The Valiant (Star Trek: The Next Generation) - Softcover

In the year 2069, the early starship "Valiant" disappeared beyond the galactic barrier, and all that was ever found of her was a message buoy picked up by Captain Kirk almost 200 years later, warning of some catastrophe involving ESP. Sixty years after this, two telepathic humans, members of a colony founded by the survivors of the "Valiant", travel to Starbase 209 to request Federation aid in fighting an implacable enemy. These aliens, the Nuyyad, are threatening to cross the galactic barrier and invade Federation space, and so the "Stargazer", under Captain Ruhalter, is sent to investigate. When the ship is drawn into a trap, Ruhalter is killed and the first officer incapacitated, leaving young Commander Jean-Luc Picard to take charge. There are plenty of space battles, but none of the characters, even Picard, ever really come to life, and it's a shame that all we see of the Nuyyad is their ships. Michael Jan Friedman has worked hard to bridge the gap between the Original Series and the Next Generation, but his storytelling skills got lost somewhere along the way. It's a pity that he couldn't have made more of such an important chapter in Picard's life. Friedman has written some good books, but this one is disappointing. Elizabeth Sourbut

Michael Jan Friedman is the author of more than forty science fiction and fantasy books, among them many Star Trek and Star Trek: Next Generation novels.