Q are Cordially Uninvited...

Star Trek: The Next Generation

by Rudy Josephs

An all-new original Star Trek: The Next Generation e-novella!

The wedding of Captain Jean-Luc Picard to Doctor Beverly Crusher was a small, private affair overseen by the mayor of La Barre, France, and witnessed by the groom’s sister-in-law and the mayor’s wife. At least that’s what the happy couple always told their friends. On the anniversary of that blessed day, however, Worf and Geordi La Forge manage to coax the real story out of the pair, to discover a tale of mythical treasure and a lost civilization in the Delta Quadrant. It all begins when the omnipotent being Q crashes the festivities, declaring himself best man and bringing along an unwilling guest as a surprise for the groom…

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek The Next Generation, Media Tie In, Adventure, Short Stories, Novella

91 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2014

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bold wedding where no groom or bride has gone before!


WE ARE REUNITED...

When Q is the only one throwing you a bachelor party, you know you’re in trouble.

While in the prose expanded universe of Star Trek, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Doctor Beverly Crusher already are married, it was narrated the proper events about it, so Rudy Josephs, the author, took the challenge of showing how their wedding was.

Or, more accurate, could be to say how their bachelor party and “first” unofficial wedding was.

Picard and Crusher wanted to keep the event in low profile, they didn’t tell what they were going to do, it appeared to be a normal personal travel of both to the vineyards properties of Picard family, having just his sister-in-law present in the wedding. They would show the video to their Friends later.

However...

...Q happens.

Goodbye to a quiet night previous to the wedding. Hello to an adventure in a remote unknown planet in the middle of the Gamma Quadrant (75 years from Sol System) doing a treasure hunt of a mythical loot made from valious art pieces and precios metals and jewels, collected from all around the Milky Way, by an also mythical ancient culture long gone.

Oh! And of course, Q invited to the party to Picard’s previous flame, Vash.

Q... Only Q!

Well, technically not only Q, but also Q too... the female Q!


IT WAS ABOUT TIME...

She is part of my past. She hs been ever my present,... ...it took my nearly losing her to realice that she wa also my future.

This little quest is managed in a very smart way where the individual skills of Picard and Vash in Archaeology and Crusher’s in Medicine, are used in an excellent way to investigate the mystery behind of “The Treasure of the Ancients” allegedly collected by a culture known as the Myndrans.

But while the adventure is welcomed, the key thing is here is that this is a wedding’s story.

And only I can say that Q did a superb job choosing the place to do his own private wedding event to Picard and Crusher. I won’t spoil it, but I can’t think of a cooler place to celebrate a wedding, heck! To celebrate anything there!

Thumbs up, Q!

Picard and Crusher romance has been hint since the very beginning of the TV series of Star Trek: The Next Generation, 28 years ago, kinda hazy on the pilot episode Encounter at Farpoint but more clearly on the second episode The Naked Now, but while they did some advances here and there, it was until the time of the prose expanded universe that the writers tied the knot of them, and now even having a child, René (named in honor of Picard’s deceased nephew).

So, being able to read this entertained and amusing quick read portraiting their wedding was a wonderful reading experience.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The romantic aspect of the Picard/Crusher relationship never felt all that genuine to me, so I wasn't expecting to love this. Yet the tumultuous presence of Q and Vash, and the archaeological adventure on a chilling dead planet that's rumored to hold ancient mythical treasures from across the galaxy were quite compelling. Josephs nails everything about the characters and their relationships.

[Vladimir Ghinculov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Q Are Cordially Uninvited... is a novella that appeared exclusively in ebook format. It is placed in the Star Trek: The Next Generation universe. The story revolves around the wedding between Jean Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher. It also features prominently Vash and Q, and involves an archeological mistery and a treasure.

