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Star Trek: Enterprise #6
The Expanse
An alien probe of unknown origin launches an assault on Earth; an attack so devastating that Enterprise is recalled from her voyage of exploration to help with Earth's defence. During the journey home, Captain Jonathan Archer receives intelligence that the origin of the probe is a little-known region of space called the Delphic Expanse. Vulcan Ambassador Soval informs Archer that the Delphic Expanse is notorious for bizarre occurrences, and few ships that enter it are ever seen again.
Believing there will be a second attack, Archer convinces Starfleet to let him take Enterprise into the Delphic Expanse to seek out this mysterious new enemy. In doing so, he will be going against the Suliban, the Klingons, and the Vulcans, who are removing T'Pol from the Enterprise as a result. What is more, he will have to deal with a cadre of battle-hardened marines and their no-nonsense colonel who have been assigned to his ship.
Believing there will be a second attack, Archer convinces Starfleet to let him take Enterprise into the Delphic Expanse to seek out this mysterious new enemy. In doing so, he will be going against the Suliban, the Klingons, and the Vulcans, who are removing T'Pol from the Enterprise as a result. What is more, he will have to deal with a cadre of battle-hardened marines and their no-nonsense colonel who have been assigned to his ship.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2003
38 people are currently reading
350 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Dillard
48 books114 followersJ.M. Dillard is the pseudonym under which Jeanne Kalogridis (b. 1954) publishes her Star Trek novels.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 21, 2025
I don't have a lot to say about this one. Enterprise is a criminally underrated show, and this novelization serves as the introduction to its best season. Because it's an introduction to a larger arc, the story here isn't a world beater. But it's a good, competently written tale.
3.5 out of 5.
3.5 out of 5.
October 24, 2013
Another straightforward novelization from J.M. Dillard, sticking mostly to the script, with some insight into the characters' heads that was much appreciated. I particularly enjoyed her takes on Phlox, Trip, and T'Pol, though of course I'm biased toward Trip. Especially in this story - oh, the angst!
September 25, 2025
This is more of a 3.5. There's only so much Dillard can do to breathe life into a weaker episode. I liked The Expanse episode but The Xindi one was pretty meh and Dillard didn't do much to raise it any higher. I didn't care for Season 3, especially the MEANWHILE AT THE LEGION OF DOOM parts which thankfully were limited here. If they had stuck with just The Expanse episode I think this would have been rated higher as I liked what Dillard added there.
May 16, 2022
A surprisingly fun and engaging novelization, which smoothly merges the finale of season 2 with the opening episode of season 3. There are a few welcome character beats not present in the televised episodes, and the added background information about the Xindi is fun and intriguing. Dillard's style is smooth, and significantly better than Ruditis' in the adaptation of Shockwave. A few details are a tiny bit off (the Suliban are not warriors from the future, for example) but these are minor. This is a diverting and pleasant way to learn a little more about Enterprise's longest-running story arc.
May 5, 2019
After a brutal attack on Earth by a previously-unknown alien race, the Enterprise undertakes a mission to find them and stop a second weapon. The ship must journey into a region of space that is fraught with dangers such as spatial distortions, anomalies, pirates, and various unfriendly species. But time is of the essence and every second brings the Earth closer to destruction.
Dillard provides a novelization of two episodes of the TV series - the finale of the second season and premiere of the third. As novelizations go this one is very strong. It adds a lot of depth and texture to the story of the episodes and fleshes them out with additional scenes that very much add to the characters and circumstances of the original script. In fact, I enjoyed the book better than the episodes!
This story provides for several changes in the fabric of the show - the ship is upgraded and given a more militaristic mission, there are some character changes that shift future development, and there is the addition of an entire new sub-group of characters - the Marines (MACOs) who are now stationed onboard for the purpose of armed engagements. While only the briefest of detail for most of these changes is given in this story, it provides the groundwork for what could be very interesting and compelling development throughout the upcoming series.
In the past, I'd watched the subsequent episodes, but had never read this book. After this, I'm actually much more interested in the series and am curious how well everything is developed.
I'd recommend this book to most fans of the show. It illustrates how a strong adaptation can re-engage interest in what has been a much-maligned season of the show.
Dillard provides a novelization of two episodes of the TV series - the finale of the second season and premiere of the third. As novelizations go this one is very strong. It adds a lot of depth and texture to the story of the episodes and fleshes them out with additional scenes that very much add to the characters and circumstances of the original script. In fact, I enjoyed the book better than the episodes!
