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Star Trek: The Original Series
The Captain's Oath
An all-new Star Trek adventure set during The Original Series era and featuring James T. Kirk!
The saga of James T. Kirk’s historic command of the U.S.S. Enterprise is known throughout the galaxy. But one part of the legend has barely been touched upon until the story of Kirk’s first starship command and the remarkable achievements by which Starfleet’s youngest captain earned the right to succeed Christopher Pike as the commander of the famous Enterprise . From his early battles with the Klingons to the rescue of endangered civilizations, Kirk grapples with difficult Is he a warrior or a peacemaker? Should he obey regulations or trust his instincts? This thrilling novel illustrates the events and choices that would shape James T. Kirk into one of the most renowned captains in Starfleet history.
The saga of James T. Kirk’s historic command of the U.S.S. Enterprise is known throughout the galaxy. But one part of the legend has barely been touched upon until the story of Kirk’s first starship command and the remarkable achievements by which Starfleet’s youngest captain earned the right to succeed Christopher Pike as the commander of the famous Enterprise . From his early battles with the Klingons to the rescue of endangered civilizations, Kirk grapples with difficult Is he a warrior or a peacemaker? Should he obey regulations or trust his instincts? This thrilling novel illustrates the events and choices that would shape James T. Kirk into one of the most renowned captains in Starfleet history.
389 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2019
204 people are currently reading
462 people want to read
About the author
Christopher L. Bennett
66 books220 followersChristopher L. Bennett is a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, with a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in History from the University of Cincinnati. A fan of science and science fiction since age five, he has spent the past two decades selling original short fiction to magazines such as Analog Science Fiction and Fact (home of his "Hub" series of comedy adventures), BuzzyMag, and Galaxy's Edge. Since 2003, he has been one of Pocket Books' most prolific and popular authors of Star Trek tie-in fiction, including the epic Next Generation prequel The Buried Age, the Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations series, and the Star Trek: Enterprise -- Rise of the Federation series. He has also written two Marvel Comics novels, X-Men: Watchers on the Walls and Spider-Man: Drowned in Thunder. His original novel Only Superhuman, perhaps the first hard science fiction superhero novel, was voted Library Journal's SF/Fantasy Debut of the Month for October 2012. Other tales in the same universe can be found in Among the Wild Cybers and the upcoming Arachne's Crime, both from eSpec Books. His Hub stories are available in two collections from Mystique Press.
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
Christopher's homepage, fiction annotations, and blog can be found at christopherlbennett.wordpress.com. His Patreon page with original fiction and reviews is at https://www.patreon.com/christopherlb..., and his Facebook author page is at www.facebook.com/ChristopherLBennettA....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
July 28, 2019
Exposing Captain James T. Kirks backstory from his time as commander on the USS Sacajawea and the various adventures that allows him to succeed Christopher Pike on the USS Enterprise.
Seeing all the various tasks that sees Kirk’s character evolve over the novel gives a fascinating insight into the young Starfleet Captain.
Told over very times and locations the story moves along quickly and just complex enough to keep the reader hooked.
All the supporting cast are fully fleshed out with some great character moments, especially Bones!
But it’s the lessons that Kirk learns and the various nods to TOS that really makes this novel standout!
Seeing all the various tasks that sees Kirk’s character evolve over the novel gives a fascinating insight into the young Starfleet Captain.
Told over very times and locations the story moves along quickly and just complex enough to keep the reader hooked.
All the supporting cast are fully fleshed out with some great character moments, especially Bones!
But it’s the lessons that Kirk learns and the various nods to TOS that really makes this novel standout!
February 24, 2022
A fairly solid story, or really series of stories, mostly focused on Kirk's first command as one of the youngest captains in Star Fleet history. I would have expected him to come across as quite a bit more brash, and less detached and disciplined as Bennett depicts here, but perhaps I had a faulty grasp of Kirk's true nature. Perish the thought. I also found the frequent jumps between timelines overdone and frankly a bit confusing. Anyway, the story details the first meetings between Kirk and both Bones and Spock, all of which I thought were particularly well done and interesting, as were the words of wisdom that Captain Pike imparts on handing over command of the Enterprise to Kirk.
August 7, 2019
I have lost count of the number of Star Trek books I have read over last 30+ years. This is one of the better ones but it is aimed solely at the Trekers not the casual reader this really a hard pot boiler
This set first on Sacagwea Kirk's first main ship them on the Enterprise then on Vega colony well get idea & also jumps times too. Here we hear about cloud entry , the Klingons & their different looks. The first McCoy meeting. It does bounce about lot & has lot blank pages but it is still an entering original Kirk first Season Trek
The biggest problem is this reads more like a collection of short stories than a single one, it does not really have one plot but number of ones. It would have been better off as short story collection. I am not saying it is not good but does get on your nerves jumping time periods .
This set first on Sacagwea Kirk's first main ship them on the Enterprise then on Vega colony well get idea & also jumps times too. Here we hear about cloud entry , the Klingons & their different looks. The first McCoy meeting. It does bounce about lot & has lot blank pages but it is still an entering original Kirk first Season Trek
The biggest problem is this reads more like a collection of short stories than a single one, it does not really have one plot but number of ones. It would have been better off as short story collection. I am not saying it is not good but does get on your nerves jumping time periods .
May 28, 2019
One of the finest Trek novels I've read in some considerable time. Christopher Bennett plays with multiple time periods, multiple characters, and multiple ships without ever losing focus on the influences that shaped James Kirk into the man -- and the captain -- he became. Compelling, engrossing, exciting, and funny...this is everything I always want "Star Trek" to be...and this novel provides all of these things by the bucket-load.
May 31, 2019
I am not a huge TOS reader. However this book kept me engaged through the whole story. It was good to see how Captain Kirk grew over his first command. I thought the author did an excellent job in the character development of all characters involved in the story.
August 10, 2019
Some of the stories in this book are superior to the episodes in the original series.
October 26, 2022
Captain Kirk has a bad reputation in the Joan Jett sense. Specifically, he's considered a rule breaker and a maverick who is headstrong and brash. However, Christopher Bennett and seasoned Star Trekers know that Captain James Tiberius Kirk is not any of those things. He, in fact, always agonized about breaking the rules. Gary Mitchell, if you remember him, even called him a walking textbook.
This book chronicles Captain Kirk's history before his takeover of the Enterprise as well as some early adventures dealing with a very strange hostile alien Navy, a dying race of winged triceratops, a Pre-Warp government faking alien invasions to maintain powers, a race that wants to terraform a dead world, and a few other fascinating stories. It's somewhat episodic but works very well as a "Season 0" of Star Trek: The Original Series.
A very fun and interesting book from beginning to end. It also has an Andorian female main character and automatically gets bonus points.
This book chronicles Captain Kirk's history before his takeover of the Enterprise as well as some early adventures dealing with a very strange hostile alien Navy, a dying race of winged triceratops, a Pre-Warp government faking alien invasions to maintain powers, a race that wants to terraform a dead world, and a few other fascinating stories. It's somewhat episodic but works very well as a "Season 0" of Star Trek: The Original Series.
A very fun and interesting book from beginning to end. It also has an Andorian female main character and automatically gets bonus points.
December 19, 2022
Nothing insanely great but generally entertaining. 3.5 stars
June 14, 2019
Boldly Going with Progressive Ideas: THE CAPTAIN’S OATH
http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
This gives us a look into how Captain Kirk becomes captain of the Enterprise.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions presented herein are my own except as noted.
Considering the daunting task of giving voice to so many characters — more than two genders, countries, species, and planets — I admire the abilities of Robert Petkoff, the narrator of The Captain’s Oath. I especially like how he voices Rhen Sherev, an Andorian Archaeologist who served as his science officer on one command. He somehow makes her human and yet there is some quality that respects her other-worldliness.
To be fair, that isn’t just Petkoff — the character is well-written by Christopher L. Bennett. He sketches a passionate, delicate and strong character who is respected by the other officers. He also writes other characters including a Kirk very different from the posturing, macho character as portrayed by William Shatner. No doubt a product of the time, Mr. Shatner’s Kirk is brash, confident and not a one-woman man. Chris Pine’s Kirk is written as a bit of a brash and heedless officer and a womanizer. This Kirk is more serious, still rambunctious, but more introspective than the character we know. He is written as a man who doesn’t really go for one-night stands, as a man who falls for a woman and falls fast.
This character has a much more progressive and loose interpretation of the Prime Directive. His behaviors and the issues presented are very relevant to today’s politics: reminders that point at current immigration policies as divergent from America’s immigrant roots and our place as a beacon of freedom for the world.
That idea and others of acceptance, freedom, progressive policies, and tolerance are repeated throughout through the plot and subplots. One subplot points to the evil government of a 20th-century level humanoid planet. It reminded me of an episode from the first series. And the characters espousing the ideas are also portrayed as positive, strong, smart, resilient and noble. While the device is obvious, I think putting these ideas forward
When there are many, interestingly named characters common to speculative fiction, I can find it hard to keep track of who is who. At one point I had to return to the beginning of the book. This was exacerbated by the retrospective plotting which switches the story back and forth between Kirk’s first command, the Sacagawea and the book’s present, his current, new command of the Enterprise. But once I caught on and figured out the thread of the story being Kirk’s relationship with his officers and friends: Rhen Sherev, and Doctor McCoy, in particular, I really enjoyed it. The thread is a bird’s eye view into the development of Kirk’s career and leadership style.
If you are a fan, or like sci-fi, or if you just like Captain Kirk, you will probably like The Captain’s Oath. It’s a good reminder that the actor plays the character but is not the character.
http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
This gives us a look into how Captain Kirk becomes captain of the Enterprise.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions presented herein are my own except as noted.
Considering the daunting task of giving voice to so many characters — more than two genders, countries, species, and planets — I admire the abilities of Robert Petkoff, the narrator of The Captain’s Oath. I especially like how he voices Rhen Sherev, an Andorian Archaeologist who served as his science officer on one command. He somehow makes her human and yet there is some quality that respects her other-worldliness.
To be fair, that isn’t just Petkoff — the character is well-written by Christopher L. Bennett. He sketches a passionate, delicate and strong character who is respected by the other officers. He also writes other characters including a Kirk very different from the posturing, macho character as portrayed by William Shatner. No doubt a product of the time, Mr. Shatner’s Kirk is brash, confident and not a one-woman man. Chris Pine’s Kirk is written as a bit of a brash and heedless officer and a womanizer. This Kirk is more serious, still rambunctious, but more introspective than the character we know. He is written as a man who doesn’t really go for one-night stands, as a man who falls for a woman and falls fast.
This character has a much more progressive and loose interpretation of the Prime Directive. His behaviors and the issues presented are very relevant to today’s politics: reminders that point at current immigration policies as divergent from America’s immigrant roots and our place as a beacon of freedom for the world.
That idea and others of acceptance, freedom, progressive policies, and tolerance are repeated throughout through the plot and subplots. One subplot points to the evil government of a 20th-century level humanoid planet. It reminded me of an episode from the first series. And the characters espousing the ideas are also portrayed as positive, strong, smart, resilient and noble. While the device is obvious, I think putting these ideas forward
When there are many, interestingly named characters common to speculative fiction, I can find it hard to keep track of who is who. At one point I had to return to the beginning of the book. This was exacerbated by the retrospective plotting which switches the story back and forth between Kirk’s first command, the Sacagawea and the book’s present, his current, new command of the Enterprise. But once I caught on and figured out the thread of the story being Kirk’s relationship with his officers and friends: Rhen Sherev, and Doctor McCoy, in particular, I really enjoyed it. The thread is a bird’s eye view into the development of Kirk’s career and leadership style.
If you are a fan, or like sci-fi, or if you just like Captain Kirk, you will probably like The Captain’s Oath. It’s a good reminder that the actor plays the character but is not the character.
August 30, 2019
I received a copy of The Captain's Oath from Simon & Schuster Austalia to review.
Rating of 4.5.
Prepare to venture boldly into a new Star Trek: The Original Series tie-in novel which not only tells a deeply compelling story but also looks at several pivotal moments of Captain Kirk’s early Starfleet career that made him the captain we all know and love.
Captain James Tiberius Kirk is known throughout the galaxy as a great warrior, diplomat, explorer and hero. His story as the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise is legendary, but how did a relatively young and inexperienced captain gain the right to take command of Starfleet’s most advanced and famous ship? What drives the young captain to be the best? And where did he get the tendency to bend Starfleet’s many rules in order to do the right thing?
Over three separate timelines set between 2261 and 2265, The Captain’s Oath follows Kirk’s early career as a captain. Looking at both his first command aboard the U.S.S. Sacagawea to his initial missions with the crew of the Enterprise, this book highlights several major conflicts and explorations that Kirk was involved in which shaped his personality and command style. From early conflicts with the Klingons, first contact missions that tested Kirk’s dedication to follow the Prime Directive to the letter, and diplomatic missions that had the potential to lead to war, these experiences will turn him into a captain worthy of the Enterprise.
To see the full review, check out the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2019/08/30/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Rating of 4.5.
Prepare to venture boldly into a new Star Trek: The Original Series tie-in novel which not only tells a deeply compelling story but also looks at several pivotal moments of Captain Kirk’s early Starfleet career that made him the captain we all know and love.
Captain James Tiberius Kirk is known throughout the galaxy as a great warrior, diplomat, explorer and hero. His story as the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise is legendary, but how did a relatively young and inexperienced captain gain the right to take command of Starfleet’s most advanced and famous ship? What drives the young captain to be the best? And where did he get the tendency to bend Starfleet’s many rules in order to do the right thing?
Over three separate timelines set between 2261 and 2265, The Captain’s Oath follows Kirk’s early career as a captain. Looking at both his first command aboard the U.S.S. Sacagawea to his initial missions with the crew of the Enterprise, this book highlights several major conflicts and explorations that Kirk was involved in which shaped his personality and command style. From early conflicts with the Klingons, first contact missions that tested Kirk’s dedication to follow the Prime Directive to the letter, and diplomatic missions that had the potential to lead to war, these experiences will turn him into a captain worthy of the Enterprise.
To see the full review, check out the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2019/08/30/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
July 1, 2021
Rating: 4 stars
This book was dope! Bennett absolutely nails every single character, providing new material while still staying within the realm of possibility is awesome. I am a second generation trekkie (and Whovian for that matter) so I love it when the old eras are brought to modern day audiences. It feels like I grew up with them, even though it was my dad who did, and he shared them with me throughout my childhood.
Ah, I'm out of things to say. It's the last day of the readathon today so I am completely binging everything. I haven't stopped reading since I woke this morning. And (no surprise) I am listening to an audiobook as I write this review. Ok done now. This was like 10% review and 90% blah.
This book was dope! Bennett absolutely nails every single character, providing new material while still staying within the realm of possibility is awesome. I am a second generation trekkie (and Whovian for that matter) so I love it when the old eras are brought to modern day audiences. It feels like I grew up with them, even though it was my dad who did, and he shared them with me throughout my childhood.
Ah, I'm out of things to say. It's the last day of the readathon today so I am completely binging everything. I haven't stopped reading since I woke this morning. And (no surprise) I am listening to an audiobook as I write this review. Ok done now. This was like 10% review and 90% blah.
July 29, 2019
None of the past movie history at all. I was a little worried. What a great capture of the big three voices. Well, Gary can get away with a lot under Kirk. Both adventures were fun but when Mr. Bennett found a perfect way to enter "Young minds, new ideas" Would love to see another trip with Kirk early command but Enterprise awaits.
June 16, 2019
Author Christopher L. Bennett isn't just an amazing science fiction writer, he's also a brilliant Star Trek writer, which isn't an easy thing to accomplish. Star Trek: The Captain's Oath is not only a beautifully written Kirk origin story, it's also a great novel, as well as being one of the better books I have read recently.
I noticed a "reader" on Amazon stated that the Kirk in this book isn't the same one he had always envisioned. After reading this, I wondered which version of Kirk was he referring to - the classic television series, the original movies, or J. J. Abrams' Kirk? To me the novel represents the exact same Kirk from the original series, at least that's how the author wrote the character in this tale to represent.
Speaking of characters, besides from Kirk and Spock, Dr. McCoy, Sulu, Uhura, Gary Mitchell, and the Captain Christopher Pike make appearances throughout the novel.
Overall, Star Trek: The Captain's Oath is a well-written and entertaining read! Out of the handful of Star Trek novels I have read throughout my lifetime, "The Captain's Oath" happens to be the best thanks to a talented author who understands what "Star Trek" is really about - space exploration.
I noticed a "reader" on Amazon stated that the Kirk in this book isn't the same one he had always envisioned. After reading this, I wondered which version of Kirk was he referring to - the classic television series, the original movies, or J. J. Abrams' Kirk? To me the novel represents the exact same Kirk from the original series, at least that's how the author wrote the character in this tale to represent.
Speaking of characters, besides from Kirk and Spock, Dr. McCoy, Sulu, Uhura, Gary Mitchell, and the Captain Christopher Pike make appearances throughout the novel.
Overall, Star Trek: The Captain's Oath is a well-written and entertaining read! Out of the handful of Star Trek novels I have read throughout my lifetime, "The Captain's Oath" happens to be the best thanks to a talented author who understands what "Star Trek" is really about - space exploration.
Read
October 12, 2020DNF at 70%. It didn't have any sort of plot.
January 26, 2021
Good Kirk-centric story that dips in quality in the middle but. nevertheless is accurate and engaging
August 7, 2019
The Captain's Oath kicks off with Kirk taking command of the Enterprise replacing Christopher Pike in the centre seat! :D The Captain's Oath sees Kirk adjusting to his new command and putting his new command crew together while at the same time dealing with the Aulacri who are looking to terraform the Karabos II a planet devastated by a war 4000 years ago in their home system! :D The situation is compounded by the fact the Kirk's former science officer from the USS Sacajawea Rhenas Sherev is leading an Archaeological dig on the planet is digging her feet in as she believes that she has found the remains of the ancient civilization that cannot be lost! :D This of course set in a chain of events that makes use of the Enterprise and Kirk's diplomatic skills to the hilt! :D
At the same time the book uses the people and the situations that Kirk and the Enterprise encounter to flashback to Kirk's first command the USS Sacajawea, a Hermes class vessel, where he ha to deal with a similar situation in regards to an alien race known as the Agni who inhabit Class N planets! :D Through this we get to see where Kirk cut his teeth in command under the overall command of Bob Wesley and the like! :D This is a young Kirk who is still a little formal with his crew but on learning curve that is changing him! :D We also get to see Kirk's first encounters with Leonard 'Sawbones' McCoy and how they hit it off! D The Captain's Oath also has Kirk's first encounter with Spock and this shows how both their competitive natures work together! :D Their Tri-Dimensional Chess battles are hilarious! :D The whole books has a vein of humour through it that adds to the tone of the book! :D
The Captain's Oath engages in epic world building as well as really fleshing out the early history of well known characters! :D It also introduces us to a host of new ones such as Rhenas Sherev, Ensign Diaz, Mehran Egdor, Eshu Adebayo etc all who teach Kirk one way or the other how to be better at Command! :D This of course gives a new light onto the established characters as we see them all learning and developing into the officers they are! :D At the same time with the such a wide range of characters that we see they are bound to pope up in future books! :D The Captain's Oath also features appearances by other famous characters and races for example we see Koloth popping up trading barbs with Kirk while in negotiations to form a peace agreement with the Acamarians! :D The book is full of easter eggs like the Acamarians peace agreement is the one referenced in ST:TNG episode The Vengeance Factor, - you get a really get a Palpatine Yoda vibe off their interactions and it neatly dovetails into the learning curve that you see Kirk and his merry band on! :D The book has relentless pace to it that never lets up and is like white knuckled ride from the start! :D
The Captain's Oath fires on all cylinders from the beginning! :D Bennett has the character jumping through the wringer! :D The Captain's Oath pace is relentless with character development and action on every page! :D The time time-jumping nature of the The Captain's Oath works brilliantly enabling you to compare and contrast the character development as the situation in the Federation and beyond! :D The book neatly gives us an early look as this early version of Kirk and co and works brilliantly as an origin story and an epic adventure! :D The Captain's Oath is full of daring do, cunning opponents, white knuckle rides, heroics, character development, adventure and is action packed! :D Brilliant Crisp High Five! :D Go and Get it! :D
At the same time the book uses the people and the situations that Kirk and the Enterprise encounter to flashback to Kirk's first command the USS Sacajawea, a Hermes class vessel, where he ha to deal with a similar situation in regards to an alien race known as the Agni who inhabit Class N planets! :D Through this we get to see where Kirk cut his teeth in command under the overall command of Bob Wesley and the like! :D This is a young Kirk who is still a little formal with his crew but on learning curve that is changing him! :D We also get to see Kirk's first encounters with Leonard 'Sawbones' McCoy and how they hit it off! D The Captain's Oath also has Kirk's first encounter with Spock and this shows how both their competitive natures work together! :D Their Tri-Dimensional Chess battles are hilarious! :D The whole books has a vein of humour through it that adds to the tone of the book! :D
The Captain's Oath engages in epic world building as well as really fleshing out the early history of well known characters! :D It also introduces us to a host of new ones such as Rhenas Sherev, Ensign Diaz, Mehran Egdor, Eshu Adebayo etc all who teach Kirk one way or the other how to be better at Command! :D This of course gives a new light onto the established characters as we see them all learning and developing into the officers they are! :D At the same time with the such a wide range of characters that we see they are bound to pope up in future books! :D The Captain's Oath also features appearances by other famous characters and races for example we see Koloth popping up trading barbs with Kirk while in negotiations to form a peace agreement with the Acamarians! :D The book is full of easter eggs like the Acamarians peace agreement is the one referenced in ST:TNG episode The Vengeance Factor, - you get a really get a Palpatine Yoda vibe off their interactions and it neatly dovetails into the learning curve that you see Kirk and his merry band on! :D The book has relentless pace to it that never lets up and is like white knuckled ride from the start! :D
The Captain's Oath fires on all cylinders from the beginning! :D Bennett has the character jumping through the wringer! :D The Captain's Oath pace is relentless with character development and action on every page! :D The time time-jumping nature of the The Captain's Oath works brilliantly enabling you to compare and contrast the character development as the situation in the Federation and beyond! :D The book neatly gives us an early look as this early version of Kirk and co and works brilliantly as an origin story and an epic adventure! :D The Captain's Oath is full of daring do, cunning opponents, white knuckle rides, heroics, character development, adventure and is action packed! :D Brilliant Crisp High Five! :D Go and Get it! :D
December 25, 2025
2023 Review 75. Star Trek The Original Series The Captain's Oath by Christopher L. Bennett, narrated by Robert Petkoff
Audio book length : 11 hours 58 minutes
This was another fantastic book set mostly before Star Trek The Original Series.
I have previously read details of Captain James T. Kirk's early career in Michael Jan Friedman's My Brother's Keeper series of 3 books which also contain details of his friendship with Gary Mitchell.
This book's fantastic story is primarily set aboard the USS Sacagawea which was Captain Kirk's command prior to the Enterprise.
Introducing a fantastic cast of characters including Rhenas Sherev, Eshu Adebayo, Kamisha Diaz, Mehran Egdor and Leonard McCoy to name a few, this book focuses on what Kirk did to earn command of the USS Enterprise when Captain Christopher Pike decided to accept promotion to fleet captain.
This book also contains missions of Kirk's early command period of the USS Enterprise, introducing the crew members from that ship including Spock, Sulu and Kelso.
The time lines change quite a bit between the Sacagawea and the Enterprise but as these are fairly close together it doesn't make it hard to keep up especially when you are dealing with some of the same characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Robert Petkoff did a fantastic job narrating the various characters.
I am actually considering buying this book for my collection as it will be a fantastic addition to it.
This is my 5th book finished during the #greatspaceread
5*
*****
Audio book length : 11 hours 58 minutes
This was another fantastic book set mostly before Star Trek The Original Series.
I have previously read details of Captain James T. Kirk's early career in Michael Jan Friedman's My Brother's Keeper series of 3 books which also contain details of his friendship with Gary Mitchell.
This book's fantastic story is primarily set aboard the USS Sacagawea which was Captain Kirk's command prior to the Enterprise.
Introducing a fantastic cast of characters including Rhenas Sherev, Eshu Adebayo, Kamisha Diaz, Mehran Egdor and Leonard McCoy to name a few, this book focuses on what Kirk did to earn command of the USS Enterprise when Captain Christopher Pike decided to accept promotion to fleet captain.
This book also contains missions of Kirk's early command period of the USS Enterprise, introducing the crew members from that ship including Spock, Sulu and Kelso.
The time lines change quite a bit between the Sacagawea and the Enterprise but as these are fairly close together it doesn't make it hard to keep up especially when you are dealing with some of the same characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Robert Petkoff did a fantastic job narrating the various characters.
I am actually considering buying this book for my collection as it will be a fantastic addition to it.
This is my 5th book finished during the #greatspaceread
5*
*****
May 30, 2019
James T. Kirk became the youngest captain in Starfleet. As the commanding officer of the U.S.S. 'Sacagewea', he cemented his reputation as a man who could play by the rules and find a simple, diplomatic, solution to most problems. This reputation led Captain Christopher Pike to recommend Kirk as his replacement on the U.S.S. 'Enterprise'.
Bennett's biographical novel fills in some of the missing stages of Kirk's career and manages to do this without stepping on too many competing origin stories.
Bennett's biographical novel fills in some of the missing stages of Kirk's career and manages to do this without stepping on too many competing origin stories.
April 7, 2020
This is an excellent look at several key points in Kirk's career, all from before we see him at the beginning of the original five year mission. (Actually, one of the points is after he takes command of the Enterprise, but before "Where No Man Has Gone Before".) It's very well-written, fits well into the canon, and only just barely misses being impressive enough to rate a fifth star. Worth reading for any fan of the series, and particularly for any fan of Kirk's.
November 21, 2020
Social justice odure
Could of been a good book, but the idiot author chose to be a whiny sjw. Kirk only a captain due to privilege my butt. At least I know not to waste any more time or money on this idiot or his version of Star Trek.
Could of been a good book, but the idiot author chose to be a whiny sjw. Kirk only a captain due to privilege my butt. At least I know not to waste any more time or money on this idiot or his version of Star Trek.
June 25, 2021
So much potential in this book. The author is a gifted storyteller, but tended to drag the reader back into reality by getting too ‘preachy’ about current social/political issues which could have easily been left out.
November 11, 2024
I liked the book a lot. We actually get to hear the oath—basically the first page of the book. I was kind of trepidatious on reading this as seems to cover a lot of the same ground as Enterprise: The First Adventure by Vonda N McIntyre but on thinking it out I realized that a lot of time in the real world has passed since that novel came out and probably much of it had been contravened by new canon that an updated look would be an interesting proposal. Add to the fact that Christopher L Bennett—whose earlier work Ex Machina was fantastic—wrote the new accounting I decided to unclutch my pearls and dive in
He starts by opening the book on what is essentially Kirk’s very first day in command as he takes the ship out for what he terms a “milk run” of a mission but all good Trekkies know what happens on an Enterprise shake-down cruise, don’t we? However, Bennett takes his time at arriving at that drama by basically opening flashbacks within flashbacks, usually a literary crime, but since he structures each time period as a different chapter, I gave him a pass on it
Bennett has a soft touch not only on utilizing established lore but on expanding it. The best example is the way he quietly gives the explanation of why after so many years of service as an officer, it was not until the TOS episode Galileo 7 that Spock commanded his first away mission (which was something I always thought was strange, given his high competency and ability). During a long getting-to-know-you conversation with Kirk, Spock states “I have no interest in pursuing a command position. I am a scientist first. That is the role for which my skills are best suited.” With one sentence the situation no longer seems so strange. Other things I really liked were his introduction of Sulu, who we first see in a fencing match in the Enterprise’s gymnasium and the exploration of Kirk’s friendship with Gary Mitchell that in turn makes the events of the TOS episode Where No Man Has Gone Before that more tragic.
Bennett also manages to give out a new example of Why We Don’t Mess With McCoy (other examples are littered throughout TOS, the best of which is his initial encounter with Khan Noonien Singh in Space Seed) where he barges unarmed onto the field of a negotiation-by-combat to speak (berate, really) truth to power to the overseers right in front of a the very adrenaline pumped gladiator opposing the Federation delegate. I could hear DeForrest Kelly’s voice as I read McCoy’s rant—beautifully done.
Not everything worked as well as I would have liked. One of the flashbacks involves the traditional pre-warp world landing party claiming that they were from a “distant land you have likely not heard of before” who inevitably get captured by the authorities. Unlike most of the TOS episodes this trope emulates, this time the landing party comes into a post-atomic 20th Century environment where I really don’t think such clunky language would work well.
At its heart there are two major conflicts in the book: one revolves around a very non-human race called the Agni who collectively encroach upon Federation space. For most of the novel, their motives remain a mystery and it is vital that mystery be solved. The second involves a conflict between historical and cultural preservation and the need to develop an area of land to fit the needs of a living, growing population. Both of these are resolved well and in the best Trek tradition, both have special resonance with certain political issues that cause a stir in the year 2024. To say more would give too much away
I feel compelled to complain once more about the structure of the book: the constant jumps in time I found a little difficult to navigate, mainly because of the very limited time I had to read let some of the context in each segment escape my attention span. Having said that, it was a good book overall with a solid ending. I may try rereading the book couple of years down the line to see what I missed—should be a fun time
He starts by opening the book on what is essentially Kirk’s very first day in command as he takes the ship out for what he terms a “milk run” of a mission but all good Trekkies know what happens on an Enterprise shake-down cruise, don’t we? However, Bennett takes his time at arriving at that drama by basically opening flashbacks within flashbacks, usually a literary crime, but since he structures each time period as a different chapter, I gave him a pass on it
Bennett has a soft touch not only on utilizing established lore but on expanding it. The best example is the way he quietly gives the explanation of why after so many years of service as an officer, it was not until the TOS episode Galileo 7 that Spock commanded his first away mission (which was something I always thought was strange, given his high competency and ability). During a long getting-to-know-you conversation with Kirk, Spock states “I have no interest in pursuing a command position. I am a scientist first. That is the role for which my skills are best suited.” With one sentence the situation no longer seems so strange. Other things I really liked were his introduction of Sulu, who we first see in a fencing match in the Enterprise’s gymnasium and the exploration of Kirk’s friendship with Gary Mitchell that in turn makes the events of the TOS episode Where No Man Has Gone Before that more tragic.
Bennett also manages to give out a new example of Why We Don’t Mess With McCoy (other examples are littered throughout TOS, the best of which is his initial encounter with Khan Noonien Singh in Space Seed) where he barges unarmed onto the field of a negotiation-by-combat to speak (berate, really) truth to power to the overseers right in front of a the very adrenaline pumped gladiator opposing the Federation delegate. I could hear DeForrest Kelly’s voice as I read McCoy’s rant—beautifully done.
Not everything worked as well as I would have liked. One of the flashbacks involves the traditional pre-warp world landing party claiming that they were from a “distant land you have likely not heard of before” who inevitably get captured by the authorities. Unlike most of the TOS episodes this trope emulates, this time the landing party comes into a post-atomic 20th Century environment where I really don’t think such clunky language would work well.
At its heart there are two major conflicts in the book: one revolves around a very non-human race called the Agni who collectively encroach upon Federation space. For most of the novel, their motives remain a mystery and it is vital that mystery be solved. The second involves a conflict between historical and cultural preservation and the need to develop an area of land to fit the needs of a living, growing population. Both of these are resolved well and in the best Trek tradition, both have special resonance with certain political issues that cause a stir in the year 2024. To say more would give too much away
I feel compelled to complain once more about the structure of the book: the constant jumps in time I found a little difficult to navigate, mainly because of the very limited time I had to read let some of the context in each segment escape my attention span. Having said that, it was a good book overall with a solid ending. I may try rereading the book couple of years down the line to see what I missed—should be a fun time
February 20, 2024
GOD I HATE THESE OVER-SIZED PAPERBACKS!!!
Christopher L. Bennett is one of my favorite Star Trek writers. A writer who truly ‘gets it’ and remembers why when done well the setting can be great.
So it’s no stretch to want to enjoy one of his latest.
This appears to be the story of James Kirk’s first voyage on the Enterprise. And of course, looking around at the personnel on the bridge, we see Philip Alden, Sarah Lopez and Lee Kelso. He even puts Nyota Uhura on the navigation station due to her cross-training.
See what I mean? He ‘gets it’!
“McCoy has spent the past year on assignment to Starfleet Medical, providing care and health education to pre-industrial civilizations that were already aware of alien life—usually because they had been contacted before the Prime Directive was established, or by some other civilization that had no Prime Directive.”
This is the story of the early career of James Kirk, and it bounces around from his time on the Enterprise, the Sacajawea, and the Somerville ships. He confronts some unknown aliens, some hard decisions and some transfers of personnel.
We meet Gary Mitchell, and an Andorian female named Rhenas Sherev, and some others along the way. All great characters it’s fun to know.
There’s a little bit of weirdness that suggests there was another first officer of the Enterprise before Spock, but I could have that wrong.
All in all it’s fun reading.
It’s got a great plot that shows that even when the Prime Directive is correctly interpreted (looking at you TNG, VOY, DS9, ENT) it can still cause a dilemma!
“Perhaps we will even film your vivisection and run it in the theaters. It will be educational so there will be no reason to turn away the children.”
“We can track communicators, but no the phasers.”
Great space battles with a truly alien foe! I don’t bother to check to see if the science is correct (mostly because I don’t know how) but it sure sounds good without being ‘technobabble’ (obviously meaningless gobbledy-gook).
There’s a fantastic illustration on the cover of one of the ships they are fighting and it’s really nice to get a picture of something that might be hard to imagine.
“With the Skorr ambassadorial party now safely delivered to the conference with their Aurelian cousins, we have remanded the pirates who abducted them to the nearby Ixion II penal colony.”
It’s great when an author captures the voice of a character who only had a brief time on screen but is given a full history that makes him even more beloved. Here it’s Gary Mitchell.
“Adebayo sighed. ‘The transporters are always the first to go.’”
“We like to tell ourselves we’re enlightened. That we’re more peaceful, more open-minded than the other civilizations out there.”
This is mostly two books for the price of one. Both early adventures in James Kirk’s life.
In one, he has to deal with an alien invasion by people who are so alien they may not even understand that they are invading.
In the Enterprise story he has to decide to allow priceless ancient artifacts to be destroyed or sabotage the planet’s terraforming attempts.
Both a great yarns with diplomacy and action.
Once again a great and insightful Star Trek novel by a favorite author.
He also created a fix for the Enterprise being able to get to the edge of the galaxy in such a short time, which is an appreciated patch!
I can’t help but give it 5 stars (if you are a Star Trek Fan you must read this) and will keep it. I just wish it wasn’t so large!
Christopher L. Bennett is one of my favorite Star Trek writers. A writer who truly ‘gets it’ and remembers why when done well the setting can be great.
So it’s no stretch to want to enjoy one of his latest.
This appears to be the story of James Kirk’s first voyage on the Enterprise. And of course, looking around at the personnel on the bridge, we see Philip Alden, Sarah Lopez and Lee Kelso. He even puts Nyota Uhura on the navigation station due to her cross-training.
See what I mean? He ‘gets it’!
“McCoy has spent the past year on assignment to Starfleet Medical, providing care and health education to pre-industrial civilizations that were already aware of alien life—usually because they had been contacted before the Prime Directive was established, or by some other civilization that had no Prime Directive.”
This is the story of the early career of James Kirk, and it bounces around from his time on the Enterprise, the Sacajawea, and the Somerville ships. He confronts some unknown aliens, some hard decisions and some transfers of personnel.
We meet Gary Mitchell, and an Andorian female named Rhenas Sherev, and some others along the way. All great characters it’s fun to know.
There’s a little bit of weirdness that suggests there was another first officer of the Enterprise before Spock, but I could have that wrong.
All in all it’s fun reading.
It’s got a great plot that shows that even when the Prime Directive is correctly interpreted (looking at you TNG, VOY, DS9, ENT) it can still cause a dilemma!
“Perhaps we will even film your vivisection and run it in the theaters. It will be educational so there will be no reason to turn away the children.”
“We can track communicators, but no the phasers.”
Great space battles with a truly alien foe! I don’t bother to check to see if the science is correct (mostly because I don’t know how) but it sure sounds good without being ‘technobabble’ (obviously meaningless gobbledy-gook).
There’s a fantastic illustration on the cover of one of the ships they are fighting and it’s really nice to get a picture of something that might be hard to imagine.
“With the Skorr ambassadorial party now safely delivered to the conference with their Aurelian cousins, we have remanded the pirates who abducted them to the nearby Ixion II penal colony.”
It’s great when an author captures the voice of a character who only had a brief time on screen but is given a full history that makes him even more beloved. Here it’s Gary Mitchell.
“Adebayo sighed. ‘The transporters are always the first to go.’”
“We like to tell ourselves we’re enlightened. That we’re more peaceful, more open-minded than the other civilizations out there.”
This is mostly two books for the price of one. Both early adventures in James Kirk’s life.
In one, he has to deal with an alien invasion by people who are so alien they may not even understand that they are invading.
In the Enterprise story he has to decide to allow priceless ancient artifacts to be destroyed or sabotage the planet’s terraforming attempts.
Both a great yarns with diplomacy and action.
Once again a great and insightful Star Trek novel by a favorite author.
He also created a fix for the Enterprise being able to get to the edge of the galaxy in such a short time, which is an appreciated patch!
I can’t help but give it 5 stars (if you are a Star Trek Fan you must read this) and will keep it. I just wish it wasn’t so large!
November 5, 2021
If you like the Original Series, I believe you'll love this book. There are so many tie ins and references and characters from the Original Series in this book that I couldn't keep track of them. Christopher Bennett does an excellent job of connecting everyone and everything in the story together.
Where this book shines is its absolute "Trekkieness". New species? Check. Intolerant Federation people who need to learn a lesson? Check. New weapons and technologies? Check. Defying orders? Check. You name it, this book has it. This book is massive in how much story it fits in. Clocking in at 380 pages, Bennett never takes his foot off of the gas.
Unfortunately, that was a downside of the book at times. This book has lots of time jumps and flips back and forth between timelines. I only know TOS nominally, especially the early parts of TOS, so there were times in this book, particularly in the middle, where I got confused on what was happening. I had to try to remember which species was which and which crew was which. There were so many different crews, planets, species, etc. that it wasn't until the very end of the story that I fully grasped all of the plotlines. It also wasn't until the last 70 pages that I was really hooked into the story.
That being said, Bennett does an excellent time exploring Kirk's Captaincy of the Sacagawea and of the first few weeks of his captaincy of the Enterprise. I'm sure that this book overwrites many other Trek books which have explored this timeframe, but Bennett does an excellent job of making it feel like it truly belongs in the timeline. I can definitely see why Bennett has gotten 3 books in a row for TOS.
Unfortunately, this book was lacking in a certain element that knocks it down a notch: Fun. Earlier this year, I read an reviewed "The Antares Maelstrom" by Greg Cox, which was an absolutely fun and joyous ride of a book, which had a clear focus and some deep themes. This book however, seems to jerk all around and while it's focus is Kirk's early years, it lacks a timeline focus that it should have had. This could easily have been 3 books where each story was stretched out and the characters were more developed. As a result, the characters only developed somewhat when they could have been developed a lot more. And this book just didn't have an element of fun. The read was so serious that it was tedious at times.
Also, this book reads in some places as "preachy". All Star Trek books have a certain worldview slant, and all Star Trek books will push certain themes and lifestyles of characters. It is just inevitable. However, this book feels like it went out of its way to condemn those who disagree with that worldview, and it was just frustrating at times. It had the worldview writing style that the newer shows have(Discovery, Picard) as opposed to what the TOS had. It definitely has a TOS feeling in its worldbuilding and characters and even diction, but not in its worldview choices.
Overall, this is a very well written book with some great plot and themes and characters, but struggles with a single focus. Bennett writes a story worthy to actually be an episode of the Original Series, but his episode(s) may have been too boring to be among the greatest. Still, a fine story overall. 7.5 out of 10!
Where this book shines is its absolute "Trekkieness". New species? Check. Intolerant Federation people who need to learn a lesson? Check. New weapons and technologies? Check. Defying orders? Check. You name it, this book has it. This book is massive in how much story it fits in. Clocking in at 380 pages, Bennett never takes his foot off of the gas.
Unfortunately, that was a downside of the book at times. This book has lots of time jumps and flips back and forth between timelines. I only know TOS nominally, especially the early parts of TOS, so there were times in this book, particularly in the middle, where I got confused on what was happening. I had to try to remember which species was which and which crew was which. There were so many different crews, planets, species, etc. that it wasn't until the very end of the story that I fully grasped all of the plotlines. It also wasn't until the last 70 pages that I was really hooked into the story.
That being said, Bennett does an excellent time exploring Kirk's Captaincy of the Sacagawea and of the first few weeks of his captaincy of the Enterprise. I'm sure that this book overwrites many other Trek books which have explored this timeframe, but Bennett does an excellent job of making it feel like it truly belongs in the timeline. I can definitely see why Bennett has gotten 3 books in a row for TOS.
Unfortunately, this book was lacking in a certain element that knocks it down a notch: Fun. Earlier this year, I read an reviewed "The Antares Maelstrom" by Greg Cox, which was an absolutely fun and joyous ride of a book, which had a clear focus and some deep themes. This book however, seems to jerk all around and while it's focus is Kirk's early years, it lacks a timeline focus that it should have had. This could easily have been 3 books where each story was stretched out and the characters were more developed. As a result, the characters only developed somewhat when they could have been developed a lot more. And this book just didn't have an element of fun. The read was so serious that it was tedious at times.
Also, this book reads in some places as "preachy". All Star Trek books have a certain worldview slant, and all Star Trek books will push certain themes and lifestyles of characters. It is just inevitable. However, this book feels like it went out of its way to condemn those who disagree with that worldview, and it was just frustrating at times. It had the worldview writing style that the newer shows have(Discovery, Picard) as opposed to what the TOS had. It definitely has a TOS feeling in its worldbuilding and characters and even diction, but not in its worldview choices.
Overall, this is a very well written book with some great plot and themes and characters, but struggles with a single focus. Bennett writes a story worthy to actually be an episode of the Original Series, but his episode(s) may have been too boring to be among the greatest. Still, a fine story overall. 7.5 out of 10!
May 19, 2021
Captain Jim Kirk has just taken command of the USS Enterprise, and already he has a tricky situation on his hands. It should be simple: pick up a team of archaeologists who were investigating a site prior to an extensive terraforming project removing any possibility of exploring the ruins of a destroyed civilization. Three comets are within range of the system, and with a little manipulation they can serve to start making the planet habitable again. The lead archaeologist is a former Starfleet officer, one who served as Kirk’s science officer on his first command, but her intransigence is complicating a delicate timeline. To achieve a solution that satisfies both parties, Kirk must draw on his past experiences and accumulated wisdom, balancing passion and prudence. Bennett incorporates Kirk’s entire command experience into the story, jumping from past to present in succeeding chapters to explore the bond Kirk has with his crew, and the effect they and his previous challenges have had in molding his character. Bennett provides his customary winning mix of solid characterization, Trek adventure, and scientific plausibility.
Captain’s Oath welds together two episodes of Kirk’s earlier history as a captain, fusing them with his unexpected dilemma on the Enterprise’s first voyage under his command. As the interlaced stories develop, so to does the familiar character of Kirk: the reader witnesses him becoming the man we know from the original series. The original show had a perfect trio in Kirk, McCoy, and Spock, as the captain balanced the emotional and dispassionate forces of his two best friends and ablest advisors, but young Kirk had to strike different balances — and was, in fact, the serious, focused one among his early bridge crews! The trials that Kirk endures in his first two commands, which Bennett explores here, do not have perfect resolutions; fate always seems to extract its pound of flesh. They sharpen and season young Kirk, though, giving him better judgment, more confidence in his instincts, more willingness to act beyond the rules and regulations and fulfill the spirit of Starfleet’s orders if not their letter. Kirk’s personableness remains an important part of his character and the book, as his bonds those he’s served with — even those who have left the service — push him to be the best he can be, to never fail in the face of obstacles or frustrations.
Definitely a good one for TOS & Kirk fans, and especially for those interested in the Kirk-Mitchell friendship.
Captain’s Oath welds together two episodes of Kirk’s earlier history as a captain, fusing them with his unexpected dilemma on the Enterprise’s first voyage under his command. As the interlaced stories develop, so to does the familiar character of Kirk: the reader witnesses him becoming the man we know from the original series. The original show had a perfect trio in Kirk, McCoy, and Spock, as the captain balanced the emotional and dispassionate forces of his two best friends and ablest advisors, but young Kirk had to strike different balances — and was, in fact, the serious, focused one among his early bridge crews! The trials that Kirk endures in his first two commands, which Bennett explores here, do not have perfect resolutions; fate always seems to extract its pound of flesh. They sharpen and season young Kirk, though, giving him better judgment, more confidence in his instincts, more willingness to act beyond the rules and regulations and fulfill the spirit of Starfleet’s orders if not their letter. Kirk’s personableness remains an important part of his character and the book, as his bonds those he’s served with — even those who have left the service — push him to be the best he can be, to never fail in the face of obstacles or frustrations.
Definitely a good one for TOS & Kirk fans, and especially for those interested in the Kirk-Mitchell friendship.
March 30, 2022
James T. Kirk.
Over the last fifty-five years, he's become one of science fiction's most iconic characters. Yet, in that time, we've only been given the rarest of glimpses into who he was before he took over the center seat on the Enterprise bridge. Exploring Kirk's earliest days as a starship captain is Christopher L. Bennett's 2019 novel The Captain's Oath.
Calling this a novel feels like something of a misnomer. It has the page count, given it ran slightly over 300 pages in its Kindle edition. It also has scope, with Bennett taking on both Kirk's time as captain of his first starship, the scout ship Sacagawea, and some of the lead. Yet what The Captain's Oath is at Bennett's pen is, in essence, a series of linked short stories. It moves around in time, nominally anchored in the early weeks of Kirk's time on Enterprise but flashing back to the events of his time as captain of the Sacagawea. In doing so, Bennett reveals the man who will be captain through his early battles with Klingons (including one familiar to fans of a particular classic Original Series episode) to encounters with the very alien race known as the Agni.
Make no mistake about it, Captain's Oath is a book as much about characters as anything else. Or, rather, a character in particular. As Bennett says in the acknowledgments, part of his goal in writing the book was to take down some of the myths around Kirk. It's become far too easy to caricature to suggest Kirk was a simple character, a man of action with a girl on every planet. As Captain's Oath reminds fans, that wasn't the case and especially wasn't in the inaugural season of Trek. That's something that also comes out in Kirk's friendships, from familiar characters like McCoy or Gary Mitchell to his Andorian first officer on the Sacagewea Rhenas Sherev. If Bennett set out to make readers think again about how they perceive Kirk, then, without question, he succeeded.
And that is reason enough to give The Captain's Oath a read.
Over the last fifty-five years, he's become one of science fiction's most iconic characters. Yet, in that time, we've only been given the rarest of glimpses into who he was before he took over the center seat on the Enterprise bridge. Exploring Kirk's earliest days as a starship captain is Christopher L. Bennett's 2019 novel The Captain's Oath.
Calling this a novel feels like something of a misnomer. It has the page count, given it ran slightly over 300 pages in its Kindle edition. It also has scope, with Bennett taking on both Kirk's time as captain of his first starship, the scout ship Sacagawea, and some of the lead. Yet what The Captain's Oath is at Bennett's pen is, in essence, a series of linked short stories. It moves around in time, nominally anchored in the early weeks of Kirk's time on Enterprise but flashing back to the events of his time as captain of the Sacagawea. In doing so, Bennett reveals the man who will be captain through his early battles with Klingons (including one familiar to fans of a particular classic Original Series episode) to encounters with the very alien race known as the Agni.
Make no mistake about it, Captain's Oath is a book as much about characters as anything else. Or, rather, a character in particular. As Bennett says in the acknowledgments, part of his goal in writing the book was to take down some of the myths around Kirk. It's become far too easy to caricature to suggest Kirk was a simple character, a man of action with a girl on every planet. As Captain's Oath reminds fans, that wasn't the case and especially wasn't in the inaugural season of Trek. That's something that also comes out in Kirk's friendships, from familiar characters like McCoy or Gary Mitchell to his Andorian first officer on the Sacagewea Rhenas Sherev. If Bennett set out to make readers think again about how they perceive Kirk, then, without question, he succeeded.
And that is reason enough to give The Captain's Oath a read.
August 19, 2019
Christopher L. Bennett's "The Captain's Oath" is an original series novel split across parts of 2 time periods which deals with essentially the path that took James T. Kirk to become the captain of the Enterprise. The first story line is set in 2262 & follows the adventures of the USS Sacagawea as the ship deals with a threat from a species eventually known as the Agni who are far more than they intend to be. The 2nd story line set in 2265 just after Kirk assumes command of the Enterprise deals with an archaeological dig involving a planet called Karabos II which is in the process of wanting to be terraformed by a race called the Aulacri who are trying to become members of the Federation. While at times the parallel narratives can be confusing to follow, Bennett does the best job he can to keep things separate & also guides we the reader through the path that will take Kirk to where is when we first meet in him the Original Series. There's also a nice use of Pike's Enterprise which shows the decision that his character made to take the promotion to Fleet Captain & eventually have Kirk take over his ship. The book itself (assuming you can keep track of the parallel stories) is actually an interesting read & a very nice prequel to the events of the Original Series which has at times been missing in the Original Series fiction as of late.
March 23, 2023
Anyone who’s heard me talk about Star Trek at length knows how much I love “Where No Man Has Gone Before” and wish more could’ve been done with Gary Mitchell before his death. This novel shows his and Kirk’s friendship prior to that in spades. At times, Mitchell kind of feels like the Kirk stereotype we have in our heads sometimes, replacing what Kirk is actually like. I love how we see events that shape Kirk into who he is, leading into that pilot episode and adding more weight to the loss of Gary when we know how much he meant to Kirk.
There’s also funny foreshadowing of the fact Kirk and Spock will be friends, and we see how McCoy got the nickname Sawbones and later got it shortened to Bones. The story gives enough explanation for why the personnel is different in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” And theres a nice exchange between Kirk and Pike about the crew being like a family.
It’s kind of wild that this book was greenlit at a time when Star Trek: Discovery was essentially redefining the TOS era, more or less. Given that Kirk has not met Pike prior to their exchange in this, one cannot fit this into the Prime Timeline, given what I remember of Strange New Worlds. But the moments are still compelling and emotional regardless.
There’s also funny foreshadowing of the fact Kirk and Spock will be friends, and we see how McCoy got the nickname Sawbones and later got it shortened to Bones. The story gives enough explanation for why the personnel is different in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” And theres a nice exchange between Kirk and Pike about the crew being like a family.
It’s kind of wild that this book was greenlit at a time when Star Trek: Discovery was essentially redefining the TOS era, more or less. Given that Kirk has not met Pike prior to their exchange in this, one cannot fit this into the Prime Timeline, given what I remember of Strange New Worlds. But the moments are still compelling and emotional regardless.
August 17, 2019
One of the most tedious Trek books I've ever read. Bennett's dialogue and monologue goes on for pages at a time. I like stories that are non or multi linear but this just didn't work. It was slightly better in the last chapter but it was too little, too late. Bennett's Ex Machina was excellent, this was the opposite.
The book could easily have been a third or half its size, to tell the same story. The bad language was wholly unnecessary, as was the 'alternate lifestyle' stuff. It was leftie propaganda in certain parts. I thought Trek fiction had reached its low point with the 50th anniversary trilogy about those alternate dimension snail aliens but this was plumbing the depths too.
In one of the story threads, there was a virtual lift from the film Arrival (itself a lousy film from an equally lousy short story), I thought Bennett could have chosen a better property to rip off.
There have been great Trek novels over the years, between the late 1960s to early 2000s. Since then, they have been uniformly poor. We need better storytellers. Bennett, Cox and others have outstayed their welcome.
The book could easily have been a third or half its size, to tell the same story. The bad language was wholly unnecessary, as was the 'alternate lifestyle' stuff. It was leftie propaganda in certain parts. I thought Trek fiction had reached its low point with the 50th anniversary trilogy about those alternate dimension snail aliens but this was plumbing the depths too.
In one of the story threads, there was a virtual lift from the film Arrival (itself a lousy film from an equally lousy short story), I thought Bennett could have chosen a better property to rip off.
There have been great Trek novels over the years, between the late 1960s to early 2000s. Since then, they have been uniformly poor. We need better storytellers. Bennett, Cox and others have outstayed their welcome.
May 13, 2020
This was a fun read, sort of like the novelization of a cluster of original series episodes, but all pre-TOS and most of them on a different ship and with a lot of crew members and Starfleet officers we haven't met before now.
I used to read a lot more Star Trek novels when I was younger, but I've been migrating back a little over the last few years, and it's for books like this one. Stories that give me the feel of that original series, pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human and solving problems and helping people/species because it's the right thing to do. Nothing against the multi-book epics and crossovers that seem to be more and more common as time goes on, but it's the standalone adventures that work best for me, and this is a solid example.
Rounding up to 5 stars from 4.5. There are a small handful of little things that rubbed me just a little bit wrong with a couple of the characters whose fates we already know, but most of that does fit in with the story being told and how the characters (especially Kirk) would have seen things at the time. Not nearly enough for me to penalize by rounding down, though.
I used to read a lot more Star Trek novels when I was younger, but I've been migrating back a little over the last few years, and it's for books like this one. Stories that give me the feel of that original series, pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human and solving problems and helping people/species because it's the right thing to do. Nothing against the multi-book epics and crossovers that seem to be more and more common as time goes on, but it's the standalone adventures that work best for me, and this is a solid example.
Rounding up to 5 stars from 4.5. There are a small handful of little things that rubbed me just a little bit wrong with a couple of the characters whose fates we already know, but most of that does fit in with the story being told and how the characters (especially Kirk) would have seen things at the time. Not nearly enough for me to penalize by rounding down, though.
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