Ghost Ship
How long does it last?
Definitely longer than sixteen hours, but probably no more than a couple of days or so. The repairs afterwards will take three weeks, according to Captain Picard. Since we don’t see them and they’re not mentioned, three weeks altogether seems to be the best guess.
When does it happen?
Appropriately, it’s early in the mission, before people have got to know each other. Wesley is an acting ensign, so it can’t be before TNG “Where No One Has Gone Before”. Riker has led “several” away teams from Enterprise, so it’s unlikely to be immediately afterwards, but can’t be all that much later. It has to be before Tasha Yar’s death, of course.
What about the stardates?
There aren’t any.
Does it fit?
Sort of. The novel was written before the series came out, so I’d guess that this is the first novel since Spock Must Die! where the author was working from written references and pictures, rather than having watched the show themselves. As such, there are some odd notes. Tasha’s Lithuanian? Deanna Troi calls Riker “Bill”? All in all, I don’t think there’s anything that absolutely rules it out, but some bits are a bit “off” as far as I could see. The big atomic aircraft carrier (instead of elephant) in the room is the framing story, about a Soviet Navy ship that vanishes without trace. On 24th April, 1995. I suppose that “Soviet” and “Russian” might be interchangeable after a few hundred years. In fact, the Russian Navy’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, did become fully operational that year. It has conventional power, and didn’t explode suddenly in the middle of the Black Sea, so I’m afraid that’s not happened, unsurprisingly.
What did I think?
Character conflict! “Star Trek: The Next Generation” really embodied Gene Roddenberry’s philosophy that the people of the future would be insufferably nice, all the time. Other people find this is all part of the show’s optimism and positive viewpoint. I found it really refreshing that Riker and Data didn’t get on, and that Geordi thought Riker was acting unfairly. I’m really not sure about this bit about Deanna Troi, though:
“She knew people were uncomfortable around her because they thought of her as a kind of voyeur, always peeking through the keyholes of their thoughts. Mind slut, some called her. Many avoided her, so she had always tried to be more businesslike and stoic about her extremely businesslike talent—and even that practice had backfired.
“Cold, they called her. An unfeeling mind slut.”
The final verdict:
A story lasting three weeks, quite soon after TNG “Where No One Has Gone Before”. I have problems with that. There just aren’t three weeks empty at all between that story and TNG “Skin of Evil”. The stardates are unforgiving. There’s lots of time after, but not in the specified period. Either the stardate for TNG “Skin of Evil” has to be ignored, or “Ghost Ship” didn’t happen. Bearing in mind that ordering the stories in this season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” by stardate is fraught with difficulties, it might be possible to squeeze it in between TNG “Too Short a Season” and TNG “11001001” using the “official” dates. Otherwise it has to be after TNG “The Last Outpost” and three months into the mission. On balance, I don’t see that this story can be fitted into the main sequence of stories without some serious compromises. Off to a parallel universe, I’m afraid.
The Peacekeepers
How long does it last?
It all seems to be one long, very busy day. That’s a polite way of saying that no-one sleeps or eats at any point, but it really all does seem to be the events of a single day, at most, although there is a fruitless investigation of a distant area of space for signs of Ferengi activity beforehand, but there’s no clue as to how long was spent doing that.
When does it happen?
It’s before Tasha Yar’s death. Otherwise, two of the engineering staff are mentioned by name: Chief Argyle and Engineer Singh. Although “Singh” is a common enough name that it may not refer to only one possible crewperson in engineering, it is a fact that Argyle’s last on-screen appearance is in the same story where an engineer named Singh dies in his one and only appearance. That story is TNG “Lonely Among Us”, suggesting that it cannot happen any later than that.
What about the stardates?
There aren’t any.
Does it fit?
Again, I’d guess that this novel was written before the television show was aired. Most of the characterisations work well. The exception is Riker and Troi’s relationship. They are supposed to have served together for an extended period, and yet that’s not what was subsequently established for them. Nostalgically, this novel suggests that we will have enormous, kilometres-long “space colonies” of the kind promoted by Gerard O’Neill by the “early 21st century.” It would be nice, but I’m afraid I’m not holding my breath. It’s not like we have all that much time left, now.
What did I think?
