🚀 go-pugleaf

Sehr interessante Review... Wahrscheinlich werd ich das Buch doch vor 
all den TNG-Titan-DS9-B�chern lesen, die eigentlich vorher stattfinden. *g*

Ist eh alles soweit verst�ndlich f�r die, die nicht ganz so up to date 
mit den B�chern sind?!?

Besonders die Troi-Geschichte spricht mich an...

Aber zun�chst mal allgemein zu dem Absatz:

> I am very much pro-choice. Long before I had my daughter my husband and 
> me discussed what we would have done if we had found out that our child 
> is severely disabled. Especially if the mind is affected, I would have 
> aborted it. We both agreed on that. Our daughter was born with a hip 
> defect that took nearly a year to fix but now she is a healthy, bright 
> little girl.

Hm, solange pro-choice aber auch die andere Richtung bedeutet, n�mlich 
das Kind trotz irgendwelcher Defekte zu bekommen, und man dann als 
Mutter/Eltern nicht seltsam angeschaut wird, wie man denn so ein Kind in 
die Welt setzen kann bei all dem Perfektionismus, der vorherrscht.

Ich denke, was du von Dr. Ree schreibst, ist aus heutiger Sicht gar 
nicht mal so abwegig. Es gibt auch heutzutage viele �rzte, die in 
solchen Situationen schnell zur Abtreibung raten und den Vorgang 
beschleunigen, w�hrend sich die M�tter/Eltern noch im Schock befinden. 
Da bedeutet es eigentlich mehr Mut, sich *f�r* ein behindertes Kind zu 
entscheiden in der heutigen Zeit, als eben den eh schon vorbereiteten 
Weg zu gehen und das Kind abzutreiben.

Daher - pro choice ohne Zweifel, aber die Wahl muss in beide Richtungen 
offen und absolut akzeptiert sein und nicht schon in eine Richtung 
(wie's eben leider bei geistig behinderten Kindern oft so ist) 
vorherbestimmt.

Das brannte mir jetzt nach der Lekt�re der Review auf der Seele. *g*

Bin aber gespannt auf das Buch. :)

Und auf Picard-Beverly... kenn ich ja noch gar nicht (also nur von 
Spoilern, hab keines der TNG-Post-Nemesis-B�cher gelesen). Und Ezri ohne 
Bashir... wen hat Julian denn jetzt zum Anhimmeln? �hm... leben tut er 
aber schon noch? Wei� man ja nicht so genau bei DS9-Relaunch. *g*

lG, Claudia

Baerbel Haddrell
===========


Claudia Wlaschuetz wrote:
> Sehr interessante Review... Wahrscheinlich werd ich das Buch doch vor 
> all den TNG-Titan-DS9-B�chern lesen, die eigentlich vorher 
> stattfinden. *g*
>
> Ist eh alles soweit verst�ndlich f�r die, die nicht ganz so up to date 
> mit den B�chern sind?!?
>
Ich denke, das ist eigentlich kein Problem. Natuerlich wuerde einem 
Seiteneinsteiger viel Hintergrund fehlen aber ich denke, die 
Grundinformationen sind da. Verstaendnisprobleme duerfte es eigentlich 
nicht geben.


> Besonders die Troi-Geschichte spricht mich an...
>
> Aber zun�chst mal allgemein zu dem Absatz:
>
>> I am very much pro-choice. Long before I had my daughter my husband 
>> and me discussed what we would have done if we had found out that our 
>> child is severely disabled. Especially if the mind is affected, I 
>> would have aborted it. We both agreed on that. Our daughter was born 
>> with a hip defect that took nearly a year to fix but now she is a 
>> healthy, bright little girl.
>
> Hm, solange pro-choice aber auch die andere Richtung bedeutet, n�mlich 
> das Kind trotz irgendwelcher Defekte zu bekommen, und man dann als 
> Mutter/Eltern nicht seltsam angeschaut wird, wie man denn so ein Kind 
> in die Welt setzen kann bei all dem Perfektionismus, der vorherrscht.
>
Andersherum kann es auch passieren, dass eine Mutter bzw. Eltern, die 
ein Kind aus solchen Gruenden abgetrieben haben, insbesondere von 
Bibelklopfern Vorwuerfe zu hoeren bekommen.


