| Cover image. | |
| Author: | Diane Duane |
| Illustrator: | COVER ARTIST |
| Publisher: | Pocket Books |
| Series: | Pocket TOS |
| Published: | September 1988 |
| Pages: | 310 |
| Year: | 2274 |
| Stardate: | 7412 |
| Reference #: | ISBN 067166851X |
The Enterprise visits Vulcan, in order to pledge for the Federation in the planet's council which debates about secession
Summary
The USS Enterprise is summoned to planet Vulcan to join the debates on secession. James T. Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Leonard McCoy are all called upon to present their arguments, as is Sarek, Spock's father. We also look into several episodes from Vulcan's past that deal with the development of modern Vulcan civilization and thought.
Background Information
On Vulcan, a ruling group has voted to consider seceding from the Federation of Planets. This creates conflict for Spock and Sarek, who, if the movement succeeds, can choose to remain on Vulcan and break off all contact with Earth and the Federation, or stay on Earth but be cast out from their family and disgraced.
Memorable Quotes
- Surak
- "The spear in the Other's heart is the spear in your own - you are he."
Characters
Main
Other
- Meshav
- Sulamid lieutenant, data management
- Harb Tanzer
- Chief of Recreation
References
- hephaistosynchronous
- Referring to synchronus orbit around Vulcan. Sulu piloted the Enterprise into a standard orbit, 14,000 miles hephaistosynchronous. "Hephaistos" was the Greek word for the Roman "Vulcan", this would be the equivalent of a geosynchronus orbit around Earth.
- Sulamid
- A race (created by Diane Duane) that have octocameral brains, with eight seperate personalites. This means that a game of cards with them could get interesting if one personality thinks that another personality is cheating.
- Their race has 12 sexes, all of whom insist they're male, especially the ones that bear children.
- A sulamid has been described as looking like "a bundle of bright purple tentacles about six to seven feet high. The tentacles change color more or less constantly, and the bundle is topped off with a sheaf of pink-stalked and tentaced eyes with triangular pupils and a purplish, "bloodshot" look." When they speak, it's sometimes to say things that don't seem to make much sense. The tone of their speech (and its content) could possibly be taken to suggest that they are somewhat prescient.
- A Sulamid also appears in a non-Star Trek book written by Diane Duane, A Wizard's Dilemma.
| Previous novel: Strangers from the Sky |
Novels Pocket TOS |
Next novel: Prime Directive |