I'm rarely given to action or aggressive stands when we can just switch backgrounds, and that's how people around me seem to like it.

If enough Federates wanted to dissolve the alliance, they'd have done so in 2379, by voting in Pagro. (Of course, maybe by now the Federation is too mired in its own hypocrisy?) I think the books have shown that there's no easy answers - and I think I prefer the way it's ended up, with these difficult questions and compromises, than if the Klingons were easily tamed by the Federation. The Klingons are great because they don't fit - whether enemies or friends, they're in some way antagonistic and they stand in the way of having things easy.

(One hopes that the Federation makes a reasonably frequent effort to point out that the Empire nearly collapsed in 2293 and it was the Klingons' own damn fault, and maybe they should take a volume or five out of the Federation's library, since the Federation did not collapse and saved the Klingons' bacon. But then reasoning with Klingons is pretty much the Thirteenth Task of Hercules, so...).

 

[Christopher]

As they are Klingons are conquerors, warriors, if they were not at war with a different society, they would be at war with themselves.

I don't buy that. That's a cultural choice, not a blind instinct. We know, from episodes like ENT: "Judgment" and from novels like A Burning House, that the majority of Klingons are not warriors. A society couldn't possibly function if warrior were the only role it had. There must be builders, farmers, teachers, caregivers, and everything else, and they make up the majority of the Klingon population. It's just that, since the 22nd century (within the lifetime of Kolos from "Judgment"), Klingon society has been ruled and dominated by its warrior class, who have spread an ethos that glorifies their own class and marginalizes everyone else. That's not some unalterable essence of their nature, because we know it wasn't always the case. When Kolos was young, the warriors had their place within society, but they didn't dominate and define it.

Certainly Klingons are a race of predators, but then, so are humans to an extent. There are ways to express or sublimate hunting instincts other than war and conquest. Like, oh, I dunno, actual hunting. Or organized sports. Or martial arts.

 

[chrinFinity]

If I were a sick and cynical individual, I might posit that the Federation ultimately benefits on the macro timescale from nearby powers being cultures like the Klingons and Cardassians and Romulans who conquer subject worlds.

In the Star Trek universe, the bad oppressive regimes never last... and when they withdraw from subject worlds, it leaves those worlds in a bad way -- ripe for "saving," and ultimately, membership, in the Federation.

Diplomatic Implausibility by KRAD comes to mind. And, you know, Bajor and stuff.

 

[Hando]

As they are Klingons are conquerors, warriors, if they were not at war with a different society, they would be at war with themselves.

I don't buy that. That's a cultural choice, not a blind instinct. We know, from episodes like ENT: "Judgment" and from novels like A Burning House, that the majority of Klingons are not warriors. A society couldn't possibly function if warrior were the only role it had. There must be builders, farmers, teachers, caregivers, and everything else, and they make up the majority of the Klingon population. It's just that, since the 22nd century (within the lifetime of Kolos from "Judgment"), Klingon society has been ruled and dominated by its warrior class, who have spread an ethos that glorifies their own class and marginalizes everyone else. That's not some unalterable essence of their nature, because we know it wasn't always the case. When Kolos was young, the warriors had their place within society, but they didn't dominate and define it.

Certainly Klingons are a race of predators, but then, so are humans to an extent. There are ways to express or sublimate hunting instincts other than war and conquest. Like, oh, I dunno, actual hunting. Or organized sports. Or martial arts.

Oh, but I was not speaking of Klingons over their whole existence, but rather at Martok's time, in the late 24th century.

By this time (going on about 2.5 centuries) the warrior/conqueror mythos has gained a significant momentum. This does not say anything about their genetic destiny/predisposition.
Of course they can be "pacified"/"civilized", but such processes take their time.

And if Martok would try to point the Klingon society into a too different direction, someone would just assassinate/challenge him.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Many times in Star Trek, some human refers to their forebears of centuries ago as belonging to a "more primitive society/less civilized society/less developed society, etc." Maybe a 26th century Klingon (claimed to be members of the Federation in the alternate timeline of the Battle of Procyon V by temporal agent Daniels) would say that about their forebears.

 

[Sci]

I suppose it could be reconciled with the assumption that Gowron reverted the Empire to a more aggressive ethos, undoing the reforms of his predecessors. But Martok, in the books, has continued the practice of conquest, and the Federation still counts the Klingons as allies despite that. And that makes the UFP seem hypocritical. Openness to alternative ways of life is good, but there are certain basic moral lines. An alliance of diverse societies can't work unless there's agreement on certain fundamental principles of life and liberty, principles that are violated by a policy of imperialistic conquest.

