The Expanse (Star Trek: Enterprise) (Paperback)

by J.M. Dillard (Author), Rick Berman (Author), Brannon Braga (Author) "He was a Xindi warrior, of his culture's highest class, and out of a sense of decorum he had worn his ceremonial armor on this,..." (more)
Key Phrases: door chimed, tactical officer, mining complex, Captain Archer, Trip Tucker, Commander Tucker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

High above the planet Earth, an alien probe appears -- and in an unspeakably horrific instant, releases a deadly blast that strafes the planet's surface, leaving a miles-wide, smoldering crater of destruction in its wake. Millions die in Florida, Cuba, and Venezuela, their lives blotted out in a blazing millisecond.

Just as swiftly, the probe implodes and crashes on the planet surface, but the remnants provide no clue as to its origin. Who are the attackers, and what provoked them?

Aboard the Starship Enterprise™, Captain Jonathan Archer learns of the destruction. His ship is called home; it is uncertain whether its mission of space exploration will continue.

But before Enterprise reaches Earth, Archer is abruptly kidnaped from the bridge by the time-traveling enemies he has encountered before. He finds himself aboard a Suliban vessel, face-to-face with his old nemesis, Silik, a high-ranking indiviual in a battle known only as the Temporal Cold War. Silik leads him to his master, a mysterious humanoid from the far future.

The humanoid claims that the attack on Earth was just a test; and the next attack will destroy Archer's home planet...unless he and the Enterprise crew stop it.

To do so, they must enter a region of space called The Expanse - an area so dangerous that no ship has ever emerged from it unscathed. Vulcan crews were driven to bloodthirsty madness, Klingon crews were anatomically inverted, their internal organs exposed outside their bodies...while they still lived. Many vessels were lost, never to be heard from again.

Archer faces the greatest crisis of his career: Should he believe Silik's time-traveling master, and expose his ship and crew to the perils of The Expanse, in hopes of saving Earth from destruction? And can he convince Starfleet Command and the Vulcan High Council to let Enterprise go to face her biggest challenge?

About the Author
J. M. Dillard grew up coddled in the wilds of central Florida. After leaving her mother's sheltering arms, she left Florida to reside in various locales, including Washington, D.C., Vermont, and She is the author of a plethora of Star Trek™ books; as Jeanne Kalogridis(her evil alter-ego), she is the author of the acclaimed Diaries of the Family Dracul trilogy, and the historical fantasy The Burning Times.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743484851
• ISBN-13: 978-0743484855
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #689,950 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ST - Enterprise: The Expanse, April 30, 2004

By	Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Star Trek - Enterprise: "The Expanse" a novelization by J.M. Dillard based on the episodes "The Expanse" and "The Xindi" written by Rich Berman and Brannon Braga follows these episodes quite well. I saw the episodes after I read the book and I must say that I enjoyed the book much better.

"The Expanse" starts out with a partial destruction of Earth as seven million people die from Florida, to Cuba, to Venezuela and that a probe from the planet Xindi is to blame. As this probe crashes to Earth, Archer and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC NX-01 are being recalled to Earth and are refitted for a rather gruelling mission.

"The Expanse" has good charater interaction and you get a good feeling that you begin to interact with the crew when reading this book. There is good character involvement between Jonathan Archer and his crew as they are in spacedock around Earth and the interaction to the next mission. As the Enterpise and her crew are coming to Earth they are intercepted by a Suliban ship from the future and yes, who else but Silik is the one to bring Archer aboard his ship to hear "a humanoid" from the future tell Archer what's in store for the Earth.

"The Expanse" moves along quite quickly and you'll find that you've finished the book in short order as the NX-01 is sent to the Delphic Expanse to find the homeworld of the Xindi. The Xindi are a race of 5 different species all of which are intelligent... primate, reptilian, marsupial, insectoid and sea creatures simular to a dolphin. All of the races work together in a government simular to a republic, but they've been tipped as to what happens to their homeworld in 400 years in the future and there is a temporal rift that may occur.

I enjoyed this book as it was a quick read and highly entertaining I gave this book a 4 star rating for its entertainment value and I would suggest that you read the book before you see the episodic television. You'll appreciate the action-adventure much better. All in all, the was an adventure where there is a crisis and Archer must make decissions that will affect the crew and the future of Earth.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Archer and crew sets out to stop the Xindi, April 13, 2004

By	Tuvan Uner (Virginia,United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After much bashing by media crtics and some fans the Enterprise series finally decides to go where no man has gone before with an urgent mission to stop an enigmatic race called the Xindi from destroying Earth.After Earth is ravaged and 7 million are dead the Enterrpise (NX-01)is recalled to Earth by Starfleet. But before that they must first deal with the Renegade Klingon named Duras who wants revenge from Capt. Archer. The story then focuses on the NX-01's journey to find a Xindi who may be able to aid them in locating the Xindi. I wont give the rest of the story away so go watch the episode or read the book. Just remember this series is not as bad as everyone says and that now I believe the stories will be more ambitious and live up to all Star Trek fans demands.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad for a novelization, November 2, 2003

By A Customer

Of course when you read a novelization you have to adjust your expectations. But as far as noveliations go, this isn't too bad. Dilard does add a whole lot to the story that was up on the screen to begin with, but after reading it back-to-back with Diane Carey's novelization of "Broken Bow," I had to appreciate the craftsmanship Dillard brought to the story. It stood in stark contrast to the cynical, quickies cranked out by Carey.

So...don't expect much new (novelizations haven't done much of that since Vonda McIntyre's treatments of TWOK and TSFS), but if you enjoyed the episodes and want to read them in print, this one'll do it for you.