I liked the story. It rattles along, and doesn’t have big holes in the plot. It’s not so great that I’d be devastated if it didn’t fit, but neither is it so bad that I can’t wait to send it off to a parallel timeline.
The final verdict:
I’m always going to have trouble placing stories in the early part of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Going by the “official” stardate conversions, there seems to be a fair gap between TNG “The Naked Now” and TNG “Code of Honor”. I only have four days at that point, but it seems to me that it is the least unlikely point for this story to fall. I’d place it around stardate 41223, Sunday 22nd March, 2264 using the “official” conversion, or Saturday 12th September, 2364 by my system.
The Children of Hamlin
How long does it last?
A month altogether, I think. The book describes the last three weeks or so.
When does it happen?
That’s delightfully precise. It’s about a fortnight after TNG “The Arsenal of Freedom”. This novel seems to have been quite deliberately set between TNG “Arsenal of Freedom” and TNG “Skin of Evil”, following the production order of the stories in the first season. Deanna Troi is leaving to attend a conference at the end of the book, and there are earlier references that make it plain that it’s after TNG “Coming of Age”, TNG “Heart of Glory” and TNG “Angel One”.
What about the stardates?
There aren’t any.
Does it fit?
The short answer has to be “No!” I’m hamstrung as usual by the lack of time between TNG “Encounter at Farpoint” and TNG “Skin of Evil”, and the order of stories by strict stardate using the “official” conversion makes a complete nonsense of Tasha Yar’s death anyway. It’s a huge fail for both systems. I’d say that if you just stuck to a strict broadcast order and threw stardates out of the window, then this book fits perfectly well.
What did I think?
Even by “Star Trek” standards, the Stupid Colonists in this book are in a class by themselves. The only reason they seem to stay together is because they hate the entire rest of the universe more than they hate each other. I didn’t especially enjoy reading about them, and that’s not a good thing in a book.
The final verdict:
Neither of the systems for converting stardates I’m considering accommodates a strict production order for this season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, and it can’t plausibly fitted into either one. On a more general note, reflecting the order in which the stories were made, there doesn’t seem to be room for TNG “Symbiosis”, a story which has to fall in the broadcast order between TNG “Arsenal of Freedom” and TNG “Skin of Evil”; even though it was made after TNG “Skin of Evil”. I can’t find any really plausible way of fitting it into the “Prime Timeline,” so I’m afraid it has to be in another alternate chain of events, where the stories happen in a different order to mine. Oh, dear!
Survivors
How long does it last?
Based on the peregrinations of Enterprise, my best guess is around ten days immediately after TNG “Arsenal of Freedom” and then an unspecified length of time when Data is off the ship immediately after TNG “Skin of Evil”
When does it happen?
The foreword is specific: between TNG “The Arsenal of Freedom” and TNG “Symbiosis”.
What about the stardates?
Surprise! There aren’t any.
Does it fit?
I didn’t spot anything that directly contradicted other information.
What did I think?
The love of Tasha’s life was framed, and escaped to become a dashing space-brigand of high moral character? If you say so.
The final verdict:
Once again, any attempt to apply stardates falls down completely. The stories have to happen in the exact order of broadcast for the internal continuity to work. The “official” stardates are a complete mess, and even if you’re willing to accept a huge gap between TNG “Arsenal of Freedom” and TNG “Skin of Evil”, the stories still aren’t in an order that reflects this novel’s references. I have the time for Data to be absent after TNG “Skin of Evil”, but not for Tasha and Data to be away for nine days or so after TNG “Arsenal of Freedom”. I just can’t make it fit. I’d say it was in the same odd alternate reality as The Children of Hamlin, but I don’t think the two stories can both be accommodated in the gap between TNG “Arsenal of Freedom” and TNG “Symbiosis”.
Strike Zone
Now long does it last?
I’m not sure. Riker has to be on holiday long enough to grow a beard beforehand. Then an interstellar war has to brew up. It does definitely take five days to get to the contested planet, and there are a few days after. I’d guess at a month. Possibly a bit more, certainly not much less.
When does it happen?
That’s absolutely clear. It falls between the first and second series, or between TNG “The Neutral Zone” (or TNG “The Big Goodbye” if you’re being insanely strict about stardates) and TNG “The Child”.
What about the stardates?
