Broken Bow

Star Trek: Enterprise #1

by Diane Carey

Jonathan Archer, the first Captain of the Starship Enterprise, must lead his crew, including Vulcan Sub-Commander T'Pol and Dr. Phlox, on their mission to explore the universe, but first they must get past the Klingons, in a novelization of the pilot episode of Enterprise. Reprint. (A Paramount Pictures TV series, created and written by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga, starring Scott Bakula, Connor Trinneer, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, & John Billingsley) (Science Fiction & Fantasy)

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Star Trek Enterprise, Fiction, Space Opera, Ebooks, Adventure

241 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Diane Carey also wrote the Distress Call 911 young adult series under the name D.L. Carey.

Diane Carey is primarily a science fiction author best known for her work in the Star Trek franchise. She has been the lead-off writer for two Star Trek spin-off book series: Star Trek The Next Generation with Star Trek: Ghost Ship, and the novelization of the Star Trek: Enterprise pilot, Broken Bow.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Carey

Reviews

[Chris Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the novelization of the pilot episode of Enterprise. I haven't watched this episode in a good 15 years, so I decided to read the book before rewatching the show. It takes a while to get going, but at about the halfway point , it starts getting pretty good. The writing is solid, and I enjoyed being in Archer's head. Diane Carey seems to make more out of his anger and emotions than I recall from watching the show, but it works out pretty well. I enjoyed it.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premiere episode of Enterprise wasn't among the show's best, but this novelization does a good job of bringing it to the page. However, I prefer tie-in novels that give me something I haven't already seen onscreen.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a fan of just the movies and not the TV shows I gave Enterprise a shot and love it! This book is based on the tv shows first two episodes Broken Bow. The book of course gives even more insight and I am happy I read it. Don't know why the show did not catch on with Trekkies. Anyway check out the book and then the series.

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping that a novel based on the screenplay for a new series would have contained a little more character detail as well as some good old-fashioned starship porn(cf Kirk seeing the refitted Enterprise in TMP, of course - I don’t know what you were thinking of!) but this is a fairly run-of-the-mill stage-to-page recount of the episodes with some backstory cribbed directly from the writer’s bible. It’s a shame because I only watched Enterprise for the first time a couple of years ago and I really enjoyed it. However, this is ok for what it is and does and, while it isn’t up to the quality of this author’s other novelisations of tv episodes, is at least a long way from her worst work.

[mookie kong · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was OK, it is based on a pilot that was neither spectacular nor very interesting. It followed the pilot episode to the dot on what happened and when it happened. It even includes the two deleted scenes that are on the Blu-ray. The writing style is easy to read, but I had an issue with the way the characters were written. The inner monologues and thoughts of the characters -- most especially Archer -- did not reflect what was shown on the show. Archer and Trip, with the inner dialogue are mean, racist and angry. Not really people I would want to follow along for a five year exploration trip.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the novelization of the pilot episode of he series. It isn't bad as such efforts go, but DON'T buy the ebook version. It was rife with typos, to the point that reading BROKEN BOW was a chore.

[Joseph Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw the pilot for this on T.V. but I really enjoyed the novel much more. It was good!

[Crystal Bensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but not a good episode of Enterprise in my opinion.

[David King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted on my blog: http://killie-booktalk.blogspot.com/

I have to admit that I have let my geeky tendencies out with this latest review. Basically I decided that I will try and read through all the Star Trek novels I can obtain in as close to chronological order as I can work out. I suspect some of these books will be bad, I suspect some will be good, but it will be an adventure either way! Anyway, the first book to read was Broken Bow by Diane Carey which is actually a novelization of the Star Trek Enterprise pilot episode of the same name.

The story itself is set 150 years from now and humanity has basically made contact with a few other races but they haven't ventured out much into the Universe yet. However, the newly formed Starfleet is getting it's latest high speed ship ready to head out and explore the cosmos, even though their allies and more advanced mentors, the Vulcans don't believe they are mature enough. When two alien species start a fight on Earth, the crew of this new ship are drawn into an adventure involving time travel, genetic engineering and political intrigue.

