The Three-Minute Universe

Star Trek: The Original Series #41

by Barbara Paul

The Sackers may be the most hated race in the galaxy, so repugnant that their mere appearance makes most Federation citizens ill. That hatred runs both ways, and now the Sackers have stolen a powerful new device that they use to imperil the rest of the universe. They've torn a hole in the fabric of spacetime, an expanding tear so that one universe is leaking into another, and unless the EnterpriseTM crew can stop it, it will consume everything in its path.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Star Trek Original Series, Humor, Media Tie In, Science Fiction Fantasy

265 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1988

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Barbara Paul is an American writer of detective stories and science fiction. She was born in Maysville, Kentucky, in 1931 and was educated, inter alia, at Bowling Green State University and the University of Pittsburgh.

A number of her novels feature in-jokes: for example Full Frontal Murder borrows various names from the British TV series Blake's 7.

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one universe begins to break in on another universe, that collision causes immense destruction, heat, and fire. What follows is an incredibly fun narrative, which includes a new, distinct, alien race that is so ugly that it causes physical revulsion, so odorous that it distresses the olfactory senses, and their physical touch burns flesh. They are called the Sackers, for their piratical ways, but no one really knows what they are actually called, because as a reviled race they are mistreated. The feeling is mutual, so when the Sackers turn a recently acquired weapon on the Federation, it behooves the Enterprise crew to stop the fabric of space from being ripped by one expanding universe flowing into the one inhabited by Starfleet. Although this story may appear typical of every Trek novel, there are unique aspects that make this tale standout over the rest. Chekov, Uhura, and Scotty figure prominently as support for Captain Kirk. The aliens are physically ugly which riffs on the false equivalencies we create between good, evil, pretty, and disgusting. Lastly, the reader is treated to both inner monologues and outer dialogues in which the Federation characters perseverate on the morality of behaving in ways that may in fact be antithetical to the prescribed principles and norms of ethical behavior. A short, but thoroughly enjoyable read. This serves as my #4 of 12 Star Trek novels for my 2023 Reading Goals.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than usual for this series.

[TheTick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, not really a review, but one thing has bothered me about this book (which was decently fun otherwise) since I was a kid - it is stated in the book that you can see under the 'Sackers' skin little squiggly things sort of swimming around, which are supposed to be taking the place of the system of nerves like we have. So why don't they have, like, the worst reflexes in the history of intelligent life? At least they get your brain working harder than the typical Star Trek alien of the week, where you pick a skin color, forehead abberation and human culture analogue out of a hat.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The galaxy is on fire." With these words, James Kirk summarizes the latest threat the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is forced to address: an expanding wave of heat that has already annihilated an entire solar system, including the home world of the Zirgosians. Their investigation takes them to the remaining Zirgosian colony, where they find a massive spaceship in orbit controlled by the "Sackers," a species so physically repulsive that sentient beings cannot stand to be in their presence. The crew soon discovers that the Sackers are at the center of the mystery, with a plan that effectively holds the entire universe hostage unless their demands are met.

Barbara Paul's novel offers readers what is many respects a textbook Star Trek story: the crew faces a seemingly insurmountable challenge, then proceeds to save the day through a mixture of intuitive psychology and teamwork. It's an interesting tale both for the species she introduces and the unusual combination of Kirk, Scotty, Uhura, and Chekov working to deal with the situation in which they find themselves. Yet too much of the novel comes across as contrived, with the Sacker threat both epically dangerous yet in the end ridiculously easy to resolve. Squaring the difference between these two contrasts might have made for a truly excellent Star Trek novel, but as it is the book's strengths can't quite overcome its flaws.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the National Library Service for the Blind is gradually converting Star Trek novels from cassette to digital format, I've begun working my way through books I haven't read since college. Three Minute Universe is one of the better original series novels because it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's funny and sometimes thought-provoking--a fun, light read.

[Reesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I heartily enjoyed this one.

The story's message resonates today just as powerfully as it would have back in 1988 when it was published. Namely, that nothing good comes of the pervasive human prejudice that beautiful = good and ugly = bad.