> Ich denke, was du von Dr. Ree schreibst, ist aus heutiger Sicht gar 
> nicht mal so abwegig. Es gibt auch heutzutage viele �rzte, die in 
> solchen Situationen schnell zur Abtreibung raten und den Vorgang 
> beschleunigen, w�hrend sich die M�tter/Eltern noch im Schock befinden. 
> Da bedeutet es eigentlich mehr Mut, sich *f�r* ein behindertes Kind zu 
> entscheiden in der heutigen Zeit, als eben den eh schon vorbereiteten 
> Weg zu gehen und das Kind abzutreiben.
>
> Daher - pro choice ohne Zweifel, aber die Wahl muss in beide 
> Richtungen offen und absolut akzeptiert sein und nicht schon in eine 
> Richtung (wie's eben leider bei geistig behinderten Kindern oft so 
> ist) vorherbestimmt.
>
> Das brannte mir jetzt nach der Lekt�re der Review auf der Seele. *g*
>
Natuerlich sollte man sich so eine Entscheidung nicht leicht machen  und 
ich denke, in den allermeisten Faellen ist das auch nicht der Fall.  Wir 
haben uns das sehr lange ueberlegt. Dass sich viele werdende Eltern 
insbesondere gegen die Austragung eines geistig behinderten Kindes 
entscheiden ist verstaendlich.  Ich waere dem enormen Druck nicht 
gewachsen. Mein Mann auch nicht.


> Bin aber gespannt auf das Buch. :)
>
Nach meiner letzten Runde in der Trek BBS ueber das Thema hatte ich 
erstmal genug. Ich finde es einfach unglaublich, dass sogar der Autor 
die Meinung zu vertreten scheint, Dr. Ree habe vollkommen richtig 
gehandelt. Dass ein Starfleet Arzt einer schwangeren Frau befehlen kann, 
ihr Kind abzutreiben wenn ihr Leben in Gefahr ist und das Kind angeblich 
ohnehin nicht zu retten ist, ist ein Skandal. Die Art und Weise wie Dr. 
Ree Deanna behandelte , es gibt keine Entschuldigung dafuer. Nachdem ich 
von Mr. Mack zu hoeren bekam dass ich mich ueber nichts aufrege ist das 
Thema dort fuer mich erstmal gestorben und ich habe im Moment auch keine 
Eile, das zweite Destiny Buch zuende zu lesen.
> Und auf Picard-Beverly... kenn ich ja noch gar nicht (also nur von 
> Spoilern, hab keines der TNG-Post-Nemesis-B�cher gelesen).

Das ist auch noch relativ neu. Viel verpasst hast du da nicht :)

> Und Ezri ohne Bashir... wen hat Julian denn jetzt zum Anhimmeln? 
> �hm... leben tut er aber schon noch? Wei� man ja nicht so genau bei 
> DS9-Relaunch. *g*

Oh, Julian lebt noch. Er ist im Moment single und es gab in letzter Zeit 
auch keine Stories in denen er eine groessere Rolle spielt. Viel DS9 
Relaunch gab es ja auch nicht.

>
> lG, Claudia


Baerbel

--- Original-Message ---
Sender: Email
Date: 11.11.2008 20:44

> Nach meiner letzten Runde in der Trek BBS ueber das Thema hatte ich 
> erstmal genug. Ich finde es einfach unglaublich, dass sogar der Autor 
> die Meinung zu vertreten scheint, Dr. Ree habe vollkommen richtig 
> gehandelt. Dass ein Starfleet Arzt einer schwangeren Frau befehlen kann, 
> ihr Kind abzutreiben wenn ihr Leben in Gefahr ist und das Kind angeblich 
> ohnehin nicht zu retten ist, ist ein Skandal. Die Art und Weise wie Dr. 
> Ree Deanna behandelte , es gibt keine Entschuldigung dafuer. Nachdem ich 
> von Mr. Mack zu hoeren bekam dass ich mich ueber nichts aufrege ist das 
> Thema dort fuer mich erstmal gestorben und ich habe im Moment auch keine 
> Eile, das zweite Destiny Buch zuende zu lesen.