Well, that was the central issue of the 2379 Special Presidential Election between Bacco and Pagro, after all -- so clearly this is still a contentious issue in Federation politics. Yet the simple fact remains that being an ally of the Empire gives the UFP the chance to influence Klingon policies in a way they wouldn't if they were an enemy -- and Klingon politics is such that one is either an ally or an enemy. And don't forget that President Bacco convinced Martok to give up expansionism at that three-power conference at the end of Articles of the Federation--seemingly affirming her stance of benign influence through alliance.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Many times in Star Trek, some human refers to their forebears of centuries ago as belonging to a "more primitive society/less civilized society/less developed society, etc." Maybe a 26th century Klingon (claimed to be members of the Federation in the alternate timeline of the Battle of Procyon V by temporal agent Daniels) would say that about their forebears.

Much as I disagree with (or at least am wary of) the idea of a continuous social progression - for one thing this is at odds with nature, which requires adaptation and change in response to external factors, not a preconceived notion of correct direction relative to where one has been - it's certainly the case that the Klingons have opportunity to change (or, as Christopher has noted, move back from the self-caricature they now insist is their true cultural identity, when they used to be more multi-faceted by far). I imagine, though, that the process is slow-going.

The 23rd Century novels give us a great arc about the reinterpretation of Klingonhood - the reclamation of the philosophies of Kahless after they were reduced to dusty relics - and despite a few dips over the course of the 24th Century, that cultural shift managed to take hold and move the Klingons back from what they were in the Kirk era. I imagine, though, that this is a case of what I observe in reality rather frequently - a case in which a certain ideological position or self-interpretation takes over so completely that even that which seeks to correct its imbalances still operates within its structure, rendering the outcome unimpressive or even moot from some observers' perspectives. The Klingons, over the course of their history from the point I'm at now in this chronology through to the Martok years, rediscover a more balanced and multi-faceted sense of their cultural identity, but still operate under the idea that, well, of course Klingons are warriors. It is, to a large extent, a false rediscovery. They critique themselves in terms of the very worldview they're supposedly critiquing. They have reduced themselves to a perceptual box. Is the progression we see therefore truly "progressive", or itself conservative and therefore a failure at self-critique? And since the reactionary position is one in which the warrior caste is not synonymous with Klingon identity (Kolos was a reactionary), are the Klingons best served by "moving forward" or looking back? Should they forget their notions of Klingonhood or rediscover them? Are those, indeed, even that different in practice?

We do know that the Battle of Boreth, and the sober reflection it involved, will one day mark the transition of the First to the Second Klingon Empire. So the Klingons will keep changing, and apparently do one day make enough of a change to look back and say "we were something else then". I imagine the Federation's ongoing influence helps greatly with this.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Also is this the first appearance of a modern Romulan Bird of Prey? And it's very nice to see the Senate meeting at the book's end, and get a sense of tradition, the role (or centrality) of the nobility in the navy, and the recourse to expansion in the Star Empire.

Having discussed the Klingons, I guess I should turn some attention to the Romulans. Yes, the senate scene that ends this novel is a welcome one. It's perhaps our first look at the Romulans in a reasonable mode of governing (they didn't exactly make a good showing of themselves during the Romulan War). A century of isolation seems to have done them some good. This is the Romulans in cautious sentry mode, rather than violent berserker mode - something to which Vulcanoids seem equally prone. For the first time, arguably, we see Dartha as the seat of its own protagonist society and not "the den of the enemy". I should probably note the "sequel hook" regarding the senator who is revealed as the mother of the commander lost aboard Bloodied Talon. Her efforts to find some meaning in her daughter's death will wind up fuelling the plot of "The First Peer" in Seven Deadly Sins.

The Romulans are interesting in that they demonstrate a different approach to forming a functional society out of multiple Vulcanoid tribal bands. Whereas the Surakists back on Vulcan promote self-control, self-responsibility and internal checks to passion, Rihannsu have gone in for external controls and mutual reinforcement; collective responsibility and an external system of repression rather than internal. Their intricate system of castes and classes, codes of honour and nobility, and the ingrained idea that the clan trumps the individual and the Star Empire trumps the clan. Their rather impressive track record with the Right of Statement - almost never trampled on - perhaps shows how important this restrictive social structure is to them. They are far more rigid than the Klingons (for better and for worse). But we've already seen what happens when they act out (Coridan, Draylax, Haakona), and we see that they resent imposed constraints from others - the Neutral Zone is an affront to their sense of national destiny.

