This particular novel, like much of the recently-reviewed “Totality” trilogy, is set in the months after “Star Trek: Nemesis”. Unlike those Shatnerverse novels, however, this is a more conventional story involving the Borg. Several of the characters are in transition, notably Worf, and the title of the book becomes more than just a reference to the infamous Borg tagline.
The title is more applicable to Worf’s character arc than the plot arc itself. The author recalls a rather important character-based episode from “Deep Space Nine” and makes it relevant to the post-“Nemesis” world. Worf is approved as the permanent first officer for the refit Enterprise, but he refuses the posting based on his shame from that previous experience. It takes a difficult command situation, as one would expect, to bring him to the realization that his honor is intact. (The presence of a hot Vulcan counselor doesn’t hurt.)
The plot overwhelms the character arc with a scenario that is very hard to swallow. Picard starts to hear the Borg in his head again, so he defies Starfleet Command to take care of the threat. After some initial resistance by the Borg, incorporating a heightened degree of violence, Picard jumps to the conclusion that the only option is re-integrating with the Collective and becoming Locutus once more.
The author treats this decision as inevitable, but the logic is never addressed and the objections by characters are quickly dismissed. The reader is expected to go along with the idea in service to the plot. Unfortunately, the purpose of Picard’s loss to the Collective is quite obvious, since some excuse is needed to bring Worf into command.
The resolution to the problem of Locutus and the new Borg Queen is essentially a means of explaining why the original Borg Queen was killed in “Star Trek: First Contact” yet reappeared with no rationale in various episodes of “Voyager”. The explanation is turned into a technobabble explanation for the quick and easy elimination of the new Borg threat. Equally easy is the restoration of Picard, which happens off the page and barely gets mentioned. In short, the plot felt contrived from the very beginning, with the ending never in doubt, and that’s never good for a modern Trek novel.
Rating: 6/10
Add A Comment