Launched following the 2009 film Star Trek, the young adult/teen Starfleet Academy series follows the adventures of Kirk, Bones, Spock, Uhura, Chekov and Sulu before they meet as crewmates on board the USS Enterprise.
The Gemini Agent
The Romulans are plotting against the Federation and have sent a spy, codenamed Gemini, to Earth. Meanwhile, Cadet James Kirk finds himself in trouble - first he blacks out, losing six hours, then he is accused of tampering with the campus computers and almost drowing another cadet, Pavel Chekov.
Kirk, Uhura, Bones and Chekov have to work together to try to figure out what is really behind Kirk's blackouts, what is causing the computer problems, and why someone is trying to frame Kirk.
The book is written in the timeline of the 2009 film, meaning that Kirk's father died at the hands of Nero on the USS Kelvin. This adds an extra dimension to the story, as it brings up the question of how far would Kirk go to avenge his father's death?
A Good Read
There is just enough geekiness in the story to appeal to sci-fi fans - including an avian alien from Betelgeuse with two mouths - and the story goes along at a good pace, taking the reader right into the action and making them feel as if they could meet any of these characters on their own campus.
Kirk in particular is very well written, coming off with just enough arrogance and hinting at occasional bad language, but still making him the same character as he appears in the films. The interaction between him and Dr McCoy makes for some of the best parts of the story, and Chekov's escape from his flooding room after a computer malfunction is a good way to introduce the young whizkid.
Reasons Trekkers May Disapprove
Although the story is good, there are several points in the book which may make Trekkers cringe. Among the most cringeworthy is the writer's treatment of Spock, who throughout the book talks about feelings, smiles and uses words and phrases that the film and TV versions never used. The most obvious of these is when the vulcan uses the phrase "It's okay," whereas in live action he never used so human a phrase.
There are also dialogue, and especially vocabulary, problems with the writing for Chekov. The young cadet is penned as a very likable character, but some of the things he is written as saying just didn't sound right when imagined in his heavy Russian accent.
The Spock/Uhura relationship, which was introduced in Star Trek (2009), is explored in more detail in The Gemini Agent, but it felt as if the writer was trying to force it too much, and as a result both Spock and Uhura at times seemed a long way from the characters fans know and love.
Finally, one of the main characters is a very un-vulcan vulcan. Aside from the improbability of such a character - especially as she is supposed to be an ambassador's daughter - Spock is apparently unaware of her. As it is established in the 2009 film that Spock is the first vulcan to ever attend Starfleet Academy, it seems unlikely that he would have not heard about another vulcan in Starfleet.
The story is good, and Trekkies will most likely love the book and all the extra detail it gives about Kirk in particular, but the Trekkers may be disappointed at the writer's treatment of their favourite vulcan.
Starfleet Academy: The Gemini Agent
Written by Rick Barba
Published by Simon Spotlight
ISBN 1442413425 (paperback)
RRP £6.99 (paperback)
Pam Griffin - Pam Griffin is a journalist working in Shropshire, UK. She is interested in first aid, singing and playing music, history, and ...
