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Star Trek Adventures #6
Star Trek: The New Voyages 2
This is an original 1977 paperback featuring the Original Star Trek characters.
252 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
May 20, 2024
There's a big whiff of fan fiction earnestness in this collection...but it was still early days for Trek fiction, and you have to start somewhere, so I can be a bit indulgent. There are definite highlights, including the story co-written by Nichelle Nichols. An interesting and edifying taste of the past.
September 15, 2022
A second collection of Star Trek short stories, though less written by fans than the first collection. There wasn't a third collection, but then the license moved from Bantam to Pocket Books shortly before the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979.
I enjoyed "Snake Pit!" and "The Patient Parasites". I didn't really like "In the Maze", and the gender bending "The Procrustean Petard" would not be published today - though it did make a few good points. Nichelle Nichols epilogue was especially touching, in light of her recent passing.
In comparison to the first New Voyages, I liked this one slightly less - but both still rate 3 stars.
I enjoyed "Snake Pit!" and "The Patient Parasites". I didn't really like "In the Maze", and the gender bending "The Procrustean Petard" would not be published today - though it did make a few good points. Nichelle Nichols epilogue was especially touching, in light of her recent passing.
In comparison to the first New Voyages, I liked this one slightly less - but both still rate 3 stars.
December 16, 2012
One of the earliest collection of fan-written Star Trek stories, with a contribution from Nichelle Nichols, too. There are some hits and near-misses here, but a few of the adventures are solid and page-turning. "Cave-in," showcases Spock's very dry humor and veiled irritation with Kirk. "In the Maze," could easily be made into a first-rate episode. The best of this compilation has to be "The Sleeping God," dealing with a faceless and silent enemy with flashbacks on a Dune-epic timeline.
December 25, 2024
Weird little ST antho from the 70s, mostly collecting fan fiction, one unproduced Animated Series script by Native American SF author Russell Bates and a weird story by Nichelle Nichols.
October 27, 2011
"Surprise!"- Uhura sees Kirk naked! Tee hee!
"Snake Pit"- Christine Chapel saves Kirk by fighting snakes. Naked! Tee hee!
"The Patient Parasites"- Ever read a script too uninspired to be an episode of the animated series? I have now.
"In the Maze"- Kirk, Spock, & McCoy as lab rats for an advanced telepathic alien not advanced or telepathic enough to recognize them as sentient all that quickly.
"Cave-In"- a poem about a cave-in. I think. No nudity.
"Marginal Existence"- Trapped by the addictive pleasure machines which, running for 600 years, are no different from eternal torment.
"The Procrustean Petard"- All the girls are boys and all the boys are girls. Kang's wife has left him and he's set his... sights on Girl Kirk. Somehow, in the middle of being fanwank, this asks some relevant questions about the glass ceiling in 2260's Starfleet. Spock and Kang permanently gain extra Y chromosomes for that extra-predatory vibe. Now, now, boys, you can't BOTH hump Girl Kirk... or CAN you?
"The Sleeping God"- Starfleet literally has a Deus Ex Machina. He's a human mutant named Singa and they keep him in cryogenic freeze for emergencies like an invincible killer robot fleet from a parallel universe. Singa- 1, The Nagha- 0. It's a good tale.
"Elegy for Charlie"- a poem about loneliness. I assume, poetry's not my thing.
"Soliloquy"- "I love you, Captain" is written on Spock's heart. Awww. (Not literally.)
"Snake Pit"- Christine Chapel saves Kirk by fighting snakes. Naked! Tee hee!
"The Patient Parasites"- Ever read a script too uninspired to be an episode of the animated series? I have now.
"In the Maze"- Kirk, Spock, & McCoy as lab rats for an advanced telepathic alien not advanced or telepathic enough to recognize them as sentient all that quickly.
"Cave-In"- a poem about a cave-in. I think. No nudity.
"Marginal Existence"- Trapped by the addictive pleasure machines which, running for 600 years, are no different from eternal torment.
"The Procrustean Petard"- All the girls are boys and all the boys are girls. Kang's wife has left him and he's set his... sights on Girl Kirk. Somehow, in the middle of being fanwank, this asks some relevant questions about the glass ceiling in 2260's Starfleet. Spock and Kang permanently gain extra Y chromosomes for that extra-predatory vibe. Now, now, boys, you can't BOTH hump Girl Kirk... or CAN you?
"The Sleeping God"- Starfleet literally has a Deus Ex Machina. He's a human mutant named Singa and they keep him in cryogenic freeze for emergencies like an invincible killer robot fleet from a parallel universe. Singa- 1, The Nagha- 0. It's a good tale.
"Elegy for Charlie"- a poem about loneliness. I assume, poetry's not my thing.
"Soliloquy"- "I love you, Captain" is written on Spock's heart. Awww. (Not literally.)
November 22, 2017
Unlike most people, I found this to be a big improvement over the first volume. Surprisingly, I found the stories here to be pretty decent, apart from those written by NEW VOYAGES editors Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath. Oh, and of course I'm completely discounting the poems, which are every bit as terrible as you'd expect from STAR TREK-themed poetry. But at least they're short and easy to skip over.
-- "Surprise!" --
The book puts its worst foot forward with this awful TREK story inspired by an actual event from Nichelle Nichols' life. The whole thing revolves around the Enterprise crew throwing a surprise birthday party for Kirk. How exciting, right?! Hijinks ensue as Kirk's friends work to keep the party under wraps, despite his suspicions that something is up. Not only is the story boring and lame, but the writing/editing team of Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath throw gasoline on this dumpster fire with their usual sexual innuendos and revisionist portrayals of the characters. Kirk comes across as a whiny little b**** by moping around in his command chair after thinking that people have forgotten his birthday. Spock seems to delight in the idea of administering birthday spankings. Uhura acts like everyone's mother, and we are treated to an awkward scene in which she encounters Kirk just stepping out of the shower. This story is fan fiction at its fan fictioniest.
--"Snake Pit!"--
When a STAR TREK title has an exclamation mark in it, that's usually a very bad sign. This story, however, is the exception to that rule. The plot is simple but effective. Plus, it gives Christine Chapel a rare chance to shine--as a naked action heroine, no less!
--"The Patient Parasites"--
Intended for STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES, this script was rejected, we are told, because it failed to take full advantage of the show's animated format. On the one hand, that sounds like a convenient excuse, because nothing about the script is particularly impressive. But on the other hand, THE ANIMATED SERIES is the weakest STAR TREK series to date, and mediocrity was the order of the day. So, the notion they'd consider producing a script this uninspired is quite believable.
--"In the Maze"--
A decent story about an alien being who uses the Enterprise crew as lab rats. The highlight is when Spock and McCoy fight a subterranean tentacle monster.
--"Marginal Existence"--
To me, this story comes closest to feeling like an episode of the original show. A clever idea with some nice macabre undertones.
--"The Procrustrean Petard"--
The return of Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath. Unlike their usual TREK stories, this one never goes completely off the rails, but their lousy writing still kills it quicker than a stake through the heart. It's odd that a story about gender-switching would be among the duo's most restrained, but somehow the only moment of kink in this tale is when a Klingon captain seems about to force Girl Kirk to kiss him. Marshak and Culbreath play things too safe here (not something I ever expected to hear myself say), and much of the dialog is just awful. It also portrays Starfleet as a sexist organization that prevents women from getting ahead. But while STAR TREK: TOS certainly had its moments of sexism, and while its series finale "Turnabout Intruder" reinforced the notion of a glass ceiling at Starfleet, all other incarnations of TREK put men and women on mostly equal footing and did away with all that discrimination crap. But in Marshak and Culbreath's story, even the learned Mr. Spock questions Girl Kirk's ability to remain in command after being turned female, pointing out that Girl Kirk was the only crew member to be knocked unconscious when the Enterprise hit some major turbulence. Girl Kirk has trouble steering a shuttle craft because the controls are too stiff for his girly hands, and he constantly frets over whether he can still punch alien creatures in the face like he used to. It all seems dated and odd, especially with Sonequa Martin-Green currently kicking so much ass on STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. I guess it just goes to show how different second-wave feminism was from fourth-wave feminism.
--"The Sleeping God"--
By far the best story of the bunch, it was written by German science fiction author and real-life NASA scientist Jesco von Puttkamer. It's an ambitious piece of work that I think would've worked even better as a full-length novel. My only real criticism is that the ending feels like a deus ex machina, albeit one that was set up early in the story and makes perfect sense once you realize how all the various plot pieces fit together. And while I eventually became OK with it by the end of the story, it initially felt cheap and caused me to lose interest for a bit.
-- "Surprise!" --
The book puts its worst foot forward with this awful TREK story inspired by an actual event from Nichelle Nichols' life. The whole thing revolves around the Enterprise crew throwing a surprise birthday party for Kirk. How exciting, right?! Hijinks ensue as Kirk's friends work to keep the party under wraps, despite his suspicions that something is up. Not only is the story boring and lame, but the writing/editing team of Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath throw gasoline on this dumpster fire with their usual sexual innuendos and revisionist portrayals of the characters. Kirk comes across as a whiny little b**** by moping around in his command chair after thinking that people have forgotten his birthday. Spock seems to delight in the idea of administering birthday spankings. Uhura acts like everyone's mother, and we are treated to an awkward scene in which she encounters Kirk just stepping out of the shower. This story is fan fiction at its fan fictioniest.
