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In 2001's critically acclaimed Avatar novels, author S.D. Perry set the tone and the course for the continuation of Star Deep Space Nine®, a controversial television phenomenon hailed by TV Guide as "the best acted, written, produced, and altogether finest" incarnation of Star Trek®. Since then, the DS9 saga has grown in complexity and momentum, attracting an ever-growing audience to novels about which one reviewer raved, "In these pages, DS9 truly lives again." Now, following her triumphs with Avatar and Rising Son, S. D. Perry returns for a landmark tale celebrating DS9's tenth anniversary year. On the eve of Bajor's formal entry into the Federation, First Minister Shakaar was assassinated, derailing the induction and plunging the planet and station Deep Space 9™ into chaos. Investigation into the murder revealed the presence of a parasitic conspiracy threatening not only Bajor's future with the Federation, but the very survival of both. At the same time, the fracturing of Bajor's theology has put its people on the threshold of a startling transformation -- and the consequences now rest on the shoulders of Colonel Kira Nerys, who months ago defied the religious authority of her planet by making public an ancient heretical text that challenged the very foundation of the Bajoran faith. Now, after a harrowing and historic voyage of exploration in the Gamma Quadrant, the weary, wounded crew of Starship Defiant is at last coming home. But the joy of their return is short-lived as the crew becomes swept up in the crisis aboard the station, with many of them confronting personal issues that force them to make life-altering choices. Among those is a grief-stricken Commander Elias Vaughn, who reaches a crossroads in his life's journey and learns the true purpose for which he was Touched by the Prophets...as well as the ultimate fate of Captain Benjamin Sisko. And...somewhere on Bajor...a child long awaited is about to be born.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2003
83 people are currently reading
656 people want to read
About the author
S.D. Perry
82 books816 followersSD Perry (Stephani Danelle, by the way, though she prefers SD or Danelle) has been writing novelizations and tie-ins for most of her adult life. Best known for her work in the shared multiverses of Resident Evil, Star Trek, and Aliens, SD is a horror nerd and an introvert. Her father is acclaimed science fiction author Steve Perry. SD lives with her family in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
April 3, 2017
There were moments that were ok, others that I loved. Was not really into the whole parasite plot but was invested more in each character's personal journey (which I found some to be very touching). Still, this is a solid entry into the deep space nine books, with surprise appearances. It's ending was very fitting.
November 28, 2025
As with other books in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 8 series, Unity is too long. I really don't understand why the author and editor would sacrifice the fast pace typical of an action-adeventure book just to make it 300 instead of 200 pages long. The first 60 pages of the novel were just characters catching up to events that the readers already knew from previous books. I guess this is the price to pay when you try to write a long book with little ideas. I mean, reading for the n-th time how every character is feeling (unchanged for the last few books, anyway) was extremely tiresome.
March 16, 2018
This is certainly not a book to come to cold, especially if you are unfamiliar with the continuation of the story of "Deep Space Nine", following the events of the series finale on television. That said, those Trekkies who haven't read all the post-Ds9 finale novels are helped by a wonderful "previously on Ds9" timeline at the beginning of the novel. As for the story itself, it certainly has a massive amount of plot sitting on its shoulders...but by the halfway mark of the book, the story is successfully hurtling towards its conclusion at warp 9. As a wrap up of the first stage of the Ds9 timeline continuation, it succeeds most satisfactorily.
December 5, 2017
An exhilarating "season finale" to the post-canon "season 8" books. Provided emotionally satisfying closure for character arcs. Tied up all the politics plot threads in a heart-racing conclusion -- I stayed up way past my bedtime captivated by the twists and excitement. I enjoyed that Trill more world-building, though I admit that I expected a deeper conspiracy with the Trill government and the parasites, so that was a bit of a letdown. Overall an excellent bookend to Avatar 1/2.
May 23, 2022
damn, but it was so nice to be back on the station. I wanted more of everything at the end, and like, maybe to see certain reunions? No? Okay. I'm taking what I can get.
January 28, 2019
4 ½ stars. I really, really liked this novel. The story with the parasites wanting to take over and have their way was a perfect example of a kind of a story that I would like. I like the mystery of it all. We don't really know all that much about these parasites to begin with, and they're really creepy. A few people from Trill has a bit more knowledge, though, which is interesting in itself. What is the connection there?
And I love the relationships and how they're portrayed. The characters and their connection to each other is after all what really makes the story into what it is. What makes it great. I'm drawn in to the background that Dax have with the parasites. I just love Kira's strength. I admire how Shar struggles with his whole situation with such dignity and how he stands up for himself. I'm interested to see where everything goes with Ro and Quark, and what they'll end up doing when Bajor joins the Federation. And on and on it goes. It's really all about the characters, and I've grown to really like the characters from DS9. Both the original characters and the ones that's come along later on in the relaunch novels.
Unofficially. Ezri felt a trace of disdain for the leaders of her homeworld, and tried to led it go. She hadn't behaved much better, as Audrid or since.
They're scared, that's all. Just as she had been, and still was. The very concept of being taken over by some malevolent creature... it was something that went beyond mortal terror, a fear that was primal and deep-seated, perhaps particular to a joined species... doomed to feel what the creature wanted you to feel, the host completely lost, forced to bond with the parasitic mind, its life memories torn away...
And I love the relationships and how they're portrayed. The characters and their connection to each other is after all what really makes the story into what it is. What makes it great. I'm drawn in to the background that Dax have with the parasites. I just love Kira's strength. I admire how Shar struggles with his whole situation with such dignity and how he stands up for himself. I'm interested to see where everything goes with Ro and Quark, and what they'll end up doing when Bajor joins the Federation. And on and on it goes. It's really all about the characters, and I've grown to really like the characters from DS9. Both the original characters and the ones that's come along later on in the relaunch novels.
March 8, 2021
Fantastic continuation of the DS9 story
This was a fantastic addition to the Deep Space 9 saga. Perry’s love for the characters and Star Trek in general shines through on every page. I typically don’t enjoy ST novels that focus a significant amount of time on non-canon characters, but Perry is such a talented writer, I didn’t mind the diversions into alternate lives before coming back to the main characters’ arcs.
Looking forward to reading more of Perry’s forays into DS9 lore!
This was a fantastic addition to the Deep Space 9 saga. Perry’s love for the characters and Star Trek in general shines through on every page. I typically don’t enjoy ST novels that focus a significant amount of time on non-canon characters, but Perry is such a talented writer, I didn’t mind the diversions into alternate lives before coming back to the main characters’ arcs.
Looking forward to reading more of Perry’s forays into DS9 lore!
February 10, 2020
Review forthcoming
October 30, 2023
Summary: Prologue: In the Temple, Benjamin Sisko senses a change coming, though the Prophets won't tell him or don't know what it is. He is ready.
As they enter the wormhole and return to the Alpha Quadrant, Vaughn reflects on their mission, but is so deeply depressed about Ruriko and Prynn that he can't even appreciate what they accomplished. They exit the anomaly to find numerous Cardassian warships waiting for them, weapons armed, jamming contact with DS9. Gul Macet tells them to stand down and prepare to be boarded; Vaughn slumps in defeat and agrees. He tells Nog to cloak the ship, and they dart away.
Prynn does some hairy maneuvering, but at the last second, the Cardassians catch them with their sensor sweep; regardless, they get a message from Kira telling them to stand down. On screen, Kira and Akaar ask Vaughn and Bashir personal questions to confirm their identity; once they prove it's really them, they welcome them home--then say that the Cardassians will be examining the rest of the crew.
After the Cardassians inspect them, they're greeted by Kira, who is ecstatic/bewildered that Jake--and Opaka--are with the Defiant crew.
Kira debriefs the Defiant's senior crew with General Cyl from the Trill Defense Ministry. Dax appears uneasy to see Cyl there; one of Dax's previous hosts had been the mother of a woman who became a host of the Cyl symbiont. Kira explains that Shakaar was assassinated by Gard, who was infested by a parasite. One of the parasites had killed (Ezri's former host) Audrid Dax's husband, and the Trill Symbiosis Commission had covered it up--the lies of which lead to an estrangement between Audrid and her daughter Neema--Cyl's prior host. Kira says the parasites share a group consciousness, but can also act independently. Their numbers seem to be low, or they're slow to spread. Their goal appears to be the destruction of Trill. They've found 6 other infected people onboard, who are being held in medical stasis.
Akaar says a parasite attacked Gul Macet, but Cardassians appear to be immune--which may explain why Shakaar was trying to tank peace talks with them. He says a number of ships fled the station before it could be locked down, but of the ones that have been caught, no new infections were reported so far. However, there are still 107 Bajoran civilians that they can't account for.
Dr. Girani explains that the infected normally show a tiny barb on the back of their neck, but that in some cases, they have plastimasked the skin to hide it. They operate in hives controlled by a mother parasite that breeds inside her carrier, then transmits commands to her spawn telepathically. The parasite cannot likely be removed from the host after 3-4 weeks; though when the mother is killed, the solider parasites may be easily removed from their hosts. They can access a host's short-term memory, but not long-term. They can resist physical trauma, including low-level phaser fire.