*g* In der Diskussion war ich ja auch beteiligt. ;)

Ja, wie Mack da auf die Diskussion reagiert hat, fand ich auch etwas 
seltsam. Ich mein, *er* hat ja das Problem �berhaupt erst aufs Tapet 
gebracht, und jetzt fragt er sich, wor�ber eigentlich diskutiert wird?!?

Und ganz ehrlich, ich finde die Frage "chain of command" oder nicht, 
also ob jetzt der CMO jemandem zu seinem "Gl�ck" zwingen kann oder 
nicht, schon sehr vereinfachend. Vor allem, wo's ja in der Diskussion im 
Board nicht um's "dass" ging, sondern um's "Wie". Die Art von Ree war 
einfach nur absolut zum Abgew�hnen. Und wenn er mit menschlichen 
Schwangerschaften nicht zurecht kommt, dann muss er Deanna an einen 
anderen Arzt verweisen - aber so war das ja mehr als l�cherlich.

Ich mochte eigentlich Ree, aber das war wirklich zuviel des Guten. Naja, 
und Vale und diese seltsame Umarmung da... darauf h�tte ich auch 
durchaus verzichten k�nnen - gut, auf Vale sowieso, die war mir noch nie 
sympathisch.

"Mere Mortals" ist gestern bei mir angekommen, ich denke, ich werde am 
Wochenende damit beginnen... Mal sehen, wie die Geschichte weitergeht. 
Aber ganz ehrlich, ich denke nicht, dass da das letzte Wort schon 
gesprochen ist - irgendwas wird schon passieren, damit Deanna das Baby 
behalten und wohl auch gesund zur Welt bringen kann.

Claudia

Baerbel Haddrell
============


Claudia Wlaschuetz wrote:
> --- Original-Message ---
> Sender: Email
> Date: 11.11.2008 20:44
>
>> Nach meiner letzten Runde in der Trek BBS ueber das Thema hatte ich 
>> erstmal genug. Ich finde es einfach unglaublich, dass sogar der Autor 
>> die Meinung zu vertreten scheint, Dr. Ree habe vollkommen richtig 
>> gehandelt. Dass ein Starfleet Arzt einer schwangeren Frau befehlen 
>> kann, ihr Kind abzutreiben wenn ihr Leben in Gefahr ist und das Kind 
>> angeblich ohnehin nicht zu retten ist, ist ein Skandal. Die Art und 
>> Weise wie Dr. Ree Deanna behandelte , es gibt keine Entschuldigung 
>> dafuer. Nachdem ich von Mr. Mack zu hoeren bekam dass ich mich ueber 
>> nichts aufrege ist das Thema dort fuer mich erstmal gestorben und ich 
>> habe im Moment auch keine Eile, das zweite Destiny Buch zuende zu lesen.
>
> *g* In der Diskussion war ich ja auch beteiligt. ;)
>
> Ja, wie Mack da auf die Diskussion reagiert hat, fand ich auch etwas 
> seltsam. Ich mein, *er* hat ja das Problem �berhaupt erst aufs Tapet 
> gebracht, und jetzt fragt er sich, wor�ber eigentlich diskutiert wird?!?
>
> Und ganz ehrlich, ich finde die Frage "chain of command" oder nicht, 
> also ob jetzt der CMO jemandem zu seinem "Gl�ck" zwingen kann oder 
> nicht, schon sehr vereinfachend. Vor allem, wo's ja in der Diskussion 
> im Board nicht um's "dass" ging, sondern um's "Wie". Die Art von Ree 
> war einfach nur absolut zum Abgew�hnen. Und wenn er mit menschlichen 
> Schwangerschaften nicht zurecht kommt, dann muss er Deanna an einen 
> anderen Arzt verweisen - aber so war das ja mehr als l�cherlich.
Ich meine auch die Counsellors an Bord haetten hier eingreifen muessen. 
Deanna war offenbar nicht in der Lage, mit Dr. Ree und seinen Problemen 
mit ihrere Schwangerschaft umzugehen und ich meine, das kann auch 
niemand erwarten. Ich bin mir sicher, unter Dr. Crusher waere es zu 
diesen dramatischen Auswuechsen nicht gekommen.