--"Snake Pit!"--
When a STAR TREK title has an exclamation mark in it, that's usually a very bad sign. This story, however, is the exception to that rule. The plot is simple but effective. Plus, it gives Christine Chapel a rare chance to shine--as a naked action heroine, no less!
--"The Patient Parasites"--
Intended for STAR TREK: THE ANIMATED SERIES, this script was rejected, we are told, because it failed to take full advantage of the show's animated format. On the one hand, that sounds like a convenient excuse, because nothing about the script is particularly impressive. But on the other hand, THE ANIMATED SERIES is the weakest STAR TREK series to date, and mediocrity was the order of the day. So, the notion they'd consider producing a script this uninspired is quite believable.
--"In the Maze"--
A decent story about an alien being who uses the Enterprise crew as lab rats. The highlight is when Spock and McCoy fight a subterranean tentacle monster.
--"Marginal Existence"--
To me, this story comes closest to feeling like an episode of the original show. A clever idea with some nice macabre undertones.
--"The Procrustrean Petard"--
The return of Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath. Unlike their usual TREK stories, this one never goes completely off the rails, but their lousy writing still kills it quicker than a stake through the heart. It's odd that a story about gender-switching would be among the duo's most restrained, but somehow the only moment of kink in this tale is when a Klingon captain seems about to force Girl Kirk to kiss him. Marshak and Culbreath play things too safe here (not something I ever expected to hear myself say), and much of the dialog is just awful. It also portrays Starfleet as a sexist organization that prevents women from getting ahead. But while STAR TREK: TOS certainly had its moments of sexism, and while its series finale "Turnabout Intruder" reinforced the notion of a glass ceiling at Starfleet, all other incarnations of TREK put men and women on mostly equal footing and did away with all that discrimination crap. But in Marshak and Culbreath's story, even the learned Mr. Spock questions Girl Kirk's ability to remain in command after being turned female, pointing out that Girl Kirk was the only crew member to be knocked unconscious when the Enterprise hit some major turbulence. Girl Kirk has trouble steering a shuttle craft because the controls are too stiff for his girly hands, and he constantly frets over whether he can still punch alien creatures in the face like he used to. It all seems dated and odd, especially with Sonequa Martin-Green currently kicking so much ass on STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. I guess it just goes to show how different second-wave feminism was from fourth-wave feminism.
--"The Sleeping God"--
By far the best story of the bunch, it was written by German science fiction author and real-life NASA scientist Jesco von Puttkamer. It's an ambitious piece of work that I think would've worked even better as a full-length novel. My only real criticism is that the ending feels like a deus ex machina, albeit one that was set up early in the story and makes perfect sense once you realize how all the various plot pieces fit together. And while I eventually became OK with it by the end of the story, it initially felt cheap and caused me to lose interest for a bit.
May 31, 2017
And back to the fan fiction. The success of the enjoyable first New Voyages collection clearly left its editors feeling they had a mandate, and that they could do no wrong. At least that is my takeaway from this lesser collection, which has even more of an indulgent fanfic feel. I do have to read some more modern fanfic, because reading this one has left me with a sour attitude about it.
It bears repeating that fans and fanfic are part of what kept Trek alive during these early years. That said, this collection has not aged well except as an artifact of the times.
So, in sum, this volume offers more glimpses into fandom of a certain period, but with a couple of exceptions, it hasn't really aged well, and isn't a good representation of the Trek story.
I will go through the pieces one by one.
'"Surprise'" by Nichelle Nichols, Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath
I love Nichelle Nichols. I adore her. She is one of the classiest ambassadors of the franchise, and her personal story is an inspiration. This story, about Uhura and Spock arranging a surprise birthday party for Kirk, generally feels like the creation of someone who knows the characters, partly. That's the part I will attribute to Nichols. There's a slashy subtext which I can completely attribute to the infamous editors. All in all, it's one of those stories about below decks, off shift Enterprise that is just a little too cute, but may still appeal to some fans.
'"Snake Pit" by Connie Faddis
We don't get to see much of Nurse Christine Chapel in the series or movies, but we get to "see" everything in this action-based story, in which Chapel takes on a pit full of alien snakes, armed only with a knife, to save Kirk, who's been bitten by one in some native ritual. Did I mention she does this naked? Yeah, she naked.
It's actually a pretty good story, one of the more enjoyable ones in the volume. Well written, though it does meander into some racist tropes about indigenous people. We get to learn a little bit more about Chapel's past with Roger Corby, which gets "authenticated" in a footnote as having come from Majel Barrett herself. Oh, you tricky canon. Oh, and we learn that Chapel is actually already a doctor, and it's still some time before that gets a nod in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
"The Patient Parasites" by Russell Bates
Offered in script form, this is a story that Bates wrote for the animated Star Trek series. Bates would later go on to co-author the animated series episode "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth," which netted the series an Emmy Award. That episode featured crewman Dawson Walking Bear, a Native American, who actually first appeared in this story. This story was rejected as being too generic, apparently, and for the Bantam collection Dawson Walking Bear was changed to Sulu, and it's not even noticeable.
This story comes off as something that could have been a filmed episode, but a particularly bland one. It involves a race of aliens, probably long dead, which steal the intelligences of aliens to make use of technology it did not invent. It comes across as a mix of elements from "Spock's Brain," "Return of the Archons," and maybe a dash of "The Empath."
It possibly would have been a so-so episode, but as a story it lacks suspense, or even a point to make.
"In the Maze" by Jennifer Guttridge
This one was kind of close in story to "The Patient Parasites." A little better, involving weird aliens doing experiments on Enterprise crew in a setting that reminded me even more of "The Empath" than the last one. I like the thoroughly weird aliens, but it suffers an abrupt resolution of the "whoops we didn't realize you were sentient, sorry, bye" variety.
"Cave-In" by Jane Peyton
A confusing piece written as a stream of consciousness monologue/dialogue that just didn't hold my interest long enough to figure out what was going on.
"Marginal Existence" by Connie Faddis
This one actually feels like an episode of TOS and is fairly well-written. It's possible there's a message in it about drug abuse or the more generalized pitfalls of seeking pleasure without a mind to the consequences, seen here in a society that keeps people in a "pleasurable" suspended animation that may actually be torture. There's elements that are very close to "Miri" at play here. Not the best in the collection, but up there.
"The Procrustean Petard" by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath
Oh dear. So the concept of the story is, Kirk, McCoy, Uhura and a number of the rest of the Enterprise crew switch genders. Even putting aside current ideas about gender being more than binary, this story is a train wreck a la The Price of the Phoenix. Like that book, this is a story that isn't very interested in plot setup, conflict or resolution. Once again, there is a lot of flirty wink-winking about slashy unmentionables. But while Phoenix manages to be dull, this one manages to be truly offensive. You see, femme Kirk is apparently too pretty to command, and then there's this whole bit where Spock protects Kirk from the unwelcome advances of Kang from "Day of the Dove." The whole premise of how this gender-swap happens is then dismissed in as off-screen and desultory a fashion as it was introduced, amid much satisfied laughter. It makes no sense to any era's ideas of Klingon culture, and it manages to be oddly sexist, for a story written by two women.
"The Sleeping God" by Jesco von Puttkamer
And from an aerospace engineer and NASA program manager, who would eventually be technical advisor for the first Star Trek movie, a novella-length story that is actual science fiction. While the resolution of the conflict is a little muddled for me, this may be my favorite piece in this collection. Dealing with a Borg/V-ger-like ancient computer and a superbrained mutant kept in suspended animation, this reads, frankly, like a better story concept for the movie that von Puttkamer was eventually involved with. A little slow but worth the read.
"Elegy For Charlie" by Antonia Vallario and "Soliloquy" by Marguerite B. Thompson
The book ends with a cutesy wrap-up referencing the first story, but not before we get a couple examples of fan doggerel.
The first poem, while not great poetry in my opinion, still manages to be a emotive look at "Charlie X"and it consequences.
The latter poem, told from Spock's perspective ends with the lines, "What will they find when I am ripped apart? 'I love you, Captain,' written on my heart," and that's all you need to know.
It bears repeating that fans and fanfic are part of what kept Trek alive during these early years. That said, this collection has not aged well except as an artifact of the times.
So, in sum, this volume offers more glimpses into fandom of a certain period, but with a couple of exceptions, it hasn't really aged well, and isn't a good representation of the Trek story.
I will go through the pieces one by one.
'"Surprise'" by Nichelle Nichols, Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath
I love Nichelle Nichols. I adore her. She is one of the classiest ambassadors of the franchise, and her personal story is an inspiration. This story, about Uhura and Spock arranging a surprise birthday party for Kirk, generally feels like the creation of someone who knows the characters, partly. That's the part I will attribute to Nichols. There's a slashy subtext which I can completely attribute to the infamous editors. All in all, it's one of those stories about below decks, off shift Enterprise that is just a little too cute, but may still appeal to some fans.
