Changes: The Rift

Revision as of 16:16, 8 October 2012

Template:Realworld

A mission of peace could trap Spock halfway across the galaxy, forever...

Summary

From the back cover: Every fifty years, a rift in space connects the Federation with a mysterious race called the Calligar who live on a planet hundreds of light years away – much too far to travel in a Starship. Captain Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise are dispatched to transport a Federation delegation of diplomats, scholars and scientists who will travel to Calligar directly during the brief period of time that the rift will be open.

It seems that some editions say "thirty-three" years, and others say "fifty" - see below for clarification

Mr. Spock leads the Federation party as they travel by shuttle through the rift just as a group of the aliens arrive in Federation space. The meetings go smoothly until the Calligar take Spock's party hostage and Kirk discovers that the aliens are keeping a deadly secret. With angry Tellarite and Andorian fleets ready to attack the Calligar, Kirk must save Spock and the others before war breaks out and the rift closes for another fifty years.

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Memorable Quotes

"You carry around in your head the findings of all ships in any given sector for the past three years, Lieutenant?"
"No, sir. The past five years."

- Captain Pike and Number One

"Someday, you'll pull a hypo out of there and give me a heart attack."

- Captain Pike, to Dr. Boyce, who is mixing drinks from his medical bag

"You appear puzzled. This is the correct Earth greeting, is it not?"
"It is one of the better-known ones. They taught us at the academy, however, not to be presumptuous. There are at least five known planets where a handshake is considered an obscene gesture, and one where it's a declaration of war."

- Master Builder Zyo and Captain Pike, shaking hands at their first face-to-face meeting

"Should I be concerned about my command future, Number One, vis à vis your ambitions?"
"No, sir."
"Good."
"I'll be wanting a bigger ship, sir."

- Captain Pike and Number One, after Number One explains that she programmed the ship's computer with her own voice because she wanted it to have a voice that commanded respect

"There is an old saying in the field of diplomacy."
"And that is?"
"The entire key to diplomacy is sincerity. Once that can be faked, the rest is simple."

- Spock and Kirk, discussing Ambassador Fox's new attitude

"Did you attempt to insult me, Andorian?"
"No, I succeeded."

- Shondar Dorkin and Thak

Background Information

Like many back-cover summaries, this one is inaccurate. Despite what the second paragraph says, only one Calligar comes through the rift; there are no Andorian and Tellarite fleets, only single ships; only the Tellarite are ready to attack; and the rift's cycle is 33 years as opposed to the "fifty" mentioned.
Chapters 1-7 take place about 2254, a few days after the events of TOS: "The Cage". Chapters 8-26 take place about 2287, between the events of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Introduces a new (non-canon) Gamma Quadrant race, the Calligar, who are technologically more advanced than the Federation, but not as advanced as the Borg.
Offers a (non-canon) look at the crew of Pike's Enterprise.

Characters

Canon characters listed below are linked to the main article about them. Non-canon characters are not linked, but those that recurred, appearing or being mentioned in more than one story, are defined further in Pocket TOS characters.

Regular and recurring characters

James T. Kirk
Spock

José Tyler: Starfleet commodore. Was a lieutenant and the Enterprise's navigator at the time of first contact with the Calligar. Falls in love with a Calligarian woman, Ecma, during first contact, and insists on being aboard the Enterprise during the second contact.
Christopher Pike
Number One

Robert Fox: Ambassador assigned to the second contact with the Calligar; seems to have learned a few lessons in humility since Eminiar VII.
Leonard McCoy
Montgomery Scott
Richard Daystrom: Inventor of the duotronic computer and the failed M-5 computer; has recovered from the nervous breakdown he had subsequent to the failure of the M-5 but is still emotionally fragile.

Other characters

Zyo: Calligarian Master Builder; father of Ecma and Macro.
Alt: Calligarian Master of the Status.
Ecma: Zyo's daughter and successor as Master Builder.
Macro: Zyo's son and Ecma's husband (Calligarians do not have problems with recessive genes and brother-sister marriages are accepted, if not encouraged, among them).
Regger: Ecma and Macro's son, the next Master Builder.
Shondar Dorkin: Described as a "top Tellarite expert in societal development." Assigned to the second contact with the Calligar. "Shondar" is his title. He is as much of a blowhard as any Tellarite.
Thak: Andorian chargé d'affaires and scientist assigned to the second contact with the Calligar. Cannot resist needling Shondar Dorkin.

File:Enterprise crewman 1, The Cage.jpg

Valdini

Valdini: Long-time Enterprise crewman. Tyler asked Spock what had become of Valdini, whom he remembered as standing next to the turbolift door, looking out of place. Spock informed Tyler that Valdini was one of many crewmembers slaughtered by the cloud creature encountered at Argus X.