There aren’t any in the book, but it has to fall between S.D. 42000 and 42070.
Does it fit?
Just about. The “official” dates have just under a month, but there is considerable uncertainty and “wriggle room” in all the “official” dates, since none of them can be wrong, just unlikely. I have about a month and a week to play with, which seems plenty of time. In terms of story, Worf starts a relationship with a tough but beautiful half-Human Klingon woman. K’Ehleyr doesn’t turn up for a while yet (TNG “The Emissary”), so is this coincidence, or what?
What did I think?
It struck me as somehow odd. The story swerves between deadly serious and comedy. Having a character die as the punchline to a joke seemed a bit heartless. Perhaps I’m just a big softy, but I do prefer that the more light-hearted stories don’t involve a lot of deaths. As for the joke about rape, I wish it hadn’t been in at all.
The final verdict:
There’s no reason all this shouldn’t happen between the two seasons of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. I’d place Riker’s holiday in the first half of June, and the main events in the second half of June and maybe early July 2365. The “official” dates suggest sometime in the middle of January 2365. For stardates, I’d pick the main events falling between S.D. 42032 and 42062. The “official” conversion would put that between Wednesday 13th and Saturday 23rd January, 2365, and my version would be between Monday 28th June and Thursday 8th July, 2365.
Power Hungry
How long does it last?
Four days. A lot happens on the third day, but it’s four days from start to finish.
When does it happen?
During the second season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”.
What about the stardates?
There’s one, on the second day, S.D. 42422.5. It’s the first one! The “official” conversion is Friday 4th June, 2365. Mine gives Monday 15th November, 2365.
Does it fit?
It seemed to. There was nothing that made me pause and think “really?”
What did I think?
This is a “Riker” story, to the point I couldn’t help thinking everyone else sort of had “walk-on” parts.
The final verdict:
This story fits in pretty well. In the “official” version, I’d place it between Thursday 3rd and Sunday 6th June, 2365, stardates 42419 to 42429. That puts it between TNG “The Outrageous Okona” and TNG “The Schizoid Man”. My tampering to get TNG “Pen Pals” to fit means that I’d place it on Sunday 14th to Wednesday 17th November, 2365, stardates 42421 to 42425; that puts it between my “adjusted” placements of TNG “A Matter of Honor” and TNG “The Measure of a Man”.
Masks
How long does it last?
Based on the internal evidence, it’s about a fortnight from the start of the story to the Big Fair. Enterprise hangs around for a few days’ shore leave, so three weeks altogether?
When does it happen?
Sometime in the second series of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Doctor Pulaski being on the ship makes that obvious, but there are no other references.
What about the stardates?
Once again, there are none.
Does it fit?
Captain Picard wondering if Deanna Troi was “too delicate” to beam down to such a nasty, rough planet struck me as a bit odd. Picard does get to beam down to the planet and get the girl a lot sooner here than he did on television, and I think that’s no bad thing.
What did I think?
I know it’s something of a standing joke, but do the Federation’s diplomats always have to be so implausibly unlikeable? I also thought this story suffered from “fizzle-out.” All the baddies killed each other off screen? The glamorous Amazon queen takes over the planet between chapters? It’s a pity, because the attempt to show a “strange new world” is well-done. Lorca really does establish itself as a vital part of the story, and nothing like Earth. It also seems to be a very small world. One away team running into a group of people who are vital to the plot is a big coincidence, but both teams? I have to say, even with all the stuff about the masks changing people’s voices, and the Starfleet people having to hide their equipment, and that they’re all covered in mud; I still think they’d have recognised each other more easily than they do. I was tickled by the reference to “J.G. Worf,” I’m guessing it’s a mistake based on “lieutenant junior grade Worf.”
The final verdict:
Assuming it takes place after Power Hungry, then I find it very difficult to find three straight weeks when it could happen in my own version of events; the length of TNG “Pen Pals” makes things just about impossible. Off to an alternate universe with it! In the “official” version, it might fit between TNG “The Royale” and TNG “Time Squared”. That would put it in late August and early September 2365, S.D. 42631 to S.D. 42672: Thursday 19th August to Friday 3rd September, 2365?
The Captain’s Honor
How long does it last?
I’d guess at no less than a fortnight, and probably about three weeks.