'"Snake Pit" by Connie Faddis
We don't get to see much of Nurse Christine Chapel in the series or movies, but we get to "see" everything in this action-based story, in which Chapel takes on a pit full of alien snakes, armed only with a knife, to save Kirk, who's been bitten by one in some native ritual. Did I mention she does this naked? Yeah, she naked.
It's actually a pretty good story, one of the more enjoyable ones in the volume. Well written, though it does meander into some racist tropes about indigenous people. We get to learn a little bit more about Chapel's past with Roger Corby, which gets "authenticated" in a footnote as having come from Majel Barrett herself. Oh, you tricky canon. Oh, and we learn that Chapel is actually already a doctor, and it's still some time before that gets a nod in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
"The Patient Parasites" by Russell Bates
Offered in script form, this is a story that Bates wrote for the animated Star Trek series. Bates would later go on to co-author the animated series episode "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth," which netted the series an Emmy Award. That episode featured crewman Dawson Walking Bear, a Native American, who actually first appeared in this story. This story was rejected as being too generic, apparently, and for the Bantam collection Dawson Walking Bear was changed to Sulu, and it's not even noticeable.
This story comes off as something that could have been a filmed episode, but a particularly bland one. It involves a race of aliens, probably long dead, which steal the intelligences of aliens to make use of technology it did not invent. It comes across as a mix of elements from "Spock's Brain," "Return of the Archons," and maybe a dash of "The Empath."
It possibly would have been a so-so episode, but as a story it lacks suspense, or even a point to make.
"In the Maze" by Jennifer Guttridge
This one was kind of close in story to "The Patient Parasites." A little better, involving weird aliens doing experiments on Enterprise crew in a setting that reminded me even more of "The Empath" than the last one. I like the thoroughly weird aliens, but it suffers an abrupt resolution of the "whoops we didn't realize you were sentient, sorry, bye" variety.
"Cave-In" by Jane Peyton
A confusing piece written as a stream of consciousness monologue/dialogue that just didn't hold my interest long enough to figure out what was going on.
"Marginal Existence" by Connie Faddis
This one actually feels like an episode of TOS and is fairly well-written. It's possible there's a message in it about drug abuse or the more generalized pitfalls of seeking pleasure without a mind to the consequences, seen here in a society that keeps people in a "pleasurable" suspended animation that may actually be torture. There's elements that are very close to "Miri" at play here. Not the best in the collection, but up there.
"The Procrustean Petard" by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath
Oh dear. So the concept of the story is, Kirk, McCoy, Uhura and a number of the rest of the Enterprise crew switch genders. Even putting aside current ideas about gender being more than binary, this story is a train wreck a la The Price of the Phoenix. Like that book, this is a story that isn't very interested in plot setup, conflict or resolution. Once again, there is a lot of flirty wink-winking about slashy unmentionables. But while Phoenix manages to be dull, this one manages to be truly offensive. You see, femme Kirk is apparently too pretty to command, and then there's this whole bit where Spock protects Kirk from the unwelcome advances of Kang from "Day of the Dove." The whole premise of how this gender-swap happens is then dismissed in as off-screen and desultory a fashion as it was introduced, amid much satisfied laughter. It makes no sense to any era's ideas of Klingon culture, and it manages to be oddly sexist, for a story written by two women.
"The Sleeping God" by Jesco von Puttkamer
And from an aerospace engineer and NASA program manager, who would eventually be technical advisor for the first Star Trek movie, a novella-length story that is actual science fiction. While the resolution of the conflict is a little muddled for me, this may be my favorite piece in this collection. Dealing with a Borg/V-ger-like ancient computer and a superbrained mutant kept in suspended animation, this reads, frankly, like a better story concept for the movie that von Puttkamer was eventually involved with. A little slow but worth the read.
"Elegy For Charlie" by Antonia Vallario and "Soliloquy" by Marguerite B. Thompson
The book ends with a cutesy wrap-up referencing the first story, but not before we get a couple examples of fan doggerel.
The first poem, while not great poetry in my opinion, still manages to be a emotive look at "Charlie X"and it consequences.
The latter poem, told from Spock's perspective ends with the lines, "What will they find when I am ripped apart? 'I love you, Captain,' written on my heart," and that's all you need to know.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2016
The stars are for how these books made me feel in a time when all we had were the original series showing in syndication after school. I had to watch it on the tv in my mom's room as my mom had the news on downstairs and only the upstairs tv received good enough reception for me to see the show. I would eat fish sticks and watch on the nights my Dad was not home for dinner, other nights I watched before our dinner downstairs. Often the screen was fuzzy & I kept adjusting the antenna & talking to the tv to get it to cooperate. My friends and I were already speculating as to the further adventures of the Enterprise. Before the fairly awful first big screen movie came out, all we had were collections of the original scripts turned into short stories...The City on the Edge of Forever always made me cry, thanks Harlan Ellison...and then the fan fiction was published. It made us very happy at the time, and I remember it as being, on the whole, surprisingly well done. Ah, life before cable, VCRs, let alone DVDs, Blu-Ray or the Internet. It really was appointment tv.
April 26, 2025
Part six of my endeavor to read through Star Trek delivers another diverse and creative mixture of fan written adventures. Featuring daring dives into alien labyrinths, tense traipses through dystopian cities, and low stakes shenanigans on the Enterprise. However, while The New Voyages 2 continues to push the boundary in new and strange ways, the impassioned charm of fan-writing has somewhat worn thin. For this second entry, the frequent jarring atypical characterization of our beloved TOS crew stands out ever more prominently. Nevertheless, the novel still offers a handful of engaging and bemusing stories and several endearing new character moments that clearly distinguishes this anthology from the full length novels.
While our core Trek trio features prominently as usual, and Spock and Kirk’s relationship stands front and center, a few of the more underrepresented crew members receive some welcome time in the spotlight, especially the Trek women. Rather predictably, much of the underlying sexism of the era remains, but many of the stronger writers make concerted efforts to highlight the women’s strength and resilience. Altogether, this strange, conflicting juxtaposition paints an interesting and often uncomfortable picture of women’s presence in science-fiction fandom in the seventies. It is almost as if the very characters themselves are fighting against the author’s own internalized misogyny. Thankfully, when viewed retroactively, Uhura and Nurse Chapel usually come out on top! Genderbent Captain Kirk however… I’ll dig into that shortly.
The New Voyages 2 opens with Surprise!, co-written by Nichelle Nichols and returning anthology editors and contributors Sondra Marshaka and Myrna Culbreath. Based, in part, on personal experiences of Nichols, Surprise! is a fun, light-hearted, and low-stakes escapade set on Captain Kirk’s birthday aboard the Enterprise. The story opens with a disheartened Kirk working under the impression that his crew have forgotten his birthday. And soon, in response to some amusing antics from Uhura and Spock, Kirk becomes increasingly suspicious that something is influencing his friends when in fact they are really just frantically attempting to cover up a birthday surprise. Except… maybe they are under an alien influence after all?
Nichols and co playfully toy with our and Kirk’s expectations regarding the crew's strange behavior. Strangeness that is further exacerbated by Spock’s amusing attempts to follow party-planner Uhura’s instructions to distract their highly scrutinous captain. Notably, Uhura takes a far more prominent role as the party puppeteer, offering many wry remarks and playful observations from beginning to end. With the exception of a caveat that I’ll explain shortly, Uhura thrives in this more prominent role, and it’s a joy to hear Nichol’s voice shine through. Similarly Spock shines as he’s compelled to make spontaneous, human-like decisions in order to help Uhura, and the pair form quite the comedic duo. Meanwhile Kirk adopts a more erratic and self-conscious persona for the purposes of driving forward the plot. It produces some hilarious moments, but also feels somewhat uncharacteristic.
Oddly, Surprise! takes on an unexpectedly flirtatious tone as Spock, Kirk, and Uhura all appear very much infatuated with each other. In turn, this errant tone conflicts with the story’s central mystery, as it quickly becomes difficult to differentiate between what is overzealous fanfiction-esque writing (shoving Spock before a naked Kirk fresh out of the shower) and what may be the potential machinations of some obscure alien influence. Although this is clearly not the precise dilemma the audience are intended to focus on, Surprise!’s carefree atmosphere and deliberately minimal stakes provide the writers some leeway.
Additionally, I should note that there are some especially dated and awkward fetishistic type ‘jokes’ littered throughout the story. Specifically, the story had a weird obsession with spanking Uhura, or at least threatening her with spanking for ‘misbehaving’. Of course, Nichols had a hand in writing it so at the very least she accepted this content, but these scenes have aged terribly regardless. They’re clearly written to be playful and flirtatious, however, they read as infantilizing and disrespectful, and Surprise! would be much better without them.
Overall, despite my issues, Surprise! stood out as a charming and funny tale that provided a closer look at more ordinary Enterprise life. Nichols provides a reprieve from the usual Klingon dogfights or robot death machines that we’re familiar with. Instead, she leaves us chuckling like Kirk and crew at the end of a TOS episode, just before the Enterprise flies away into the stars.