References

External link

Template:NCwiki-title

Previous novel:	Series	Next novel:
#56: Legacy	Pocket TOS Numbered novels	#58: Faces of Fire
Battlestations! (#51)	Titan Books release order	As Pocket from this point onward

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{realworld}}
-''The '''Enterprise''' studies a rift to the Gamma Quadrant which only appears once every 33 years.''
+{{Sidebar novel|
+| image             = The rift.jpg
+| Author            = [[Peter David]]
+| Publisher         = [[Pocket Books]]
+| Series            = [[Pocket TOS]] #57<br />[[Titan Books]] #52
+| Published         = {{d|1|November|1991}}
+| Pages             = 274
+| Year              = [[2254]]/[[2287]]
+| ISBN              = 0671747967 (paperback)<br />ISBN 074342008X (eBook)<br>{{ASIN|B000FC0TH2}} (Kindle)
+}}
+''A mission of peace could trap Spock halfway across the galaxy, forever...''
+==Summary==
-{| class="wiki-sidebar"
+;From the back cover
-|-
+:''Every fifty years, a rift in space connects the [[Federation]] with a mysterious race called the Calligar who live on a planet hundreds of [[light year]]s away &ndash; much too far to travel in a [[Starship]]. [[Captain]] [[James T. Kirk|Kirk]] and the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|U.S.S. ''Enterprise'']] are dispatched to transport a Federation delegation of diplomats, scholars and scientists who will travel to Calligar directly during the brief period of time that the rift will be open.''
-| colspan="2" align="center" | [[Image:No image yet.jpg|200px|Cover image.]]
+{{bginfo|It seems that some editions say "thirty-three" years, and others say "fifty" - see below for clarification}}
-|-
+:''Mr. [[Spock]] leads the Federation party as they travel by shuttle through the rift just as a group of the aliens arrive in Federation space. The meetings go smoothly until the Calligar take Spock's party hostage and Kirk discovers that the aliens are keeping a deadly secret. With angry [[Tellarite]] and [[Andorian]] fleets ready to attack the Calligar, Kirk must save Spock and the others before war breaks out and the rift closes for another fifty years.''
-| class="odd" | Author:
-| class="even" | [[Peter David]]
-|-
-| class="odd" | Illustrator:
-| class="even" |
-|-
-| class="odd" | Publisher:
-| class="even" | [[Pocket Books]]
-|-
-| class="odd" | Series:
-| class="even" | [[Pocket TOS]] #57
-|-
-| class="odd" | Published:
-| class="even" | [[YEAR productions|11/1/1991]]
-|-
-| class="odd" | Pages:
-| class="even" | 397
-|-
-| class="odd" | Year:
-| class="even" | [[2254]]/[[2287]]
-|-
-| class="odd" | Stardate:
-| class="even" | ''Unknown''
-|-
-| class="odd" | Reference #:
-| class="even" | ISBN
-|}
+{{review}}
-==Plot Summary==
+==Memorable Quotes==
+"''You carry around in your head the findings of all ships in any given sector for the past three years, Lieutenant?''"<br />
-'''''NOT''' from the back cover:'' In approximately 2254, the ''[[USS Enterprise]]'', under the command of ''[[Christopher Pike]]'', ecounters a rift in space that is a gateway to the ''[[Gamma Quadrant]]''. A cryptic message comes through subspace, leading the inquisitive crew in to encounter a new race called the Calligari. They have to leave quickly, however, as the act of going through the rift has destabilized it.
+"''No, sir. The past five years.''"
+: - '''Captain Pike''' and '''Number One'''
-----
+"''Someday, you'll pull a hypo out of there and give me a heart attack.''"
-'''''ALSO NOT''' from the back cover:'' 33.4 years later (approximately 2287), the Enterprise has returned to the rift in hopes of making more formal contact with the Calligari, who turn out to be very insular. Someone attempts to defect, and people are trapped on both sides, leading Kirk and his crew to have to manage a significant crisis. But the rift will close in 72 hours, trapping his crew forever...
+: - '''Captain Pike''', to Dr. Boyce, who is mixing drinks from his medical bag
+"''You appear puzzled. This is the correct Earth greeting, is it not?''"<br />
+"''It is one of the better-known ones. They taught us at the academy, however, not to be presumptuous. There are at least five known planets where a handshake is considered an obscene gesture, and one where it's a declaration of war.''"