When does it happen?
It’s definitely when Doctor Crusher is in charge of sickbay. There is a mention of Riker’s beard, but only after he’s been seriously ill in sickbay for three days, so it could just be glorified stubble.
What about the stardates?
There’s only one, S.D. 41800.9. It’s supposed to be in the morning, so the “official” conversion is pushing it a bit at around 3:30 on the morning of Tuesday 20th October, 2364. My conversion fails, being in the evening of Sunday 28th March, 2365.
Does it fit?
This story is quite continuity-heavy. Ensign de Luz is from a planet settled with humans from late-Roman era Spain by the Preservers. The “planet of the week,” Tenara is also a human world “seeded” by the Preservers. The Centurion and its crew are from planet 892-IV, seen in TOS “Bread and Circuses”. They’re from a “parallel Earth” and the details seem to be matched closely to The Worlds of the Federation, a reference book that came out at about the same time. That book says the Klingons and the Federation are allies, but this novel seems to suggest the Klingons are now part of the Federation. The M’dok are a very lightly disguised version of the Kzin, who appeared in TAS “The Slaver Weapon”. Hjalmar Foch is an Andorian name. Really?
What did I think?
It’s a book that rattles along, and has some interesting background on Rome and Roman society. I thought the “set-up” for a sequel made the book a bit too open-ended, as Sejanus and his crew escape into space. Conveniently, just as the M’dok decide to stop fighting and let the Federation help them instead.
I have to confess to something of a conflict of interest here. I think that the “parallel Earth” idea doesn’t really hold water. Particularly as more information about the Romulans has emerged, I’ve become intrigued by the idea that “Vulcans,” “Vulcania” and “Romulans” are names obviously given by Humans, but when exactly? There’s no reason why Vulcans couldn’t have visited Earth before the split with the Romulans. My thought is that Roman settlers actually made it to Vulcan, leading to a place called “Vulcana Regar.” Once the Roman-influenced Romulans had left Vulcan, the Humans were seen as a threat to the Vulcan way of life, especially as Surak’s reforms took hold. These Romans were not returned to Earth, because that would interfere with our society, so they were settled on a suitable planet, 2,000 years or so before TOS “Bread and Circuses”.
Patrick Stewart, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, also played the historical Sejanus in the BBC version of “I, Claudius”. I think that the parallels drawn between the characters of Picard and Sejanus are a valid part of the book. The physical similarity that gets commented on seems to be an “in-joke.” I thought it was over-egging things a bit.
The final verdict:
Whatever I think of the book, if I move TNG “Conspiracy” forward to fall between Wednesday 3rd and Monday 8th March, 2365, then I can fit it in easily between Wednesday 17th March, 2265: S.D. 41789 and Thursday 8th April, 2365: S.D. 48121. That puts it between TNG “Conspiracy” and TNG “The Neutral Zone”. The “official” dates are much less accommodating, with the story taking place between Saturday 10th October, 2364: S.D. 41773 and Friday 30th October, 2364: S.D. 41829. This comprehensively overlaps TNG “Conspiracy” and the oddly-placed-by-stardate TNG “The Arsenal of Freedom”.
A Call to Darkness
How long does it last?
My rough count of days suggests a minimum of 12 days for the main part of the story. There has to be “weeks” before that when they’re searching for the missing ship, and afterwards they have to beam up 18,000 (yes 18,000) people and take them to a starbase that’s six days away from their position. I’d say the story has to occupy at least five weeks, and probably takes six.
When does it happen?
Doctor Pulaski’s presence puts this very definitely in the second season.
What about the stardates?
There’s one: S.D. 42908.6. The “official” conversion gives Sunday 28th November, 2365, whilst my own version of stardates makes it Tuesday 10th May, 2366.
Does it fit?
The “official” date puts it between TNG “The Emissary” and TNG “Peak Performance”. There’s only a week available, nothing like long enough to accommodate this story. My version of events places it between the same two stories, with 19 days available, rather than just seven. It’s still nothing like long enough, though. We hear a lot about Worf’s special Klingon weight training, but I think this is the only time it appears.
What did I think?