>
> Ich mochte eigentlich Ree, aber das war wirklich zuviel des Guten. 
> Naja, und Vale und diese seltsame Umarmung da... darauf h�tte ich auch 
> durchaus verzichten k�nnen - gut, auf Vale sowieso, die war mir noch 
> nie sympathisch.
>
Na ja, mal sehen was das dritte Buch bringt was Deanna, Dr. Ree und die 
unglaubliche  rechtliche Lage angeht, dass ein CMO einer Frau eine 
Abtreibung  befehlen kann.

Mit der Umarmung hatte ich keine Probleme. Ich sah es als eine 
freundschaftliche, platonische Umarmung an und als es begann mehr zu 
werden  trennten sich die beiden schnell.  Riker brauchte eine Schulter 
zum Anlehnen, das kann ich schon nachvollziehen.  Ich mochte eigentlich 
Vale aber sie verlor bei mir eine Menge Pluspunkte als sie schliesslich 
begann, sich auf Dr. Rees Seite zu begeben.


> "Mere Mortals" ist gestern bei mir angekommen, ich denke, ich werde am 
> Wochenende damit beginnen... Mal sehen, wie die Geschichte weitergeht. 
> Aber ganz ehrlich, ich denke nicht, dass da das letzte Wort schon 
> gesprochen ist - irgendwas wird schon passieren, damit Deanna das Baby 
> behalten und wohl auch gesund zur Welt bringen kann.
>
"Mere Mortals" habe ich nun durchgelesen und ich warte nun auf den 
dritten Teil. Ich hoffe auf ein gutes Ende aber insbesondere bei David 
Mack kann man sich da nie sicher sein.