Kira tells Vaughn to lead the Bajoran surface check with General Lenaris; Bashir will take over medical research with doctors Girani and Tarses; Shar and Nog are tasked with building scanning equipment; she tells Ezri to interview Gard.
After the meeting, Ezri tells Bashir that a comet passed near Trill ~100 years ago showing biosigns similar to those of the Trill. Audrid Dax and her husband Jayvin were on the landing party with 4 Federation men. They found a parasite in a frozen ice pool, and it infected Jayvin. He killed 3 of the Federation men, leaving only Christopher Pike alive. It chased after her for hours, screaming that the parasites were coming to obliterate the Trill. Eventually Pike subdued it, and they took it back to Trill. They found that the parasite had joined with the Vod symbiont, and decided to let it die.
The Trill covered up the incident (this was before any non-Trill knew about the symbionts) and sent ships to destroy the comet; only Pike and Audrid knew the truth. Later, her daughter Neema hacked into Audrid's logs and found out that Vod had died at her request, leading to their estrangement. Years later, Audrid wrote her a letter explaining everything, but Audrid died before they could fully reconcile. She says she knows Gard because he killed her.
Shar and his Zhavey return to his quarters. She says they all knew of his tezha with Thriss--intimacy outside of the shelthreth. Anichent and Dizhei embrace him, seeming not to hold him accountable for Thriss's death, but he can sense their resentment when he says he can't leave for Andor immediately. He tells them of the Yrythny eggs and their genetic key that could help the Andorians. Councillor zh'Thane says she's spoken with the Eveste Elders, and they've found 3 replacement zhen candidates...and 2 chans to replace Shar.
Ro stops in to ask Quark what rumors he's heard. He asks if she wants to run away with him, and she says she's still interested, but that she's not sure anymore, too busy to think about it. This makes him feel surprisingly better. Nog comes to greet him, and Quark is shocked that he didn't know the Defiant is back, what with all his sensors and contacts.
Kira visits Opaka in her quarters to get her up to speed. She tells her about the Ohalu book and how she was Attainted for it, then breaks down into tears. Opaka holds her until she falls asleep. She's unsure about what has happened to Bajor in her absence, not understanding how having it's own history exposed could result in such strict punishment. She sees Kira's strength as the future of Bajor.
Cyl tells Ezri that Neema respected Audrid, and never stopped researching the parasites. He says the government knows about them, but has their heads buried in the sand, hoping the Federation will make it go away. He's part of an unsanctioned shadow agency that keeps a watch out for the parasites--and so is Gard, though he went into business for himself with the assassination.
When Ezri meets Gard, she recognizes him as the man who stopped Joran Dax when his bad joining turned him into a serial killer. He fills her in on the rest of the story, saying that Shakaar sent out 7 coded messages to Bajor before he was killed. He also says the reason Trill hasn't done anything about the parasites is because there's an ingrained, primal fear of them. Ezri wants to tell Kira about the watch, and they agree, thinking maybe they'll finally get them under control.
Yevir approaches the station, having heard that Jake and Opaka have returned, and asks Kira to let him speak with them, insisting that they return to Bajor with him to bolster the people after the dire events. Kira agrees to let him aboard.
Shar decides that Anichent and Dizhei should return to Andor to search for 2 new partners; they resist only a little before agreeing. The councilor already pre-arranged transport for them, so they're off in short order. Prynn stops by to ask Shar to have lunch with her, upset at herself for not seeing her dad off to Bajor, but Shar can't even muster a polite "no."
Jake and Opaka decide to take Yevir up on his trip to Bajor, and they leave the next day. Wex decides to stay behind, though she tells Kira that Opaka asked her to. Opaka tells Jake that it was Wex's decision, but not to worry about it.
Ro spots Wex actually having a full on conversation with Taran'atar. Sure eavesdrops for a bit and learns that Taran'atar feels lost, without purpose, but can't return home because he wasn't given the option. When he calls out Ro for listening in, she apologizes and says she can hook them up at Quark's, and Wex accepts.
Vaughn already has a fully functioning base camp setup on Bajor. While Bowers gives him a report, he can't stop thinking about killing Ruriko, and is worried he might lose it.
After running some tests on the parasites, Bashir concludes that they didn't naturally evolve from symbionts: they were genetically engineered. Kira tells Ezri to prep the Defiant to head to Trill to present their findings to the TSC.
Gard tells Ro there were 5 places they believe Shakaar could've been infected, and he's willing to share them with her.
Shar apologies for being so awkward with Prynn earlier; she realizes that she had gone to talk to him because she's interested in him, and asks him to lunch again, to which he agrees.
Ro tells Kira that after speaking with Gard, she's narrowed down where Shakaar was infected to Minos Korva.
Vaughn feels himself in a downward spiral. He calls Prynn to say he's sorry, but she hangs up on him.
Quark bugs the connection between DS9 and the Trager and finds out about the parasites. He complains to Ro, but she says she couldn't tell him, and that she has Taran'atar watching his bar for extra protection. Then he gets a call from Rom who says Leeta is pregnant. Quark rudely congratulations them, then hangs up.
Security officers Kavi and Bennings search one of the unpowered docking rings. Kavi notices Bennings' light hasn't moved in a while, and when she turns around, he grins and grabs her.
General Lenaris tells Vaughn he's being sent to Ashalla monastery for R&R, per the doctor's orders. He reluctantly goes, knowing he truly is in a bad place, even if they did just turn up 11 new cases.
Shar and Prynn have lunch. She asks if Andorians ever date outside their species, and when he eventually realizes why, he's quite taken aback. She tells him no pressure, and he says he wouldn't be opposed to having lunch with her again some time, but he doesn't know what his personal life will entail yet. His zhavey sees Prynn touch his arm, and she turns her back on him.
Opaka is meditating when Vaughn arrives. She can sense that his pagh is greatly troubled, but decides not to press him until he's ready to unburden himself.
The O'Briens and Siskos' shuttle arrives at DS9, and after waiting in a security queue for a while, Kira welcomes them, and tells them that Jake is back. Miles starts to get nostalgic for working on the station, but promises Keiko it's only nostalgia.
Nog is dining at Quark's when one of the parasites runs through, setting off his vole traps. It jumps straight into Taran'atar's mouth, but he just chews it up and spits it out. Nog covers and says it was a pet of his, but only some of the patrons believe it.
Vaughn seeks out Opaka and finally tells her about Ruriko, Prynn, the Orb, etc. He finds he's still not sure what to do, and she tells him that the Tears of the Prophets are here.
The O'Briens and Siskos beam down to Kas's place and have a joyous reunion with Jake and Kas.
Ro heads to a meeting with Kira, where she overhears the major recommending a commendation for Ro's exemplary job to Akaar--who says now is not the time and tells her to come in out of the hallway. Ro turns around to see a Bajoran woman unhinge her jaw and vomit out a parasite, which latches onto Ro's face.
Shar is confiding to Nog that he can't stop thinking about Prynn when they hear Ro scream. Shar, in a bloodlust, attacks the queen, then rips the parasite out of Ro's mouth, smashing it into the ground. Nog calls for security, and they capture the queen with a stasis beam.
Kira contacts O'Brien and asks him to help Nog with the scanners; he agrees, and Keiko isn't happy. She tells him that the Interstellar Agricultural Aid Commission offered her a lead position to help restore Cardassia, and is angry that his job always comes before hers. He says they'll talk about it more when he gets back, but is not enthusiastic about raising their kids there. She decides she wants to takes the job.
Opaka has the Orb of Unity brought to Vaughn. The vision he sees is of himself being committed to a mental institution for shooting his wife with a revolver. The nurse introduces him to Benny Russell, who introduces him to the others, seemingly human versions of the DS9 crew. He enjoys talking to Benny, but doesn't feel like he can unburden himself to him.
Bashir presents his findings and says that the queen can't be implanted into another person because it's physiology changes after infecting someone, but the Ezri suggests maybe it would work in a Trill; Bashir says it's possible, but too risky. Ezri insists on trying it, then Cyl says he'll do it, before Gard eventually wins out.
Benny asks Eli if his has any kids, and says he has a baby on the way himself. He says he thought he was needed here but that time is slipping away and his family needs him. He tells Eli that he should keep trying to reconnect with his daughter, even if she resists.
Bashir surgically transports the queen into Gard. Shortly afterwards, the queen starts taking through him, telling Kira that it's already too late, that they will destroy Trill and take over the wormhole. Before she can take over Gard completely, Bashir removes the queen; Gard is OK, but the queen doesn't survive. Gard warns Kira that there's only one, that she sees Bajor, the Tears. They conclude that there's a single matriarch on Bajor controlling all the others. The parasites on the station start evacuating their hosts, and they also get word that skirmishes are breaking out on Bajor. Wex tries to tell Kira she can help, but she says she's too busy.
The Bajorans camped outside Kas's house show up at her house, armed with phasers, and force their way in.
