|
His
ship repaired, Captain Picard must now reassemble his crew.
With the departure of William Riker and Deanna Troi, he must
replace his two most trusted advisors. A Vulcan, T’Lana,
is selected as ship’s counselor. For his new first officer,
Picard has only one candidate: Worf. However, the Klingon
refuses the promotion, and T’Lana does not approve of
Worf. A simple shakedown cruise should settle things, but
once again the captain hears the voice of the Borg Collective.
Admiral Janeway is not convinced that the Borg remain a threat.
Picard knows she is wrong, and if he doesn’t act immediately,
the entire Federation could fall under the domination of its
most oppressive enemy...
It’s
a good title, Resistance. Not only does it fit right
in with the one-word designations of the Next
Gen movies Generations,
Insurrection
and Nemesis,
which the events of this book follow, but its significance
to the plot is multi-layered. It refers not only to humanity’s
resistance of the dreaded Borg (who are now regrouping in
the Alpha Quadrant, deadlier than ever), but also to Worf’s
refusal of promotion, Picard’s defiance of Janeway’s
orders, T’Lana’s reluctance to accept her captain’s
point of view, her dismissive attitude towards Worf... the
list goes on.
I
have great respect for the writing of J. M. Dillard. Any author
who can turn Star
Trek V: The Final Frontier
into a decent novelisation is OK by me, and this book is as
readable as ever. Characterisation and series continuity are
both practically spot-on. Having novelised all the Next
Gen movies, she certainly knows the territory.
It
takes the author a while to get around to addressing the inherent
contradiction of Picard’s attitude to the Borg (he was
once liberated from the hive mind, so why should he and his
crew consider other “assimilatees” a lost cause?)
but she does so eventually. Beverly Crusher’s willingness
to go on the offensive against the Borg remains at odds with
her “There’s been no formal declaration of war”
attitude in I, Borg, so let’s just consider that
an off day for her. I am less convinced by the notion that
all long-term Borg apart from the Queen are androgynous. Seven
of Nine was assimilated for many years but she was obviously
female even before she was disconnected from the Collective.
In
addition to the Next Gen characters, Dillard throws
in elements that will also appeal to devotees of Deep
Space Nine and Voyager. Picard communicates
with Admiral Janeway, who name-checks Seven of Nine (setting
up the events of Peter David’s forthcoming follow-up
Before Dishonor, a preview of which appears at the
end of this book). Meanwhile, Worf remembers his late wife
Jadzia Dax and his former commanding officer, Captain Sisko,
with particular reference to the events and consequences of
the Deep Space Nine episode Change of Heart.
Some
well-rounded secondary characters ultimately prove to be cannon
fodder, which is a shame. However, T’Lana shows great
potential for future development, especially considering her
uneasy relationship with Worf.
All
in all, Resistance is far from futile.
Richard
McGinlay
Buy
this item online
We
compare prices online so you get the cheapest
deal! Click on the logo of the desired store
below to purchase this item.
|
|
|
£3.95
(Amazon.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£5.24
(Waterstones.com) |
| |
|
|
|
£6.99
(WHSmith.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£5.59
(Countrybookshop.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
$7.99
(Amazon.com) |
All prices correct at time of going to press.
|
|