> Claudia

Baerbel

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"." <.@trekdata.demon.co.uk> ha scritto nel messaggio 
news:gccoje$47p$1$8300dec7@news.demon.co.uk...
> Baerbel Haddrell
> ============
>
> Eine Warnung vorweg: Dieser Text ist sehr lang und voller Spoiler.
>
> Die Destiny Trilogie von David Mack wird der Ausgangspunkt fuer 
> zukuenftige Star Trek Romane bilden, die in der "Gegenwart" von Star Trek 
> anzusiedeln sind.
>
> *
>
> *
>
> *
>
> After the big build-up towards the Destiny trilogy and especially after 
> having read some excerpts before getting the first book I could see myself 
> that Destiny will be one of the biggest events in Star Trek literature. 
> Yes, it is about the Borg but already the first book offers so much more. 
> What we first of all see in �Gods of Night� is a rich tapestry of 
> character development. Some of them are influenced by the Borg threat, 
> some aren`t.
>
> This book is dealing with a lot of characters but when reading it, I never 
> felt overwhelmed. I am admittedly a regular Star Trek book reader and 
> familiar with most of these people and their back stories. Nevertheless, I 
> think also people who aren`t shouldn`t have trouble to follow what is 
> going on and I found the Appendix helpful, too. David Mack did an 
> excellent job when introducing these people in this book, providing the 
> foundation and then build on that.
>
> There are four main storylines in this book:
>
> AVENTINE (Captain Ezri Dax)
>
> I admit it, when I first learned that this book will feature a captain 
> Ezri Dax, I was very sceptical. As much as I like her, I still had the 
> Ezri from the DS9 TV series in my mind and that Ezri Dax was not suitable 
> for being a captain. On the other hand, when I thought about it more 
> thoroughly, I definitely noticed a change in Star Trek literature. One of 
> my frustrations was that with the exception of �Abyss�, authors and 
> editors had the unfortunate habit to show that when Ezri and Bashir were a 
> couple, they tended to turn immature and annoying, losing a significant 
> portion of their professionalism. I still love �Abyss� and had high hopes 
> that this relationship will build on that but later I gave up and thought, 
> if they are determined to show a bickering, childish couple, better to get 
> it over and done with and separate them.
>
> I think Ezri Dax blossomed after the separation and I am glad that she is 
> now allowed in the Star Trek books to find her full potential. I liked 
> Captain Ezri Dax very much in this book and am looking forward to read 
> much more. But I am also curious now what will happen in DS9 Relaunch, how 
> Ezri will develop in that series.
>
> What also makes me happy is that Simon Tarses is now chief medical officer 
> on her ship. I still remember �The Drumhead� very well and Picard`s 
> prediction that his career has ended. I was glad when I first met him in 
> DS9 Relaunch again but this goes much further than I hoped for. I also 
> liked the other characters but although some of these other names sound 
> familiar, I can`t place them right now in my memory.
>
> I have no problems with it that Ezri Dax advanced in rank so quickly and 
> the circumstances of it. Ezri Dax is not only highly qualified because she 
> is a joined Trill but also because she proved herself in battle and in 
> this war so many qualified captains (and, of course, so many other people) 
> were already killed.
>
> I think David Mack captured the spooky atmosphere of the mysterious wreck 
> of the Columbia very well. I kept wondering with Dax and her crew what 
> happened here. It was interesting to discover the answers step by step. I 
> had the right suspicions after I read about the mutiny and that one of the 
> Caeliar was on the ship. What the poor alien went through is dreadful and 
> I very much felt for him. For a species to whom life is so sacred, I am 
> sure it was little consolation for him that he was not responsible for his 
> actions when he killed and fed on three of Ezri Dax officers. Then he died 
> so close to finding out about the recovery of his species. Very sad 
> indeed.
>
>
> TITAN (Captain William Riker)
>
> We have seen that even so very different species like Vulkans and humans 
> or Bajorans and Cardassians can have children with each other without or 
> with little help. That Deanna as a half Betazoid and half human has so 
> serious problems having a child with her human husband surprised me. I 
> wondered if Deanna would have this problem also if the combination would 
> be different, including with a Betazoid male. On the other hand, 
> counsellor Haaj mentioned her husband`s �genetic shortcomings�. But then I 
> learned what the cause for her problems really is, that it is rooted in 
> the TNG episode �The Child�. The explanations make a lot of sense to me, 
> so much that I wondered why I didn`t think of this before.
>
> At a time when medical science is so much more advanced than today in real 
> life, maybe it is good to see that the miracle of life is still partly a 
> mystery and that there is still a lot to discover and learn. I feel very 
> much for Deanna and Riker but I think it is important to show sometimes 
> that there are limits to medical science and that doctors are not gods.
>
> I do like Dr. Ree but his treatment and attitude towards Deanna leaves a 
> lot to be desired. I had to remember what Dax told Bashir in an episode, 
> it is arrogant to believe that because he can`t find a cure that there 
> isn`t any.
>
> This story touched me more than any other in this book because it feels so 
> personal to me. My husband and me had to wait nearly 10 years for our 
> daughter. She was born a year after a miscarriage and I know from 
> experience that pregnancy and birth can be dangerous. It just made this 
> experience and our child more precious, also because I have been told that 
> me getting pregnant again is not impossible but very unlikely.
>
> It wasn`t spelled out that clearly in the book and I also think that 
> wouldn`t have been necessary or even desirable but the debate between the 
> �pro life� position and �pro choice� one was very visible. David Mack 
> walked a very fine and sensitive line. It was mentioned quite a few times 
> that Deanna`s baby is not viable, that the little girl definitely won`t 
> survive and that this doomed baby is endangering her mother`s life. I can 
> understand that (if I am correct) this is as far as Star Trek literature 
> is probably willing to go but I wonder if things would be different if 
> this baby has a chance to survive but with severe disabilities. I can 
> understand both sides of the fence, the choice Deanna made and Riker`s 
> position. It is one of the most difficult choices any couple could face 
> but first of all it must be the choice of the pregnant woman who is 
> carrying the baby and who has to face the risks of pregnancy and birth.
>
> I am very much pro-choice. Long before I had my daughter my husband and me 
> discussed what we would have done if we had found out that our child is 
> severely disabled. Especially if the mind is affected, I would have 
> aborted it. We both agreed on that. Our daughter was born with a hip 
> defect that took nearly a year to fix but now she is a healthy, bright 
> little girl.
>
> As much as I understand Deanna`s instinctive reaction to keep her baby and 
> how difficult it must be to deal with her emotions, I felt very 
> uncomfortable with it that she resented her husband for feeling otherwise. 
> What counts is that he supported her decision because at the end it must 
> be hers. This brings me to the incredible statement Dr. Ree made, that he 
> has the right to force Deanna to have the fetus removed, in other words, 
> to have an abortion. I was shocked. It is now finally against the law to 
> order a Vulcan to force having a mind meld with someone else, something 
> that was long over due. Forcing a woman to have an abortion, that is so 
> wrong on so many levels and this is not something that I would have 
> expected to find in Star Trek that is supposedly about a humanity that is 
> more advanced and better than in real life. I also wonder, on a more 
> general level, I thought also people in Starfleet as in real life have the 
> right to refuse treatment.
>
> I am sure, if Dr. Ree would really have insisted, Deanna would have 
> resigned and I definitely could not have blamed her. It wouldn`t surprise 
> me if Riker would have done the same. I am surprised that the choice 
> between following such an order and resigning was never mentioned in this 
> book unless I overlooked it. And what would forcing mean: Physically 
> dragging Deanna on the operating table or stun her before doing it? I 
> doubt it.
>
> I am also appalled that he suggested a hysterectomy to Deanna. Yes, her 
> ovaries, her genetic code is severely damaged. But her womb is perfectly 
> fine. Even if she will never be able to use her own eggs, there are other 
> possibilities even today in the real life world to get pregnant. Taking 
> that away from Deanna would be a worse crime than forcing an abortion on 
> her.
>
> From early on I wondered if Dr. Ree is actually unable to understand what 
> this unborn baby means to Deanna and Riker because his species is so 
> different. Maybe Dr. Ree should talk to the counsellors on board so that 
> they can explain the situation to him. From what I have seen about 
> dinosaurs and reptilians, many of them lay eggs, bury them in the sand and 
> walk away from them. That is very different from carrying a growing and 
> moving baby inside you for nine months, give birth and look after a 
> completely helpless infant afterwards that needs you to survive. I am no 
> biologist but I can imagine that laying eggs is much less dangerous to a 
> female than giving birth to living babies. From what Dr. Ree thought later 
> in the book, I could see that I was right.
>
> I was very impressed and very moved how David Mack dealt with this 
> sensitive story, how he looked at it from different perspectives and 
> described the thoughts and feelings of everyone involved. That included 
> colleagues and friends. I think it was a good choice to show very clearly 
> that Riker and Picard are different people who also approach command 
> differently. Vale showed that she is an excellent first officer who 
> understands people, an important skill for a high ranking officer but who 
> also showed that she is a good friend. I liked the scene in which he 
> finally told her about what happened and she supported him very much. 
> Unfortunately that changed later. I also think it would be wrong to remove 
> Deanna from duty completely. She has skills that are very valuable and 
> keeping her busy and challenged will help her and benefit the ship. I also 
> think it was unfair to assume that Riker gave Deanna special treatment. I 