People being kidnapped and brainwashed into fighting someone else’s war seemed familiar. It’ll be returned to in “Star Trek”, but the idea has appeared in science fiction many times, as has the idea of making war a spectator sport to distract the Downtrodden Masses. I really thought that the decision not to be too graphic in describing the savage conflict, and to not have any of the main characters do anything they’d have problems coping with later, kind of left the book floundering a bit. The finish is “with one bound, all the plot ends were tied up in a neat bow.” It’s always a bit dissatisfying, but in this case the Enterprise people wait until the planetary government is in chaos and then wrap themselves in the Prime Directive to disclaim any responsibility for what might happen next, and just fly off without a second thought.
The final verdict:
I can’t make it fit where it’s supposed to, but I have to admit I’m not convinced that I really need to try. As always, you may think very differently, but I’m sending it off to an alternate universe.
A Rock and a Hard Place
How long does it take?
My rough count of the days suggests about five days from start to finish, at a minimum. A week will easily cover it.
When does it happen?
That’s clearly established. It’s at the very start of the third season, right after Beverly Crusher returns to the ship.
What about the stardates?
There aren’t any.
Does it fit?
It seems to, with reservations. Especially about Riker’s age. He’s 32. He says so himself, but he’s only 30 in TNG “The Icarus Factor” in the previous season, and we actually see his 32nd birthday in TNG “Future Imperfect”, later in the third season. He can’t be older than 31 here. I had problems believing that someone as damaged as Quintin Stone would be cleared for duty in 24th century Starfleet. Troi has problems with Worf that date back to TNG “The Child”. That’s a long time ago, since that was the first story of the previous season. Deanna Troi relaxes by meditating in a holographic reproduction of a place on Betazed called “the Singing Skies”. She might do, but I don’t think we ever saw that. Riker’s nickname as a teenager was “Thunderball”? Kahless had a son called “QumwI the Eminently Quotable”?
What did I think?
Despite the length of the previous section, I liked this book. The stupid space colonists are admittedly particularly stupid in creating a population of Giant Killer Space Ferrets that then prey on them; but if the colonists are very sensible, there’s going to be no point in telling a “Star Trek” story about them. The shifts in tone between serious and much less so are a lot less jarring than in this author’s previous “Star Trek: The Next Generation” novel, Strike Zone. As far as I’m concerned, in any case. I found some of the plot twists a bit obvious, but I’m not going to post a lot of spoilers. Try reading the book. It seems to be the first “Star Trek: The Next Generation” novel I’ve enjoyed enough to bother recommending.
There is one question that’s bothering me: Did I misunderstand the Top Space Ferret’s “inner thoughts,” or were the Space Ferrets sapient? If they were, I really think that killing them all mercilessly was wrong.
The final verdict:
I don’t see why this story won’t fit into a suitably empty week in between TNG “Shades of Gray” and TNG “Evolution”. I’ve put it fairly close to the start of the third season, because it’s definitely a prelude to that season, rather than a last bit of the second. So, in the “official” timeline I’d place it in the week Monday 31st January to Saturday 6th February, 2366: S.D. 43082 to 43100. My conversion would place it between Saturday 16th and Friday 22nd July, 2366: S.D. 43085 to 43101.
Metamorphosis
How long does it take?
At the risk of spoilers, a lot of this book turns out never to have happened. Or something. My guess is that the main events take about two weeks, but Data still has to bring peace to the troubled worlds of the stupid aliens afterwards, so I’d say around three weeks, at a minimum.
When does it happen?
That’s absolutely specific. It picks up straight from the end of TNG “The Measure of a Man”.
What about the stardates?
There’s only one, specifically for the day after TNG “The Measure of a Man”. S.D. 42528.6 converts to Monday 12 June, 2365 in the “official” conversion. This is too soon. My version of events is more complicated. The “strict” conversion would be Friday 31st December, 2365, but I’ve tinkered with the stardates at this point to try and fit TNG “Pen Pals”. If I extend that tinkering to this book, I get S.D. 42428.6: Wednesday 1st December, 2365. To be fair, that’s an all-around fail.
Does it fit?
If the reset button wasn’t firmly struck, then everything from this point on would have to be very different. With the reset, I think it does fit in with the rest of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. The story does have a lot of continuity references, to the Preservers, to the T’Kon Empire and to the Edo, amongst others. I also spotted some strong similarities between the temporally transcendent super intelligences in this book and the Wormhole Aliens of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”. This book is by Jean Lorrah, who also wrote Survivors. Several of the characters in that book reappear here.