The Orb Bearers break into the room with Elias and Opaka; they shoot Elias and take the Orb. Opaka tends to him, but his body, though still alive, is a soulless husk.
Elias has a nightmare about killing Ruriko; Benny wakes him up and tells him to stop blaming himself, seemingly able to read Eli's mind. He says he thought they had more time here, but says they have to leave because of what's happening outside. Benny says this is only one of the places he is, that he's here teaching and learning. He says as long as Eli thinks he killed his wife, he will stay in this place; he has to let his pain go and reconcile with Prynn. Eli sees that the security gate is open, and when Benny asks him to leave with him, he says he's ready.
Akaar orders Kira to confine herself to ops until he arrives at the station. She tells Ro to have Nog, O'Brien, and Dax to get the Defiant ready, and puts Ro in charge of the station. She is sure the matriarch is at the Ashalla Monastery.
Kassidy, Jake, and family have been kidnapped and taken to the monastery with Opaka and Vaughn, held under armed guard. Sulan feels Kassidy's stomach, and realizes she's having contractions.
O'Brien finds a convoluted way to beam Kira down to the monastery through the Defiant's cloak, where she's immediately attacked by infected Bajorans; however, Wex saves her, quickly and easily dispatching her assailants. Wex then liquefies; it's Odo. He had heard stories of a great healer that knew of the Ascendants, and decided to track her down to learn more. When he saw it was Opaka and Jake was with her, he stuck with them to make sure they got home safe. He kept his distance die to the crisis when they got back, and had hidden himself in Kira's belt holster when she beamed down. She tells him to do rescue the hostages and they split up before they can talk much.
Kira enters the once secret chamber where the Tears are being stored, and comes face to face with the matriarch parasite. It towers above her at 4 meters tall, and it's grotesquely swollen with hundreds of eggs. Kira senses what to do: she opens all the arks containing the Orbs.
Benny takes Eli to a tunnel of light and tells him to go; Vaughn walks into the light.
The matriarch is taken to a white void where a brown face confronts her; then she appears on a Dominion ship just about to attack DS9; the Jem'Hadar attack.
Akaar demands to know where Kira is, and Ro gives him the runaround. Just as he's about to explode, their badges chirp, and they get word that all the hostage-takers have collapsed; the crisis is over. Akaar says he expects a report from Kira, then beams back to the Trager.
Kassidy pushes and pushes, suffering immeasurable pain, and finally gives birth to a baby girl. Kira shows up just in time--and so does Ben.
A few weeks later: Bajor is due to job the UFP in 26 hours. Kira tells Quark, whose business prospects have fallen through, that his bar has been named the Ferengi Embassy to Bajor, and he the ambassador. He is dumbstruck, and realizes Rom must have saved his bar.
Shar's zhavey asks him to come back to Bajor with her; he tells her he wants to stay and help DS9, and she angrily storms out. He finds he's not all that bothered by it anymore.
Opaka asks to meet with Vedek Yevir. She tells him that Kira is the truest child of the Prophets that's she's ever met, and that it wasn't her, but the Attainder he put on her that caused the spiritual upheaval of Bajor.
Picard sent Ro a security gold uniform as encouragement, but she is still unsure about her future, so she goes to Ziyal's exhibit to think it over. She runs into Garak there, who says he intended to stop by DS9 to see some friends, but that he should be getting back to Cardassia to help his people. Ro decides she's staying, and worries was Quark will think.
Vaughn waits for Prynn by her quarters. When she gets there, he tells her he's never going to stop calling her, and that he doesn't want her forgiveness--he just wants to get to know her. She tears up and says she'll think about it.
Benjamin meets Captain Nerys in her office. She welcomes him back to his office, but he says the office belongs to the commander if the station; Starfleet wants to make him an admiral--but he turned it down. He wants to take his family to the induction ceremony and see where things go from there.
Kira, with her earring back in place, watches the ceremony while holding Odo's hand. She knows he's not staying, but feels certain that they will have a future together. She sees Ambassador Quark standing with Ro in her new uniform. Hiziki Gard is there, having been pardoned, as are Ambassador Word, Chancellor Martok, and Captain Picard. The O'Brien's will be heading to Cardassia after the ceremony where Keiko starts her new job. After the documents are signed, Ben looks at Kira with a "we did it" nod. He is next to his family and new baby girl Rebecca Jae.
Epilogue: Ben enjoys the simple pleasures of home life, knowing that he will be needed soon.
Review: 4 stars. I enjoyed the story, I was glad to see the conspiracy parasites finally get a decent payoff, I liked the Benny/Eli section, etc. The ending did feel a bit rushed though; the parasite queen is easily dispatched, and after reading 7-8 books to see how Sisko would return, well, he just sort of did and that was that. Then the book ended and he didn't even really discuss anything with the other characters.
As they enter the wormhole and return to the Alpha Quadrant, Vaughn reflects on their mission, but is so deeply depressed about Ruriko and Prynn that he can't even appreciate what they accomplished. They exit the anomaly to find numerous Cardassian warships waiting for them, weapons armed, jamming contact with DS9. Gul Macet tells them to stand down and prepare to be boarded; Vaughn slumps in defeat and agrees. He tells Nog to cloak the ship, and they dart away.
Prynn does some hairy maneuvering, but at the last second, the Cardassians catch them with their sensor sweep; regardless, they get a message from Kira telling them to stand down. On screen, Kira and Akaar ask Vaughn and Bashir personal questions to confirm their identity; once they prove it's really them, they welcome them home--then say that the Cardassians will be examining the rest of the crew.
After the Cardassians inspect them, they're greeted by Kira, who is ecstatic/bewildered that Jake--and Opaka--are with the Defiant crew.
Kira debriefs the Defiant's senior crew with General Cyl from the Trill Defense Ministry. Dax appears uneasy to see Cyl there; one of Dax's previous hosts had been the mother of a woman who became a host of the Cyl symbiont. Kira explains that Shakaar was assassinated by Gard, who was infested by a parasite. One of the parasites had killed (Ezri's former host) Audrid Dax's husband, and the Trill Symbiosis Commission had covered it up--the lies of which lead to an estrangement between Audrid and her daughter Neema--Cyl's prior host. Kira says the parasites share a group consciousness, but can also act independently. Their numbers seem to be low, or they're slow to spread. Their goal appears to be the destruction of Trill. They've found 6 other infected people onboard, who are being held in medical stasis.
Akaar says a parasite attacked Gul Macet, but Cardassians appear to be immune--which may explain why Shakaar was trying to tank peace talks with them. He says a number of ships fled the station before it could be locked down, but of the ones that have been caught, no new infections were reported so far. However, there are still 107 Bajoran civilians that they can't account for.
Dr. Girani explains that the infected normally show a tiny barb on the back of their neck, but that in some cases, they have plastimasked the skin to hide it. They operate in hives controlled by a mother parasite that breeds inside her carrier, then transmits commands to her spawn telepathically. The parasite cannot likely be removed from the host after 3-4 weeks; though when the mother is killed, the solider parasites may be easily removed from their hosts. They can access a host's short-term memory, but not long-term. They can resist physical trauma, including low-level phaser fire.
Kira tells Vaughn to lead the Bajoran surface check with General Lenaris; Bashir will take over medical research with doctors Girani and Tarses; Shar and Nog are tasked with building scanning equipment; she tells Ezri to interview Gard.
After the meeting, Ezri tells Bashir that a comet passed near Trill ~100 years ago showing biosigns similar to those of the Trill. Audrid Dax and her husband Jayvin were on the landing party with 4 Federation men. They found a parasite in a frozen ice pool, and it infected Jayvin. He killed 3 of the Federation men, leaving only Christopher Pike alive. It chased after her for hours, screaming that the parasites were coming to obliterate the Trill. Eventually Pike subdued it, and they took it back to Trill. They found that the parasite had joined with the Vod symbiont, and decided to let it die.
The Trill covered up the incident (this was before any non-Trill knew about the symbionts) and sent ships to destroy the comet; only Pike and Audrid knew the truth. Later, her daughter Neema hacked into Audrid's logs and found out that Vod had died at her request, leading to their estrangement. Years later, Audrid wrote her a letter explaining everything, but Audrid died before they could fully reconcile. She says she knows Gard because he killed her.
Shar and his Zhavey return to his quarters. She says they all knew of his tezha with Thriss--intimacy outside of the shelthreth. Anichent and Dizhei embrace him, seeming not to hold him accountable for Thriss's death, but he can sense their resentment when he says he can't leave for Andor immediately. He tells them of the Yrythny eggs and their genetic key that could help the Andorians. Councillor zh'Thane says she's spoken with the Eveste Elders, and they've found 3 replacement zhen candidates...and 2 chans to replace Shar.
Ro stops in to ask Quark what rumors he's heard. He asks if she wants to run away with him, and she says she's still interested, but that she's not sure anymore, too busy to think about it. This makes him feel surprisingly better. Nog comes to greet him, and Quark is shocked that he didn't know the Defiant is back, what with all his sensors and contacts.
