Shatnerverse

Shatnerverse

Cover art of Dark Victory
Author	William Shatner Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	Pocket Books
Published	1995 – 2007
Media type	Print (Hardback)
No. of books	9, 1 tie-in

The Shatnerverse refers to a series of loosely connected Star Trek novels written by William Shatner which focus exclusively on James T. Kirk. Published from 1995 to 2007 by Pocket Books, the novels are co-written Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens.

Development

The series explores James T. Kirk's life after the events of Generations (1994). Created by William Shatner, the novels were co-written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, who were not credited until Captain's Peril (2002).

Simon & Schuster never applied a series brand or name to the novels. The informal title for the series is "Shatnerverse", which was adopted by unofficial sources. The first nine books are usually organized into three trilogies: "Odyssey", "Mirror Universe", and "Totality". The continuity within the series is independent of other Star Trek book lines. The tenth book, Collision Course, was intended to be a beginning of the new Star Trek: Academy series but the planned sequels were canceled following poor sales.

Preserver (2000) was inspired by Shatner's experience following the death of his wife. Collision Course (2007) was originally pitched as a television series to Paramount. A sequel, Trial Run, was announced but never released.

Novels

The books are organized into three unofficial trilogies. Numbering of the novels varies by language and market.

Odyssey

The name is taken from an omnibus edition titled Odyssey which was originally planed as Science Fiction Book Club exclusive.

Title	Author	Date	ISBN
The Ashes of Eden	William Shatner	June 1995	0-671-52035-0
The Return		April 1996	0-671-52610-3
Avenger		May 1997	0-671-55132-9

Mirror Universe

The name is taken from Star Trek's Mirror Universe setting

Title	Author	Date	ISBN
Spectre	William Shatner	May 1998	0-671-00878-1
Dark Victory		April 1999	0-671-00882-X
Preserver		July 2000	0-671-02125-7

Totality

Also known as the Captain Kirk or Captain's trilogy.

Title	Author(s)	Date	ISBN
Captain's Peril	William Shatner,   with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens	October 8, 2002	0-7434-4819-7
Captain's Blood		December 9, 2003	0-671-02129-X
Captain's Glory		August 22, 2006	0-7434-5343-3

Star Trek: Academy

Star Trek: Academy was intended to be a new flagship series featuring a young Midshipman Jim Kirk. Only one novel has been published. A sequel, Trial Run, was announced in 2007 but was never published. A new title, Third Class, briefly appeared in bookseller listings in 2019 but no official release date was announced. Collision Course ties into The Ashes of Eden (1995).

Title	Author(s)	Date	ISBN
Collision Course	William Shatner,   with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens	October 16, 2007	978-1-4165-0397-2

Synopsis

Ashes of Eden

Main article: The Ashes of Eden § Plot summary

The Return

Main article: The Return (Shatner novel) § Plot summary

Avenger

The Federation must contain a "virogen" (plague) that is killing plant life, damaging animal young, and killing people on several vital systems that collectively supply food for the entire Federation. Avenger opens with the Federation trying to maintain a strict quarantine to contain the spread of the virogen as the Federation's reserves run low. The Enterprise-E is assigned to a blockade of the Alta Vista system, home to the Gamrow Station, a research facility designed to house about 60 scientists which is temporarily being used as a refugee camp for 1400 people. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew attempt to stop a shuttlecraft, piloted by a Vulcan called Stron and a pregnant human woman, from fleeing the quarantined system, but the two appear to commit suicide by trying to jump into warp while caught in the Enterprise-E's tractor beam. Picard, however, knowing that Vulcans believe suicide to be illogical, is unconvinced that the couple actually died in the warp core explosion.