What did I think?
I wasn’t happy with this book. It tackles some big questions, but just gives them pat answers. Why are beings as powerful as the gods themselves devoting their whole attention to half a dozen small villages on an out of the way planet? Why is Data willing to accept that these beings have the right to control the lives of the people on the planet, and his own life? Especially since they behave in such an arbitrary way. What is the message of the book? That people should be happy with who they are, but never satisfied that they have all the answers? Why is the massive intervention into the natural development of the society at the end of the book acceptable? It contravenes the Prime Directive just as much as getting involved in the civil war would have done in the first version of events, as far as I can see.
Beyond that, I think the attempt to “prove” that we can’t know whether or not people have souls is misguided. Yes, it’s just my opinion, but there is no evidence at all that the human mind cannot operate fully within the parameters of known physical laws, despite some heroic attempts at obfuscation. A valid hypothesis has to be testable. My test will be whether an artificial intelligence can be created. If that can’t happen without some mystical intervention involving strange forces of mind beyond anything we currently understand, I’m willing to revise my hypothesis. If, on the other hand, artificial minds as intelligent as our own become reality, will the people who insist on intangible souls be willing to think again?
The final verdict:
Spooky mind powers are an integral part of “Star Trek”, whatever I happen to think about it, so my decision here is limited purely to “is there space for it?” The “official” date conversion gives thirteen days between TNG “The Measure of a Man” and TNG “The Dauphin”. I don’t think that’s sufficient time. My own gives only eight days, and since both stories have been “shifted” equally, I don’t think using a “strict” conversion would change that. If you look back, you’ll see that I packed Survivors off to an alternate version of events. Metamorphosis should join it, I think.
Gulliver’s Fugitives
How long does it take?
My guess is five or six days, certainly no more than a week.
When does it happen?
Beverly Crusher’s aboard, and Riker has a beard, so I think it’s sometime in the third season.
What about the stardates?
At the risk of surprising you, dear reader, there are none.
Does it fit?
It seems to. Wesley becomes very good friends with one of the women in security, although I don’t think that’s ever mentioned again. Captain Picard has his mind wiped, edited and then put back again. It doesn’t seem to do him any harm. Worf’s sideline is never mentioned again, as far as I know.
There are ambassadors from the First Federation aboard. The First federation was first contacted in TOS “The Corbomite Maneuver”.
The star Rho Ophiuchi is indeed inside a dense nebula. It’s also a multiple star composed of young, giant stars. As a spot for an Earth-like planet, it’s not very likely. No more unlikely than several other places in “Star Trek” with inhabited planets, though.
What did I think?
I agree completely; censorship is bad and damaging. I’m not sure this book would necessarily persuade me if I didn’t already agree by battering me over the with it quite so hard. I was pleasantly surprised that after becoming very fantastical indeed, the story was resolved by a combination of imagination and science, not a load of weird psychic stuff.
The final verdict:
There’s no reason at all not to fit this story into a suitable empty week in the third season. The Pocket Books timeline slots it between TNG “The Ensigns of Command” and TNG “The Survivors”. I don’t see there being quite enough time, so I’ve shifted it to fall between TNG “The Survivors” TNG “Who Watches the Watchers?”
That means I think it happens between Sunday 27th February to Saturday 5th March, 2366: S.D. 43156 to 43175 in the “official” conversion; or Monday 15th to Sunday 21st August, 2366: S.D. 43155 to 43171 in my own version.
Doomsday World
How long does it take?
It’s difficult to keep track of the days. My own guess is that it takes at least five days. I’ve guessed at a week, plus the two days in orbit around Kirlos beforehand. I think nine days in total is reasonable.
When does it happen?
Sometime during the third season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”.
What about the stardates?
Ideally, especially for the “official” conversion, there’s just one. S.D. 43197.5 is very early on Monday 14th March 2366 by the “official” conversion. I have the early afternoon of Saturday 27th August, 2366. Both stardates would therefore seem to fall on the second day, not counting the time in orbit we get told about in retrospect.
Does it fit?