(As for the third notable Vulcanoid race, the Rigelian Zami, they didn't seem to even be trying, at least in the case of Rigel IV itself. The Zami on other worlds seem to rely on the structures and policies of the Rigel Trade Commission, which, being a capitalist polity, seems to balance cooperative ethos with aggressive individual expression, and balance too imposed communal control with respect for individual choice. It was a flawed system that proved less than sensible, but I can see how it worked to provide the Vulcanoid members with a variant on what Vulcanoids seem to need in order to successfully function as part of a wider and more sprawling community).

 

[Deranged Nasat]

I might well live in the Klingon or Romulan Empires, since I've just learnt that there was a double murder down my street last night. A domestic disturbance that ended in the stabbity-stab-stab. So there's no doubt in my mind that the Romulans and Klingons are every bit as relevant to readers as the protagonist Federation.

 

[Thor Damar]

^ That's a bit rum, to say the bloody least. Have the old bill (London's not at all Tal Shar) made a impression in the local area?

I wish that there was something I could contribute to this fine discussion on the socio-political aspects of the two most infamous empires in the ST galaxy but I don't think I could match the polished display herein.

(besides which I'm more about the Cardassian Union and ranting about the Tzenkethi...)

I hope that you and yours are okay DN.

 

[borgboy]

I might well live in the Klingon or Romulan Empires, since I've just learnt that there was a double murder down my street last night. A domestic disturbance that ended in the stabbity-stab-stab. So there's no doubt in my mind that the Romulans and Klingons are every bit as relevant to readers as the protagonist Federation.

My neighbors shoot off guns an alarming amount. I assume it's target practice. I'm in a rural area, so they aren't all that close enough that I can see what they're doing, but close enough I can hear them.
Living in rural Oklahoma pretty much is the same thing as living on the Klingon empire.

 

[Thor Damar]

If we where in the Klingon Empire then my House would be a middling but reasonably respected one due to a familial history of being peasants/farmers back in the day and black or arrow smiths of some kind.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

^ That's a bit rum, to say the bloody least. Have the old bill (London's not at all Tal Shar) made a impression in the local area?

I wish that there was something I could contribute to this fine discussion on the socio-political aspects of the two most infamous empires in the ST galaxy but I don't think I could match the polished display herein.

(besides which I'm more about the Cardassian Union and ranting about the Tzenkethi...)

I hope that you and yours are okay DN.

Fine, thank you. You know what the area can be like. Double murders is a bit extreme, to be sure, but the police know it's a problem area, and do - in my opinion - a pretty good job where they can. Still, I mentioned it here because it illustrated, I think, why the spotlight should shine on the many other nations and empires from time to time. We don't live in an almost post-scarcity world with easy travel to new frontiers, after all. We're Romulans or Klingons as much as we are Federates.

Cardassia and Ab-Tzenketh are certainly even more fascinating, it's true. Just wait until this thread reaches the 24th Century! I for one enjoyed our latest deftly written dose of the Tzenkethi in The Missing

My neighbors shoot off guns an alarming amount. I assume it's target practice. I'm in a rural area, so they aren't all that close enough that I can see what they're doing, but close enough I can hear them.
Living in rural Oklahoma pretty much is the same thing as living on the Klingon empire.

Heh. Urban areas on the outskirts of one of the great cities sometimes aren't that different from a very dysfunctional Romulus. People make the best of their station. So many circles, so much suspicion and misdirected passion, so much focus on appearance and not on what's healthy, while underneath everything rots. In Catalyst of Sorrows, Cretak looks out her window at the area of Ki Baratan the outsiders don't see and reflects on what she sees. She would recognise something similar here, I think. (The house across from me was the local drugs dealership for a while, until the police shut them down. An open secret, basically).

If we where in the Klingon Empire then my House would be a middling but reasonably respected one due to a familial history of being peasants/farmers back in the day and black or arrow smiths of some kind.

I'd probably be Alexander.

 

[Jarvisimo]

Also is this the first appearance of a modern Romulan Bird of Prey? And it's very nice to see the Senate meeting at the book's end, and get a sense of tradition, the role (or centrality) of the nobility in the navy, and the recourse to expansion in the Star Empire.

Having discussed the Klingons, I guess I should turn some attention to the Romulans. Yes, the senate scene that ends this novel is a welcome one. It's perhaps our first look at the Romulans in a reasonable mode of governing (they didn't exactly make a good showing of themselves during the Romulan War). A century of isolation seems to have done them some good. This is the Romulans in cautious sentry mode, rather than violent berserker mode - something to which Vulcanoids seem equally prone. For the first time, arguably, we see Dartha as the seat of its own protagonist society and not "the den of the enemy". I should probably note the "sequel hook" regarding the senator who is revealed as the mother of the commander lost aboard Bloodied Talon. Her efforts to find some meaning in her daughter's death will wind up fuelling the plot of "The First Peer" in Seven Deadly Sins.

