Customer Reviews

The Best and the Brightest (Star Trek (Unnumbered Paperback))

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

It looked like fun, a book about Starfleet Cadets. Sadly, Susan Wright manages to impart interesting information in clunky dialogue and dull descriptions. There are vague moments of interest in the young characters, but unfortunately most of them succumb to the "Wesley Syndrome": any personality they might display is quickly sacrificed to the need for them to be annoying over-achievers. They just happen to find themselves in the right place at the right time to shine. The cast of characters reads as if Wright had loooked at a personality assessment test and assigned one characteristic to each character ("perky", "insecure", "shy", "merry") and none of them ever develop another dimension. The Quad concept (eight cadets of differing backgrounds and year levels live and work together) is carelessly discarded as two characters are almost immediately written out, and the rest of the plot is just as cursory. What a pity. What a wasted opportunity.

There will, undoubtedly, be people disappointed with this book because it has only cameo appearances by the familiar characters; the story centers around the Starfleet Academy years of six cadets, from around the time of the episode "Time's Arrow" through slightly after the "Generations" movie. The author does a fine job of integrating the known background of the series into a story about people only marginally touched by those events, but the real story is a very touching coming-of-age story. As such, it is very different from what we've come to expect in a "Star Trek" novel, but there is enough action that anyone who reads these books for the action should be satisfied, even if the action is mostly episodic and does not provide the overarching storyline, which focusses primarily on character development.

What makes this book special is the two love stories it contains, both between pairs of the primary characters. In both cases, this is treated in a very unusual way (and one that I would dearly love to see more often): the people in question first get to know one another, then become friends, and only later fall in love and pair off. This remarkably sensible form of love story is doubtless considered very unromantic by some, thanks to the standard "Romeo and Juliet" love stories that we've all been force-fed since before we knew enough to resist them, in which the couple fall in love first, and only then (sometimes) get to know one another and become friends. Anyone with an ounce of sense knows that this story's take on the concept is the best way to go about things, but there are way too few people out there with an ounce of sense.

What REALLY makes this book special, however, is that one of the couples in question is two women. Taking the great tradition instituted by Gene Roddenberry that Star Trek is set in a world where all of the prejudices, biases, and disputes that so upset our century have long since ceased to be issues where it has never been taken before, Wright tells a love story between two women in which the words "lesbian", "gay", and "homosexual" never appear, and in which none of the characters find it at all odd or worthy of comment that the two friends/acquaintances of theirs who are in love happen to be of the same gender. In neither love story is sexuality more than hinted at; still, the pairbonding is clear and unambiguous, and totally unashamed.

A beautiful novel.

If you're into a series of short (and barely connected) stories about cadets going through Starfleet Academy, you won't be dissapointed by this story. The only problem that I had in reading the book is that just about every story has one (or more) of the cadets pulling off some sort of scientific or diplomatic miracle (aka the "Westley Crusher syndrome") that somewhat suspended by belief as story after story went by. Granted, the first few stories deal with them screwing up and being repremended, but after that they individually pull off too many successes afterwards to be believable. One cadet is gifted with a memory that doesn't allow her to forget anything-- (very much like "Mr. Spock" or "Data"), allowing her to pull off some pretty heavy stuff. I personally get tired of miracle workers doing superhuman stuff all the time in the Trek universe, so I tired of this character rather quickly. However, one of the many stories dealt with a Cadet accidentally getting involved with an alien-based slave trade, and I felt it was particularily outstanding. Several characters didn't get developed enough (in my opinion) during the stories, and I thought that a greater examination of them would have made the stories more enjoyable-- specifically, a cadet who is a Bajoran ex-Vedek(sp?) and a female cadet that is biologically and socially at the level of a 10 year old (a normal characteristic of her race) are two characters that would have been interesting to see how they perceived their stay at Starfleet Academy from their unique perspectives. The author also takes a risk and breaks Trek writing style by exploring a (very tame) lesbian relationship between two of the cadets that is threaded throughout the book. It made the stories a bit more interesting; the relationship is viewed in the 23rd century as being so natural that there is no examination/introspection whatsoever of the character's genders. One could substitute a male cadet for one of the females, and the story would read exactly the same. It made for some refreshing reading.

This book is a somewhat interesting story. Character chemistry or interaction are enough to keep a reader intrigued. It certainly lets us know what's like a cadet of Starfleet Academy regardless of gender, species, origin, etc. A lot of individual adentures are included into this book.

Kudos to Susan Wright.

Hey lets face it the same people get boring after awhile. This gives us a freash new look into Star Trek. The Academy is rarely explored in-depth but here it is. I like that we finally get the Lesbian charecter in here. Although I am not a gay right activist I support the lifestyle choices people I just don't agree with them and it is about time ST addressed the issue fully. It was a little disconnected but otherswise great story. Also trying to cover 4 years in one book not a great idea should have had a for part series or something similar.

I have been reading Trek novels for a long time now from classic to the more current incarnations, and I enjoyed this book to no end. It is refreshing to see a new group of people in these situations rather than useing the same old characters in re-hashes of the same old stories. I can't wait to read more in this series.

I thought that this book was quite good. The characters are involving, and the plots interesting. I myself, like to learn more about the Star Fleet Academy, while giving the other characters somewhat of a rest. I especialy enjoyed the way that they involved the plot of the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine series in the book. I think that if you are a big Star Trek fan, as I myself am, that you definately read this book.

I don't know anyone who reads a Star Trek novel for its literary content and deep philosophies; however, that being said it is an interesting book which I still remember after more than ten years after reading it because: a) I am a Star Trek afficanado;b) it dealth with life at Star Fleet Academy;c) it introduced two new species, which I always find great and d) it actually incorporated the concept of IDIC (infinite diversity in infinite combinations) by introducing a romance between two women.

I was a bit upset to read that some reviwers trashed this book because of item (d) because I would imagine that anyone who reads Star Trek would embrace its ideals of tolerance and acceptance.

There are no overt sex scenes but I have no idea at what age teenagers should read this. I would leave that up to the parents, although I personally think there is nothing in this realationship that would shock and offend. It was a very sweet and loving relationship between two different species of the same gender.

The Best and the Brightest lets you experience the lives and times of Starfleet Academy students. Although this novel would naturally appeal to 18-21 year olds, who wish to read about shared experiences of young love and university jealousies, it was also pleasing to see that heteronormativity isn't the only option acceptable as 'the norm' in the future. Susan Wright does include a same-sex relationship between to female classmates - bravo to her for being prepared to 'Go Boldly where no other Star Trek episode has gone before', although there were episodes that danced around the fringes. An enjoyable, light read that could have benefited more from not trying to include to many protagonists and plots. Would still recommend it happily.

It seems either people love this book, or they hate it. I'll admit some plotting problems (like what the heck happened to the Vulcan in the early chapters...) but it's merits and the unusual nature of the book outweigh it's flaws.

At least one reviewer here has objected to a gay character pursuing a "straight" one. I'd like to know where in the book it says the other character is straight, they both seem to be in a consentual relationship, which is more than I can say for the [other book] tendency to make bisexuality a trait of sadists and psychopaths.

I enjoyed the author (and the publisher) stepping outside the box of mainstream trek and I'd love to see a sequal to this.