Kira visits Opaka in her quarters to get her up to speed. She tells her about the Ohalu book and how she was Attainted for it, then breaks down into tears. Opaka holds her until she falls asleep. She's unsure about what has happened to Bajor in her absence, not understanding how having it's own history exposed could result in such strict punishment. She sees Kira's strength as the future of Bajor.
Cyl tells Ezri that Neema respected Audrid, and never stopped researching the parasites. He says the government knows about them, but has their heads buried in the sand, hoping the Federation will make it go away. He's part of an unsanctioned shadow agency that keeps a watch out for the parasites--and so is Gard, though he went into business for himself with the assassination.
When Ezri meets Gard, she recognizes him as the man who stopped Joran Dax when his bad joining turned him into a serial killer. He fills her in on the rest of the story, saying that Shakaar sent out 7 coded messages to Bajor before he was killed. He also says the reason Trill hasn't done anything about the parasites is because there's an ingrained, primal fear of them. Ezri wants to tell Kira about the watch, and they agree, thinking maybe they'll finally get them under control.
Yevir approaches the station, having heard that Jake and Opaka have returned, and asks Kira to let him speak with them, insisting that they return to Bajor with him to bolster the people after the dire events. Kira agrees to let him aboard.
Shar decides that Anichent and Dizhei should return to Andor to search for 2 new partners; they resist only a little before agreeing. The councilor already pre-arranged transport for them, so they're off in short order. Prynn stops by to ask Shar to have lunch with her, upset at herself for not seeing her dad off to Bajor, but Shar can't even muster a polite "no."
Jake and Opaka decide to take Yevir up on his trip to Bajor, and they leave the next day. Wex decides to stay behind, though she tells Kira that Opaka asked her to. Opaka tells Jake that it was Wex's decision, but not to worry about it.
Ro spots Wex actually having a full on conversation with Taran'atar. Sure eavesdrops for a bit and learns that Taran'atar feels lost, without purpose, but can't return home because he wasn't given the option. When he calls out Ro for listening in, she apologizes and says she can hook them up at Quark's, and Wex accepts.
Vaughn already has a fully functioning base camp setup on Bajor. While Bowers gives him a report, he can't stop thinking about killing Ruriko, and is worried he might lose it.
After running some tests on the parasites, Bashir concludes that they didn't naturally evolve from symbionts: they were genetically engineered. Kira tells Ezri to prep the Defiant to head to Trill to present their findings to the TSC.
Gard tells Ro there were 5 places they believe Shakaar could've been infected, and he's willing to share them with her.
Shar apologies for being so awkward with Prynn earlier; she realizes that she had gone to talk to him because she's interested in him, and asks him to lunch again, to which he agrees.
Ro tells Kira that after speaking with Gard, she's narrowed down where Shakaar was infected to Minos Korva.
Vaughn feels himself in a downward spiral. He calls Prynn to say he's sorry, but she hangs up on him.
Quark bugs the connection between DS9 and the Trager and finds out about the parasites. He complains to Ro, but she says she couldn't tell him, and that she has Taran'atar watching his bar for extra protection. Then he gets a call from Rom who says Leeta is pregnant. Quark rudely congratulations them, then hangs up.
Security officers Kavi and Bennings search one of the unpowered docking rings. Kavi notices Bennings' light hasn't moved in a while, and when she turns around, he grins and grabs her.
General Lenaris tells Vaughn he's being sent to Ashalla monastery for R&R, per the doctor's orders. He reluctantly goes, knowing he truly is in a bad place, even if they did just turn up 11 new cases.
Shar and Prynn have lunch. She asks if Andorians ever date outside their species, and when he eventually realizes why, he's quite taken aback. She tells him no pressure, and he says he wouldn't be opposed to having lunch with her again some time, but he doesn't know what his personal life will entail yet. His zhavey sees Prynn touch his arm, and she turns her back on him.
Opaka is meditating when Vaughn arrives. She can sense that his pagh is greatly troubled, but decides not to press him until he's ready to unburden himself.
The O'Briens and Siskos' shuttle arrives at DS9, and after waiting in a security queue for a while, Kira welcomes them, and tells them that Jake is back. Miles starts to get nostalgic for working on the station, but promises Keiko it's only nostalgia.
Nog is dining at Quark's when one of the parasites runs through, setting off his vole traps. It jumps straight into Taran'atar's mouth, but he just chews it up and spits it out. Nog covers and says it was a pet of his, but only some of the patrons believe it.
Vaughn seeks out Opaka and finally tells her about Ruriko, Prynn, the Orb, etc. He finds he's still not sure what to do, and she tells him that the Tears of the Prophets are here.
The O'Briens and Siskos beam down to Kas's place and have a joyous reunion with Jake and Kas.
Ro heads to a meeting with Kira, where she overhears the major recommending a commendation for Ro's exemplary job to Akaar--who says now is not the time and tells her to come in out of the hallway. Ro turns around to see a Bajoran woman unhinge her jaw and vomit out a parasite, which latches onto Ro's face.
Shar is confiding to Nog that he can't stop thinking about Prynn when they hear Ro scream. Shar, in a bloodlust, attacks the queen, then rips the parasite out of Ro's mouth, smashing it into the ground. Nog calls for security, and they capture the queen with a stasis beam.
Kira contacts O'Brien and asks him to help Nog with the scanners; he agrees, and Keiko isn't happy. She tells him that the Interstellar Agricultural Aid Commission offered her a lead position to help restore Cardassia, and is angry that his job always comes before hers. He says they'll talk about it more when he gets back, but is not enthusiastic about raising their kids there. She decides she wants to takes the job.
Opaka has the Orb of Unity brought to Vaughn. The vision he sees is of himself being committed to a mental institution for shooting his wife with a revolver. The nurse introduces him to Benny Russell, who introduces him to the others, seemingly human versions of the DS9 crew. He enjoys talking to Benny, but doesn't feel like he can unburden himself to him.
Bashir presents his findings and says that the queen can't be implanted into another person because it's physiology changes after infecting someone, but the Ezri suggests maybe it would work in a Trill; Bashir says it's possible, but too risky. Ezri insists on trying it, then Cyl says he'll do it, before Gard eventually wins out.
Benny asks Eli if his has any kids, and says he has a baby on the way himself. He says he thought he was needed here but that time is slipping away and his family needs him. He tells Eli that he should keep trying to reconnect with his daughter, even if she resists.
Bashir surgically transports the queen into Gard. Shortly afterwards, the queen starts taking through him, telling Kira that it's already too late, that they will destroy Trill and take over the wormhole. Before she can take over Gard completely, Bashir removes the queen; Gard is OK, but the queen doesn't survive. Gard warns Kira that there's only one, that she sees Bajor, the Tears. They conclude that there's a single matriarch on Bajor controlling all the others. The parasites on the station start evacuating their hosts, and they also get word that skirmishes are breaking out on Bajor. Wex tries to tell Kira she can help, but she says she's too busy.
The Bajorans camped outside Kas's house show up at her house, armed with phasers, and force their way in.
The Orb Bearers break into the room with Elias and Opaka; they shoot Elias and take the Orb. Opaka tends to him, but his body, though still alive, is a soulless husk.
Elias has a nightmare about killing Ruriko; Benny wakes him up and tells him to stop blaming himself, seemingly able to read Eli's mind. He says he thought they had more time here, but says they have to leave because of what's happening outside. Benny says this is only one of the places he is, that he's here teaching and learning. He says as long as Eli thinks he killed his wife, he will stay in this place; he has to let his pain go and reconcile with Prynn. Eli sees that the security gate is open, and when Benny asks him to leave with him, he says he's ready.
Akaar orders Kira to confine herself to ops until he arrives at the station. She tells Ro to have Nog, O'Brien, and Dax to get the Defiant ready, and puts Ro in charge of the station. She is sure the matriarch is at the Ashalla Monastery.
Kassidy, Jake, and family have been kidnapped and taken to the monastery with Opaka and Vaughn, held under armed guard. Sulan feels Kassidy's stomach, and realizes she's having contractions.
O'Brien finds a convoluted way to beam Kira down to the monastery through the Defiant's cloak, where she's immediately attacked by infected Bajorans; however, Wex saves her, quickly and easily dispatching her assailants. Wex then liquefies; it's Odo. He had heard stories of a great healer that knew of the Ascendants, and decided to track her down to learn more. When he saw it was Opaka and Jake was with her, he stuck with them to make sure they got home safe. He kept his distance die to the crisis when they got back, and had hidden himself in Kira's belt holster when she beamed down. She tells him to do rescue the hostages and they split up before they can talk much.
Kira enters the once secret chamber where the Tears are being stored, and comes face to face with the matriarch parasite. It towers above her at 4 meters tall, and it's grotesquely swollen with hundreds of eggs. Kira senses what to do: she opens all the arks containing the Orbs.
Benny takes Eli to a tunnel of light and tells him to go; Vaughn walks into the light.
The matriarch is taken to a white void where a brown face confronts her; then she appears on a Dominion ship just about to attack DS9; the Jem'Hadar attack.
Akaar demands to know where Kira is, and Ro gives him the runaround. Just as he's about to explode, their badges chirp, and they get word that all the hostage-takers have collapsed; the crisis is over. Akaar says he expects a report from Kira, then beams back to the Trager.
Kassidy pushes and pushes, suffering immeasurable pain, and finally gives birth to a baby girl. Kira shows up just in time--and so does Ben.
A few weeks later: Bajor is due to job the UFP in 26 hours. Kira tells Quark, whose business prospects have fallen through, that his bar has been named the Ferengi Embassy to Bajor, and he the ambassador. He is dumbstruck, and realizes Rom must have saved his bar.
Shar's zhavey asks him to come back to Bajor with her; he tells her he wants to stay and help DS9, and she angrily storms out. He finds he's not all that bothered by it anymore.
Opaka asks to meet with Vedek Yevir. She tells him that Kira is the truest child of the Prophets that's she's ever met, and that it wasn't her, but the Attainder he put on her that caused the spiritual upheaval of Bajor.
Picard sent Ro a security gold uniform as encouragement, but she is still unsure about her future, so she goes to Ziyal's exhibit to think it over. She runs into Garak there, who says he intended to stop by DS9 to see some friends, but that he should be getting back to Cardassia to help his people. Ro decides she's staying, and worries was Quark will think.
Vaughn waits for Prynn by her quarters. When she gets there, he tells her he's never going to stop calling her, and that he doesn't want her forgiveness--he just wants to get to know her. She tears up and says she'll think about it.
Benjamin meets Captain Nerys in her office. She welcomes him back to his office, but he says the office belongs to the commander if the station; Starfleet wants to make him an admiral--but he turned it down. He wants to take his family to the induction ceremony and see where things go from there.
Kira, with her earring back in place, watches the ceremony while holding Odo's hand. She knows he's not staying, but feels certain that they will have a future together. She sees Ambassador Quark standing with Ro in her new uniform. Hiziki Gard is there, having been pardoned, as are Ambassador Word, Chancellor Martok, and Captain Picard. The O'Brien's will be heading to Cardassia after the ceremony where Keiko starts her new job. After the documents are signed, Ben looks at Kira with a "we did it" nod. He is next to his family and new baby girl Rebecca Jae.
Epilogue: Ben enjoys the simple pleasures of home life, knowing that he will be needed soon.
Review: 4 stars. I enjoyed the story, I was glad to see the conspiracy parasites finally get a decent payoff, I liked the Benny/Eli section, etc. The ending did feel a bit rushed though; the parasite queen is easily dispatched, and after reading 7-8 books to see how Sisko would return, well, he just sort of did and that was that. Then the book ended and he didn't even really discuss anything with the other characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2017
Okay, so the final episode of Deep Space Nine - should we just watch it real quick? We can't, because it makes me cry. And, honestly, every time these books have called back to that final shot things have turned sniffly around here. I don't mean that the show doesn't stick its landing, or anything, only that it sticks the landing by making you very upset. And these relaunch novels have been, in a way, a reply to that finale, to the final shot of Kira and Jake looking out the windows - even thinking about it makes me tear up, excuse me I need a minute.
(One injustice they haven't righted: conversations between Garak and Bashir? Zero. Zero!!!!)
So, here we are with the mumblemumblerdth relaunch novel, and things have been . . . not righted, but processed. The work has been done. The books are workmanlike - as they ought to be - but the process of reading them is - well, not rewarding, but a way of coming back to oneself.
I know any review of these books sounds sort of absurd. You have to be invested (overly-invested? what is that your business?) to read the books - they don't make any sense otherwise. But if you are overly-invested, these books are a pretty good way to deal with that, I think.
On a less self-deprecating note: this relaunch series does some genuinely interesting stuff! The "strange new worlds" aspect has never been the most interesting thing to me about Star Trek, but the concepts in these book series have been consistently interesting and they're usually pretty thoughtful. For some reason, Ro Karen is dating Quark and not Picard, but I guess you can't have everything.
(One injustice they haven't righted: conversations between Garak and Bashir? Zero. Zero!!!!)
So, here we are with the mumblemumblerdth relaunch novel, and things have been . . . not righted, but processed. The work has been done. The books are workmanlike - as they ought to be - but the process of reading them is - well, not rewarding, but a way of coming back to oneself.
I know any review of these books sounds sort of absurd. You have to be invested (overly-invested? what is that your business?) to read the books - they don't make any sense otherwise. But if you are overly-invested, these books are a pretty good way to deal with that, I think.
On a less self-deprecating note: this relaunch series does some genuinely interesting stuff! The "strange new worlds" aspect has never been the most interesting thing to me about Star Trek, but the concepts in these book series have been consistently interesting and they're usually pretty thoughtful. For some reason, Ro Karen is dating Quark and not Picard, but I guess you can't have everything.
January 31, 2021
I was really happy to see the alien parasites from "Conspiracy" again, I assume we find more out about them in Trill and Bajor. At least I hope we do.
January 2021: I'm happy I reread this. I forgot it came before Trill and Bajor and only picked it up because I wanted to reread that book. This time it was like sinking into a beloved tv episode. I do remember this book as being longer but to be fair I did skip over the Eli-Benny segments, I remember them being weak and boring my first time through .
January 2021: I'm happy I reread this. I forgot it came before Trill and Bajor and only picked it up because I wanted to reread that book. This time it was like sinking into a beloved tv episode. I do remember this book as being longer but to be fair I did skip over the Eli-Benny segments, I remember them being weak and boring my first time through .
January 3, 2015
As with any good "season finale," Unity feels like an end, but also a new beginning. Circumstances aboard DS9 have changed forever, and things will never be the same again. However, as stated at the end of the novel, "THE SAGA OF DEEP SPACE NINE WILL CONTINUE." Very welcome words as I continue through this re-read of the wonderful Deep Space Nine post-series novels.
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/01/u...
Full review: http://treklit.blogspot.com/2015/01/u...
December 31, 2021
If you just want the review of the story because you’re up to date on all of the other books that follow the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine TV series, then skip ahead. However this book will make a lot more sense for those who aren’t up to date if they consider the following.
The book literally follows a number of others that continue after the series ends, so it may help you to remember the events in these episodes as most of the novels are not stand alone stories and they all feature the new crew introduced in ‘Avatar’.
Star Trek: The next Generation
Series 4
Episode 12 - Wounded (Gul Macet, who looks suspiciously like Gul Dukat, works with Picard to stop Ben Maxwell from a murderous rampage. He has been quite prominent in the Mission Gamma series representing Cardassia).
Episode 21 - Drumhead (We meet Simon Tarses, a half Romulan Medical Officer who has been transferred to Deep Space Nine)
Series 5
Episode 3- Ensign Ro (Ro Laren is introduced to the Trek universe)
Series 7
Episode 24- Pre-emptive Strike (Ro joins the Marquis)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Series 7
Episode 24 - The Dogs Of War (Rom becomes the Grand Nagus and leaves with Leeta for Ferenginar)
Episode 25 - What You Leave Behind (Sisko leaves to be with the Prophets/Worf is appointed Federation Ambassador to Qo’nos/Odo goes to live with the Founders/Chief O’Brien and Keiko move back to Earth to teach at the Academy/The end of the war with the Dominion and Nog’s promotion to Lieutenant, while Garak stays on Cardassia to help rebuild after the war and Kai Winn and Dukat are dealt with by the Pah Wraiths).
As a result of all these changes a new crew is introduced in the following books-
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Lives Of Dax - A little more is learned about each of the previous hosts of the Dax symbiont)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Avatar (1&2) - (Commander Vaughan and the Jem Hadar, Taran ‘atar are brought in and we meet Prynn, Vaughn’s estranged daughter and Shar, an Andorian. We also find out that Ro Laren has been appointed as Security Chief having survived the Maquis liquidation by the Dominion. Ezri also decides to transfer to command from sciences and Jake ventures in to the Wormhole looking for his Dad. Kira becomes attainted by the Vedeks and may no longer pray in the temples, Etc).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Section 31) Abyss - (We learn that Jake is struggling in the Wormhole and Bashir goes on a mission for Section 31 with Ro and Taran ‘Atar).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Gateways) Demons Of Air And Darkness & What Lay Beyond - Kira and Taran ‘Atar are lost in the Delta Quadrant whilst helping to evacuate a planet in the Alpha Quadrant & Kira spends time in her cultures historical past as a result of the Gateway. It is not really necessary to read any of the other books in the Gateways serial.
The Jaradans from the Star Trek: The Next Generation, Series 1 Episode 11 - The Big Goodbye are featured in this volume and at the beginning of Mission Gamma - Twilight.
Star Trek: S.C.E - Indistinguishable From Magic (Nog teams up with Scotty - I haven’t read it yet, but it doesn’t seem to affect things too much here)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Mission Gamma (1) Twilight – Vaughan takes a crew including Ezri, Nog, Prynn and Shar in to the Gamma quadrant. Ezri loses a crew member for the first time in her command role. We also learn what has caused the estrangement between Vaughan and Prynn. Shar is also having some issues with his Ambassador Mother and the mates that have been selected for him.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Mission Gamma (2) This Gray Spirit - Vaughan and Ezri separate to assist a troubled planet in order to assist themselves, but there’s political upset and the Prime Directive to take into account.
Kira prepares for a big event on the station and Shar’s Mother and Family start to become a problem for Ro and the new Counsellor.
The Cardassians make an effort to bring about peace with Bajor.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Mission Gamma (3) - Cathedral - Ezri, Bashir and Nog encounter an ancient alien artefact that has an effect on their genetic differences. It is also a place of worship between two warring factions, which makes it difficult for them to correct the issues that arise from their initial visit. The Bajoran alliance with the federation proceeds, but takes a wild turn.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Rising Son - (This story runs alongside the Gateways and Mission Gamma stories, but doesn’t seem to affect them, however if you’ve read the others, you might want to find out what happens to Jake?) Up until now I would have said it’s not really important, but it does bare some relevance on ‘Lesser Evil’ and ‘Unity’ too.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Mission Gamma (4) - Lesser Evil - The Defiant starts its return to the Alpha Quadrant, but first answers a distress call and arrives on a planet where there is danger from the Borg and a reunion for Vaughan. On their final leg they meet up with Jake, Kai Opaka and The Dominion.
Meanwhile Ro is hunting for a killer on the station and Kira is on her way to Trill to get some answers about the same thing. The symbiotic parasites that once infiltrated the federation (TNG Series One) are uncovered behind the murder plot.
**Please see my reviews for these individual books for other episodes that are necessary to remember certain elements from the series.
On top of these you may want to refresh yourself on these TV episodes too, as elements are featured in Unity -
Star Trek: The Next Generation -
Series 1
Episode 24 - Conspiracy (A coup is uncovered among Starfleet’s chief brass and brought to an end by Riker and Picard)
Series 4
Episode 23 - The Host (A weird looking Trill is fatally wounded on board the Enterprise, where Riker agrees to carry the symbiont and unusually survives the process)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -
Series 1
Episode 1 - Emmisary (Ben Sisko arrives for his new assignment aboard DS9 with his son Jake and is met by Kai Opaka. He experiences an Orb for the first time and visits “The Prophets” in the celestial temple (Wormhole). Chief O’Brien transfers from the Enterprise with wife Keiko and daughter Molly.
Episode 12 - Battle Lines (Kai Opaka is killed on an alien world in the Gamma Quadrant)
Series 3
Episode 24 - Shakaar (The First Minister is a key figure. We also meet Lenaris Holem)
Series 4
Episode 10 - Homefront (Sisko visits his Father who looks like he must be related to Admiral Cartwright from Kirk’s time - He features prominently in this book)
Episode 24 - Body Parts (The O’Brien’s baby is transferred in to Kira’s womb when Keiko is injured)
Series 5
Episode 10 - Rapture (The lost city of B’hala is found by Sisko. He also blesses a young Bajoran named Mika and tells Yevir to become a Vedek)
Episode 12 - The Begotten (Kira gives birth to Kirayoshi O’Brien)
Series 6
Episode 6 - Sacrifice Of Angels (Hundreds of Dominion ships are lost while trying to cross through the wormhole)
Episode 13 - Far Beyond The Stars (Sisko has a dream/vision of himself as a science fiction writer in the 1950’s)
Series 7
Episodes 1/2- Image In The Sand/Shadows And Symbols (Ben Sisko learns that he is part prophet)
Commander Elias Vaughan is featured throughout the Trek universe in a number of books. A lot of it is explained in the last volume and in this. I didn’t feel that I needed to know any more, so I haven’t bought or read them yet, but other people may wish to look up his backstory before starting the mammoth task of his time on DS9.
Review:
This book was easy to read and I flew through it with a keen interest having enjoyed those before it and needing closure on a number of story arcs that started in ‘Avatar (Part1)’. Honestly though, it was nice that I didn’t have to buy another book when I finished it, I think they’ve had enough of my money.
The book starts with a recap of all those that have gone before it which is fantastic as, with it being such a lot of pages since the first, it would be easy to forget some things. Sadly it doesn’t include the information that I have included above regarding the individual episodes and only covers the events following the end of the TV series.
The events in chapter one were a great starting place that really gets you thinking about what could have happened between the books and where this one was going to go.
The book as a whole is a bit jumpy and the usual filler that ekes things out a bit is missing. It also doesn’t have the standard references to recent history as part of the story to keep you updated with what’s been happening that may have been omitted from the recap because it was considered minutiae. It would be easy to get confused about some things.
What I did like was the return of Kai Opaka and her time with Vaughan where he experiences visions.
It was a joy and a chore at the same time to see the back of Shar’s rather dull “romance” and family issues too. I found it all so unjust for him and while I can understand why it was included, to give us more background of the Andorian species as Shar becomes a more regular character, it was so very boring.
The action of the last few chapters was also a pleasure to read, so much so that I struggled to put the book down.
It was great to get the answers to those previous questions and I think that this is a very fitting ending to those other books and the crew of Deep Space Nine’s “Series 8” journey.
Very true to the series we love and the characters mannerisms too. I look forward to discovering what’s next.
The book literally follows a number of others that continue after the series ends, so it may help you to remember the events in these episodes as most of the novels are not stand alone stories and they all feature the new crew introduced in ‘Avatar’.
Star Trek: The next Generation
Series 4
Episode 12 - Wounded (Gul Macet, who looks suspiciously like Gul Dukat, works with Picard to stop Ben Maxwell from a murderous rampage. He has been quite prominent in the Mission Gamma series representing Cardassia).
Episode 21 - Drumhead (We meet Simon Tarses, a half Romulan Medical Officer who has been transferred to Deep Space Nine)
Series 5
Episode 3- Ensign Ro (Ro Laren is introduced to the Trek universe)
Series 7
Episode 24- Pre-emptive Strike (Ro joins the Marquis)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Series 7
Episode 24 - The Dogs Of War (Rom becomes the Grand Nagus and leaves with Leeta for Ferenginar)
Episode 25 - What You Leave Behind (Sisko leaves to be with the Prophets/Worf is appointed Federation Ambassador to Qo’nos/Odo goes to live with the Founders/Chief O’Brien and Keiko move back to Earth to teach at the Academy/The end of the war with the Dominion and Nog’s promotion to Lieutenant, while Garak stays on Cardassia to help rebuild after the war and Kai Winn and Dukat are dealt with by the Pah Wraiths).
As a result of all these changes a new crew is introduced in the following books-
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Lives Of Dax - A little more is learned about each of the previous hosts of the Dax symbiont)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Avatar (1&2) - (Commander Vaughan and the Jem Hadar, Taran ‘atar are brought in and we meet Prynn, Vaughn’s estranged daughter and Shar, an Andorian. We also find out that Ro Laren has been appointed as Security Chief having survived the Maquis liquidation by the Dominion. Ezri also decides to transfer to command from sciences and Jake ventures in to the Wormhole looking for his Dad. Kira becomes attainted by the Vedeks and may no longer pray in the temples, Etc).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Section 31) Abyss - (We learn that Jake is struggling in the Wormhole and Bashir goes on a mission for Section 31 with Ro and Taran ‘Atar).
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Gateways) Demons Of Air And Darkness & What Lay Beyond - Kira and Taran ‘Atar are lost in the Delta Quadrant whilst helping to evacuate a planet in the Alpha Quadrant & Kira spends time in her cultures historical past as a result of the Gateway. It is not really necessary to read any of the other books in the Gateways serial.
The Jaradans from the Star Trek: The Next Generation, Series 1 Episode 11 - The Big Goodbye are featured in this volume and at the beginning of Mission Gamma - Twilight.
Star Trek: S.C.E - Indistinguishable From Magic (Nog teams up with Scotty - I haven’t read it yet, but it doesn’t seem to affect things too much here)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Mission Gamma (1) Twilight – Vaughan takes a crew including Ezri, Nog, Prynn and Shar in to the Gamma quadrant. Ezri loses a crew member for the first time in her command role. We also learn what has caused the estrangement between Vaughan and Prynn. Shar is also having some issues with his Ambassador Mother and the mates that have been selected for him.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Mission Gamma (2) This Gray Spirit - Vaughan and Ezri separate to assist a troubled planet in order to assist themselves, but there’s political upset and the Prime Directive to take into account.
Kira prepares for a big event on the station and Shar’s Mother and Family start to become a problem for Ro and the new Counsellor.
The Cardassians make an effort to bring about peace with Bajor.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Mission Gamma (3) - Cathedral - Ezri, Bashir and Nog encounter an ancient alien artefact that has an effect on their genetic differences. It is also a place of worship between two warring factions, which makes it difficult for them to correct the issues that arise from their initial visit. The Bajoran alliance with the federation proceeds, but takes a wild turn.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Rising Son - (This story runs alongside the Gateways and Mission Gamma stories, but doesn’t seem to affect them, however if you’ve read the others, you might want to find out what happens to Jake?) Up until now I would have said it’s not really important, but it does bare some relevance on ‘Lesser Evil’ and ‘Unity’ too.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Mission Gamma (4) - Lesser Evil - The Defiant starts its return to the Alpha Quadrant, but first answers a distress call and arrives on a planet where there is danger from the Borg and a reunion for Vaughan. On their final leg they meet up with Jake, Kai Opaka and The Dominion.
Meanwhile Ro is hunting for a killer on the station and Kira is on her way to Trill to get some answers about the same thing. The symbiotic parasites that once infiltrated the federation (TNG Series One) are uncovered behind the murder plot.
**Please see my reviews for these individual books for other episodes that are necessary to remember certain elements from the series.
On top of these you may want to refresh yourself on these TV episodes too, as elements are featured in Unity -
Star Trek: The Next Generation -
Series 1
Episode 24 - Conspiracy (A coup is uncovered among Starfleet’s chief brass and brought to an end by Riker and Picard)
Series 4
Episode 23 - The Host (A weird looking Trill is fatally wounded on board the Enterprise, where Riker agrees to carry the symbiont and unusually survives the process)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -
Series 1
Episode 1 - Emmisary (Ben Sisko arrives for his new assignment aboard DS9 with his son Jake and is met by Kai Opaka. He experiences an Orb for the first time and visits “The Prophets” in the celestial temple (Wormhole). Chief O’Brien transfers from the Enterprise with wife Keiko and daughter Molly.
Episode 12 - Battle Lines (Kai Opaka is killed on an alien world in the Gamma Quadrant)
Series 3
Episode 24 - Shakaar (The First Minister is a key figure. We also meet Lenaris Holem)
Series 4
Episode 10 - Homefront (Sisko visits his Father who looks like he must be related to Admiral Cartwright from Kirk’s time - He features prominently in this book)
Episode 24 - Body Parts (The O’Brien’s baby is transferred in to Kira’s womb when Keiko is injured)
Series 5
Episode 10 - Rapture (The lost city of B’hala is found by Sisko. He also blesses a young Bajoran named Mika and tells Yevir to become a Vedek)
Episode 12 - The Begotten (Kira gives birth to Kirayoshi O’Brien)
Series 6
Episode 6 - Sacrifice Of Angels (Hundreds of Dominion ships are lost while trying to cross through the wormhole)
Episode 13 - Far Beyond The Stars (Sisko has a dream/vision of himself as a science fiction writer in the 1950’s)
Series 7
Episodes 1/2- Image In The Sand/Shadows And Symbols (Ben Sisko learns that he is part prophet)
Commander Elias Vaughan is featured throughout the Trek universe in a number of books. A lot of it is explained in the last volume and in this. I didn’t feel that I needed to know any more, so I haven’t bought or read them yet, but other people may wish to look up his backstory before starting the mammoth task of his time on DS9.
Review:
This book was easy to read and I flew through it with a keen interest having enjoyed those before it and needing closure on a number of story arcs that started in ‘Avatar (Part1)’. Honestly though, it was nice that I didn’t have to buy another book when I finished it, I think they’ve had enough of my money.
The book starts with a recap of all those that have gone before it which is fantastic as, with it being such a lot of pages since the first, it would be easy to forget some things. Sadly it doesn’t include the information that I have included above regarding the individual episodes and only covers the events following the end of the TV series.
The events in chapter one were a great starting place that really gets you thinking about what could have happened between the books and where this one was going to go.
The book as a whole is a bit jumpy and the usual filler that ekes things out a bit is missing. It also doesn’t have the standard references to recent history as part of the story to keep you updated with what’s been happening that may have been omitted from the recap because it was considered minutiae. It would be easy to get confused about some things.
What I did like was the return of Kai Opaka and her time with Vaughan where he experiences visions.
It was a joy and a chore at the same time to see the back of Shar’s rather dull “romance” and family issues too. I found it all so unjust for him and while I can understand why it was included, to give us more background of the Andorian species as Shar becomes a more regular character, it was so very boring.
The action of the last few chapters was also a pleasure to read, so much so that I struggled to put the book down.
It was great to get the answers to those previous questions and I think that this is a very fitting ending to those other books and the crew of Deep Space Nine’s “Series 8” journey.
Very true to the series we love and the characters mannerisms too. I look forward to discovering what’s next.
May 6, 2014
An excellent read and a great way to open up dialogue about today's closed mindedness about religion and different ways to view the same faith.
April 8, 2016
Everyones back! Awesome end to season 8!
July 16, 2024
Star Trek: DS9 - Post-Nemesis - Unity by S.D. Perry
Challenging, dark, emotional, hopeful, inspiring, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 Stars
I really enjoyed this story. This was a horrific idea...of an "almost" unseen enemy...attacking our people, and how to overcome it and end it.
My favouritie characters were Kira Nerys, obviously. She's such a well-rounded and complicated character. She doesn't always play within the rules, but she always owns up to it, afterwards. She is honourable and deliberate. She inspires respect and is a great leader for the people of Bajor, and for all who are willing to defend the line.
Another character that I love, is Ro Laren. She's also another character that doesn't easily fit in a box (one of the reasons why she left Starfleet). She has convictions and is willing to stand up to an opposing force, even though she may not live through the encounter.
One of my favourite characters from DS9 is Miles O'Brien, and his wife and children. I'm impressed with him and how he is navigating his relationship with Keiko. His decision at the end of the book, shows how much he loves her.
I love the religious aspect of the Bajoran people. Like in all hierarchies, there is a possibility for corruption, but the ones that are righteous, seem to find a way to unite the people.
I was suspicious of Kai Opoka Sulan, but the more we see of her, the more she is who she is.
There is a part of this narrative that had Benjamin Sisko in it, and I loved how the author was able to pull from one of the greatest episodes of DS9, with the episode callled: Far Beyond the Stars and the main character of Benny Russell. Loved these portions of the book. So good. The way that he helps Eli Vaughn is amazing.
I like the struggles that Shar is having, especially after the trajic events of his bondmate, Thriss in the previous books. He loves his career, and is frustrated with what happened, for he loves all his bondmates, but for Shar, it is clear that the path forward is in Starfleet, even against the objections of his mother and his bondmates, and even the traditions of Andor and their imminent threat to their survival.
MINOR SPOILERS...below. Read at your own peril. 👇
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The threat to Bajor and to the Trill is real...with the parasites, and the queen. Kira, and her actions against this threat seemed doomed (at first), but an old friend comes to her aid (totally unexpectedly). Did NOT see that coming. Great job.
The thought of what Benjamin is going to do, now...is SO interesting. Love it.
Challenging, dark, emotional, hopeful, inspiring, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25 Stars
I really enjoyed this story. This was a horrific idea...of an "almost" unseen enemy...attacking our people, and how to overcome it and end it.
My favouritie characters were Kira Nerys, obviously. She's such a well-rounded and complicated character. She doesn't always play within the rules, but she always owns up to it, afterwards. She is honourable and deliberate. She inspires respect and is a great leader for the people of Bajor, and for all who are willing to defend the line.
Another character that I love, is Ro Laren. She's also another character that doesn't easily fit in a box (one of the reasons why she left Starfleet). She has convictions and is willing to stand up to an opposing force, even though she may not live through the encounter.
One of my favourite characters from DS9 is Miles O'Brien, and his wife and children. I'm impressed with him and how he is navigating his relationship with Keiko. His decision at the end of the book, shows how much he loves her.
I love the religious aspect of the Bajoran people. Like in all hierarchies, there is a possibility for corruption, but the ones that are righteous, seem to find a way to unite the people.
I was suspicious of Kai Opoka Sulan, but the more we see of her, the more she is who she is.
There is a part of this narrative that had Benjamin Sisko in it, and I loved how the author was able to pull from one of the greatest episodes of DS9, with the episode callled: Far Beyond the Stars and the main character of Benny Russell. Loved these portions of the book. So good. The way that he helps Eli Vaughn is amazing.
I like the struggles that Shar is having, especially after the trajic events of his bondmate, Thriss in the previous books. He loves his career, and is frustrated with what happened, for he loves all his bondmates, but for Shar, it is clear that the path forward is in Starfleet, even against the objections of his mother and his bondmates, and even the traditions of Andor and their imminent threat to their survival.
MINOR SPOILERS...below. Read at your own peril. 👇
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The threat to Bajor and to the Trill is real...with the parasites, and the queen. Kira, and her actions against this threat seemed doomed (at first), but an old friend comes to her aid (totally unexpectedly). Did NOT see that coming. Great job.
The thought of what Benjamin is going to do, now...is SO interesting. Love it.
December 9, 2019
Probably more like a 2.5 read and maybe some of that is on me rather than the author. Maybe if I had read this way back when it was first published I'd have enjoyed it more. I also get the feeling there was a series by Perry for DS9 because there are characters in this I don't recognize but obviously the reader is expected to. that said, maybe they were in the last season of the show that I was unable to watch for reasons I don't remember 20 years later (yikes).
