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Star Trek: Enterprise: Kobayashi Maru (Star Trek : Enterprise)
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Average Rating:  out of 10 Reviews
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Price: $7.99
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Sale: $4.01
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Manufacturer: Star Trek
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EAN (European Article Number): 9781416554806
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Author: Michael A. Martin::Andy Mangels
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Publisher: Star Trek
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Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
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Publication Date: 2008-08-26
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Reading Level: 496
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Description: To protect the cargo ships essential to the continuing existence of the fledgling Coalition of Planets, the captains of the United Earth's Starfleet are ordered to interstellar picket duty, with little more to do than ask "Who goes there?" into the darkness of space. Captain Jonathan Archer of the Enterprise™ seethes with frustration, wondering if anyone else can see what he sees. A secret, closed, militaristic society, convinced that their survival hangs by a thread, who view their neighbors as a threat to their very existence -- the Spartans of ancient Greece, the Russians of the old Soviet Union, the Koreans under Kim Il-sung -- with only one goal: attain ultimate power, no matter the cost. The little-known, never-seen Romulans seem to live by these same principles. The captain realizes that the bond between the signers of the Coalition charter is fragile and likely to snap if pushed. But he knows that the Romulans are hostile, and he believes they are the force behind the cargo ship attacks. If asked, Archer can offer no proof without endangering his friend's life. To whom does he owe his loyalty: his friend, his world, the Coalition? And by choosing one, does he not risk losing all of them? What is the solution to a no-win scenario?
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: The No-Win Scenario |
Date: 2008-09-25 |
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Details: When Captain Jonathan Archer is ordered to border patrol against pirates, he soon grows bored and frustrated with the assignment. But Archer knows the Romulans are up to something. After an attack from the Klingons that the government disavows, Archer must investigate and discover the truth behind the Romulans' agenda. But when odds are stacked against Archer and the Enterprise, what will he choose to do in an unwinnable scenario?
Star Trek fans will automatically remember that back in his academy days, Kirk changed the rules of the Kobayashi Maru test in order to win the no-win scenario. Here is a look at what happened with that fateful circumstance and what leads up to the eventual Earth-Romulan War.
While Archer is off making tough choices that could affect the entire coalition, Commander Trip Tucker is deep undercover posing as a Romulan trying to make sure Warp 7 technology doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Of course, danger constantly surrounds everything Trip does. And this storyline is by far the most exciting. But T'Pol makes some out-of-character choices in a strange subplot that doesn't do much to forward the story, other than let you know there's still that spark between the two and that Trip is dedicated to his mission.
Kobayashi Maru has plenty of action, suspense, political intrigue, and drama to appease any Star Trek fan. But the exciting climax at the end of the novel is the legendary account that we've all been waiting to hear, where Archer must make the toughest decision of his career. And it was a situation that I found myself considering for quite a while after finishing the book!
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Review Summary: A Decent Trip |
Date: 2008-09-25 |
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Details: I kept waiting and waiting for this to get going. It did eventually, but never really grabbed me. Perhaps its because we know the fate of the Kobayashi Maru already...perhaps its because Martin and Mangels just aren't my favorite Trek authors. This is the third Star Trek Enterprise title of theirs that I have read, and there seems to be something missing still. I keep trying with them because the material is certainly there...they just can't seem to make it work fully and completely.
S P O I L E R S
This isn't to say that their works don't have anything good. There is plenty to celebrate here. I like the introspection of Archer throughout the novel. His is most interesting during his meeting with Hernandez, fighting Krell to the death, and at the end when he chooses to sacrifice the Maru.
Trip and T'pol getting it on in a shuttlecraft. Meh. I guess it sounded fun to include, but considering they had just watched an enemy base explode on the same planet moments before...it just doesn't seem "logical" to mess around in the same vicinity for long. The whole idea comes across like fan fiction.
Gay klingons. Hmmm...wasn't expecting that. But if you're going to include it, give some background for it, especially since its something we've never seen before. Its put in seemingly for mere shock value.
No grief shown by Mayweather over his entire family being lost (at least for the time being). Perhaps it will be explored in a future novel, but for Mayweather to showcase NOTHING is not realistic, granted he was on duty at the time.