There is a newly invented, well explored, richly described race that was just fascinating. The author did equally well making them horrifying, disgusting, villainous, endearing, and sympathetic. Applause all around.

There were only two things that bothered me about this book:

1. There is a side story about Uhura that I found very difficult to believe. Essentially, she has a long-lived trauma response that she is not hiding, so it would have come out at her psych eval to get into Starfleet. I find it unlikely that they would have even let her in without intense psychological treatment. If they did, and she was still suffering when assignment time came, they would never have assigned her to a deep space vessel - much less kept on doing that again and again. Too much can happen out there in space; you can't go out there unable to face a situation that can easily happen in battle when your shipmates will depend on you to be able to help handle it.

2. It seemed extremely odd that a new ship we're introduced to would not have been fire-proofed by the creatures using it, considering one of their most talked about biological features throughout the book.

The second point I could explain away with bad timing and inexperience on the characters' part, but the Uhura side plot bothered me the most and is where the other half star went. It wasn't necessary to the main story at all and, since Uhura already had a vital role in the main plot, could have been left out entirely.

Aside from that, I really loved the story, silly contrivances and all. It jumps right into the action from the start, like TOS episodes sometimes did, rather than making the mistake of putting lots of dull backstory in the beginning. It even had me laughing out loud several times, which I always appreciate.

I'd read this one again. Recommended for Star Trek fans!

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A game of two halves. Barbara Paul creates a fascinating alien race, both humorous and terrifying in equal measure. But the originality is mitigated by (1) some off-characters moments from Spock and Uhura that didn't quite work for me, and (2) a rip-in-the-universe plot that feels very awkward in its connection to the rest of the story. In fact, this last plot point all but disappears throughout much of the novel, and the book would have worked equally well without it. Overall, a bit frustrating, but certainly fascinating.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it quite a lot. The Enterprise contacts a race who is despised by all other races in the universe and now they want to get even. They do so by starting a big bang within our own universe, which threatens to wipe out everything. Good job with the characterization and the story was fun.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sackers, deadly to touch, and the appearance and smell makes them hated throughout the universe. But the universe is on fire and they have stolen the device to stop it. The Enterprise is sent to save the universe.
An entertaining re-read

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This featured a great situation and an interesting guest cast. The pacing is a little off throughout and it offers a facile solution to the problem of what to do with murderers, but these faults aside, there’s a lot of fun to be had.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sudden destruction of a planetary system coupled with the rise in the background temperature of surrounding space leads Captain Kirk into conflict with the Sackers, the most reviled race in the galaxy.

Paul's novel creates a wonderful alien race, making them and their interactions with Kirk both believable and understandable.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has the rather amusing and confusing back cover summary that describes an alien species called The Sackers. These aliens have multiple unfortunate physical characteristics that result in such averse reactions in humans that they throw up and faint in disgust. They smell, they are made of multi-colored goo, they look like they're decomposing, and have weird organs that swim around their body. These guys really have NOT got a lot going for them. In fact, not a lot is known about this species, simply because they're so disgusting to look at. If this description starts to elicit some sympathy I don't blame you, even the crew of the Enterprise do, (even though the Sackers murder many other aliens).
The Weird
I read these tie-in novels because I think it's funny to see what an author will do when tasked with writing sanctioned fan fiction. Thus, I love to see what kind of weird details and plot points are included in these novels that never fail to remind me I'm reading a fanfic. This space is where I discuss them. Spoilers are possible but not guaranteed.