Data was revived 28 years before. Since that date is established as 2nd February, 2338, both stardate systems are right about that.
“Immediately Geordi’s mental alarm went off. Last time he’d encountered a gleaming metal door in a strange place, he’d almost been turned into a puddle of goo.” looks to be a reference to Strike Zone. Whether you’re including the earlier novel or not, I don’t think it’s a problem.
What did I think?
Where did the Ariantu come from, after being able to hide from everyone for 5,000 years? That really bothered me. Otherwise, it’s an inoffensive novel. If that’s damning with faint praise, I found I really didn’t have much I wanted to say in this section, good or bad.
The final verdict:
The dating of this story seems quite clear, to me anyway. The story runs from Friday 11th to Saturday 19th March, 2366: S.D. 43189 to 43213 by the “official” conversion. My system places it from Wednesday 24th August to Saturday 3rd September, 2366: S.D. 43194 to 43214. Unfortunately, that means it comprehensively overlaps the whole of TNG “The Bonding” and TNG “Booby Trap” in the “official” timeline. My version would have it starting slap in the middle of TNG “Who Watches the Watchers?” and then have to replace TNG “The Bonding”. I don’t see how it can fit into either of the two versions of events. As far as I’m concerned, this is all happening in another alternate universe.
The Eyes of the Beholders
How long does it take?
Assuming that the estimate of four days and seven hours to reach the scene of the action is correct, then I think the main part of the story takes a week. The ship then takes the grain to the Andorian colony, and makes a “long” trip to Starbase 127. Data will be spending a “few weeks” helping archaeologists. My conclusion is that it’s at least a month from start to finish, and possibly a little longer, say five or six weeks.
When does it happen?
This book is absolutely clear. The first day is 16th September. It’s also five weeks since TNG “Q Who”, and it’s sometime in the third season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” because Riker has a beard and specific mention is made of Doctor Crusher returning and replacing Doctor Pulaski.
What about the stardates?
Mercifully, there aren’t any.
Does it fit?
The short answer is NO! There is no chance that TNG “Q Who” happened around the start of July, by either system of stardates. I don’t think it’s even possible for TNG “Shades of Gray” (which is referred to in this book) to happen less than five weeks after TNG “Q Who”.
16th September is supposed to be the 27th anniversary of Geordi being fitted with his VISOR at the age of five. Although it wasn’t established at the time, the remastered version of TNG “Cause and Effect” places Geordi’s birth on 16th February, 2335. The operation therefore cannot have been before 16th February, 2340. That would place this story no earlier than September 2367, and that’s a year too late to make any sense at all.
The events of TNG “The Battle” are explicitly referred to, as are the Medusans from TOS “Is There in Truth No Beauty?”
Geordi is offered an alternative to his VISOR just before the story starts. Kate Pulaski makes the offer on-screen in TNG “Loud as a Whisper”, but the doctor here is Doctor Crusher, so it must be a different occasion.
Doctor Selar leaves the ship to return to Vulcan. This is problematic, because although Selar only appears once on screen (in TNG “The Schizoid Man”), she is mentioned on a number of other occasions, right up to TNG “Genesis”. This does seem to indicate that she remained on Enterprise for the whole of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, at least to me. Judging by the number of times she’ll be appearing in later books, I think most of the novel authors thought she was still there, too.
What did I think?
Chronological problems aside, I found it an entertaining novel. It’s upfront with the fact that aliens who are so alien it’s impossible to comprehend them aren’t a new idea, even in “Star Trek”.
My biggest gripe with the book is the way Deanna Troi can’t cope with the effect on the crew. Bev Crusher basically dopes her up to the eyeballs and sticks her in a bed in sickbay for practically the whole story. I have problems with the idea that a medical doctor would see that as an acceptable course of action. I am even more convinced that if something like that did happen, then Deanna Troi’s suitability as a Starfleet officer would have to be seriously questioned.
In some ways, I thought the whole book might be a dig at Modern Art: lots of odd things, impossible to really describe, that have a disquieting effect on the observer. That might just be me, though.
The final verdict:
In the “official” timeline I’ve created, this book would start a couple of days before TNG “Allegiance” and overlap that story completely. It would then foul up the mission we don’t see to Gemaris V, and the following events in TNG “Captain’s Holiday”. It would be a good eleven months since TNG “Q Who”.