The Romulans are interesting in that they demonstrate a different approach to forming a functional society out of multiple Vulcanoid tribal bands. Whereas the Surakists back on Vulcan promote self-control, self-responsibility and internal checks to passion, Rihannsu have gone in for external controls and mutual reinforcement; collective responsibility and an external system of repression rather than internal. Their intricate system of castes and classes, codes of honour and nobility, and the ingrained idea that the clan trumps the individual and the Star Empire trumps the clan. Their rather impressive track record with the Right of Statement - almost never trampled on - perhaps shows how important this restrictive social structure is to them. They are far more rigid than the Klingons (for better and for worse). But we've already seen what happens when they act out (Coridan, Draylax, Haakona), and we see that they resent imposed constraints from others - the Neutral Zone is an affront to their sense of national destiny.

(As for the third notable Vulcanoid race, the Rigelian Zami, they didn't seem to even be trying, at least in the case of Rigel IV itself. The Zami on other worlds seem to rely on the structures and policies of the Rigel Trade Commission, which, being a capitalist polity, seems to balance cooperative ethos with aggressive individual expression, and balance too imposed communal control with respect for individual choice. It was a flawed system that proved less than sensible, but I can see how it worked to provide the Vulcanoid members with a variant on what Vulcanoids seem to need in order to successfully function as part of a wider and more sprawling community).

Thank you for addressing this! I didn't know about the sequel short story to the Bloodied Talon's demise, I shall have to check it out.

In terms of Romulans and Romulus, I've really enjoyed some of the contradictory depictions of the society, from the Rihansu series to DRG's work. There certainly was some mess after Nemesis. The relatively limited world-view of onscreen Trek has allowed a great variety of interpretation. I don't look forward to (the seemingly very far off) 2387.

Which Romulan books will feature in your reread, Nasat?

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Reap the Whirlwind

This is perhaps the highlight of the Vanguard series.

It's a very complex novel, which like Harbinger before it manages to ground itself in character while encompassing a truly impressive array of players and perspectives. We have the Lovell and its SCE characters (recurring protagonists who thread themselves through the entirety of this era); the Endeavour (a setting which is mostly used to explore newly-promoted Captain Khatami and her efforts to become comfortable with her new role); the Sagittarius; the power players back on Vanguard (namely the gray and cynical trinity of Reyes, T'Prynn and Jetanien, plus Desai as an ally often in opposition to them); Xiong in his one-man railing against the way the world around him works and the trampling his idealism has taken; Klingon, Tholian and Shedai politics; all of these are in play and wrapped around each other fluidly. It's a real treat, and I've come to think that Mack probably captures the scope and scale of the Trek 'verse better than any other writer.

We get a lot of answers in this one. The history of the Tholians and the Shedai is explained, and the nature of Shedai technologies is revealed. In terms of the nature of this run-through (and let's pretend I'm at all consistent in how I approach that ), we wouldn't know the full implications of what's revealed here. We've met Carol Marcus already, back in Inception, so she's still significant. However, this is one of those times when knowledge of what comes later improves your experience immensely, as it's intended to work with pre-existing knowledge of the outcome. I'll note that when I first read this series, I didn't realize what the meta-genome was until the moment Marcus showed up. Then, of course, it clicked; a truly wonderful moment of "Oh my god, of course!"

In addition, the showdown at Jinoteur and the events at Gamma Tauri represent, indeed, the reaping of the whirlwind, and it's interesting how quickly that occurred. Some might say that the Vanguard arc reaches its climatic showdown a bit too soon - the revelations and explosive consequences peak here despite our being less than half way through. I think that's entirely deliberate, though. With the second Shedai exodus, as the Apostate essentially nullifies the almost-attained second rule of his people, he tells the Wanderer that the war is lost. The high point is behind them now, and what's left is a long, drawn-out epilogue, a decline that will leave only bitterness if resisted. This is sadly mirrored, perhaps, in where Federation efforts to harness the meta-genome - that is, of course, Genesis technology - will go from here. Marcus' wonder and awe at the potentials it represents is the high point; the long shadow it casts will be with the Federation from essentially this point on, right down to the Chain trying to rummage around Crusher's office in The Missing.