Following Surprise! is the similarly exclamatory Snake Pit! starring a kick-ass Nurse Chapel. The Federation is in the middle of diplomatic talks with a tribal human-like group of aliens for some life saving medicine sourced from some deadly snakes. Immediately, this conceit stands out as conflicting with the Prime Directive. Little explanation is given as to why prolonged contact has been made with these rather racially unambiguous tribalistic aliens. It takes some effortful head-canonning to make their prolonged trading relations make sense in this context. Awkward premise aside however, writer Connie Faddis crafts a thrilling adventure, casting Chapel as the daring hero and Kirk as the damsel in distress. The titular snake pit facilitates surprisingly brutal action scenes, despite the contrived nudity…
Kirk and Nurse Chapel are a unique pair and it is refreshing to see them together for once. Throughout the story, it is made abundantly clear the Chapel holds a lot of respect for Kirk, and he for her. Although she maintains a cool and professional exterior, Chapel’s inner monologue rather typically reads as bashful and timid in the face of the pure manly boldness of Captain James T. Kirk. I must confess that having each and every woman fawn over Kirk and Spock each story certainly wears quite thin. But thankfully, a more confident and empowered Chapel emerges once Kirk is subject to danger, and her fearless heroics are a sight to behold, culminating in a thrilling and shocking climax. It is just disappointing that her heroics tend to be written in spite of her sex, instead of in addition to it. Nevertheless, Snake Pit! stands out as overall as a solid character-piece for Christine Chapel.
Next, is Russell Bates’ script for The Patient Parasites, a short story that was nearly adapted for the animated series. While the script did not quite meet the mark, he later found success with How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth. However, I must confess that I am not especially surprised that The Patient Parasites did not make the cut, as its unique scripted presentation is perhaps its most compelling trait. A mixture of classic TOS tropes, The Patient Parasites feature godly aliens, intelligent mechanical probes, and an abundance of endangered red-shirts. The scintillating language used to describe the alien constellations and laser-fuelled action stands out as distinctly notable, when compared to the mundane and dry expository dialogue that takes up the majority of the story.
The Patient Parasites’ inciting incident occurs after Sulu and a few security entangle with an intelligent interstellar probe, the finder. Paralyzed, they are at the mercy of this strange, alien machine with menacing and destructive plans. But rather unceremoniously, Sulu is immediately freed by some technobabble-fuelled shenanigans from the core trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, which promptly deflates all tension. Instead the probe ‘Finder’ holds captive a few red-shirts, and I must confess that sadly, the fate of a few red-shirts holds little emotional weight. Had Sulu remained in danger, at the very least the danger would have felt more pressing. Instead, The Patient Parasites divulges into a prolonged tense debate between a dispassionate and uninteresting Finder, and Kirk, Spock, and Bones going through the motions until ambling into an underwhelming climax. One which toys with interesting sci-fi ideas, but fails to weave them into the story in a compelling way. In sum, The Patient Parasites puts forth an intriguing format, but it fails to effectively leverage it.
Returning writer Jennifer Guttridge delivers the next installment - the eerie, unsettling, and sometimes sluggish In the Maze. Set in a cold, indestructible cube of alien design, Spock and McCoy are tied together as they delve their way deeper into a hostile, dimensionally obscure labyrinth. Meanwhile Kirk is held hostage by an imposing creature with a powerful visceral design. Unfortunately, Kirk is thoroughly underutilized throughout the story, despite his perspective constantly interrupting the far more dynamic and engaging Bones and Spock duo. A captive Kirk is only entertaining for so long, and halfway through this short story, his segments begin to disturb the pacing. This transforms an otherwise short jaunt through an alien cube into an arduous crawl through an endless maze. Thankfully, his eventual release and the story’s thought provoking conclusion provides some overdue closure.
Meanwhile, Spock and McCoy are in peak condition, operating on all cylinders and exhibiting the full wonderful range of their tumultuous relationship. From petty squabbling, to genuine conflict, to begrudging respect, to complete trust in each other. Of course, I attribute these irrational emotions to McCoy only, Spock is scarcely susceptible to such human foibles! Their perilous plunge through the maze is filled with brief moments of triumph and despair that in reality stretch on for days. While their interactions were entertaining and frequently compelling, Spock and McCoy’s role in the resolution was disappointingly scant. Despite my issues, In the Maze remains an engaging adventure with a delightfully surreal setting and a brilliant rendition of Spock and McCoy’s dynamic.
The brief “open texture” free form poem Cave-In comes as a welcome surprise, breaking up the repetitive pace and length of the rest of the short stories. Although it is far from an impactful entry into the literary canon, I personally found Cave-In to be a novel, intriguing character piece for Spock. Where other stories must doggedly commit to some semblance of canon or consistency, this short poem allows writer Jane Peyton to toy with Spock’s impending demise in a cave-in. We’re privy to his final, fading conversation with an unnamed individual who may be Bones, Kirk, or Spock’s human self, depending on how you read it. The voice changed each time I read Cave-In, which is one of my favourite elements of the text.
Marginal Existence is by far the most evocative, grounded, and engaging story of the anthology. Writer Connie Faddis returns to deliver us a gripping expedition into a dystopian planet populated by desiccated sleepers wired into stasis pods, autonomous robots that guard them, and a roaming mob of tribalistic aliens (humans) terrified of loud noises. The premise is fantastic, and Faddis’ execution is even moreso.
Trapped in this oppressive and hostile environment, Bones is thoroughly undergeared and underestimated. But when he’s confronted with human suffering he’s compelled to action and his endeavours are cathartic. Similarly, Kirk is more decisive, controlled, and commanding than in any other appearance. For the first time in this anthology I am convinced of a written rendition of his character. Alternatively, Spock takes a backseat, providing his usual dose of sage-like wisdom when needed and delivering a devastatingly splendid line every few pages. “The mental contortions by which you arrive at logical decisions never cease to amaze me, Captain…” is a clear standout. Additionally, Chekov receives some time in the spotlight for once, providing well needed levity to temper the tense, bleak atmosphere and tone. Marginal Existence does feature the usual starfleet issued damsel in distress who distracts from the otherwise brilliant pacing. But thankfully her role is limited and diverts us from the existential provocations raised in the narrative infrequently.
In a departure from most of these fan-submitted entries that have focused primarily on novel character dynamics, Faddis casts her dynamic characters in a grounded, fleshed out alien world with an intriguing mystery and a gripping atmosphere. Marginal Existence raises some delightful existential questions, providing this anthology the meaty material that was needed. The Enterprise crew’s encounters with the sick, tortured dreamers and the world their descendants inherited engages with provocative themes including utopia, desire, and fulfilment. This culminates in a surprisingly decisive resolution that raises delightfully grey, murky ethical questions. In total, Marginal Existence is far and above the most engaging short story and I can easily picture it among the lineup of series one and two of TOS.
Succeeding the greatest short story in The New Voyages 2, is the very worst. The Procrustean Petard is an egregious excuse of a story that feels longer than a full length novel, despite its brevity. Co-editors Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath took charge of this misogynistic spiritual sequel to Turnabout Intruder that features a Klingon battalion, Kirk and the Enterprise crew all genderbending together. All but Spock and returning Klingon captain Kang are subjected to several dozen pages of messy, tasteless, foul gender dynamics that boils all of the men’s leadership and ambition down to their testosterone. Astoundingly, the majority of the story is spent fawning over exactly how stupidly attractive Kirk is as a woman, but sadly, there is no reality where Kirk may continue as a Captain. No crew could look toward a woman for leadership after all! They’re just too distracting - proclaim Bones and Spock.
I truly cannot find a single component in The Procrustean Petard to praise, in fact the story is so rough that it’s retrospectively diminished the authors’ previous work, The Price of Phoenix. I have lost all confidence in their ability as writers. All the lingering prosaic issues scattered through their other work continue here: environments are intangible and transient; the dialogue is stiff and out of character; the perspective constantly shifts and leaps about, spinning endless protracted philosophised postulations and weak self-reflections on sex. Marshak and Culbreath’s love for romance continues here too, once more thrusting Kirk and Spock into another dark implied love triangle with Kang, an enduring Klingon figure who first appeared in the classic episode The Day of the Dove. Kang’s newfound affection and uncomfortable sexual implications toward Kirk mirror Omne’s from The Price of Phoenix. Similarly, once more Spock is forced to play the dashing hero, a role that’s especially ill-fitting. So much so that in an immensely contrived series of events Spock gains another chromosome and becomes a super-masculine man unlike the rest of the genderbending crew. Also, the use of ‘chromosome’ in this context is certainly a choice… In essence, The Procrustean Petard succeeds in making a mockery of nearly the entire cast. Reveling in outdated stereotypes and failing to make any kind of meaningful commentary, it is an exercise in indulgent self-sabotage.
