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STAR TREK PRIME DIRECTIVE

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In the "Star Trek" universe the Prime Directive is Starfleet's General Order #1, which prohibits interference with the natural development of a primitive society ("primitive" defined as any culture that has not yet developed warp drive). Specifically this means that a primitive culture cannot be exposed to information regarding advanced technology or alien races, including any effort to improve or change the natural development of such societies. There was once a "Star Trek" comic book that had fun enumerating all of the times that Captain James T. Kirk violated the Prime Directive, which basically showed that General Order #1 was a piece of Swiss cheese. However, nothing that ever happened during the original "Star Trek" causes as much problems for Kirk and his crew as what happens in this 1990 novel, and the fact that this violation is unintentional is painfully ironic.

When I first started reading "Prime Directive," I had some questions about the precipitating incident, namely the destruction of Talin IV by the "Enterprise." Part of it was the science involved in what happens when a warp engine ignites in an atmosphere, because even though I am completely gullible when it comes to "Star Trek" physics it seems they already did that in the original series (e.g., "Tomorrow is Yesterday"). Beyond that, I had concerns as to how Federation investigators looking at this tragedy could be fooled as to what really happened, since, it goes without saying, Kirk is not a mass-murdering butcher who would destroy an entire planet. The corollary to this is that once the entire known universe thinks you are a mass-murdering butcher, the truth is hardly going to set you being free.

That being said, what makes "Prime Directive" a must-read "Star Trek" novel is that Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens come up with a reason to send the crew of the "Enterprise" to the four corners of the galaxy. After all, Starfleet's highest law has been broken, its most honored captain is in disgrace, its most celebrated starship in pieces, and the crew scattered throughout the Federation. The narrative that picks up the pieces and brings the crew back to Talin IV, the planet where their careers ended, is pretty compelling. Part One of the novel is the "Aftermath," with Kirk trying to find a corner of the universe in which to try and live a normal life, as are the rest of his bridge crew, now cursed as the "Enterprise Five." Mr. Scott was not on the bridge, so he is still in Starfleet, in charge of the cannibalization of what is left of the "Enterprise." Dr. McCoy has retired and is visiting the moon, Uhura is being held for contempt of court, Sulu is in a bar fight on Rigel VIII when he and Chekov are not flying the only vessel that will take them on, and Spock has also resigned after being busted to an ensign.

Part Two tells the story of "The Last Mission," and what happened on Talin IV, ending with the destruction of both the "Enterprise" and an entire world in the heat of a thousand killing suns, and Scott relieving Kirk of command. Part Three, "Talin," begins with Spock making a shocking request of Sytok, the Vulcan ambassador to the Federation, which sets the stage for the truth being revealed. The key thing here is that the authors do not take an easy way out with this one, and come up with an explanation that plays nicely with the logic of the Prime Directive. In other words, the punch-line here works. There is also a Part Four, and saying its title gives away a bit much, even if where we end up by the final pages of "Prime Directive" is where we expect to be. The strength of this particular "Star Trek" novel is that Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens have the characters down and take full advantage of the opportunity to let the supporting bridge crew members shine in their parts of the tale (e.g., Uhura refusing to back down in front of the judge). No wonder this one originally came out in a hardback edition; it was worthy of being one.

It took me a long time before I attempted to read Prime Directive, but boy am I glad I finally did. I cannot think of any authors' who write in the Trek universe who can come up with a more compelling and creative storyline than this married duo. Examining Starfleet's General Order #1 in such detail is a hefty task to say the least, but here Judith & Gar have really outdone themselves.

Visiting the somewhat primitive world of Talin IV, somehow, some way, an accident involving the Enterprise and her Warp Engines being utilized within the planets atmosphere literally devastates the entire world. Within the blink of an eye, millions of the planets inhabitants are snuffed out, and Starfleets flagship, and the entire bridge crew are forever changed. The ship is almost ruined in the aftermath, and the crew is scattered amongst the many different worlds of the Federation. The many facets of Starfleets Prime Directive are explored and even though this whole situation seems to be the result of an accident and not a purposeful violation of the order, the results are the same. What happens as a result could very easily be considered one of the best Trek novels ever written.