This story provides for several changes in the fabric of the show - the ship is upgraded and given a more militaristic mission, there are some character changes that shift future development, and there is the addition of an entire new sub-group of characters - the Marines (MACOs) who are now stationed onboard for the purpose of armed engagements. While only the briefest of detail for most of these changes is given in this story, it provides the groundwork for what could be very interesting and compelling development throughout the upcoming series.
In the past, I'd watched the subsequent episodes, but had never read this book. After this, I'm actually much more interested in the series and am curious how well everything is developed.
I'd recommend this book to most fans of the show. It illustrates how a strong adaptation can re-engage interest in what has been a much-maligned season of the show.
December 13, 2015
A good novelization from when Enterprise started getting good!
January 26, 2024
This might be one of the best novelizations of a Star Trek movie/episode I have ever read.
The author, who is also the creator of other novelizations such as the excellent Star Trek: First Contact, has a very fluent writing style which feels nice to read but at the same time is also not overly simplistic. It doesn't feel repetitive and the pacing is also good - the reader understands the characters' perspectives and feelings without unnecessarily long digressions that would detract from the flow.
I also appreciated how faithful the novelization is with the episode: most scenes play out in an almost identical way to the show, however the author does add many elements to the descriptions and to the characters' thoughts without ever being out of place. If I am not mistaken (it has been a while since I watched the episodes narrated here), there are still a couple of extra scenes that are not shown on TV, and some people might feel like there could be space for some more. This is subjective, but personally I thought that there was a good balance given that this is, as stated, a novelization and not an original story.
As far as the plot is concerned, I am a huge fan of the third season of Enterprise, and this book narrates the events of the Season 2 finale and the premiere of Season 3, both very good episodes. In fact, many people credit the third season as being the one that truly made Enterprise a compelling Star Trek show.
Overall, this book is highly recommended.
The author, who is also the creator of other novelizations such as the excellent Star Trek: First Contact, has a very fluent writing style which feels nice to read but at the same time is also not overly simplistic. It doesn't feel repetitive and the pacing is also good - the reader understands the characters' perspectives and feelings without unnecessarily long digressions that would detract from the flow.
I also appreciated how faithful the novelization is with the episode: most scenes play out in an almost identical way to the show, however the author does add many elements to the descriptions and to the characters' thoughts without ever being out of place. If I am not mistaken (it has been a while since I watched the episodes narrated here), there are still a couple of extra scenes that are not shown on TV, and some people might feel like there could be space for some more. This is subjective, but personally I thought that there was a good balance given that this is, as stated, a novelization and not an original story.
As far as the plot is concerned, I am a huge fan of the third season of Enterprise, and this book narrates the events of the Season 2 finale and the premiere of Season 3, both very good episodes. In fact, many people credit the third season as being the one that truly made Enterprise a compelling Star Trek show.
Overall, this book is highly recommended.
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October 26, 2023Since this book was based on two episodes of Star Trek Enterprise, I was already prepared to enjoy it. The author expanded some of the scenes that provided more background information, as well as softened some of the director's filming that I thought was a little too strident. An example would be the rivalry that developed between the characters of Lt. Reed and Major Hayes. In the filming, I always felt that Reed overreacted to Major Hayes. Not that I believe Reed didn't have cause for concern, but Reed appeared to be overcompensating for some of his feelings of inadequacy and taking it out on Hayes. A more mature and confident individual would have confronted Hayes in a less provocative manner and ultimately been able to avoid the physical confrontation. I always felt that the director added that fight as a distraction to give the audience some "excitement" and not as a mechanism to tell a story.
October 8, 2023
I don’t know what it is about these Enterprise novelizations that just isn’t doing it for me. I remember really enjoying the episodes this is based on (the season 2 finale and the season 3 premiere), but something about seeing them written in this way just isn’t as exciting. And you have the issue of it all coming to an abrupt halt because, since the show became serialized and this is based on episodes, it can’t have a satisfying wrap-up one might typically expect from a Star Trek novel.
November 19, 2022
I did not enjoy this book as much as the others in the series I have read so far. The writing style just wasn't as interesting to me. I would have given it 3 stars had it not been for all of the spelling mistakes throughout the book.
November 24, 2021
Very well done retelling of Enterprise.
May 9, 2024
Quick and fun read. Didn't see the show when it first came out so enjoying it now.
March 7, 2012
"The Expanse" by J.M. Dillard is a novelization of two Star Trek Enterprise episodes; namely the Season 2 Finale and the Season 3 premier. There was one little quirk regarding this novelization though in that it actually included various scenes that were deleted from the episodes prior to them airing which were quite interesting to read.