I have to be honest here and say that I was a little bit disappointed in this novel. I felt that this was a good opportunity to try and enhance what was a rather average episode but instead it is just a basic retelling of the pilot without anything original in terms of characters or some storyline enhancement. It is a shame really as an improved story could also have been used to try and draw new people into this series.

The main issue I did have with the story though were the characters, I am aware that they do improve and grow to be quite likeable as the series progresses but at this stage I didn't really like them. I just felt they were all quite weakly developed and rather petty to be honest. The bickering, talking behind backs and basic childishness that goes on is all rather pathetic and I found it irritating. I understand there is obviously some issues that humanity has regarding aliens and the way they have been treated but I believe they would have been a bit more professional than what we see here.

After all this you would probably expect me to say that I disliked the entire novel but that isn't actually true. The story itself wasn't that bad and had an enjoyable mix of adventure and political intrigue. There also isn't any real techno-babble here and it does feel a bit more down to earth feel than some of the other Star Trek series set in future years. If you have never seen the TV series then it is perfectly adequate introduction to the universe and the characters.

In summary, I have to say that this book was a mildly interesting sci-fi adventure that does at least ensure the reader is introduced to all the new characters that will be involved in the Star Trek Enterprise series. I felt that it didn't really add anything new the Star Trek universe and an average TV episode has just become an average novel. Basically if you want to read every Star Trek book then go ahead and read this, but to be honest if you have seen the TV episode already then I wouldn't bother picking this up.

[Alvaro Zinos-Amaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This delivered what I was looking for, additional scenes/moments of conversation from the Enterprise pilot that didn't make it to the screen. The writing was rushed and at times clunky, as one tends to expect from television novelizations. Most interesting were the "behind-the-scenes" interviews at the end, which in retrospect I think reveal part of the reason why the approach of Enterprise's creators didn't pan out as intended.

May 2022 Update:
A little better than I remembered. The prose has a kind of rough-hewn vigor that keeps things moving along nicely. For a novelization, 4 out of 5 stars.

[Surya Teja · Rating 2 out of 5]

the way Enterprise is shown in its initial stages and how humans and vulcans started to work together was very great. i loved the way the image of the vulcans changes from those who criticize us to those who help us. the book was awesome .liked it

[Joshua Lemke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great prequel Star Trek series. After watching the pilot episode, I was excited to read this book. I wasn't disappointed when I started reading. By the time I finished the book, I was ready for more Enterprise novels.

[Dominik · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only good parts about this are the bits where Carey grows so frustrated with the script she's adapting that she either a) directly quotes a particularly bad turn of phrase or b) uses a character's internal monologue to comment on the clunky dialogue. Mostly, like its source material, it's crap.

[Gwynbleidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αρκετά ευχάριστο novelisation του pilot της σειράς. Η προσθήκη της οπτικής γωνίας των χαρακτήρων και των σκέψεων τους είναι ίσως αυτό που το κάνει περισσότερο άξιο ανάγνωσης. Από εκεί και πέρα δεν διαφέρει καθόλου από το pilot, το οποίο δεν είναι κακό ούτε θα όφειλε να το κάνει. 4/5

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Enterprise story so far

[Happy Scrappy Hero Pup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane Carey has written a minor masterpiece here. Since this is a novelization of the premier episode of Enterprise (later Star Trek: Enterprise), I’ll start with a brief discussion of the show, then my thoughts on why this book is so spectacular on various levels.

I was not an immediate fan of Enterprise when it was on the air; I endured the first season out of loyalty to the franchise and because I was in love with T’Pol and Dr. Phlox. Eventually, the series won me over - largely due to Jeffrey Combs’ Shran and the switch toward ongoing serialized stories similar to DS9. I was sad to see it go off the air after only four seasons. That said, if I had read this novelization immediately upon publication, then I would have loved these characters from the first. This book is a genuine work of art.

The novelization made me like Archer, which is no small feat. Scott Bakula seems like a great guy to have a beer with, but he is by far the least impressive captain in Star Trek to date. Kirk was bold and pig-headed, but captivating; Picard was self-assured and respectable; Sisko could kick your ass and win your respect in the same breath; and Janeway was the very picture of being Starfleet, but doing so with personal swagger. Archer is, by contrast, the most laid back (too laid back) easy-breezy captain of the bunch with the least commanding presence. There’s just no way a guy with his disposition won the military equivalent of the lottery to captain the first “high-warp flagship”. You immediately believe that Kirk, Picard, Sisko, and Janeway could be military elite leaders…NOTHING about Scott Bakula or any character he has ever played feels like he could have climbed the immensely difficult ladder of the military to captain a fleet flagship. That may be a hot take, but I feel that Bakula is a large reason why that series didn’t make it 7 years like the previous three series. However, this novelization went a long way in making Archer a far more relatable character for me to appreciate.
(PS: The in-universe counter argument, of course, is that Archer’s appointment as captain of the Enterprise was an example of nepotism, and he only received the captain’s chair on Enterprise because his father designed and built the ship. Sure, that makes sense, but knowing that doesn’t make Bakula’s performance endearing or enjoyable. To the contrary, in my opinion, that explanation further impedes acceptance of the Archer character on-screen.)

Why is this novel a masterpiece within the context of Star Trek fiction books? Because it’s not just a well-written novelization — based on the draft script, not the final aired episode, so there are differences — but it also embodies the feel, the vibe of what this prequel series was supposed to be in a way the show failed to convey to us old Trekkers (in my opinion). Enterprise is chronologically set before the events of Star Trek (the original series), which aired in the 1960s. Diane has written a book that exudes the male-centric, patriarchal attitudes and writing styles of pulp fiction books written in the 1940s and 1950s. So, as you’re reading the book, you’re not only reading a story that takes place before the 1960s Star Trek series, but you’re also reading a story that FEELS like it was WRITTEN BEFORE the 1960s Star Trek series. For example, when describing our first encounter with the ‘new’ Enterprise, she describes it as “lean and masculine”. She writes the dialogue of the male characters as unabashedly and unapologetically male. This stands out in a world where overtly masculine cis male characters are usually apologized for as having outdated attitudes in the prose between their scenes of toxic masculinity. So, it serves to make the book FEEL DATED when Diane chooses to write it in this manner, which provides a ‘prequel’ feel on at least two levels. Another level where it succeeds in feeling like a prequel is in the word choices for established maneuvers and technology that Star Trek fans are familiar with. This is likely not Carey’s doing but was in the script she was working from. For example, they don’t have “shields”, they have “polarized hull plating”. There are many other examples of this, but you get the gist.

As a senior Trekker from ye olden days of the before times, I appreciated the little nods to old Trek. Here’s a few I noticed and loved: 1) In an early scene, we have ambassadors Leonard and Forrest, in the original series, Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy was played by DeForest Kelley, so that was a winking nod; 2) “Scrambler” was floated as a possible moniker for the ‘new’ transporting technology and everyone in the crew is skeptical of it, which harkens back to Dr. McCoy saying he didn’t like his molecules being “scrambled” and had a general distaste for the transporter; 3) in another transporter nod, Captain Archer refuses a rescue using the transporter because he doesn’t want the person coming back “inside out”; this exact thing occurs in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).

[Ky Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book, especially the narrative passages that give more context to the dialogue. My favorite part of the entire book is in Chapter 6, page 65. It is a conversation between Captain Archer and Dr. Phlox as he sets up Sickbay.

"An Altairian marsupial. Their droppings contain the greatest concentration of regenerative enzymes found anywhere."
"Their droppings?"
"If you're going to try to embrace new worlds, you must try to embrace new ideas."
"Ah."
Archer just nodded, annoyed that everybody seemed to be taking classes in etiquette from the Vulcan Institute of Creative Condescension.

That last line is hysterical. It encapsulates Jonathan Archer's entire attitude towards the Vulcans.

[Noah :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional character structure and building it was really a good beginning into the relationship and dynamics with Vulan Vs The Starfleet.

Despite the commandeering/military representation of Starfleet it offered a bit more humanity and vulnerability to them, as they are frustrated with the stoic thinking of the Vulcans. As the Vulcans' views on staying passive and not getting involved in human nature to preserve dignity really angered me but it was also really good to have a look into why the Vulcans and T'Pol have their reasons for staying out of civilian dramas. It was also great to learn more on NCC-1701! Without it falling apart due to high warp speeds 😅

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well Diane Carey does an episode novelization there are three stories that have taken place.
The story that was written.
The story that was on the screen.
Whatever nonsense that seems to go through her head while she's watching the episode and making bonkers interpretations of the story.

She's adds emotions and reactions that are not there in the scenes and I guess she ran out of time in the latter half of the book as her descriptions of what is going on is reduced to random rabble and just the dialogue.

Another poor effort and the only reason I give it two stars because the book is short.

[Joe Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's written well enough, Diane Carey being one of the better Trek authors. However, like every Trek book that's just a novelization of a show episode, it's pointless to read it if you've actually watched the episode, so I can't give it more than a 3.
Sure, being in book form it can provide some details that a show can't, but also because these books aren't "canon", episodes that take place after the book's release can stomp all over any author-added details so it's best to just not bother with them.
If you're a Trek fan, you've seen the episode and as such have no need to read this book.

[Dan Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book overall, though I found it very hard to finish for some reason. To me it felt very dry and boring in some places, though that could be just because I know what happens in the episode(s). This isn't a bad book, it's well written and Diane has the characters down completely, though I did find my self getting lost and not knowing where I was in the story from time to time.

I liked the book, and it documents the first mission of the NX-01 very well.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a kind 3 stars. Despite an intriguing premise and good characters this book fails to gain momentum. There's something in the execution that makes it feel slow and tedious. Part of the problem is a lack of character development. They all have these deep backstories but we only get hints at them. This is meant to introduce these characters and set up a series, but really Archer is the only one to get that treatment. It was too brief. At a brisk 198 pages we just don't have the time to dig in. It wasn't a bad book, I just wanted more.

For more on my favorite Trek books tune in to this special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...

[Cathy]

Boring at first, but got better near the end.

I really like the original Star Trek series, and this book helped explain how the Vulcans started working as part of the crew on the Enterprise. The beginning was very confusing; moving between Archer as a boy and then as captain of the starship., I did like the humor and one of my favorite characters was the doctor. Of course the captain was a hothead just like Captain Kirk so he fit the character of the original series.

[Scott Kenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good novelization of the pilot episode. Noticed a couple grammar/typos in the story but not enough to distract.
Only issue was on page 21. The Klingon was found in Broken Bow, Oklahoma (Hence the name of the book). However the character Archer is asking if the Klingon was found in "Tulsa". But nothing is said after that of it not Tulsa and instead Broken Bow. In fact if you just read the story and don't see the episode, you'll never find out why the story is called "Broken Bow".

[Paul Spencer]

Novelisation of the pilot for the fifth incarnation of Star Trek. Not much to be said here – it’s a good introduction to the characters which becomes less interesting once the ship has to rescue the Klingon Klaang from a Suliban cell ship, and author Carey adds little to the TV script. For me, reading a Star Trek book, however, is like putting on a comfortable pair of old slippers.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's be honest: the pilot isn't that great. It has nice moments here and there, but feels uneven. So the book, being straightforward in novelizing it, feels like much of the same, with not much new added to it. I did really like the behind the scenes section at the end about how the idea for Enterprise came about and how designs for the series were handled.

[T.Jon Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read

I’ve read many episode adaptations that were too cut and dried. This one was fun and captivating. Makes me want to go back and rewatch the whole series. The “making of” chapters at the end are mostly interesting but the comments about T’pol are a bit cringe worthy in retrospect.

[Elentarri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Broken Bow is an adequate, though bland, novelization of the Enterprise's pilot episode. There is no deviation and very little additional material from the original episode. This is a rather disappointing retelling of rather mediocre episode.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novelizations, especially for Pilot episodes are only really good for introducing the reader to the characters. Obviously the same story as the episode. As Enterprise is my second favorite series in the franchise, I still really enjoyed reading this novel.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have given this another star, but there were far too many exclamation points at the end of declarative sentences. All in all it was a faithful adaptation but it didn’t add much of anything in terms of perspective.