Enterprise: Surak’s Soul

By J.M. Dillard

PP 218

First Printing, March 2003

Description

You are alone in the dark reaches of space, surrounded by aliens who do not understand who you are and what you are, and who will not accept your beliefs. Under such circumstances, an emotional human would feel lost, cut off, adrift, but Sub-Commander T'Pol is a Vulcan, and Vulcans control their emotions. However, no other Vulcan has served for longer than a few weeks on a human ship. Has she, as others imply, lost her way?

Pulled, once again, into one of Captain Archer's dangerously impulsive attempts to make first contact, the sub-commander finds her life threatened. T'Pol reacts, draws her phase pistol and kills. It was a simple act of self-defense. But is killing ever simple? Has she forsaken the teachings of Surak?

Determined to be true to her heritage, T'Pol forswears violence. She tells Captain Archer that never again will she kill -- even if ordered. Is she, as Archer suggests, endangering the entire ship?

Find out more: Read an excerpt

Product Details

Star Trek, March 2003
eBook, 240 pages
ISBN-10: 0-7434-6281-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-7434-6281-5

Review by Roger D. Noriega (minor spoilers)

The adventure continues for Enterprise’s historical mission of exploration for Earth’s first warp-five capable starship. Our intrepid heroes have a representative from the Vulcan race aboard: sub-commander T’Pol. Her race is much more experienced in exploration and space-faring than humans do and she is the one that is tasked to keep the humans in line – not to be risk-takers, rash or reckless. Logic, the guiding principle of the Vulcan race advocates no-risk, calculated-reason, and respect for life. The Vulcan manner of thought fly’s in the face of the Human manner of thought – if one can call it as such since Humans are natural-born explorers.

On an away mission to a dying planet, T’Pol reacts to a possible assault to an away-team member and she fires her weapon and kills the would-be assailant. Vulcans do not kill and this puts T’Pol in a quandary, she questions all that she is and she vows to never take the life of another lifeform, even if it means that by doing so she would put the Enterprise in jeopardy. Shortly upon their return to Enterprise, the away team members become comatose, just like the inhabitants to the aforementioned dying planet. No cure was found and Dr. Phlox sets out to discover one fast, before the away team is lost and maybe the rest of the rest.

A sentient lifeform that visits Enterprise can only communicate through T’Pol and seems to believe that no cure is possible. The lifeform, Wanderer concurs with T’Pol when it comes to culture and logic. Wanderer feeds off non-sentient lifeforms and it is possible that the Humans are non-sentient lifeforms to this visiting alien . . .

This story is an upgrade over the prior adventure and you will find the quandary that T’Pol faces to be well thought out and examined. It surprised me that in the Vulcan manner of thought, T’Pol’s quandary had one gaping hole . . .

I rate this story a 6 out of 10.

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