Star Trek 772: The Peacekeepers

772. The Peacekeepers

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation #2, Pocket Books, September 1988

CREATORS: Gene DeWeese

STARDATE: Just after The Last Outpost.

PLOT: The Enterprise-D meets a derelict ship. While exploring it, Data and Geordi are transported to a similar ship in orbit around a planet light-years away. The people below discovered it decades ago and used its powers to disarm everyone and create worldwide peace. Another faction, led by the head Peacekeeper's brother tells another tale, that of a planet held prisoner by a deluded madman. Meanwhile, the Enterprise's efforts only get Riker and Yar beamed away, and they quickly meet the Peacekeeper, who believes them all to be the ship's mythical Builders. When they condemn his actions, he decides they're impostors. In the ensuing conflict, the Enterprise arrives in time to save its landing parties and information is gained - the derelicts were put there long ago to prevent developing planets from ever becoming threats and even have the capacity to affect certain minds. When these ancients were dying out, they destroyed their ships, but forgot a few. In any case, the ship's capabilities are destroyed, and the Enterprise uses the holodeck and Worf's acting to give the people of the planet a common enemy, deflecting the blame off the Peacekeepers who were really only their now dead leader's pawns and not worthy of the retaliation to come.

CONTINUITY: The crew just met the Ferengi for the first time (not a good week).

DIVERGENCES: Troi is on a first name basis with Picard.

SCREENSHOT OF THE WEEK - The Repository
REVIEW: At over 300 pages, this is one of the longest "numbered" novels, a length that's not at all warranted. It's padded with bridge chatter, info-dumping and techno-babble, and while the away teams have an ok adventure (which takes its time, but has a fairly action-packed climax), anytime we're on the Enterprise itself, things get sluggish and boring. Efforts to make the alien transporter work are entirely too drawn out and there's an extended "Troi rides the turbolift" scene that is just excruciating. A cute final scene for Worf, and a strong starring role for Geordi, but definitely one to skip. Yawn. I'm going back to bed.