Meanwhile, on the once-verdant planet of Chal (first referenced in The Ashes of Eden), a mysterious stranger walks through the desolation towards a Starfleet medical outpost. He meets with the commanding officer, Christine McDonald, and requests the location of the burial place of a native woman named Teilani. He discovers, with Christine's help, that Teilani is not dead, not yet, but will be soon with the virogen quickly working through her body. He goes to her and prepares an unusual herbal tea with dried leaves and hot water. Commander McDonald and the outpost's doctor, Andrea M'Benga, look on in amazement as Teilani begins to miraculously recover. The stranger reveals to M'Benga that the leaves are Trannin leaves, native to the Klingon home planet. Christine determines to send a message to Starfleet, announcing that a way to combat the virogen has been found. Christine's suspicions of the stranger's identity are aroused when Teilani calls the stranger "James." Her suspicions are further confirmed when she finds a plaque that the stranger had used as a tray for the tea, emblazoned with the name and number of the starship Enterprise from eighty years in the past. Christine confronts the stranger with her belief that he is actually James T. Kirk, which he does not deny, insisting that she only refer to him as "Jim," and that she reveal his real identity to no one. It is later revealed Kirk was saved by a fortuitous last-minute Borg transporter beam-out. Flung to another galaxy entirely, he materializes on a planet which is used as a dumping ground for the detritus of failed Borg missions. At the verge of death, on a planet near a galactic core, Kirk is discovered by beings who were able to release themselves from Borg assimilation. His body is purged of the Borg nanites which had been killing him, and after two years of working, living, and learning from, and with, the survivors, he discovers a Borg scout ship which he uses to return to the planet Chal.

Captain Picard dispatches a search party to an asteroid which was nearby to the explosion of the Vulcan shuttle to determine whether Stron and his wife really died there. Commander Data confirms that there are no traces of organic particles in the area, thus proving that Stron and his mate somehow escaped the shuttle prior to its detonation. However, the manner of their escape remains a mystery. Picard reports his findings personally to the commander of the Gamrow Station, Chiton Kincaid, by beaming down alone to speak with her. He realizes with horror as their conversation goes on that she was already, in fact, aware that Stron and the woman did not die in the explosion. Before he can react, she attacks him with a disruptor and he blacks out.

Back on Chal, Teilani is almost fully recovered, but still weak. Kirk cares for her faithfully, and is in the process of building a home. However, their peaceful life is jarringly interrupted when a wing of Orion pirates begin mercilessly attacking the medical base. Jim begins running towards the base, only to be beamed up to Commander McDonald's ship, the U.S.S. Tobias. Christine insists that Kirk momentarily assume command and take out the Orion fighters. Reluctantly, Jim agrees on the condition that Teilani be beamed up immediately. Once he knows she is safe, he takes a course of action by bringing the Tobias into the planet's atmosphere and successfully outmaneuvering the pirate ships. To Christine's dismay, he insists on destroying all of the pirates, rather than letting the survivors flee. Jim explains that Orions are mercenaries, with no reason to attack Chal if there's no money in it; someone must have intercepted Christine's message to Starfleet about the Trannin leaves, and sent the Orions to ravage the base. Kirk's suspicions are aroused: there's no way in his mind that the rapid spread of the virogen is an accident.

It is soon discovered that the virogen outbreak was created intentionally by the Symmetrists, a group of eco-terrorists who have links to Captain James T. Kirk's past. The resurrected Kirk, along with Picard, and their respective crews, must unite to uncover the conspiracy that caused this before it undermines the Federation.

Ambassador Spock, concurrently, is on a deeply personal mission of his own. He is personally bound to find the murderer of his father Sarek, believing that a conscious decision, not a disease, sealed his father's fate. He and Kirk reunite to avenge Sarek's death. During this time, Spock, though not entirely of his own volition, occasionally releases all his emotional self-control. This lack of control, uncharacteristic for a Vulcan, is a signature trait of Bendii disease, the same affliction which (supposedly) killed his father. Kirk and Spock discover that the people who assassinated Sarek are now after Spock, having infected him with a disease very similar to Bendii. It is revealed that a personal aide to both Sarek and Spock killed Sarek by using a poison whose effects were nearly identical to those of Bendii syndrome. In the end, it is Kirk, accompanied by Spock, who avenges Sarek's death. After, Kirk returns to Teilani and Spock is given treatment to expunge the poison from his body.

Preserver

Kirk's Mirror Universe double has risen to power as the evil Emperor Tiberius. This alternate universe version has failed in his quest to learn the secrets of the advanced 'First Federation'. Tiberius tries to intervene in Kirk's universe to learn the secrets of its version of the First. To complicate matters, Kirk's wife Teilani is deathly ill, a situation Tiberius gleefully takes advantage of in order to secure Kirk's assistance.