[reherrma · Rating 2 out of 5]

In dieser Star Trek-Novelle geht es um die Hochzeit zwischen Jean-Luc Picard und Beverly Crusher, die m.W. bisher noch nicht in einer Star Trek-Geschichte behandelt wurde.
Picard und Crusher wollen eine kleine Hochzeit, weshalb sie nur ihre engsten Freunde ins Weingut der Picards nach Frankreich eingeladen haben. Dort erzählen sie den überraschten Gästen, dass dies nicht Ihre erste Hochzeitsfeier ist. Picard erzählt die Geschichte, dass er durch Q, dem ikonischen, omnipotenten Wesen des Star Trek-Universums, auf einen Planeten im entfernten Delta-Quadranten entführt wird und sich selbst als Trauzeugen benennt. Außerdem bringt er Picard auch noch mit einer alten Flamme zusammen, mit der er einen mystischen Schatz einer alten, verschwundenen Zivilisation finden soll, allerdings sind die beiden dabei nicht alleine, sondern es sind noch andere, skrupellose Schatzjäger hinter dem Schatz her. Unterdessen schafft es Beverly eine andere Q ausfindig zu machen, die ihn zu Jean-Luc Picard transportiert. Nachdem sie den Schatz gefunden haben, nach allerlei Abenteuern und Gefahren, führt Q die Hochzeits-Zeremonie durch, er wollte mit dieser Geschichte den beiden ein Abenteuer schenken. Dann können die beiden zurück in ihr Weingut und die richtige Hochzeit durchführen...
Irgendwie hat mich die Geschichte nicht gepackt, vieleicht war sie zu kurz, ihr fehlte m.M. nach das Epische, was für mich Star Trek; und Q, ausmacht...

[Graff Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Trek: Post Nemesis: Q are Cordially Uninvited... by Rudy Josephs

challenging funny hopeful reflective tense

Medium-paced

Plot or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes

3.5 Stars

Ugh. I wanted SO much more than this story gave me. 

It wasn't that this book was too short. No. It was because the story was simply boring (to me).

I love all the characters, for the most part.

Captain Jean Luc Picard, Dr. Beverly Crusher, Q, Vash and what not.

You'd think it would've worked, but it seemed stale. It seemed performative. It didn't feel real or exciting. It's not that the author didn't try...no, he did...it just didn't work (for me).

I haven't looked at what other's have said, but for me...it fell flat, and I was glad that it was over.

On to the next adventure in the Post-Nemesis adventure. I'll be reading (hopefully), The Fall series, starting with Revelation and Dust. 

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jean-Luc and Beverly just want to get married in peace. Q has other ideas.
Short, amusing, and a fast read.

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok if I EVER marry I demand Q as my wedding planner. Please. Slightly more seriously this was a fun adventure. A very fun adventure and quick read.

+++

All right so previously I've only really read Deep Space Nine fiction. That's the series I love, has the characters I love and by in large the conflicts I care more about. I cut my teeth on The Next Generation crew however--I was a diehard Troi/Riker fan, I wanted Data to be my tutor, Geordi to be my teacher and Jean-Luc to teach me to read (and drink tea - actually his being French and being so British was really confusing to me as a kid).

That said Q, and to a degree Vash, were part of why I watched TNG. And I'll admit they did not work on DS9 - John de Lancie and Patrick Stewart had such a wonderful bantering bromance that it was almost painful to see Q try that with Sisko (Avery Brooks).

So this, which is a culmination of so many decades and movies and books worth of relationship building (world's longest courtship ever), was practically perfect. Full of Q's antics, backhanded compliments, ridiculous displays of narcissistic affection and as always he knew just how to rile Picard up. 'Cause let's face it, who would be a better Best Man then Q?

I will say that in some ways Picard and Crusher came off much more youthful seeming then I remember them being exactly (especially given the last TNG movie). Having not read the canonical book continuations, and only barely keeping abreast of their lives as part of the various serials I do follow (DS9, Titan, Corps of Engineers, Voyager...) I'm not entirely sure how much older they are vs. their last "on screen" appearance.

But oh the fun! Crusher got to show off her smarts sans all that flashy equipment the future has, Picard got to be Archeological Man, Vash got to be quipy, Q got to be (badly) flirtatious and hey no one dies in the end! What more could a person want in a bachelor's party? (Don't ask Worf, he was rather disgruntled by Picard's "passionless" ceremony to Crusher).

Though now *I* want to know more about the Treasure of the Ancients. And maybe follow Vash on her adventures. Since she seems to have so many of them (wonder what she was doing during all the recent wars/invasions/serious crises?).