I love it when authors in these novels add in new characters and new backstory for preexisting characters. This novel has a focus on Uhura's backstory. It is revealed she has a fear of fire, after she lost her roommate as a child to a fire in their school dormitory. This, of course, comes into play later in one of my least favorite parts of the novel (but we'll get into that later). Unlike some novels I've read and reviewed in the past there was not too many moments that made me look up from my book with a I-can't-believe-that-got-past-editors-look.
One such moment was when Kirk excuses himself from the Sacker's bridge by going along with their presumption that he is leaving because he has the urge to "mate" with Uhura, which results in Chekov falling out of his chair in mirth.
Of course whenever I read these books I am looking for moments of a relationship between Kirk and Spock, and quite surprisingly this book did have such an encounter. At the end of the novel (quite literally the last two pages) the entire bridge is celebrating over their success in sealing the second universe. Instead of feeling joining in Spock runs to his quarters where Kirk joins him. I have to say, reading this I was one hundred percent expecting that somehow, someway this book had gotten past the censors and they were about to kiss. It was so weird I truly cannot describe it without quoting it just a tad. Basically, Spock is upset because he was so scared that the Enterprise was going to fail in their mission, and he had never felt fear before. It is truly a bizarre moment...Spock's new found fear was not hinted towards like Uhura's fire thing was, and it really reads as if the author was trying to convey something else. Like seriously, remove the word 'fear' and put 'love' and it retains the same exact meaning, "You'll see it will add a whole new dimension to your life...Anyone with human genes in him who's never known fear - well, he's not . . . whole". Like what!? How random is that, and the best part is this, "Don't despair Spock! Rejoice! Rejoice!' For a moment there was no response. Then the Vulcan slowly lifted his head, looked his friend straight in the eye . . . and rejoiced". Now what the hell does 'rejoiced' mean. It doesn't say that he smiled, or laughed, instead it has a weird ellipses. I swear to god if this was published on AO3 you'd know that they kissed. I truly want to get in contant with author Barbara Paul (who is 80) and ask her what that could possibly mean... aw man, now I'm doing it too.
The Review
I had no real complaints about this book, it is truly an unoffensive read. There was some weird characterizations of Bones that made me think that Paul had it out for McCoy. There was like three different moments where Bones makes a (frankly dumb suggestion) to Spock on how to save Kirk and the others, and Spock shoots him down. These moments don't seem to be a way for Paul to avoid criticisms on plot holes because even with a rudimentary grasp on the pseudo-science that Star Trek applies you know it wouldn't work.
The resolution to Uhura's fear of fire I felt was a little contrived, especially because there is so much fire in the book already (the universe is on fire, the Sackers set people on fire). But instead of one of these options Paul has Uhura have to crawl across a catwalk above a raging fire onboard the Babe in Arms .
I liked the Sackers, it was a very unique alien design and I'm glad that when Star Trek is in novel format the authors strive to create a species that might not be possible with current special effect constraints.
The characterization of all the characters felt accurate, and I found I enjoyed Paul's writing immensely, unfortunately this is the only Star Trek book she has written.
Closing Thoughts
While I wouldn't make this required reading in the Star Trek novel verse I thought this was an enjoyable story with solid writing and a firm grasp on established Trek canon. Would recommend if you're jonesing for new Trek content but not quite ready to go too far out of the box.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas, the Sackers especially I thought were a creative alien race, but only an 'alright' read.
Enjoyed it while I read it, but I felt no urge to keep my copy.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Three-Minute Universe by Barbara Paul

Challenging, funny hopeful, informative,
inspiring, mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.

Medium-paced

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

3.75 Stars

This book has SO much good in it, but it also frustrated me in SO many ways...too.

Overall...I enjoyed the story.

The Sackers were an interesting "foe", but the eventual culmination of the story showed then for who they REALLY were.

I loved the interactions with the Sackers...once the story got going. I started to, the fully understood what was going on...and how Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise was going to find a equitable resolution to their problem.

There is a deeper conversation going on in this story. Our prejudices and how we deal with people/cultures that we do not understand (nor really WANT to). We all do it...and in this story (like a LOT of Star Trek stories) exposes our hypocracies and gets us to look at the world from a different angle...so that we can fix these errors and become better people.

This story is sometimes heavy handed, but overall it was a good novel to read...and it has made me look at how I "pre-judge" people/cultures...and compare them with ours. Hopefully I will do that better, after having read this story.