Last of the full-length short stories is The Sleeping God, a surprising precursor to The Motion Picture, featuring a colossal, planet-sized machine intelligence set on a crash course with the Federation. Joining Kirk and the Enterprise crew is Singa the Sleeper, a powerful telepath steeped in misguided mysticism. His role would later be occupied by Lt. Illia and Willard Decker with much more interesting results. Additionally, Jesco von Puttkamer, this story’s author would later be credited as an advisor to the scriptwriters of The Motion Picture, further cementing the pair’s similarities. It is here where they end however, as The Sleeping God’s execution is fundamentally different. As can be expected, the Enterprise’s encounter with Singa the Sleeper and Nagha the alien artificial intelligence is far from introspective or deeply atmospheric. This is simply another adventure with Kirk and friends that ploughs forward with a rapid pace.
Nagha and the threat that it poses is considerably less compelling and more simplistic than V’ger was. Puttkamer clearly established the AI entity as a vindictive, hostile force through his use of perspective. Intermittently, we follow its rapid ascent to power and universal domination through its callous and surprisingly petty eyes. This alternative perspective grants the story a degree of novelty, but ultimately Nagha’s pure evil nature is underwhelming. Similarly, the alien’s machinations and mechanisms are astoundingly flimsy given its impressive scale, vividly rendered by Puttkamer. When push comes to shove, Kirk and the Enterprise outmanoeuvre this galaxy crushing metal megalomaniac with ease.
Puttkamer’s prose does deserve special mention, as his background in astrophysics shines through, attributing a note of authenticity to the science underpinning the action. His descriptions of Nagha, the Enterprise, and the vast expanse of space were elevated through his expertise and passion for the subject. Alternatively, Puttkamer’s explorations of faith and mysticism were much less effective. Singa the Sleeper and his ‘primitive’ followers failed to captivate. Poorly characterized and awkwardly jammed into the overarching narrative, it appeared that Singa manifested in response to the overwhelming power and threat posed by Nagha, and for little else. Ultimately, The Sleeping God leapt ahead of itself in its pursuit of grand overpowering concepts which required more space to breathe. Space that it would one day be provided very shortly.
Lastly, The New Voyages 2 closes out with two poems. These texts are both flowery, wistful, melancholic entries that are each undercut by their subjects. The first, an Elegy for Charlie is exactly as described. Calling out to the boy corrupted by psychic powers in Charlie X, it is a poem that is difficult to take seriously when you recall who it is about. Charlie’s angsty, unpleasant behavior and performance in the original episode immediately evaporates any ponderings I may have had about his place in the universe. Similarly, the final text Soliloquy, is an impassioned introspective monologue of Spock. This too, is undermined by its detachment from every performance of Nimoy’s in TOS, save This Side of Paradise perhaps.
While our core Trek trio features prominently as usual, and Spock and Kirk’s relationship stands front and center, a few of the more underrepresented crew members receive some welcome time in the spotlight, especially the Trek women. Rather predictably, much of the underlying sexism of the era remains, but many of the stronger writers make concerted efforts to highlight the women’s strength and resilience. Altogether, this strange, conflicting juxtaposition paints an interesting and often uncomfortable picture of women’s presence in science-fiction fandom in the seventies. It is almost as if the very characters themselves are fighting against the author’s own internalized misogyny. Thankfully, when viewed retroactively, Uhura and Nurse Chapel usually come out on top! Genderbent Captain Kirk however… I’ll dig into that shortly.
The New Voyages 2 opens with Surprise!, co-written by Nichelle Nichols and returning anthology editors and contributors Sondra Marshaka and Myrna Culbreath. Based, in part, on personal experiences of Nichols, Surprise! is a fun, light-hearted, and low-stakes escapade set on Captain Kirk’s birthday aboard the Enterprise. The story opens with a disheartened Kirk working under the impression that his crew have forgotten his birthday. And soon, in response to some amusing antics from Uhura and Spock, Kirk becomes increasingly suspicious that something is influencing his friends when in fact they are really just frantically attempting to cover up a birthday surprise. Except… maybe they are under an alien influence after all?
Nichols and co playfully toy with our and Kirk’s expectations regarding the crew's strange behavior. Strangeness that is further exacerbated by Spock’s amusing attempts to follow party-planner Uhura’s instructions to distract their highly scrutinous captain. Notably, Uhura takes a far more prominent role as the party puppeteer, offering many wry remarks and playful observations from beginning to end. With the exception of a caveat that I’ll explain shortly, Uhura thrives in this more prominent role, and it’s a joy to hear Nichol’s voice shine through. Similarly Spock shines as he’s compelled to make spontaneous, human-like decisions in order to help Uhura, and the pair form quite the comedic duo. Meanwhile Kirk adopts a more erratic and self-conscious persona for the purposes of driving forward the plot. It produces some hilarious moments, but also feels somewhat uncharacteristic.
Oddly, Surprise! takes on an unexpectedly flirtatious tone as Spock, Kirk, and Uhura all appear very much infatuated with each other. In turn, this errant tone conflicts with the story’s central mystery, as it quickly becomes difficult to differentiate between what is overzealous fanfiction-esque writing (shoving Spock before a naked Kirk fresh out of the shower) and what may be the potential machinations of some obscure alien influence. Although this is clearly not the precise dilemma the audience are intended to focus on, Surprise!’s carefree atmosphere and deliberately minimal stakes provide the writers some leeway.
Additionally, I should note that there are some especially dated and awkward fetishistic type ‘jokes’ littered throughout the story. Specifically, the story had a weird obsession with spanking Uhura, or at least threatening her with spanking for ‘misbehaving’. Of course, Nichols had a hand in writing it so at the very least she accepted this content, but these scenes have aged terribly regardless. They’re clearly written to be playful and flirtatious, however, they read as infantilizing and disrespectful, and Surprise! would be much better without them.
Overall, despite my issues, Surprise! stood out as a charming and funny tale that provided a closer look at more ordinary Enterprise life. Nichols provides a reprieve from the usual Klingon dogfights or robot death machines that we’re familiar with. Instead, she leaves us chuckling like Kirk and crew at the end of a TOS episode, just before the Enterprise flies away into the stars.
Following Surprise! is the similarly exclamatory Snake Pit! starring a kick-ass Nurse Chapel. The Federation is in the middle of diplomatic talks with a tribal human-like group of aliens for some life saving medicine sourced from some deadly snakes. Immediately, this conceit stands out as conflicting with the Prime Directive. Little explanation is given as to why prolonged contact has been made with these rather racially unambiguous tribalistic aliens. It takes some effortful head-canonning to make their prolonged trading relations make sense in this context. Awkward premise aside however, writer Connie Faddis crafts a thrilling adventure, casting Chapel as the daring hero and Kirk as the damsel in distress. The titular snake pit facilitates surprisingly brutal action scenes, despite the contrived nudity…
Kirk and Nurse Chapel are a unique pair and it is refreshing to see them together for once. Throughout the story, it is made abundantly clear the Chapel holds a lot of respect for Kirk, and he for her. Although she maintains a cool and professional exterior, Chapel’s inner monologue rather typically reads as bashful and timid in the face of the pure manly boldness of Captain James T. Kirk. I must confess that having each and every woman fawn over Kirk and Spock each story certainly wears quite thin. But thankfully, a more confident and empowered Chapel emerges once Kirk is subject to danger, and her fearless heroics are a sight to behold, culminating in a thrilling and shocking climax. It is just disappointing that her heroics tend to be written in spite of her sex, instead of in addition to it. Nevertheless, Snake Pit! stands out as overall as a solid character-piece for Christine Chapel.
Next, is Russell Bates’ script for The Patient Parasites, a short story that was nearly adapted for the animated series. While the script did not quite meet the mark, he later found success with How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth. However, I must confess that I am not especially surprised that The Patient Parasites did not make the cut, as its unique scripted presentation is perhaps its most compelling trait. A mixture of classic TOS tropes, The Patient Parasites feature godly aliens, intelligent mechanical probes, and an abundance of endangered red-shirts. The scintillating language used to describe the alien constellations and laser-fuelled action stands out as distinctly notable, when compared to the mundane and dry expository dialogue that takes up the majority of the story.
The Patient Parasites’ inciting incident occurs after Sulu and a few security entangle with an intelligent interstellar probe, the finder. Paralyzed, they are at the mercy of this strange, alien machine with menacing and destructive plans. But rather unceremoniously, Sulu is immediately freed by some technobabble-fuelled shenanigans from the core trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, which promptly deflates all tension. Instead the probe ‘Finder’ holds captive a few red-shirts, and I must confess that sadly, the fate of a few red-shirts holds little emotional weight. Had Sulu remained in danger, at the very least the danger would have felt more pressing. Instead, The Patient Parasites divulges into a prolonged tense debate between a dispassionate and uninteresting Finder, and Kirk, Spock, and Bones going through the motions until ambling into an underwhelming climax. One which toys with interesting sci-fi ideas, but fails to weave them into the story in a compelling way. In sum, The Patient Parasites puts forth an intriguing format, but it fails to effectively leverage it.