[Joe Hempel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and cute trip through the Star Trek universe at the time Jean-Luc Picard and Berverly Crusher finally get married.

Q is is normal self, and well written.

The book is very dialogue driven and the author really gets the feeling of irritation across through Picard's tone while giving Q his "what did I do?" attitude.

Short and to the point, it's a fairly endearing tale of love and love lost with a completely satisfactory ending that left a smile on this readers face.

[Eric Cone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is magic. It grabbed me from the first page, swept me up in an adventure and kept me forging ahead, then - I laughed and cried, simultaneously, at its close; bearing witness to the love two people share, while being awed by unspeakable acts of kindness and friendship, from the unlikeliest of characters.

[Krista D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great laugh-out-loud book. Required reading for Picard and Crusher fans.

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for almost a year now, and I've finally gotten the opportunity to read it. I was rather surprised by it in a couple of ways!

First of all, I was not expecting it to be so short! Even with its brevity, the story was engaging and I didn't feel cheated out of a full story.

The plot was very interesting, and I loved many of the appearances made in the book! It truly was written for the fans, as it mentions both Next Generation and Voyager events.

It was a typical Q story, and I found it easy to imagine the actors from the show while I was reading it. My chief complaint was that we never truly had the mystery of the planet solved, nor did we find out what happened to the treasure.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read, and one I highly recommend for fans of the series!

[Emma]

If this had been part of a full length Star Trek book I'd probably have loved it. But once again these short ebook only Star Trek novella's leave something wanting. Like more of a plot, more of the characters and a generally improvement - I spotted an obvious error that I'd imagine a lot of Star Trek: The Next Generation fans will spot. I've been disappointed by a few of these novellas but this one more so because Q is one of my favourite characters and the plot was such a brilliant idea.

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly little story about Picard and Crushers wedding but fun as well.

[Christopher Backa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. The set up in the beginning was sort of creepy, but the Q adventure reminded me of some of the classic Q episodes like Q Pid. It's a fun fast read.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I have a theory," Chrusher replied. "It's a bit out there."
"Beverly, we're on a dead planet at some indeterminate location in the galaxy, searching for a legendary treasure, all thanks to some powerful being that kidnapped us on the eve of our wedding for some nefarious and purely illogical reason," Picard reminded her. "We cannot possibly be any more 'out there' than we already are."

3 stars. This was mainly a quick and at times fun read. In a lot of ways I guess it was what I expected going into it. It seemed short, light, romantic and fun.

I do have to admit that parts of it felt a little too annoying, though. But in a way that seems to have more to do with Q being Q than anything else. Perhaps stories involving Q can go both ways with me. I'm a romantic at heart, and the idea that he would bring Picard's old flame Vash in out of nowhere to send them on one last adventure together took away from the romance and story that was Picard and Crusher. But Q will be Q, right?

The adventure in itself with a deserted city and a possible treasure was interesting in some ways. I would have wanted to find out so much more about that, though. About the people who lived there and what happened to them. I felt like we got only part of that story, and come to think of it this reminds me a little bit about how I felt reading Q & A. I enjoyed the book but also would have liked more depth to the story. Two different books about Q by two different authors. So yeah, this probably has more to do with me than anything else. Q is mainly supposed to be light, fun and slightly annoying as a character and that's precisely what we got here.

The ending did kind of make me smile, though. Q will be Q, but he does like Picard. :)

[Joe Pranaitis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Rudy Josephs brings us the tale of Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher's wedding. in 2380 Picard and Crusher are at Picards family villa in France on a two day leave from the Enterprise in order to have their wedding with just Picards sister-in-law when Q shows up and takes him off into the one of the unexplored areas of the Delta Quadrant. Q also brings along Vash, Picards former girlfriend who had left with Q during the TNG episode Qpid  and then left her in the Gama Quadrant only for her to turn up on DS9. But while this was going on Q had gone back to France to try to seduce Crusher into sleeping with him and she promptly rejected him. While on the plague written planet Picard and Vash find out that they're not alone as two other people are put into competition with them in order to find the treasure of the Ancients. This is a great novella and one that I recommend to all star trek fans.       