[Gary Fortuin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a change of pace from some of my other reading and grabbed a this from a bag of books in my basement. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the writing Anne how solid the plot was.
The author hits all the appropriate Trek notes from the original series. The characters are all easily identifiable. She takes it further and adds some realism to the story as well. The command crew doesn’t get to beam down to a dangerous situation alone in this story. They are accompanied by a security detail who don’t behave like the classic ‘red shirts’. In addition, they defer to the security team on manners of security. At one point they don’t allow Spock into a building because they haven’t investigated it yet and Spock defers to their judgement.
The story itself is pretty classic Trek : the universe is in danger and only the Enrterprise and her crew are in a position to solve the problem. There is the usual pseudo-sciences explanation and solution as well that we have come to expect from this type of sci-fi.
What I really enjoyed was the initial focus on Uhura and some attention to her backstory. It was all very relevant to the plot and very nicely executed. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for other stories written by Barbara Paul.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels like a classic Trek episode with a heavy emphasis on the alien race. One's enjoyment on this book will hinge on the revelation of the aliens which occurs about halfway through the novel. It felt appropriate for the story, so I was able to believe it.

A literal hole in the universe has opened because another universe is about to form within our own, possibly (most likely) destroying all that is known. The Enterprise encounters this hole and goes to an adjacent planet (I can't state why without spoilers) not yet feeling the effects of the impending doom. Here they find a small city that has suffered a deadly ill, partly due to the hole. From here the book has the crew encountering a new alien race that was fantastic. I liked the description of these aliens and what they do to all who encounter them. They reminded me somewhat of the Vidiians from Voyager, but are much more deadlier. The secret of this alien race made sense and was enjoyable, though I did find some of the individual names of these creatures a joke too far. The book has a surprising exchange between Kirk and Spock that was extremely satisfactory.

I enjoyed this book and thought it much better than its title.

[Shannon Lush · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty Goofy

Starting with the positives, the interplay between the iconic ‘Star Trek’ characters is by and large on-point; they all are written with a level of attention to detail that rings true for their various personalities.

However, the plot itself veers wildly off into multiple directions, and the ‘baddies’ are difficult to take serious; essentially they are a race of beings SO ugly and smelly that the entire Federation keeps them at arm’s length literally and figuratively. Worse, the reveal is they are basically kids, turning the entire interaction between them and the Enterprise crew into a series of adult-supervision, baby-sitting encounters.

There’s some good to be pulled out of this book, but clumsy writing and a focus on pages and pages of exposition-dumping that doesn’t move along enough action drags it down. Not the best example of a Pocket Book ‘Trek entry from the glory days of the book series.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid TOS adventure

This was an outstanding adventure featuring all of the original cast, but focusing especially on Kirk, Scotty, Uluru, and Chekhov. The novel kicks right in with action as the Enterprise discovers a fiery, raging universe that threatens to devour every world in its ever-expanding path. Behind this campaign to crush all the known worlds under Federation control are a mysterious race of grotesque beings known as the Sackers. It's up to the aforementioned foursome to convince the Sackers to stop their plan to destroy our universe. But Kirk and his team find out much more about the Sackers then they bargained for once they are kidnapped and taken aboard the Sacker starship. Maybe these hideous beings aren't really who Kirk and crew think they are.
Fans of the series will enjoy this adventure and the true-to-character way that they are drawn.

[Surly Gliffs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gary lent me this 1988 paperback (41st in a series). Took me about a year to finish, sometimes would read a chapter or two between other books. That wasn't a problem with the Three Minute Universe: the crew of the Enterprise and their perils are deeply familiar. Paul nails every story beat with skillful precision. Like commedia dell'arte or a Looney Tunes cartoon, there's a well-defined and comforting rhythm to the story, with the characters perfectly executing their roles. My sole disappointment is that Paul allowed the characters, along with the entire Star Trek universe, to perish in a fiery baryon matter reversion. But I expect ensuing volumes will correct that issue with some sort of sloppy retcon. Recommended for TOS fans who read books.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I read a Star Trek book in order to spend time with great characters that I love with great worldbuilding. Because of the writers and story, they usually even out to a three star read. And there are times that a three star read is what I'm looking for - I have a few hours and want a palette cleanser. This book however had above average writing and a really interesting plot...solid four star book.