In my own timeline, I can actually make it fit, if I move TNG “The Enemy” and TNG “The Price” later by ten days into late October and early November 2366. Data’s leave of absence would have to be quite short, but I could place this story between Friday 16th September to Wednesday 25th October, 2366: S.D. 43267 to 43326. That would mean that it was six months after TNG “Q Who” rather than five weeks, and Geordi gets his important anniversaries wrong. On balance, I’m sending it off to an alternate universe.
Exiles
How long does it take?
My rough count suggests that there has to be at least nine days for the main story, and the ship’s going back to Etolos at the end. My best guess is that events take about a fortnight.
When does it happen?
Judging from the date the book was originally published (November 1990) it seems to be sometime in the third season. That is roughly supported by Data thinking about Kate Pulaski, implying that it’s quite near the start of that season.
What about the stardates?
There’s one, on the first or second day, S.D. 44429.1. That’s obviously a fourth season date. My “official” conversion gives Tuesday 6th June, 2367, and my “tweaked” system makes it Wednesday 22nd November, 2367. This seems to be wildly out of sequence with the other novels, and the fiction timeline in Voyages of Imagination adjusts it to S.D. 43429.1. This gives Monday 6th June, 2366 by my “official” system and Sunday 27th November, 2366 by my own conversion. In the interests of fair play, I’ll use the “adjusted” date here.
Does it fit?
In the main, yes. There were some odd notes, though. Data is not supposed to have attended Starfleet Academy, but that was a big deal in TNG “The Measure of a Man” and TNG “Conundrum” says he was there between 2341 and 2345. It also ignores somewhat baffling “class of ’78” comment in TNG “Encounter at Farpoint”. Have I laboured this point enough? Moving on, there’s also a discussion of how starships used to have green areas for the crew to relax in before holodecks were introduced. Admittedly, they’re supposed to be science labs as well as recreational facilities, but the Enterprise arboretum does strongly suggest that Data’s confusion about having “natural” areas on starships is unusual.
What did I think?
Although the rest of the world is free to differ with me on this, I’m not a big fan of being beaten over the head with a “message.” But in this case, judging by current events, maybe a book about how “everyone will die if the environment is degraded past a certain point” can’t afford to be subtle. It looks like no-one listened then, and certainly the country that could make the big, essential difference isn’t listening now.
Another big gripe is how “staged” it all is. The mad polluters are balanced by eco-warriors, and a huge spaceship pops up out of nowhere to resolve the plot so everyone is happy. Why does it all happen at the same time? Is it just coincidence, or are we meant to assume that there’s some sort of Divine Providence at work? As usual when “godlike” things come up in “Star Trek”, I start thinking about the Q continuum or the Wormhole Aliens. If there is obvious intervention by Higher Beings, how far are Our Heroes ever really in jeopardy? Can their missions ever fail, even in theory?
Lastly, why don’t any of the Stupid Alien societies in this book do things because they’re sensible? Why does each society have to be run by a “divine message”? It would have been nice if one of the societies had been less fanatical. Beverly Crusher doesn’t have to believe that the sacred critters are sacred to start liking them and want them not to die out. Why can’t at least some of the aliens feel the same? Yes, it could be because they’re all originally from the same planet, but they look and behave too much like people to assume that their minds are so different, and it does make you wonder how they ever managed to develop beyond a primitive society. I would have liked to sympathise with some of these people, but I found it very difficult.
The final verdict:
Using the adjusted third season stardate means this story starts in the middle of TNG “The Vengeance Factor” and overlaps TNG “The Defector” in my “official” stardate timeline. My own version avoids TNG “The Vengeance Factor” but still completely overlaps TNG “The Defector” without any obvious way to move any of the stories to make it fit.
The “official” version of the fourth season has more space, but the unmodified stardate means the start of this story will still completely overlap TNG “The Wounded”. My own timeline would accommodate it, if I moved TNG “Devil’s Due” into early December. It would still be at an unusually late point in the mission if I put it here, though.
On balance, I’m sending this story off into the Outer Darkness too. Your opinion may be different.
by Strauchius on 28 Jan 2017 16:36, last updated on 01 Jul 2017 13:21
