Duck and cover! [SPOILERS for "Star Trek: Destiny" novel trilogy]

Omigosh, I accidentally found this (above) today on Memory Beta, the online Star Trek wiki concordance of licensed materials.

In 2381, Charivretha zh'Thane was amongst the 63 billion Federates killed by the Borg Collective during its attempted extermination of the Federation and allied worlds, gathered in Therin Park in Laibok along with hundreds of other Andorians awaiting their doom (ST - Destiny novel: "Lost Souls"). (Memory Beta.)

I finished Book 2 of David Mack's "Destiny" trilogy only yesterday, and am just about to commence the final book... Sob.

Where did they say????????????? Dammit D.M. Thanks so much for the nod, but......... Nooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Captain's Log: Supplemental.

Therin Park was coined in 2004 by author Heather Jarman, and named for my Star Trek alter ego, in the novel, "Andor: Paradigm", in "Worlds of Deep Space Nine, Book 1".

About a year ago, another ST author, Terri Osborne, briefly made reference on TrekBBS, as to how I might feel about what she'd done to Andor in the "Starfleet Corps of Engineers" eBook, "Remembrance of Things Past, Book 1" (2007). Now, I'm so far behind in my ST reading, so I haven't given the now-defunct eBook range much of a look-in, but this excerpt (of a much longer excerpt) turned up just now in a Google search:

Bart cringed. "I hope Sarjenka's got sickbay stocked with antacids. And speaking of stomach acid, where's Tev?"

Stevens gave a snort of derision. Much as Tev was making an effort to get along better with everyone, Stevens still wasn't a fan of having the big furry oaf in a social gathering, not one that he was throwing, at least. "He's not on board. Remember those bombings on Andor a couple of weeks ago?"

"Yeah, it was all over the Federation News Service. The Shran memorial, the Wall of Heroes, you name it. If it was a location worth hitting, sounded like they hit it. Last I heard, the real surprise had been why they hit Therin Park, but, man did they raze everything they hit to the ground. Still haven't caught the terrorists who claim to have done it." Faulwell paused, his eyes widening. "Wait a second, Tev wasn't there, was he?"

"We aren't that lucky," Fabian said with a shake of his head. "Turns out a friend of his from the Academy was in Therin Park, though. He was too close to one of the bombs when it went off. The Elgin escorted him to the funeral on Andor after they dropped you off."

"Wow, I've got to admit, that's a surprise."

"What," Stevens said, "that Therin Park was one of the places that got bombed? Everyone's surprised by that, you just said so yourself."

Faulwell shook his head. "No, that Tev actually had a friend at the Academy. Learn something new every day." (Simon & Schuster website.)

Wow. I thought she was joking! I'm honoured, Terri. I think. So, had the park just been rebuilt in time for David Mack to um, "salute" it again in "Destiny"? Welcome to Ground Zero. Don't feed the thizzards.

Spotlight on the old ways

IDW Publishing's "Alien Spotlight: Andorians: The Old Ways" comic is out! It is indeed a TNG era story this time. Placed in TNG's seventh year, writer Paul D Storrie presents Ortees Sharad, an Andorian Starfleet officer hitching a ride to Andoria for extended leave. We see him with Troi but, once the Enterprise-D gets him to Andor's moon, it's an all-Andorian blue fest!

Now, anyone who knows me will say I'm biased - or maybe they'll see it as a sign that IDW has done well with the "Alien Spotlights" so far - but I found "Andorians: The Old Ways" to be thoroughly entertaining. The story is strong, the characters have more visual differences than a typical ENT Andorian episode, and I loved some of the background layouts, esp. those using visuals from "The Aenar".

I didn't get the feeling that the story was rushed, and it certainly doesn't stomp over fans' memories of TNG, ENT or Heather Jarman's "Andor: Paradigm" (the Andorian novel in "Worlds of DS9, Book 1"). The lead character is strong and likeable. Fans worried about which approach to the four-partnered-marriage aspect would be taken should be well-pleased, too.



I said on my blog a few months ago that I've probably been waiting for a comic about Andorians since December 1979 (TMP), or perhaps even earlier than that: "Yesteryear" (TAS) on one Saturday morning in the 70s.

Thanks IDW!