Returning writer Jennifer Guttridge delivers the next installment - the eerie, unsettling, and sometimes sluggish In the Maze. Set in a cold, indestructible cube of alien design, Spock and McCoy are tied together as they delve their way deeper into a hostile, dimensionally obscure labyrinth. Meanwhile Kirk is held hostage by an imposing creature with a powerful visceral design. Unfortunately, Kirk is thoroughly underutilized throughout the story, despite his perspective constantly interrupting the far more dynamic and engaging Bones and Spock duo. A captive Kirk is only entertaining for so long, and halfway through this short story, his segments begin to disturb the pacing. This transforms an otherwise short jaunt through an alien cube into an arduous crawl through an endless maze. Thankfully, his eventual release and the story’s thought provoking conclusion provides some overdue closure.
Meanwhile, Spock and McCoy are in peak condition, operating on all cylinders and exhibiting the full wonderful range of their tumultuous relationship. From petty squabbling, to genuine conflict, to begrudging respect, to complete trust in each other. Of course, I attribute these irrational emotions to McCoy only, Spock is scarcely susceptible to such human foibles! Their perilous plunge through the maze is filled with brief moments of triumph and despair that in reality stretch on for days. While their interactions were entertaining and frequently compelling, Spock and McCoy’s role in the resolution was disappointingly scant. Despite my issues, In the Maze remains an engaging adventure with a delightfully surreal setting and a brilliant rendition of Spock and McCoy’s dynamic.
The brief “open texture” free form poem Cave-In comes as a welcome surprise, breaking up the repetitive pace and length of the rest of the short stories. Although it is far from an impactful entry into the literary canon, I personally found Cave-In to be a novel, intriguing character piece for Spock. Where other stories must doggedly commit to some semblance of canon or consistency, this short poem allows writer Jane Peyton to toy with Spock’s impending demise in a cave-in. We’re privy to his final, fading conversation with an unnamed individual who may be Bones, Kirk, or Spock’s human self, depending on how you read it. The voice changed each time I read Cave-In, which is one of my favourite elements of the text.
Marginal Existence is by far the most evocative, grounded, and engaging story of the anthology. Writer Connie Faddis returns to deliver us a gripping expedition into a dystopian planet populated by desiccated sleepers wired into stasis pods, autonomous robots that guard them, and a roaming mob of tribalistic aliens (humans) terrified of loud noises. The premise is fantastic, and Faddis’ execution is even moreso.
Trapped in this oppressive and hostile environment, Bones is thoroughly undergeared and underestimated. But when he’s confronted with human suffering he’s compelled to action and his endeavours are cathartic. Similarly, Kirk is more decisive, controlled, and commanding than in any other appearance. For the first time in this anthology I am convinced of a written rendition of his character. Alternatively, Spock takes a backseat, providing his usual dose of sage-like wisdom when needed and delivering a devastatingly splendid line every few pages. “The mental contortions by which you arrive at logical decisions never cease to amaze me, Captain…” is a clear standout. Additionally, Chekov receives some time in the spotlight for once, providing well needed levity to temper the tense, bleak atmosphere and tone. Marginal Existence does feature the usual starfleet issued damsel in distress who distracts from the otherwise brilliant pacing. But thankfully her role is limited and diverts us from the existential provocations raised in the narrative infrequently.
In a departure from most of these fan-submitted entries that have focused primarily on novel character dynamics, Faddis casts her dynamic characters in a grounded, fleshed out alien world with an intriguing mystery and a gripping atmosphere. Marginal Existence raises some delightful existential questions, providing this anthology the meaty material that was needed. The Enterprise crew’s encounters with the sick, tortured dreamers and the world their descendants inherited engages with provocative themes including utopia, desire, and fulfilment. This culminates in a surprisingly decisive resolution that raises delightfully grey, murky ethical questions. In total, Marginal Existence is far and above the most engaging short story and I can easily picture it among the lineup of series one and two of TOS.
Succeeding the greatest short story in The New Voyages 2, is the very worst. The Procrustean Petard is an egregious excuse of a story that feels longer than a full length novel, despite its brevity. Co-editors Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath took charge of this misogynistic spiritual sequel to Turnabout Intruder that features a Klingon battalion, Kirk and the Enterprise crew all genderbending together. All but Spock and returning Klingon captain Kang are subjected to several dozen pages of messy, tasteless, foul gender dynamics that boils all of the men’s leadership and ambition down to their testosterone. Astoundingly, the majority of the story is spent fawning over exactly how stupidly attractive Kirk is as a woman, but sadly, there is no reality where Kirk may continue as a Captain. No crew could look toward a woman for leadership after all! They’re just too distracting - proclaim Bones and Spock.
I truly cannot find a single component in The Procrustean Petard to praise, in fact the story is so rough that it’s retrospectively diminished the authors’ previous work, The Price of Phoenix. I have lost all confidence in their ability as writers. All the lingering prosaic issues scattered through their other work continue here: environments are intangible and transient; the dialogue is stiff and out of character; the perspective constantly shifts and leaps about, spinning endless protracted philosophised postulations and weak self-reflections on sex. Marshak and Culbreath’s love for romance continues here too, once more thrusting Kirk and Spock into another dark implied love triangle with Kang, an enduring Klingon figure who first appeared in the classic episode The Day of the Dove. Kang’s newfound affection and uncomfortable sexual implications toward Kirk mirror Omne’s from The Price of Phoenix. Similarly, once more Spock is forced to play the dashing hero, a role that’s especially ill-fitting. So much so that in an immensely contrived series of events Spock gains another chromosome and becomes a super-masculine man unlike the rest of the genderbending crew. Also, the use of ‘chromosome’ in this context is certainly a choice… In essence, The Procrustean Petard succeeds in making a mockery of nearly the entire cast. Reveling in outdated stereotypes and failing to make any kind of meaningful commentary, it is an exercise in indulgent self-sabotage.
Last of the full-length short stories is The Sleeping God, a surprising precursor to The Motion Picture, featuring a colossal, planet-sized machine intelligence set on a crash course with the Federation. Joining Kirk and the Enterprise crew is Singa the Sleeper, a powerful telepath steeped in misguided mysticism. His role would later be occupied by Lt. Illia and Willard Decker with much more interesting results. Additionally, Jesco von Puttkamer, this story’s author would later be credited as an advisor to the scriptwriters of The Motion Picture, further cementing the pair’s similarities. It is here where they end however, as The Sleeping God’s execution is fundamentally different. As can be expected, the Enterprise’s encounter with Singa the Sleeper and Nagha the alien artificial intelligence is far from introspective or deeply atmospheric. This is simply another adventure with Kirk and friends that ploughs forward with a rapid pace.
Nagha and the threat that it poses is considerably less compelling and more simplistic than V’ger was. Puttkamer clearly established the AI entity as a vindictive, hostile force through his use of perspective. Intermittently, we follow its rapid ascent to power and universal domination through its callous and surprisingly petty eyes. This alternative perspective grants the story a degree of novelty, but ultimately Nagha’s pure evil nature is underwhelming. Similarly, the alien’s machinations and mechanisms are astoundingly flimsy given its impressive scale, vividly rendered by Puttkamer. When push comes to shove, Kirk and the Enterprise outmanoeuvre this galaxy crushing metal megalomaniac with ease.
Puttkamer’s prose does deserve special mention, as his background in astrophysics shines through, attributing a note of authenticity to the science underpinning the action. His descriptions of Nagha, the Enterprise, and the vast expanse of space were elevated through his expertise and passion for the subject. Alternatively, Puttkamer’s explorations of faith and mysticism were much less effective. Singa the Sleeper and his ‘primitive’ followers failed to captivate. Poorly characterized and awkwardly jammed into the overarching narrative, it appeared that Singa manifested in response to the overwhelming power and threat posed by Nagha, and for little else. Ultimately, The Sleeping God leapt ahead of itself in its pursuit of grand overpowering concepts which required more space to breathe. Space that it would one day be provided very shortly.
Lastly, The New Voyages 2 closes out with two poems. These texts are both flowery, wistful, melancholic entries that are each undercut by their subjects. The first, an Elegy for Charlie is exactly as described. Calling out to the boy corrupted by psychic powers in Charlie X, it is a poem that is difficult to take seriously when you recall who it is about. Charlie’s angsty, unpleasant behavior and performance in the original episode immediately evaporates any ponderings I may have had about his place in the universe. Similarly, the final text Soliloquy, is an impassioned introspective monologue of Spock. This too, is undermined by its detachment from every performance of Nimoy’s in TOS, save This Side of Paradise perhaps.
December 27, 2024
Again, this was the "best" Trek the '70s had to offer. Again we are constantly reminded of Uhura's skin tone and since she's a woman she's constantly fawning over Kirk and other strong men. Again we are told the women are just as strong as the men but not really but sort of but maybe not really. Again we are told Spock and Kirk are more than friends, and even Kang wants in. Again we are reminded only by the grace of God did Star Trek survive the '70s.
Some are okay, most are blah. Perhaps this is wholly anachronistic commentary through the lens of TNG, DS9, VOY, etc., and I admit I never knew what it was like to be craving new Star Trek with no hope in sight, but really? these were the best fanfic stories out there? The Christine story is probably the best (not because of her outfit, which is embarrassing), though it suffers from the "women are just as good but not quite" syndrome. The rejected animated script leaves you thinking, "yeah, no kidding they rejected this." The main story by the editor ladies suffers from that same "yes but maybe not but definitely but we can't really admit it but yes women are equal but maybe not after all but they should be" (maybe that's the best they could do in the publishing world and culture of the time), with a dose of "Spock would definitely be attracted to female Kirk because he already ..." you know the drill.