Personally I loved the individual sections of the book that explores in more detail than I remember being in any previous novel (or since) the main characters of the Star Trek universe, namely Scotty, Uhura, Chekhov and Sulu. Of course we also have Kirk, Spock and the Doctor, but we rarely (if ever) have been able to get into the minds of these other main characters nearly as deep as we do here. In particular I enjoyed Sulu & Chekhov's exploits. We see a much more detailed look at the strength of Lt. Uhura and her fierce loyalty to her former crewmates and specifically to Kirk in particular.

Unraveling the mystery behind the destruction of Talin IV is like a murder/mystery written by Agatha Christie--just done in outer space. Spock, as one would imagine, is the Private Detective who finally connects all the dots and even though the outcome was never in any doubt, especially knowing that this story takes place during the Kirk's original 5-year mission, how it all plays out really IS a well orchestrated treat to us fans. How could the Enterprise have made such a critical error, or more importantly, how could Kirk have allowed it to happen? WAS it an accident, or was it ignorance coupled with Kirk's natural tendency towards ignoring Starfleet when he deems it necessary? The final answers to how it all comes together really is a journey that is more than worth taking. Comparing 'Prime Directive' to your average Star Trek novel is kinda like comparing a newspaper clipping to The Bible. One is just way more In Depth than the other. I don't wish to bash on other Trek authors, but this one is so much more than most all the others I have read as to almost render the rest comical. This book is the main reason why I firmly believe Judith & Garfied Reeves-Stevens' to be THE greatest authors working in the Trek universe today. Oh, and if you liked this, you simply MUST read 'Federation'. Outstanding. THIS is the reason why I love to read so much. Kudos to this duo once again.

The reason I liked this book so much is because, unlike other fiction based on popular concepts (including Star Wars, Quantum Leap, and anything else spun off from TV or movies), this deals with a pre-existing concept (The Prime Directive), and then proceeds to explain exactly WHY this concept exists.

Much like the Marvel Comics character, The Watcher, who, like Kirk, learned the hard way that species have to develop on their own, and one must never interfere with an alien race before they are ready. In both cases, it led to the utter annihlation of the species.

Kirk, Starfleet's most celebrated Captain, is somewhat of a maverick, playing by his own rules, and openly disobeying several Starfleet regulations if he feels he is justified in doing so. Because Kirk gets results, his discrections are often ignored. However, in Prime Directive, the unthinkable has happened. The entire poulation, not to mention the planet of Talin IV has been completely and utterly wiped out. The planet itself is a smoking, smoldering husk, burned out from a nuclear war that contaminated the entire planet, now known as "Kirk's World", in a shameful reminder of the consequnces of one person's actions. The Prime Directive was violated (and this time it wasn't even intentional), but the importance of it is underscored, as a direct result of the violation of Starfleet's Prime Directive, their number one rule, their "Holy Grail". James T. Kirk is held responsible for the destruction of the planet and its people and is summarily dismissed from Starfleet without even a trial, disgraced by his actions. His Bridge Crew, voluntarily agreeing to the violation of the Prime Directive by following Kirk, are also released from Starfleet in shame. The most famous Ship, The U.S.S. Enterprise is in ruins. Only Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott remains in Starfleet, unable to resign his commission, since his status as Chief Engineer not only places him above the accusations levied against the Bridge crew, but also because only he possesses the knowledge to even stand a chance at retrieving the damaged Ship's warp core without causing further damage.

Now in hiding, the individual former crew members of The Enterprise knows that no matter what else, they must find out what really happened at Talin IV if they are ever going to be able to live with themselves, much less clear their names and reputations.

Every crew member gets their chance to shine in individual and unrelated sub-plots as they journey back to Talin IV in an attempt to discover why this tragedy occurred, and if they are truly at fault for it.

Finally, the former crew meet up from their individual journeys to the planet, and the storyline meshes the characters' journey together as they meet with a Starfleet reluctant to go back to the planet, as they would sooner sweep the whole thing away, but as the mystery of the planet unfolds, it is clear that there is more than meets the eye.

An excellent, gripping tale that details the consequences of the violations of the Prime Directive, and explains the reason why it is in place, in a way that does not over-simplify it. For those that think "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility", this novel demonstrates that sometimes, the most responsible course of action is no course of action. Recommended reading for fans and non-fans alike. No need to be overly familiar with the genre to enjoy this tale.

Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise stands accused of violating one of the single most central tenets in Star Fleet procedure - the sacrosanct Prime Directive prohibiting Star Fleet personnel from manipulating the course of history on other planets. The Enterprise had been monitoring a world whose saurian inhabitants stood on the edge of thermonuclear war...when something happened. When "Directive" begins, the Enterprise is adrift, battered and gutted - practically derelict and dead in space - because it got to close to the planet when war broke out. In an apparent attempt to prevent the war, the Enterprise may have caused its outbreak. Now the crew has been driven into hiding, the population of the federation roundly holding them responsible for the nuclear holocaust that had engulfed the promising population of that alien world. (Except for Chief Engineer Scott, whose presence is needed to bring the Enterprise back to life). Now Kirk and his crew work their way across space in disguise, trying to get back to the Enterprise, to reclaim their ship, find out what really happened, prove their innocence and perhaps even save the remnant of the battle-scarred world.

"Prime Directive" is probably one of the best "Trek" novels I've read. Apart from Trek stories written for war-gamers (in which detail is paid to ship class, weapon specs and rank), "Directive" focuses on space exploration, and manages to toss in both alien anthropology and even a sci-fi mystery into the plot. The story develops well, and the author wisely builds up the characters without worshipping them like in most Trek stories. The technobabble is light (the author has a gift with the pseudo-science of the 23rd century and manages to craft his Enterprise in a way that makes it look sophisticated, the creation of brilliant engineers). Forget those novels that rehash old episodes, boldly read this instead.

I am not a regular reader of Star Trek novels. In fact, I sneer at the entire shelf of them when I browse the SF section of my local bookstore. But when I spotted that this one was written by the great Reeves-Stevenses, I grabbed it.

And was I ever glad of it. Because this is a rock 'em, sock 'em tale of disgrace, redemption, mystery and humour all rolled into one. The entire crew of the Enterprise (the original) are disbanded and disgraced after a horrific mishap during a First Contact mission, which is geared to ease new planets into the Federation when they are on the cusp of discovering that life exists outside their solar system. They all must slowly re-group and travel back to the planet to discover what went wrong, with Kirk, being the one in charge, having the worst time of it.

The authors capture perfectly the synergy between the main characters that so endeared us to the original series. Plus, they weave a complex mystery that will keep you guessing, and enjoying the process.

All that, and some brilliant scientific descriptions of what I always found to be the most fascinating aspect of the Star Trek future, the first contact mission. Even if you've sworn you'd never pick up a Trek novel, drop your shields and beam this one aboard.

In Prime Directive, the crew of the Enterprise has been disbanded and a planet destroyed due to Captain Kirk's supposed violation of the Prime Directive. The plot lines of the story concern the nuclear destruction of the planet Talin, the involvement by the Enterprise, and Kirk's, along with the rest of the Enterprise's crew, attempt to prove the Prime Directive was not broken.

I felt the book started off slow with descriptions of the various crew members being scattered throughout the galaxy following the destruction of the Enterprise and Talin. The 2nd section of the book describes what actually took place at Talin when the Prime Directive was supposedly broken. This part is good, but was possibly a little too complicated. The book picks up in the 2nd half however, as Captain Kirk, along with the rest of the crew, must solve the mystery of what actually took place at Talin and why it wasn't their fault (the mystery of course is primarily solved by the logical Mr. Spock). The conclusion is good, but I personally felt the truth behind what actually happened behind the destruction on Talin was somewhat unsatisfying. The reader can decide this for themselves, however.

P.D. is a good story about Starfleet's rule of noninterference, though the story possibly had parts that could have been cut back. As in "Federation" (another J&G Reeves-Stevens' Trek book), the writing duo treat Star Trek History with respect and provide some great insights into it which Trek fans will appreciate. I recommend this book along with "Federation" to Trek fans and plan to read any other Trek books they have written.

This book had a very strong opening, where it seems a character might 'buy it'...but it turns out to be a familiar individual.

That opening leads to the plot of the Enterprise crew stripped of their rank and positions because they caused the death of the entire world.

This book feeds you information slowly but surely as you know the crew will come out on top, but how?

We are able to 'feel' the characters, but--like all good tie-in novels--expand on what we see onscreen with the characters.

(I do have to admit, I even felt the Enterprise crew from JJ Abrams' 2009 film in this same predicament; and, I think this book [Prime Directive] would make a good film for that particular crew).