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novella comparable in quality to Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia. For a story with Q, I surprisingly wouldn't say it's quite as whack as that Star Wars book, where Han and Leia felt out of character at times. Picard and Crusher feel like themselves, but I keep questioning just how much intentionality there was on TNG for them to perhaps become a thing and how much of it was fans projecting. In any case, it's a quick read and pretty harmless. I think the banter with LaForge and Worf at the start is what I found funniest. Kinda wish there'd been more acknowledgement of q and his mother though.

Anyway, looks like I've concluded my Simon & Schuster Q stories marathon. None topped the first one, Q-in-Law, but it was certainly an interesting journey seeing all the different ways Q was utilized in the literary universe(s). Now I'd like to see one set within the setting of Star Trek: Picard. I wouldn't be surprised if that were to come out between seasons 2 and 3.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice fill-in-the-gaps story regarding the marriage of Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher. There isn't really much to say about it, except that it's fairly entertaining and a quick read. There is nothing particularly special about it, maybe except for the fact that it's basically National Treasure meets Star Trek. Where the post-Nemesis litverse is concerned it serves little purpose other than a humorous aside, and I'm not even sure it should be considered beta-canon. But as a Trekkie obsessed with details, I thought it was worth a read. Not bad, but won't blow your mind. Give it a go anyway.

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It was time to make new memories and look to the future."

In equal parts, this is a story about Picard and Crusher, and this is a story about Q, Picard's, self-proclaimed, best man.

This done in one quick read is a typical romp with, or perhaps more accurately because of, Q. He has decided that Picard is depriving himself of some of the truly important aspects of getting married, and he's going to lend a hand, in his own omnipotent way.

[Chad]

Is this book going to be for you? Probably the key factor here is if you are willing to not take it too seriously. It’s like how Trek would sometimes, after a string of heavier episodes throw in something silly to lighten the mood. They aren’t overly bad episodes, they entertain at times but you never really go out of your way to watch them either.

How do you feel about Sherwood Forest? That’s likely the best litmus test in deciding whether or not to give this book a try.

[Sandra Guzdek · Rating 2 out of 5]

At long last, the official Pocket Book rendition of the Picard/Crusher wedding. Entertaining enough, but the writing was not particularly snappy or in fact all that good, there was no sense of the love of their relationship or their attraction* and the ending was not as satisfying as I would have wanted.

(* I do understand that the author wasn't going for a romance novel, but it seemed a bit too clinical.)

[Roberto Lagos Figueroa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comenzó con una premisa interesante. El matrimonio de Picard y Crusher. Entra Q a darle un regalo pre nupcial a Picard. Y comienza la aventura. Y ahi se va desinflado la historia, hacia su casi anodino clímax. Por lo demás leerlo sin muchas pretensiones.

[Scott Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Q and Picard, Together Again

This was a successful novella. It’s a very cute idea to have Q involved in this momentous occasion in Picard’s life. I find myself hoping that John DeLancie will re-appear as Q in the new Picard TV series!

[John Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of "Q" and have read many great Star Trek books involving Q. This story was weak and not very entertaining in my opinion. Not a lot of depth or humor or action. The premise of Q kidnapping Picard on the eve of his wedding to Crusher could have been interesting - oh well :-)

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Star Trek novella that felt like a script turned into paperback form. Not enough Q. I did like the subtle commentary about how cis women who have romantic history with a man can still be friends, even if society assumes otherwise.

[Amy Tudor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A silly, fun and very Q story, which I really enjoyed. Was interesting to see a Q who sees Picard as a friend, which gives some connection to the Q we see in Picard. Short adventure, but a heartwarming ending and a nice interlude after such high-stakes stories.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure if I like this one. Felt a little stiff in the joints. Is it cannon or fan fiction? Curious myself and not spoiling things here, but if you watch the series Picard, this book barely makes sense, unless it is brought up in the third season in 2023.

[Lourdes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little wary to read this novel, I can't stand Q. But it's entertaining and he is just an accesory on the story so, all fine!!

Really like the wedding.

[Racek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun STNG fantasy

Giving the captain a wife would have limited the plot possibilities on the TV show. So it happened in fan fiction.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Like an episode of TNG or maybe a TV movie. Q was written well and it's a fun little novella.