The final story was by a NASA bigwig / ST fan who became consultant on The Motion Picture, and reading this story will explain practically everything. Elevator, turbolift, what's the diff? Spock yells, "Quick, man!" to Chekov all the time, surely. All fans know these things. He even makes asides on scientific space travel things, because narrators in ST like to explain those things, as all ST fans know, too.
Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful these ladies kept ST alive in the '70s, but reading their works, and their commentary on other stories, makes you wonder how anybody made it through the '70s, let alone Star Trek.
Some are okay, most are blah. Perhaps this is wholly anachronistic commentary through the lens of TNG, DS9, VOY, etc., and I admit I never knew what it was like to be craving new Star Trek with no hope in sight, but really? these were the best fanfic stories out there? The Christine story is probably the best (not because of her outfit, which is embarrassing), though it suffers from the "women are just as good but not quite" syndrome. The rejected animated script leaves you thinking, "yeah, no kidding they rejected this." The main story by the editor ladies suffers from that same "yes but maybe not but definitely but we can't really admit it but yes women are equal but maybe not after all but they should be" (maybe that's the best they could do in the publishing world and culture of the time), with a dose of "Spock would definitely be attracted to female Kirk because he already ..." you know the drill.
The final story was by a NASA bigwig / ST fan who became consultant on The Motion Picture, and reading this story will explain practically everything. Elevator, turbolift, what's the diff? Spock yells, "Quick, man!" to Chekov all the time, surely. All fans know these things. He even makes asides on scientific space travel things, because narrators in ST like to explain those things, as all ST fans know, too.
Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful these ladies kept ST alive in the '70s, but reading their works, and their commentary on other stories, makes you wonder how anybody made it through the '70s, let alone Star Trek.
September 6, 2023
"Surprise!" • 5/5
Mr. Spock, sugar. Cap'n, honey...
Written by Nichelle Nicholes, Culbreath, and Marshak. It's so goddamn funny and has a great version of Uhura as the lead. (And it's slashy.)
"Snake Pit" • 4/5
A.k.a. "Nurse Chapel's Big Day." Like a classic TOS episode only with Chapel as the protagonist. She fights a bunch of snakes bare-handedly to save Kirk, and I might love her a bit more now.
"The Patient Parasites" • -1/5
Not good. At all.
"In the Maze" • 3/5
Classic case of Spock-and-McCoy do like each other. But they won't admit that unless their lives are in danger.
"Cave-In" • 4/5
I'm a sucker for fan-written poetry. It's about McCoy and Spock.
"Marginal Existence" • 3/5
Meh.
"The Procrustean Petard" • 5/5
That one was SO weird. Enterprise meets Klingons. Everyone's sex is switched (except Spock's and Kang's . Miss Kirk is all but outright sexually assaulted by Kang. Everyone's weirdly chill with their sex change and I half expected McCoy and Kirk to kiss at some point.
It's very, very 60s and features an outdated view on gender, but that makes it all the more interesting.
"The Sleeping God" • 3/5
Kinda boring and I lost track of what was going on halfway through. Something about a parallel universes. Kirk walks in on a naked Spock for some reason.
"Elegy for Charlie" • 3/5
Poetry. What it says on the tin.
"Soliloquy" • 4/5
Poetry again. Spock loves Kirk. Like, it's right there in the text, literally. :)
Mr. Spock, sugar. Cap'n, honey...
Written by Nichelle Nicholes, Culbreath, and Marshak. It's so goddamn funny and has a great version of Uhura as the lead. (And it's slashy.)
"Snake Pit" • 4/5
A.k.a. "Nurse Chapel's Big Day." Like a classic TOS episode only with Chapel as the protagonist. She fights a bunch of snakes bare-handedly to save Kirk, and I might love her a bit more now.
"The Patient Parasites" • -1/5
Not good. At all.
"In the Maze" • 3/5
Classic case of Spock-and-McCoy do like each other. But they won't admit that unless their lives are in danger.
"Cave-In" • 4/5
I'm a sucker for fan-written poetry. It's about McCoy and Spock.
"Marginal Existence" • 3/5
Meh.
"The Procrustean Petard" • 5/5
That one was SO weird. Enterprise meets Klingons. Everyone's sex is switched (except Spock's and Kang's . Miss Kirk is all but outright sexually assaulted by Kang. Everyone's weirdly chill with their sex change and I half expected McCoy and Kirk to kiss at some point.
It's very, very 60s and features an outdated view on gender, but that makes it all the more interesting.
"The Sleeping God" • 3/5
Kinda boring and I lost track of what was going on halfway through. Something about a parallel universes. Kirk walks in on a naked Spock for some reason.
"Elegy for Charlie" • 3/5
Poetry. What it says on the tin.
"Soliloquy" • 4/5
Poetry again. Spock loves Kirk. Like, it's right there in the text, literally. :)
February 22, 2020
A mixed bag. The preface and introduction feel sad in a way, as they envisioned a future for the space program that we haven't seen yet. I won't touch on the stories I didn't like so much, but here are the ones I did like:
"Snake Pit!": A pretty solid story centered on Christine Chapel fighting to save Kirk's life. (Her preparation for going into the pit included stripping, which had the effect on my teenage boy's mind something akin to pouring gasoline on a fire.)
"The Patient Parasites": Russell Bates wrote this story of a parasitic artificial intelligence for TAS, but it was not accepted. (He later collaborated on the TAS episode "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth".) I think this would have been a very good TAS episode, and might have been a good TNG episode when that series aired.
"Marginal Existence": We see what happens when a civilization tries to retreat from reality through drugs and technology together.
"The Sleeping God": Though his writing feels a bit stilted at times, Jesco von Puttkamer's story of a top-secret super-intelligent mutant versus an extradimensional artificial intelligence is very good. Kirk's devotion to his ship and crew stand out in the latter part of the story.
The license for Star Trek fiction switched from Bantam to Pocket Books after TNV2 was published, and there was no professionally published fan fiction again until 1998 when Pocket began publishing the Strange New Worlds series.
"Snake Pit!": A pretty solid story centered on Christine Chapel fighting to save Kirk's life. (Her preparation for going into the pit included stripping, which had the effect on my teenage boy's mind something akin to pouring gasoline on a fire.)
"The Patient Parasites": Russell Bates wrote this story of a parasitic artificial intelligence for TAS, but it was not accepted. (He later collaborated on the TAS episode "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth".) I think this would have been a very good TAS episode, and might have been a good TNG episode when that series aired.
"Marginal Existence": We see what happens when a civilization tries to retreat from reality through drugs and technology together.
"The Sleeping God": Though his writing feels a bit stilted at times, Jesco von Puttkamer's story of a top-secret super-intelligent mutant versus an extradimensional artificial intelligence is very good. Kirk's devotion to his ship and crew stand out in the latter part of the story.
The license for Star Trek fiction switched from Bantam to Pocket Books after TNV2 was published, and there was no professionally published fan fiction again until 1998 when Pocket began publishing the Strange New Worlds series.
November 29, 2020
The first few stories aren't that bad (at least if we ignore that women are either forced to be naked - by men - or forced to see naked men, both being sexual harassment and potentially traumatising). But the sexism gets even worse in later stories - and it's shocking that the most sexist story in this book (claiming that women are weak and cannot be in command) was written by two women. And not only that. On a Starfleet base there are bars where non-humans aren't allowed and Kirk usually doesn't frequent them? How can that be when Starfleet is part of the Federation, a multi species organisation, and Kirk's best friend is a Vulcan? Why do these fan fictions picture the Federation and Starfleet as both racist and sexist?!
Another main problem I had with this anthology could be caused by the German translation. In almost every story the actual words on paper seemed to be lacking something. As if there should be a meaning between the lines that was gone. The actions and dialogues didn't make any sense. Or was that intentional, to make the reader feel like a Vulcan?
Another main problem I had with this anthology could be caused by the German translation. In almost every story the actual words on paper seemed to be lacking something. As if there should be a meaning between the lines that was gone. The actions and dialogues didn't make any sense. Or was that intentional, to make the reader feel like a Vulcan?
October 25, 2024
I bought this book when I was 14 to own a copy of "Soliloquy" by Marguerite B. Thompson. It's been almost ten years from then and I have to say that the more poetry-esque entries in this book are still by-far the strongest. "Cave-In" by Jane Peyton is a hidden gem that explores an insightful dialogue between Spock and McCoy. That said, these few great contributions could not save this book from the boring and/or strikingly misogynistic short stories that make up the rest of the collection. "The Procrustean Petard" by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath is a particularly strange entry, not due to its expectedly outdated views on the gender binary, but simply because of how out of character a lot of the reactions and dialogue seem to be. Although a cool piece of pop culture history, I don't think I can recommend this anthology. Trek fans are better off just reading the few interesting entries independently.