Plot: The Sackers, a race of beings that are shunned and abhorred, do something unthinkable which will soon bring about the end of the Universe. It's up to Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to stop it. Action and chaos ensure.

And a good time was had by all. Recommended for most and highly recommended for Star Trek fans.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best of the ST based novels. The characters are spot-on, and the plot is exciting. There are some LOL scenes and all the characters get plenty to do.

Two small nitpicks: the "enemy" ship is big and Scott says it would take forever to do a 90 degree turn. Why? Sure, large sea ships take a long time but in space? Probably not, given future technology. Also, at the end, Spock's reaction is hard to believe. He's never experienced that emotion? I doubt it.
This is one of the older ST novels and I suspect a few glitches happened when being translated into a Kindle book. Some of the editing is odd. But that's okay.

Overall, the book is fantastic and I highly recommend it.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it's not the normal alien of the week, I think it was lazy writing to make everything about the Sacker's appearance and biology disgusting or antithetical to normal life. The Sackers lacking names until being given one was a little interesting but ended up being a joke. And when Kirk names the ship, the chosen name was super cringy. The realization that the crew we were interacting with were children was something I realized very quickly. We do get some backstory on Uhrua, apparently, she has some fire-related trauma.

I didn't take any notes or highlights. I wouldn't reread this again.

[Mark Isaak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kirk and the Enterprise crew simultaneously confront a second Big Bang occurring within the galaxy and an alien race which is poised to take over the Federation. That race, the Sackers, is physically repulsive to an extreme--nearly everyone vomits reflexively upon merely seeing them, and their smell and voice are worse. The major theme about tolerance and acceptance gets a little heavy at times. Still, it is a quick and entertaining read. The descriptions of physical phenomena are cringeworthy to anyone who knows physics.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lately, I've been reading Star Trek books written 35-40 years ago. Many of them are readable but it isn't clear the authors have ever seen the TV show or that they've just tried too hard to be original. This is the best one I've read in a while where you can picture/hear the characters you know and love saying or doing the things they do here. The plot is interesting enough and fits the "larger scale Trek plot" though the twist may be too cliche for some. In fact, it does feel like an Animated Series two-parter if Chekov wasn't written out of that series...

[Corie Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read, especially on a long travel day. There were a lot of twists- I thought it would explore the new universe (extremely dangerous but not unknown to the Star Trek series), then there was the build-up of the "suddenly vicious" Sackers. Everything came together in a wonderfully awkward way. I still would've liked to see more about the new universe directly, but the interaction between the crew (especially Chekhov) and the Sackers more than made up for that.

[Mike (HistoryBuff) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read better. That being said it was still a good read. I always enjoy reading about the adventures of TOS. Some parts of of the interactions between Kirk and Spock just don't correspond with the type of interactions that are indicative of those two. I will say that the he aliens they dealt with reminds me of the time they met the Horta.

[kesseljunkie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming little beach read Star Trek original crew serial book as these things tend to be. Not much here for someone who isn’t already a Star Trek TOS fan, but plenty for those who are. Does a solid job of capturing the pulpy fun of watching the original series on reruns. Could easily see this being an episode full of velour uniforms and plywood sets.

[Damon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, but the copy I read (Kindle version) could have used some editing. At times there were perspective or scene changes without a text break, or missing bits of punctuation. Usually not an issue with these books in Dead Tree Format, so I suspect it was the conversion.

[Jonathan Colan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this while rereading the TOS series I devoured as a kid. This one does a good job finding the voice and relationships of the TOS crew, but the plot is full of obvious technological holes. But a fine light read if you’re into this sort of thing.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has such interesting ideas with the universe presented and how the Sackers are. But with the Uhura backstory we're given early on, I was kind of expecting this to be more Uhura-centered, and then it wasn't. Spock does at least learn to embrace the feeling of fear, which is cool, I guess.