Captain's Peril

The Dominion War is over. The Federation is at peace. What better time for two legendary starship captains to set aside the demands of duty and simply take some well-deserved time off? But when James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard arrive on Bajor to dive among the ruins of an ancient sunken city, conditions are far from what they had planned. The small group of scientists the captains have joined suddenly find their equipment sabotaged—isolating them from Deep Space Nine and any hope of rescue—as one by one, a murderer stalks them.

Cut off from the people and technology on which they have always depended, Kirk and Picard must rely more than ever on their own skills and abilities, and their growing friendship, to solve the mysterious deaths and protect one of Bajor's greatest living treasures.

At the same time, Kirk finds the events he and Picard struggle with are similar to one of the first challenges he faced as the new captain of the Starship Enterprise, less than six months into his first five-year mission.

Now, with time running out for a dying child trapped in the scientists' camp, and Picard missing after a diving disaster, Kirk must search his memories of the past to relive one of his earliest adventures, propelling him into a harrowing personal journey that reveals the beginning of his path from young Starfleet officer to renowned legend, and the existence of a new and completely unsuspected threat to the existence of all life in the universe

Captain's Blood

Following the explosive events of Star Trek Nemesis, the Romulan Star Empire is in disarray, and Ambassador Spock attempts to render aid by launching a last-ditch effort to reunify the Romulans with their distant forebears, the Vulcans. But when Spock is publicly assassinated at a Romulan peace rally, Starfleet and the Federation are unable to search for the criminals responsible without triggering an intergalactic war. Thus, it falls to James T. Kirk, now retired, to investigate his beloved friend's murder.

Given clandestine assistance by Captain Will Riker of the Starship Titan, and accompanied by his good friend Jean-Luc Picard, Kirk travels to Romulus as a civilian, along with his five-year-old child, Joseph, the cantankerous Doctor Leonard McCoy, retired Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, as well as several members of Picard's crew, still waiting to return to duty on the badly damaged U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E.

But on Romulus' sister world, Remus, Kirk unexpectedly encounters an alluring enemy from his past as Picard and he discover that Spock's apparent murder hides an even deeper mystery, literally reaching beyond the limits of the galaxy. Trapped on a deadly, alien world on the eve of a Romulan civil war that could plunge the galaxy into a civilization-ending conflict, Kirk's investigation at last brings him to the heart of a staggering conspiracy.

Now, he discovers the true threat facing the Romulans, and is forced into the heartrending realization that for peace to prevail, he must sacrifice the freedom of his son, whose very blood holds the secret to his startling destiny.

Captain's Glory

With the civil war on Romulus averted, Kirk is finally free to seek out the truth behind the death of his oldest and closest friend. Was Spock killed by the shadowy organisation known as the Totality? A generous offer from Starfleet provides him with the starship he needs in order to reach his goal. Their only proviso: that they can call on his help if they need him.

But what happened to Spock is not Kirk's only worry: Joseph, his son, is rebelling wildly against the restrictions placed on him as the price of Romulan peace. Is the Totality somehow also linked to Joseph's rage? But before he can find the answers to either troubling question, Kirk receives a call from Admiral Janeway, telling him she needs him to save the Federation.

Torn between his mission and his duty, the cause of the Federation must claim him one more time before he can turn his attention either to his friend or to his son.

Reception

Library Journal reviewed Avenger: "Shatner's team has created a compelling and satisfying morality play with a wiser Kirk and more emotional Spock." Library Journal also reviewed the audiobook version of Spectre, saying: "Shatner does his usual adequate job, offering a melodious reading with a hint of apathy."

L.D. Meagher, whilst writing for CNN, said that Dark Victory was not for the casual fan to get into as it wasn't intended to be a standalone novel and needed to be read as part of the series. He thought though that fans of the book series would be pleased with it.

Publishers Weekly reviewed the audiobook version of Captain's Glory, writing: "Shatner ably embodies the voice of Kirk, but his characterizations of Picard, Riker, Worf and several others are mediocre and pale in comparison to the actors who created them."

Screen Rant noted that the idea of placing Academy: Collision Course within Starfleet Academy is a solid one; however, it falters in its execution.

Den of Geek said the Shatnerverse books are "very goofy and self-indulgent", yet were a fun continuation of The Original Series.

See also

• List of Star Trek novels

External links

• Shatnerverse at Memory Alpha
• Shatnerverse series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database