May 8, 2020
Another presumed pickup from the Dreamhaven bargain rack. This fanfic anthology walked the line between awful and entertainingly awful.
The tone was set by the first two stories, the highlights of which were Kirk naked and Nurse Chapel naked, respectively. Don't worry Vulcan fans, Spock is naked in another tale. There's also an oddly hilarious genderbent tale (neither insightful nor very well written) where Kirk and McCoy are turned into women. Do draw your own conclusions.
Some of the stories were okay, if you don't mind the wooden writing and the deus ex machina endings. Which if you think about it, is quite faithful to the show. Not unmitigatedly bad, and sometimes enjoyable for completely wrong reasons. Recommended only for masochistic fans of The Original Series.
The tone was set by the first two stories, the highlights of which were Kirk naked and Nurse Chapel naked, respectively. Don't worry Vulcan fans, Spock is naked in another tale. There's also an oddly hilarious genderbent tale (neither insightful nor very well written) where Kirk and McCoy are turned into women. Do draw your own conclusions.
Some of the stories were okay, if you don't mind the wooden writing and the deus ex machina endings. Which if you think about it, is quite faithful to the show. Not unmitigatedly bad, and sometimes enjoyable for completely wrong reasons. Recommended only for masochistic fans of The Original Series.
June 7, 2024
From 1978 comes the 2nd collection of Star Trek short stories "Star Trek: The New Voyages 2" edited by Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath. This collection of 8 stories (which does include one by Nichelle Nichols) while not being as good of a collection as the 1st of these 2 installments, but it does remind me the reader especially in this "modern" era of Trek fiction just how we the fans were willing to share our love of this series in writing even with a future that was still very uncertain. Each of these various works tap into different periods in the series & adds its own unique take to the fiction of the day. Overall, a decent collection to read for we the fans.
April 16, 2024
Okay, calificación a modificar, sí quiero calificar las historias individuales y sé que se me va a olvidar.
Elegynfor Charlie: 4/5
Soliloquy: 5/5
"My father gave no word of love to me.
My mother practiced laudable restraint."
Spock will always be my most personal character from TOS sns. But i really liked this soliloquy and the deep and still simplistic dive into Spock's mind and relationships. And that end? My dear-
"What will they find when I am ripped apart?
I love you, Captain, written on my heart"
Elegynfor Charlie: 4/5
Soliloquy: 5/5
"My father gave no word of love to me.
My mother practiced laudable restraint."
Spock will always be my most personal character from TOS sns. But i really liked this soliloquy and the deep and still simplistic dive into Spock's mind and relationships. And that end? My dear-
"What will they find when I am ripped apart?
I love you, Captain, written on my heart"
June 9, 2019
Hit and miss stories , a nice compilation of them though.
As a hole id say 3 stars for this book , some of the stories were to meh for me but other fans may enjoy this.
One I did like a lot was the Procrustean Petard ,and the first story by Nichelle Nichols was also interesting.
One that I didnt like and found to boring was The Patient Parasites which was written as screen play and not to me a proper story.
As a hole id say 3 stars for this book , some of the stories were to meh for me but other fans may enjoy this.
One I did like a lot was the Procrustean Petard ,and the first story by Nichelle Nichols was also interesting.
One that I didnt like and found to boring was The Patient Parasites which was written as screen play and not to me a proper story.
March 31, 2025
I had to flip back through this to even remember what half of the stories were about, even though I read it in the last week. A lot of air in this one, nothing unreadable but almost all things that will not stick with me.
I was fully engrossed by The Sleeping God, so I'm glad I read the book overall, but if you're reading this in advance of picking this book up, it's totally safe to simply read that one and move on with your life.
I was fully engrossed by The Sleeping God, so I'm glad I read the book overall, but if you're reading this in advance of picking this book up, it's totally safe to simply read that one and move on with your life.
December 14, 2022
Not as good as the first volume: the stories don’t really explore the world of Trek, more the concerns of fanfic writers which, if that’s your bag, is terrific. It’s not really mine, although I can see the attractions, so I’m guessing that I’m not the target audience for this book. It’s good fun, just not my thing.
February 3, 2024
I bought the two volumes of New Voyages because I'm interested in Trek archeology. The first volume is better. This volume was terrible. If anyone wants to read it, just read The Sleeping God by Jesco von Puttkamer. It's closest to science fiction than the other 7 stories.
July 19, 2024
Loved the short stories! And the introductions by Shatner, Nimoy, Nichols, and Kelley. All were fun and could be read in about an hour. Fun one where big three get to be actors that are magically taken to the real Enterprise. Good read
December 31, 2017
Nichellle Nichols writes Star Trek fan fiction...'nough said.
October 10, 2018
A sequel of sorts (more like another collection) of Star Trek fanfiction, this is really fun and great to read if you're a TOS fan.
February 12, 2019
Better than nothing, but doesn''t age well.
September 2, 2020
this book may not be "good" in any conventional sense but it does contain some incredible quasi-canon.
snake pit! banged
snake pit! banged
December 22, 2022
Kind of hilariously wonderfully terrible.
November 2, 2016
These were hit and miss, too. Probably more misses than hits.
April 21, 2010
I once saw an editor for the later published Strange New Worlds express contempt for the New Voyages anthologies. These stories, after all, have a fanzine feel, several in the first volume were first published in fanzines, as you might know seeing the titles mentioned in Star Trek Lives! the book about Trek fandom co-authored by Sondra Marshak. Strange New Worlds in contrast was a "writing contest" for those with less than three published stories, and saw itself as much more professional--they do it, after all for money. The things is, as someone once involved in online Trek fandom, I could tell them that a lot of the authors on their contents pages--the best ones--wrote fanfic, often under a pseudonym online. Almost always, their fanfic was better than what got published. There is a kind of blandness, a reigned in feeling to much professionally published Trek fiction, that wasn't true early on when it was closer to it's fandom roots.
So the merit of the stories in these volumes is that they feel more out of the box and were written with a deep knowledge of the characters that comes from love. With fans, you know they're actually going to get Kirk's middle name and eye-color right. With the first New Voyages, I immediately remembered the stories just from their titles--and with affection. I don't think the second anthology was nearly as strong--more than one story here struck me as more amateurish than fresh. Maybe it's because in the first volume they were culling some of the best of what had hit fanzines. This one included not-that-good poetry ("Soliloquy" made me cringe with its last line), a story in script format, a story attributed to the actress who played Uhura, a slashy story by the co-editors, and one by a NASA scientist that... well, is possibly far too hard science for my tastes. The best stories are the two by Connie Faddis. It was nice to see Chapel get her due in "Snake Pit" and it would be easy to see "Marginal Existence" as a filmed episode. So, no not as good as the first volume, although I found it marginally enjoyable enough for a (generous) three stars. (While I gave the first volume five.)
So the merit of the stories in these volumes is that they feel more out of the box and were written with a deep knowledge of the characters that comes from love. With fans, you know they're actually going to get Kirk's middle name and eye-color right. With the first New Voyages, I immediately remembered the stories just from their titles--and with affection. I don't think the second anthology was nearly as strong--more than one story here struck me as more amateurish than fresh. Maybe it's because in the first volume they were culling some of the best of what had hit fanzines. This one included not-that-good poetry ("Soliloquy" made me cringe with its last line), a story in script format, a story attributed to the actress who played Uhura, a slashy story by the co-editors, and one by a NASA scientist that... well, is possibly far too hard science for my tastes. The best stories are the two by Connie Faddis. It was nice to see Chapel get her due in "Snake Pit" and it would be easy to see "Marginal Existence" as a filmed episode. So, no not as good as the first volume, although I found it marginally enjoyable enough for a (generous) three stars. (While I gave the first volume five.)
May 29, 2010
[These notes were made in 1983:]. The ladies strike again! Although, in fact, two of the stories this time around are by men, the dominant sensibility of this volume is - even more strikingly than the last - that peculiar insistence on personal emotion which reaches its absurdest (and most gratifying) extension in "K/S". Here, this being a commercially published work, we have no such physical absurdity (and gratification), but there can be no doubt that a good many of the author(esse)s are playing with fire. This is particularly true of both entries by Marshak & Culbreath themselves. In one, co-written with Nichelle Nichols (!), the lightly-treated, frothy little story is largely underpinned by Spock's nurturing and protective instincts about Kirk (M & C's contribution, I think) and the whole plot is centred around a Captain-in-towel/Uhura confrontation (obviously NN's). In the other, the entire crew of the Enterprise except Spock is switched in gender, and JTK is damned near raped by the Klingon commander. To balance these, there are several straight adventure-type stories which would translate well (better, I think, than any in New Voyages 1) into TV episodes. And there is the usual sprinkling of so-called poetry, not terribly distinguished. What is clearer this time around is how much this stuff owes to the fanzine mentality, and to that particularly obsessive dwelling on the ST universe - not the mechanical, technical universe which gives science fiction its name, but the simpler, more ideal world of ST emotion, where loyalty and love exist as unadulterated as in adolescent fantasy. Perhaps there is the real attraction of this otherwise not terribly distinguished stuff.
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