The story deals with an attack on Earth by a previously unknown alien species (or actually 5 separate species that evolved on one planet) known as the Xindi. After this attack leaves millions dead, the Enteprise is recalled to Earth where the crew witness the devastation for themselves. However, thanks to information gained from a time traveller, the Enterprise is dispatched on a mission into the Delphic Expanse to try and locate the Xindi homeworld to ensure there are no further attacks.
The book follows the script of the two episodes fairly well, covering the various events exactly as was seen on screen although the reader does get to obtain a little bit more understanding of what may be going on within the character's heads and the various motivations. I particularly thought this was so in regards to T'Pol's decision to disobey the Vulcan High Command and Tucker's attempts to deal with the loss of his sister.
My biggest issue with the novel though is that it just covers the two episodes that were used to set up a major story arc that ran across the entire third series. Therefore, there is no satisfying conclusion to this novel which basically just sets up the major plot line and various goals yet doesn't actually see them through to completion. To be honest, if I hadn't been the fan of the series and therefore knew how it all ends up I would probably have been deeply disappointed.
If you ignore this aspect however, there is no doubt that this is a well written and nicely paced book. The story itself was enjoyable enough already, but the little additions made by Dillard to the story have definitely added to it. It is without doubt the best of the novelizations I have read so far within the Enterprise collection.
In conclusion, this is an enjoyable book that provides a little bit more insight into the characters beyond what a reader may have observed from the TV screen. To be honest though I am not sure if it adds enough to really make it a must buy for a fan of the show and the lack of a proper conclusion probably would irritate someone who had not actually already seen the series. I would probably just advise people to watch all of season 3 instead and only buy the book if you are a completionist.
The story deals with an attack on Earth by a previously unknown alien species (or actually 5 separate species that evolved on one planet) known as the Xindi. After this attack leaves millions dead, the Enteprise is recalled to Earth where the crew witness the devastation for themselves. However, thanks to information gained from a time traveller, the Enterprise is dispatched on a mission into the Delphic Expanse to try and locate the Xindi homeworld to ensure there are no further attacks.
The book follows the script of the two episodes fairly well, covering the various events exactly as was seen on screen although the reader does get to obtain a little bit more understanding of what may be going on within the character's heads and the various motivations. I particularly thought this was so in regards to T'Pol's decision to disobey the Vulcan High Command and Tucker's attempts to deal with the loss of his sister.
My biggest issue with the novel though is that it just covers the two episodes that were used to set up a major story arc that ran across the entire third series. Therefore, there is no satisfying conclusion to this novel which basically just sets up the major plot line and various goals yet doesn't actually see them through to completion. To be honest, if I hadn't been the fan of the series and therefore knew how it all ends up I would probably have been deeply disappointed.
If you ignore this aspect however, there is no doubt that this is a well written and nicely paced book. The story itself was enjoyable enough already, but the little additions made by Dillard to the story have definitely added to it. It is without doubt the best of the novelizations I have read so far within the Enterprise collection.
In conclusion, this is an enjoyable book that provides a little bit more insight into the characters beyond what a reader may have observed from the TV screen. To be honest though I am not sure if it adds enough to really make it a must buy for a fan of the show and the lack of a proper conclusion probably would irritate someone who had not actually already seen the series. I would probably just advise people to watch all of season 3 instead and only buy the book if you are a completionist.
April 19, 2010
This is the novelization of the first couple of episodes of a LONG story-arc; as such, there is no satisfactory conclusion to be had. So if you don't mind reading a book that starts a very major plotline, with a very specific goal for the characters, and doesn't see them through to their success or failure at accomplishing that goal, and which is not, to the best of my knowledge, even part of a series that will continue the story elsewhere, you should enjoy this book as it is well-written and has very good pacing, plot, and characterization. If it were "The Expanse, Book 1", I probably would have given it a fourth star. But as a stand-alone, it is sorely lacking in the "conclusion" department.
January 13, 2013
Good book and and quite gripping, however it leads you to an abrupt end. I was very disappointed at this because that's what the author was leading you towards throughout the book! I thought the next book in the series may be the follow up, but it wasn't. It was - in fact- three books later.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2013
I believe the book was well written. I do remember seeing both series the book is constructed from, but I will have to see both episodes in its entirety to catch any differences. For we all know the book and story television is two different things.
April 16, 2012
Good book. Has some scenes in the book that were not on the show....:)
May 15, 2016
... although it would nice for 'someone' to write some other episode novelizations, to carry on this story.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews