Star Trek 940: Strike Zone

940. Strike Zone

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation #5, Pocket Books, March 1989

CREATORS: Peter David

STARDATE: Between The Child and Where Silence Has Lease

PLOT: The Kreel find an advanced alien weapons cache on a planet disputed by the Klingons. The Federation orders the Enterprise-D to ferry Klingon and Kreel delegations there under a flag of truce. The two sides have been bitter enemies for centuries, however, and only Klingon Ambassador Kobry seems willing to negotiate. Meanwhile, Wesley's Selelvian friend - an "elf" with powers of suggestion - is dying from a hereditary disease called the Rot which Wesley becomes obsessed with curing. As the ship arrives at the planet, the Kreel ambassador convinces the Selelvian into using his powers to procure him phasers in exchange for a cure found in the cache of technology. Kobry is then poisoned and all hell breaks loose. The Kreel and Klingons are arrested and/or killed, but not before the Selelvian is killed. The cache is revealed to be a test engineered by one of those god-like races. Despite having passed the test, Picard tells them off and only catches a quick glimpse of the reward offered as the god-like beings and their technology disappears. Kobry survives thanks to Pulaski's ministrations and he outs one of his own peace-hating men as the culprit.

CONTINUITY: Riker just grew his beard and Dr. Pulaski only recently replaced Dr. Crusher (The Child). The Ferengi invented synthehol as a way to drink business partners under the table. Pulaski was Riker's recommendation, having served with her before. Klingon Ambassador Kobry is meant to be the albino "Moron" from David's movie-era comics, taking his name from his adoptive parents, Konom and Bryce. Other characters David uses again in other novels include Tom Chaffin, the Selelvians and the Kreel (who are also used by other authors). He also uses the same names for security guards, claiming they had ancestors on the Enterprise-A. The Kreel were present at Khitomer, scavenging after the Romulan attack.

DIVERGENCES: Ten-Forward is diligently called the Ten-Four Room. Worf beds Kobry's part-human daughter Gava, cutting in front of a similar relationship with K'Ehleyr (The Emissary). Kobry mentions a Klingon Emperor. Riker thinks "Oh shit", not really in keeping with the show's tone despite the fact Picard says "merde" from time to time (at least he doesn't say it out loud).

ALIEN CASTING OF THE WEEK - The Kreel played by the creature in Feast
REVIEW: Numbered novels aren't usually allowed to add information to the canon, or at least anything that could "matter". Survivors (TNG #4) was an exception, and so is Stike Zone. Peter David only does it through details (see Continuity), but they are immediately believable. Because I read this back in the day, I was under the impression that claims such as the Ferengi/synthehol connection was canonical. I especially appreciate the Kreel, which help pad out Klingon space a lot more than has been done on the show. It sometimes seems that while there are tons of races in Federation space, the Klingon Empire is just Klingons. The Kreel aren't part of the Empire, but they do fill out its history and borders. David's true strength, as in his comics, is dialogue and character development. I don't think he has Wesley's "voice" quite right, and his Data is pretty broad, but the rest are pretty impeccable. Their interactions are smart and witty, as his the omniscient narrator. His Worf is more badass than any before Deep Space 9, and I hope a lesson to TNG writers at the time. There are a lot of comic bits, of course, much of it quite welcome, especially the crew being sick of "tests". David's not afraid to poke fun at Trek's conventions. I do take exception at his naming of characters and ships however, attracting attention to itself through the use of inside jokes (Tron, Kothulhu, and for comic book readers, Bobbi Chase).

Next for the SBG Book Club: Betrayal (DS9), Invincible Part I (SCE), Invincible Part II (SCE), Planet of Judgment (TOS), Power Hungry (TNG).