I don't mean to sound like I am slamming this novel because I'm not. I DID like it, it just could have been so much more in depth in my opinion. It sets up the proposed Romulan War storyline pretty well, and maybe that is where we will get the ultimate payoff. |
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Review Summary: 'Kobayashi Maru' Review [Minor Spoilers] |
Date: 2008-09-16 |
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Details: Here we're treated to an explanation of Star Trek's infamous no-win situation known as the Kobayashi Maru. This really was a great Star Trek novel. I don't find myself using 'great' with many Trek novels these days that seem rather fan-fictionish, and this book has its moments, but it is also a cut above the rest. First, you should probably read the previous Enterprise book, 'The Good That Men Do' because this book is pretty much a sequel to that novel. Yes, in a way, I do think you'll be lost if you try to read this without reading TGTMD simply because many of the plots and characters started in that novel carry over into this one. That being said, this novel is a setup for another Trek historical event never explored -- The Romulan War.
The Bad: The novel did have some sour points that hold it back. First, a rather slow start. Second, thought it's a big part of the novel, I was nearly bored to tears with the Romulan/Espionage plot. It felt somewhat out of place until the final chapters when the authors stitched the various plots together into one. Secondly, there were a few points in the book that were distracting due to the authors attempt to show the progress/advancement of the universe with their usual homosexual characters. I have no issue with the fact that in the future, there are homosexuals, but when the authors attempt to pack the novel with moments such as a homosexual Klingon couple (really?), one of Trip's brothers being gay, and other moments ... it was just distracting and forced. Also, the book is titled 'Kobayashi Maru' after a ship that appears in the novel and a scene that pretty much explains the whole no-win situation. As with a lot of Trek novels these days, I felt the scenes leading up to the big 'reveal' were exciting, interesting and ... then the final scene just left me going 'That's it?' The 'Kobayashi Maru' is only a small part of the novel and in some way, I felt the title is a bit misleading as if believed the only way to get people to pick up the novel is to hype it as being part of Trek's big (unseen) moments.
The Good: I liked that the novel was very character-driven. We see a lot of attention given to T'Pol, mostly good though I did believe some of her actions were out of character even for her. The best part of the book isn't the whole Kobayashi Maru situation; it's the events surrounding it that lead to the beginnings of the Romulan War. I enjoyed seeing the Columbia NX-02 having such a large role (even if it was left ambiguous with the Columbia playing a large role in the upcoming 'Destiny' 3-part novel series). Overall, this was a really fast-paced and interesting novel, probably one of the best Trek novels that really left me wondering where this series is about to go.
In all, a very good book. Don't judge it by its cover or title (another nit-picky complaint but it's very obvious that the back of the cover is pixelated ... really, why the cheap production values?). Check this novel out, you won't be disappointed. |
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Review Summary: Should Have Done His Homework |
Date: 2008-09-11 |
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Details: If you're going to write much of anything, you've got to do your research. If it's going to be a Star Trek novel, that means earlier works along the Trek lines. The first season of the original series has an episode called "Balance Of Terror". The written tie-in to that episode appears in James Blish's anthology "Star Trek 1". This was our introduction to the Romulans, whom nobody in the Federation had seen before until Kirk & Crew tapped into a stray video feed. They noticed that the Romulans looked like the Vulcans, and Kirk had to reprimand a bridge crewman, who'd just pointed that fact out in a manner that flirted with racism. So here's the paradox. Since this book depicts a far earlier contact with the Romulans, even down to Tucker being inserted as a deep cover agent, why didn't Kirk already know from archival records in San Francisco what they looked like? This may sound like nit-picking--as if Blish, who wrote the very first Star Trek written fiction, has laid the foundation of how Star Trek fiction is supposed to go, but I'm afraid that's how it is. Many years ago when I was a kid, my father tried to remodel an old house we lived in, as follows. The front part of the house had the living room, dining room and kitchen all in a line, in that order. Since we had meals at the kitchen table, we didn't need the dining room, as such. So Dad decided to remove the wall between that room and the living room to enlarge it, not realizing that it was a load-bearing wall. When the ceiling promptly began to sag, Dad hastily put two uprights back in, using them as the basis for knicknack shelves. So the two rooms still weren't really combined like he'd intended. The moral of the story is, even if you didn't build the house, you'd better not change too much, or you'll mess up the whole thing. If it's just a book, you still weaken its credibility. |
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Review Summary: Can't put it down!!! |
Date: 2008-09-11 |
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Details: Now this is how you write a sequel, unlike Feaful Symmetry. The story flows and the characters are well written. I could not put it down. Questions are answered and the action is all there too! I can't think of anything that was missing. So skip Fearful Symmetry and go right to Kobayashi Maru! |
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