Assignment: Eternity (Star Trek: The Original Series) [Paperback]

Greg Cox (Author)

Book Description

Series: Star Trek: The Original Series | Publication Date: January 1, 1998

Captain Kirk first encountered Gary Seven on twentieth-century Earth. Now Seven, a time-traveling operative for unknown alien forces, makes a surprise visit to the U.S.S. Enterprise. Kirk is on an urgent mission to bearing relief to a disaster ravaged planet, but Seven has an agenda of his own-- and he's not above hijacking the Starship Enterprise and sending it on a perilous journey deep into the heart of the Romulan Empire.

Kirk must date to trust Gary Seven once again, as he confronts the possibility that the enigmatic stranger may bring death and destruction to Kirk's own era.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671001175
• ISBN-13: 978-0671001179
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #525,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grokkin' Spock!, December 28, 2002

By 

Bruce Rux (Aurora, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Assignment: Eternity (Star Trek: The Original Series) (Paperback)

This book is more 1960s than anything written or aired in the '60s. It's a pop-culture mavin's dream. Cox livens his story up with so many '60s touches, it'll really tickle your fancy if you grew up then - and probably if you didn't. Its numerous references include events from contemporaneous T.V. and movie fare such as James Bond, The Avengers, The Prisoner and Stanley Kubrick's 2001. There's even a backstory incident dropped in from another failed Gene Roddenberry pilot of the early 1970s, The Questar Tapes.

Picking up the ball T.V. dropped in 1968, Cox takes the characters from the original series' "Assignment: Earth" and gives them a whole new story to play in. That episode was intended as a pilot for a series all its own, and of course that pilot never took off. With any luck, Cox will continue more adventures with extraterrestrial secret agent Gary Seven and his Greenwich Village hippy-chick assistant, Roberta Lincoln - and Seven's other "female" sidekick, Isis the cat - and spin them off into the series they should have been on T.V. If so, he couldn't have gotten off to a better start than this entry in the Star Trek book series.

This time around, Seven's future colleague, Septos, sends a cry for help from his base deep undercover in Romulan space, where an especially vicious Romulan secret policewoman commander named Dellas has appropriated much of his superior alien technology for an attempt on the life of Mr. Spock that will destroy the future reunification of the Romulans and the Vulcans. In order to prevent this catastrophe, Seven, Roberta and Isis teleport into the Enterprise's time, taking Captain Kirk and his crew to Romulan space - where, if they're not careful, they'll end up causing an interplanetary war even without Dellas' clandestine machinations.

The characters are all brilliantly written, Seven and Roberta especially, without a false note to be found in the bunch. In addition to Cox's many pop-culture references are as many from not only the original Star Trek episodes, but several from the '80s and '90s movies and even The Next Generation.

Unbelievably, this gem is out of print. Hunt it down. Especially since Cox is taking the characters further now, with his Eugenics War series - tying Seven into the origin of Khan Noonien Singh.

A real feast for Trekkies and '60s kids, and even non-series fans will probably enjoy it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The James Bond of STAR TREK Returns!, December 23, 1999

By 

Capt. Gray Banner (Saginaw, Michigan U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Assignment: Eternity (Star Trek: The Original Series) (Paperback)

Gary Seven, after all, was the James Bond of the TREK Universe. If "Assignment: Earth" had become a series, it would have joined so many other great Bond clones such as THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., I SPY, THE PRISONER, and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, some of which are referred to in the novel ASSIGNMENT: ETERNITY. It's a great read and perfectly captures the feel and trends of the '60s. Bring on more Gary Seven adventures and this TREK fan will be eternally grateful.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best, November 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Assignment: Eternity (Star Trek: The Original Series) (Paperback)

This book was absolutely fantastic. It was written extremely well, and I thought the characters were portrayed well. In a lot of other reviews, people critisised Kirk's treatment of Gary Seven. Let's consider this, he was attempting to save the population of an entire Federation colony but Seven interfered, Seven has proved to be mildly trustworthy in the past, and he threw the Enterprise into the heart of the Romulan Empire! I mean, wouldn't you be just as paranoid of Seven if you were in command? Anyway, I found the book excellent. Originally I didn't want to buy it, but I really wanted something to read and that was all the book shop had. I will say now it was one of the best books I ever bought, no regrets at all. The mission Captain Kirk and Seven went on was written very well, and the situation with the Romulan supervisor was done very well. Treknically it was excellent, no real errors. Another good thing about this book was they way Cox referred to other episodes, and to other series. Refrences to Dr. Soran, Voyager were all pretty good, and there's lots more I cna't remember. For all Star Trek fans, this is one book that is 'One of the best'.