Let me start with what I really liked: the parasites. To be honest, Star Trek: The Next Generation's first season wasn't strong (these days it probably wouldn't have gotten a second) but there were a few episodes that stood out and the parasites that infiltrated key Starfleet members was one of them. It was a neat idea with an open end to it. That's where this book comes in. The parasites are back with a tie-in to the Trill and have now infiltrated Bajoran leaders threatening Bajor's being allowed into the Federation.
If the book had concentrated on that alone it would have worked for me but instead there was SO much else going on. It opens in a non-linear way which would have ended the book right there for me if I wasn't using it in a reading challenge. We have Jake Sisko returning to DS9 with Opaka, a very pregnant Kasidy waiting for him, his father is gone, Kira has been excommunicated from her religion, Ro is dating Quark and they're both about to leave the station and a big hot mess with Ezri and the Dax host interacting with previous related hosts, not to mention at least three other story lines with characters I don't know (some Andorian story line, a father/daughter tension story line, a Bajor religious tension story line)
It's too scattered and some of it just plain boring. I didn't care about the Andorians or the father/daughter thing (and if they were actual DS9 characters I've totally forgotten them).
Unfortunately some of the parasite stuff is uneven too. For the first half of the book they're a threat to the Trill, some huge secret, but once Bashir learns how to use the Trill to talk to the queen parasite, we never even see the Trill again and it's all about Bajor and Kira.
I guess a post-series DS9 story wasn't what I was looking for.
Let me start with what I really liked: the parasites. To be honest, Star Trek: The Next Generation's first season wasn't strong (these days it probably wouldn't have gotten a second) but there were a few episodes that stood out and the parasites that infiltrated key Starfleet members was one of them. It was a neat idea with an open end to it. That's where this book comes in. The parasites are back with a tie-in to the Trill and have now infiltrated Bajoran leaders threatening Bajor's being allowed into the Federation.
If the book had concentrated on that alone it would have worked for me but instead there was SO much else going on. It opens in a non-linear way which would have ended the book right there for me if I wasn't using it in a reading challenge. We have Jake Sisko returning to DS9 with Opaka, a very pregnant Kasidy waiting for him, his father is gone, Kira has been excommunicated from her religion, Ro is dating Quark and they're both about to leave the station and a big hot mess with Ezri and the Dax host interacting with previous related hosts, not to mention at least three other story lines with characters I don't know (some Andorian story line, a father/daughter tension story line, a Bajor religious tension story line)
It's too scattered and some of it just plain boring. I didn't care about the Andorians or the father/daughter thing (and if they were actual DS9 characters I've totally forgotten them).
Unfortunately some of the parasite stuff is uneven too. For the first half of the book they're a threat to the Trill, some huge secret, but once Bashir learns how to use the Trill to talk to the queen parasite, we never even see the Trill again and it's all about Bajor and Kira.
I guess a post-series DS9 story wasn't what I was looking for.
September 22, 2018
Very satisfactory conclusion to the sequence of stories that started with Avatar. An old enemy, one we met in the Next Generation episodes, has found it's way to Bajor and seems intent on using that planet to destroy Trill. Life on DS9 is even more fraught than usual as the scientists in the crew struggle to find ways to identify who is infected with the deadly parasite and how to cure them. They discover the creatures are controlled telepathically by a 'queen' that's hiding in Bajor's most important monastery, whereupon Kira defies orders to stage a rescue. In between the threads of the main plot, various individuals are working out personal issues mostly to do with relationships - Quark and Ro, Shar and his mother, Elias Vaughan and his daughter. The Sisko family are, mostly, reunited on Bajor to await the birth of Kassidy's baby, where, of course, they get tangled up in the big events happening in the monastery. It all ends pretty happily with a few loose ends which may lead to further stories (I hope)
February 14, 2025
Honestly, I don't think there really is a better title for this book than Unity. It really does bring everything all together - it even makes the effort to note the events at the beginning of the book as it's been like 13 books to get to this point and this brings all those things, people and events together in one book. I was worried I would be a little underwhelmed but I think Perry did a great job here and it rewards the reader with a lot of great things in the end but still leaves room open for the future and what will happen. It was great having the team all back together, if I had one wish it would be that it happened a little sooner so they could all work together but it stuck more to the way it was on the show where they all had a common goal but were getting there in their own way. Definitely a lot of surprises so I won't mention those but one definitely caught me off guard and made me laugh and kind of disappointed I hadn't figured it out sooner.
October 7, 2021
Congratulations to S.D. Perry. This, along with Robinson’s “A Stitch in Time,” is one of the best Star Trek books I’ve ever read.
Perry expertly brings the plot lines of all precious books since “Avatar” to a firm conclusion, and the book itself is riveting, as well. I’ve seen many people online state that this is the perfect end to “Season Eight,” and I couldn’t agree more. Not only do we see a resolution to the parasite threat, we also see the return of Sisko, Odo, O’Brien, and at least some lip service to other characters.
There’s too much here to spoil, but “Unity” is so expertly written and so emotionally driven, that it’s so easy for me to imagine this as an episode of the show itself.
My hat is off to S.D. Perry. Job well done.
Perry expertly brings the plot lines of all precious books since “Avatar” to a firm conclusion, and the book itself is riveting, as well. I’ve seen many people online state that this is the perfect end to “Season Eight,” and I couldn’t agree more. Not only do we see a resolution to the parasite threat, we also see the return of Sisko, Odo, O’Brien, and at least some lip service to other characters.
There’s too much here to spoil, but “Unity” is so expertly written and so emotionally driven, that it’s so easy for me to imagine this as an episode of the show itself.
My hat is off to S.D. Perry. Job well done.
May 31, 2021
Elias Vaughn gillar jag allt mer. Han har synts av och till i flera böcker och har nu blivit en självklar del i DS9-sagan såsom kommendant över Defiant och försteofficer till Kira Nerys. Författaren kan sin sak och Bill Williams på Trekweb.com sträckte sig till och med så långt som till att säga att boken är en av de bästa på många år. Visst är den otroligt bra, men den bästa är nog svårt att säga. Det är nog flera böcker som förtjänar ett sådant epitet. Boken är intensiv, dock inte för intensiv, och kampen mot parasiterna (som anknyter till något avsnitt i TNG) är mycket spännande.
Read
March 31, 2023As a fan of the Deep Space Nine branch of the Star Trek family, I was happy to find this book. It brought familiar faces back to me, though they were in the middle of a tense and, at-first, unknown situation.
As the primary issue was brought to light, it brought with it more questions. It also provided an interesting callback to an unresolved storyline from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The characters' personal issues added depth to their characters and story.
In all, I found it a satisfying read.
As the primary issue was brought to light, it brought with it more questions. It also provided an interesting callback to an unresolved storyline from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The characters' personal issues added depth to their characters and story.
In all, I found it a satisfying read.
September 10, 2024
I was so hyped up at the end of the last book that I had to barrel ahead to the finale. I still think the sudden appearance of certain villains and their aftermath in this book is too out of left field. However, Perry didn’t disappoint in writing great character moments, tying up the loose ends, delivering on critical development, and making this feel like the “season 8” concept is worth the journey. The ups and downs all fit the usual journey of a DS9 season. I’m real curious to see if they continued these kinda long arcs in future books.
April 4, 2022
A great ending to the DS9 relaunch's first arc! The finale of what happened with the parasites was super satisfying and although we've had way too much Ro and Quark rather than Bashir for my tastes (also, no Bashir and O'Brien reunion???) there's no way you can't enjoy this as a DS9 fan. Ending was perfect too.
May 10, 2022
These books which are a continuation of the places and characters we grew to love from the TV show are a good read, expanding the universe with people both old and new.
This particular book was a good. Fun and easy read that was part conspiracy theory, part murder mystery all interwoven in the life and times of intergalactic events aboard our favorite floating bicycle wheel, deep space 9.
This particular book was a good. Fun and easy read that was part conspiracy theory, part murder mystery all interwoven in the life and times of intergalactic events aboard our favorite floating bicycle wheel, deep space 9.
May 2, 2019
I skipped over the gamma books and found this as an easy return to the ds9 novels. Not perfect but very enjoyable and smooth reading. That said, boy do i hate the Shar story. Maybe its just a personal preference but i had to skip the Shar parts as they were incredibly boring
July 12, 2022
Unreadable. Made it 60 pages and had to stop. Who are these characters? I must be Missing another book. And those dumb parasites from season one of TNG giving the Trill an issue? Who cares. Ugh. Also lots of references to trek canon but it’s just too much.
March 24, 2023
The reunions as they were depicted here were not quite as satisfying as I had hoped, somehow. If there's ever a proper DS9 follow-up onscreen in this current golden age of Trek, I think that would be more likely to be more satisfying to me.
August 27, 2024
DS9 Relaunch! This was a thrilling conclusion to the parasite arc of Star Trek, began back in TNG season 1 with “Conspiracy.” It will be interesting to see what happens next, since this felt like a “season finale” of sorts.
September 20, 2025
Great to get an update on what my DS9 pals did next. Fun to be working my way through these "season 8" novels about 20 years later. The characters feel authentic and the plot feels true to the original, with plenty of introspection and character moments to complement the action.
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