The dedication, to those who do "the right thing" and pay for it, one way or the other, in blood and tears, is very poignant. Mack is a writer who so rarely seems to sit in judgement, while still exploring the many nuances of characters' own judgements, on themselves and others. It's a very mature approach to story-telling, if I may be so bold as to say so. Far more respectful of plurality and far more humble than most, with the understanding that one tries to navigate the world on the basis of their ethical system as best they can, rather than reducing the world to their moral system, with reality to be viewed through particular ideological grids. For a writer who handles with great sensitivity the dirty realities of political and tribal power-plays, Mack always strikes me as very apolitical in his own expression. It makes for very accessible writing. This is, of course, only my own perspective.

The Apostate is almost a trial run for Emperor Spock in some ways, in that he sees a system that can only fail in the long run and decides to shut the whole thing down. "This game is self-destructive. I'm not playing anymore, and neither is anyone else. So there". And then he knocks the board off the table and everyone else glares at him.

Continuity

On the species-spotting count, the Caitians and Tiburonians are introduced as part of Federation crews (both of these races have had their planets referenced in the past, but this is their first appearance). The Saurians are now apparently a part of the Federation, having presumably recovered from whatever Maltuvis wound up doing. I really like how the Federation is presented as multi-species here, with the Sagittarius in particular being truly representative. Overall, the book features Human, Vulcan, Andorian, Tellarite, Denobulan, Rigelian, Saurian, Deltan, Caitian, and Tiburonian members of Starfleet. It's starting to look truly like a star-spanning alliance. I also like that the various species are not just there for alien colour but are depicted as genuinely distinct - references to Andorian and Tiburonian senses that differ from Human, Saurian adaptations to jungle and swamp (and private, half-joking opinions on Humans), references also to mythology (Uzaveh's gatekeeper gets a name, and the concept of Whole, last acknowledged in Andorian and Aenar marriage ceremonies, is noted).

Other species introduced here are Zibalians and Elasians. Ktarian eggs are mentioned, although official first contact with Ktarians themselves (as opposed, presumably, to those trading in their native foodstuffs, which seem very popular) will take place a few years down the line, on the same mission that finds the first evidence of Bajorans.

As well as further exploration of Tholian history, which finally establishes a concrete sense of who these prickly crystal lava-crabs are as a people, we also get a welcome look at the interior of a Tholian starship. We see for the first time the monomolecular blade weapons and a Truthcombat arena; Xiong uses one of the blades, as well as his copy of Mack's Starfleet Survival Guide, to escape the ship and reach the surface of Jinoteur.

Next Time: Another small dose of Vanguard before we return to the Enterprise, in "Hard News".

 

[Deranged Nasat]

"Hard News"

This story deals with the immediate aftermath of Reap the Whirlwind. It focuses on Pennington, after he was extended a branch with which to drag himself back out of the mud and partially re-establish his professional reputation. That branch was extended to him by a self-disgusted Reyes, who fell on his sword by ensuring that the truth was illegally revealed after he sacrificed New Boulder Colony and his ex-wife for the Federation's secrets. We'll see how Reyes is coping in the brig next time we return to Vanguard. So too does this piece deal with the equally sudden fall of T'Prynn, left in a traumatic coma following the closing events of the previous book, though again the actual focus on her is postponed until next time. Essentially, then, this is Pennington - our "man on the street" to a large degree (let's not forget too that he'll essentially end the series) - wandering around and reflecting on the sudden upheaval. Upheaval that's seen the two "big bad" figures in his life, responsible for ruining him professionally to begin with, suddenly laid low in tragic fashion. So too do we get to see the response of the Starfleet rank-and-file, in the form of the various officers and enlisted crew Pennington interviews. In short, this is a breather after the explosive events of Reap the Whirlwind, an acknowledgement that changes have taken place and that life goes on, but that everyone is very confused. As a link in the Vanguard chain I'd say it works, and serves a useful purpose, even if it's extremely average as a piece taken in its own right.

Continuity

After having appeared in the alternate timeline of A Less Perfect Union, the Zaranites make their first appearance in the prime reality, in the form of a random patron aboard Ganz' ship. So too appear a couple of Edoans or Triexians. These two races are clearly the same species, but culturally distinct. One is almost certainly an offshoot of the other. Given that Triexians seem to have lengthier names possibly indicating family status - Na-ame na Name, or Na-ame ko Name, etc., while Edoans seem to have only a single name, I wonder if Edoans are an offshoot who left a stratified system and its class trappings behind to found their own society?

Next Time: A short visit to Enterprise in "The Landing Party". Then, after that, it's TV time again. Who's up for some tranya?