+: - '''Master Builder Zyo''' and '''Captain Pike''', shaking hands at their first face-to-face meeting
+"''Should I be concerned about my command future, Number One, ''vis à vis'' your ambitions?''"<br />
+"''No, sir.''"<br />
+"''Good.''"<br />
+"''I'll be wanting a bigger ship, sir.''"
+: - '''Captain Pike''' and '''Number One''', after Number One explains that she programmed the ship's computer with her own voice because she wanted it to have a voice that commanded respect
+"''There is an old saying in the field of diplomacy.''"<br />
+"''And that is?''"<br />
+"''The entire key to diplomacy is sincerity. Once that can be faked, the rest is simple.''"
+: - '''Spock''' and '''Kirk''', discussing Ambassador Fox's new attitude
+"''Did you attempt to insult me, Andorian?''"<br />
+"''No, I succeeded.''"
+: - '''Shondar Dorkin''' and '''Thak'''
 ==Background Information==
+* Like many back-cover summaries, this one is inaccurate. Despite what the second paragraph says, only one Calligar comes through the rift; there are no Andorian and Tellarite fleets, only single ships; only the Tellarite are ready to attack; and the rift's cycle is 33 years as opposed to the "fifty" mentioned.
-Takes place between the events of [[Star Trek V]] and [[Star Trek VI]].
+* Chapters 1-7 take place about 2254, a few days after the events of {{TOS|The Cage}}. Chapters 8-26 take place about 2287, between the events of {{film|5}} and {{film|6}}.
+* Introduces a new (non-canon) [[Gamma Quadrant]] race, the Calligar, who are technologically more advanced than the Federation, but not as advanced as the [[Borg]].
+* Offers a (non-canon) look at the crew of Pike's ''Enterprise''.
+==Characters==
+{{non canon characters|Pocket TOS}}
+===Regular and recurring characters===
+;[[James T. Kirk]]
+;[[Spock]]
+[[File:José_Tyler.jpg|thumb|Tyler]]
+; [[José Tyler]] : Starfleet [[commodore]]. Was a lieutenant and the Enterprise's navigator at the time of first contact with the Calligar. Falls in love with a Calligarian woman, Ecma, during first contact, and insists on being aboard the Enterprise during the second contact.
+;[[Christopher Pike]]
+;[[Number One]]
+[[File:Robert_Fox.jpg|thumb|Ambassador Robert Fox (2267)]]
+;[[Robert Fox]]:[[Ambassador]] assigned to the second contact with the Calligar; seems to have learned a few lessons in humility since [[Eminiar VII]].
+;[[Leonard McCoy]]
+;[[Montgomery Scott]]
+;[[Richard Daystrom]]:Inventor of the [[duotronic]] computer and the failed [[M-5 computer]]; has recovered from the nervous breakdown he had subsequent to the failure of the M-5 but is still emotionally fragile.
+===Other characters===
+;Zyo:Calligarian Master Builder; father of Ecma and Macro.
+;Alt:Calligarian Master of the Status.
+;Ecma:Zyo's daughter and successor as Master Builder.
+;Macro:Zyo's son and Ecma's husband (Calligarians do not have problems with recessive genes and brother-sister marriages are accepted, if not encouraged, among them).
+;Regger:Ecma and Macro's son, the next Master Builder.
+;Shondar Dorkin:Described as a "top [[Tellarite]] expert in societal development." Assigned to the second contact with the Calligar. "Shondar" is his title. He is as much of a blowhard as any Tellarite.
+;Thak:[[Andorian]] chargé d'affaires and scientist assigned to the second contact with the Calligar. Cannot resist needling Shondar Dorkin.
+[[File:Enterprise crewman 1, The Cage.jpg|thumb|150px|Valdini]]
+;  Valdini : Long-time ''Enterprise'' crewman. Tyler asked Spock what had become of Valdini, whom he remembered as standing next to the [[turbolift]] door, looking out of place. Spock informed Tyler that Valdini was one of many crewmembers slaughtered by the cloud creature encountered at [[Argus X]].
+==References==
+== External link ==
-Introduces a new (non-canon) Gamma Quadrant race, the Calligari.
+* {{NCwiki-title}}
+{{Novel nav
-Offers a (non-canon) look at the crew of Pike's Enterprise.
+|series      = [[Pocket TOS]]<br />Numbered novels
+|prev        = #56: ''[[Legacy]]''
+|next        = #58: ''[[Faces of Fire]]''
+|series2     = [[Titan Books]] release order
+|prev2       = ''[[Battlestations!]]'' (#51)
+|next2       = ''As Pocket from this point onward''
+}}
+[[Category:Novels|Rift, The]]
+[[de:Der Riß im Kontinuum]]