Regardless, I did feel the ending was a bit muddled; but I do plan on coming back to this book to catch whatever I wasn't able to the first time around.

I do like Admiral Hammersmith, a no-nonsense individual who comes off as a character along the lines of Benjamin Sisko from 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.'

A recommended book.

Lastly, I've heard good things about the authors and their previous work in Trek; and I look to track those other works down as well.

When the marketing for 2009's STAR TREK movie was ramping up, I learned that the screenwriters for the revamp of the Star Trek universe had been inspired by several Star Trek novels, one of which was STAR TREK: PRIME DIRECTIVE. Before the movie was released in theatres, I was excited about it and decided I would read some of those Star Trek novels, including STAR TREK: PRIME DIRECTIVE, before I saw the movie.

The novel takes places in the Star Trek universe after the run of the original tv series but before the events of the first Star Trek movie. The novel is divided into four sections. The first section, describes what Kirk and the Enterprise Five, the former bridge crew members of the Enterprise, have been doing since the unfortunate events at Talin IV. Kirk finds himself at the farthest reaches of Federation space, working hard and difficult jobs and trying to piece together a life. Spock has resigned but has a theory of what actually happened on Talin IV, Sulu and Chekov are working for pirates, Dr. McCoy takes a visit to Earth's moon, and Uhura finds herself in legal trouble. Meanwhile, Scotty, the only officer still in Starfleet finds himself attempting to repair the Enterprise and make it seaworthy again after the damage inflicting upon it during the events at Talin IV.

The second section explains exactly what happened on Talin IV and why the former Enterprise bridge crew are spread out into the far corners of the universe. The third section describes the adventures in each of the former crew members begins a journey back to Talin IV where Spock promises the truth will be known. The last section of the book is the conclusion that wraps the story up.

The thing that stood out most for me about STAR TREK: PRIME DIRECTIVE is how fully developed each of the characters are. I'm more or a Star Wars person than Star Trek, but there are parts of the Star Trek universe I really enjoy. Usually, in one form or another, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are the focal points of most original Star Trek tales. They play an important part in STAR TREK: PRIME DIRECTIVE, but Scotty, Chekhov, Sulu, and Uhura are just as important in this story and readers get a real understanding of the type of individuals these characters are and what makes them tick. I particular liked the deep camaraderie and friendship between Sulu and Chekhov. This novel also is light on the technobabble-it's still a Star Trek novel so some knowledge of the characters helps in appreciating the story, but one needn't be a major Star Trek fan or scientific genius to enjoy the book. In fact, it reads more like a mystery story rather than a piece of science fiction.

Overall, a good story and one of the better original Star Trek novels I've read.

General Order One, also known as the Prime Directive, is the overriding principle of Star Fleet and the Federation. It is deceptively simple on the surface, there will be no interference with developing civilizations, contact will be made only when that civilization is ready to venture outside their home world. Violation of this order carries with it some of the harshest penalties on the Fleet's books and contempt from all Federation worlds. Shock echoed through the Federation then when violation of the Prime Directive occured and resulted in the near destruction of a planet on the verge of first contact, particularly when the violator was none other than the legendary James Kirk.

Kirk and his fellow 'criminals', the infamous Enterprise Five, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Chekhov and Uhura are subjected to trials, stripped of rank and run out of Star Fleet. Only Scott is not offically charged, and left on duty to oversee the dismantling of his beloved Enterprise. Although widely separated the seven are all working toward a common goal, to discover what really brought about the destruction of Talin and their careers.

This is a very well written novel, the premise is ineresting and the various situations of the crew members most compelling. The authors have managed to stay true to each of the original characters and to introduce intriguing new characters, both Federation and alien, to the series.

Those who have even only the slightest familiarity with the series will enjoy PRIME DIRECTIVE, more devoted fans will definitely not want to miss their old friends various paths back home.

The book kicks off with a vivid scene of the destruction of the Enterprise - this is something like an alternate universe situation - and Kirk and crew are blamed not only for the ship's destruction but the planet they were ordered to guard as well.

The the plot unravels, revealing a whole new race of spacefaring animal and an untinkable backstory of greed and corruption. This novel also brings to bear the thoughts and deeds behind Starfleet's ever-common Prime Directive, the rule to not interfere with races not yet capable of warp travel.

All in all, this is a great read with plenty of suspense and action.