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One Small Step
Rating: 
Series: The Original Series - Gateways Book 1
Published: August, 2001
Author: Susan Wright
Review by: Commander Kali D'or |
Remember back to the Star Trek TV episode "That Which Survives" (airdate 1/24/69) where Kirk, Spock and McCoy discover a woman named Losira. She has a bunch of duplicates and they are "for" our heroes? If she touches you, you die! She is all that is left of the Kalandan race and the Enterprise officers have to figure out how to turn off her computer.
Well, they got out of that one, and moved along. Or did they? The first installment of the new "Gateways" series takes place minutes after the end of that episode and picks up the story of the Kalandans, Kirk, Spock and McCoy, and a group of unscrupulous imposters who want the technology of the long-dead Kalandan's for themselves.
Seems that on this out of the way planet, there is a second cousin to the "Guardian to Forever" (we all do remember Edith Keeler, don't we?) This Gateway has the ability to send/throw the Enterprise thousands of light-years away. It can transport matter and energy across huge distances. And it seems that alot of old enemies want the technology as much as the Federation does.
I was a little confused by the new-comers, the imposters. Their real identities are still unclear, but their intent is not. They think they have Captain Kirk convinced of their sincerity, but I don't think that is the case. And the ever skeptical Spock does keep his hand in the thick of things.
I think this is a pretty good start to the series. The character of Losira was a surprise - hadn't thought of that show for a long time, but she immediately became recognizable, as did the story line. It was well written into the next step, with little confusion. There was not an overwhelming amount of technobabble, which, in some Trek books, can leave the reader behind quickly. For someone who never took physics, or even passed Algebra, I managed to remain unconfused for the most part.
We are all so comfortable with our favorite characters from Star Trek-The Original Series. It is hard to surprise the reader, and to offer new bits of info. This book did not try to do that, it did a good job of enforcing what we know and how we came to know it. I do hope the next 6 are the same caliber as this one, or better. We'll wait and see.
Title: One Small Step
Author: Susan Wright
Review by: Commander Kali D'or