> am sure, if any other female officer would be in the same or similar 
> position, Riker would have defended her right to choose as well.
>
> Bv the way, I enjoyed the refreshing honesty of the Tellarite counsellor, 
> Pral glash Haaj, very much. His approach takes some getting used to but it 
> is very effective. I like him a lot.
>
> As much as I understand that Riker and Deanna need to get their feelings 
> sorted out, I think what happened between Riker and Vale should be a 
> warning to Riker: The longer this goes on, the more it will poison not 
> only the marriage but also affect his relationship with the crew. In other 
> words, it is all right to fall down in a crisis but you have to get up and 
> deal with it as quickly as possible because the longer it takes, the more 
> difficult it will be.
>
> I am hoping very much that Riker and Deanna will both be able to do that, 
> to master this crisis. I know from experience that a serious crisis can 
> either break up a marriage or � as it was in our case � make the bond 
> between the couple even stronger. I don`t know at this point what authors 
> and editors have in mind but there are several options. The most obvious 
> one is considering adoption but there are others that are less obvious I 
> don`t want to spell out here because they would be seen as giving story 
> ideas to professional writers. I even see some theoretical possibilities 
> for a happy end but my gut feeling tells me not to count on that.
>
> I wonder what will happen now that Vale, Deanna and the rest of the very 
> colourful mix of the away team have reached New Erigol, the rebuilt home 
> of the Caeliar. The Caeliar were burned by an unknown more advanced 
> species as well as desperate humans who couldn`t understand what they were 
> meddling with and what consequences it could have. I wonder how such a 
> powerful but extremely non-violent species will deal with the Borg threat. 
> My guess is that they might have an idea how to deal with Deanna and her 
> baby. It could very well be something also Dr. Ree was not even able to 
> imagine.
>
> It was a nice touch that Tuvok immediately recognized the human woman who 
> welcomed the team together with two Caeliar. I must admit, when I first 
> heard of the idea to place Captain Hernandez from the time frame of the 
> series Enterprise into the present day Star Trek, I was not happy about 
> it. I kept joking, after nearly all members of the TOS Enterprise ended up 
> one way or the other in modern Star Trek, when will the same trend start 
> with the people from the series Enterprise? Captain Hernandez ship is not 
> Archer`s Enterprise but nevertheless.
>
> I am torn now. I still don`t like the general idea but I must admit, the 
> story is excellent and doesn`t feel forced to me at all. All right, if it 
> will really stop here it might even add an interesting element to present 
> day Star Trek.
>
> I want to mention another character story, the one dealing with Melora. I 
> found the descriptions of what Ra-Havreii designed for her very 
> interesting indeed and could understand Melora very well who feels so 
> comfortable in this environment. But I am worried what this will do to 
> her, emotionally and physically, if she keeps herself locked away in her 
> own comfortable world for too long and only interacts most of the time 
> with holographic avatars. I don`t think this is healthy.
>
>
> ENTERPRISE (Captain Jean-Luc Picard)
>
> As I said on previous occasions, I am very happy that Picard and Beverly 
> finally got married and started a family. I smiled when I read about how 
> Picard kept watching his unborn son because I felt the same when I saw my 
> unborn child for the first time. That Picard kept bracing himself against 
> the feeling of loss after what he already experienced in life is 
> understandable but I keep hoping that this time there will be a happy end 
> in his private life.
>
> But from what I can see Picard has to battle with a different kind of 
> crisis than Riker. Like his wife, I am worried about him and can 
> understand the immense pressure he is under very well. The war against the 
> Borg is a dreadful burden to any Starfleet officer, especially the ones 
> who have to make the difficult decisions. On top of that there is another 
> element that was already explored in the Myriad Universes story �A Gutted 
> World�. Picard can be a warrior if he has to be but he is a scientist, an 
> explorer at heart. I could understand very well that fighting this bloody 
> war and taking lives is becoming more and more difficult for him. Each 
> battle and each loss destroys him a bit more. Of course there is also 
> Picard`s history with the Borg, his still existing link with their 
> collective minds and serious lack of sleep. There is only so much even the 
> strongest person can take and I wonder when will Picard reach his breaking 
> point?
>
> I am sure, without Beverly`s support as his wife and friend, the situation 
> would have been much more difficult for him and I liked the scene in which 
> she slapped him and brought him back to his senses very much. Yes, it 
> looks very bad but giving up is not an option that is acceptable. As I 
> said before, falling down in a crisis can happen but you have to get up 
> and face it afterwards. That Picard is torn between extremes right now is 
> understandable and I can only hope that he will be strong enough.
>
>
> COLUMBIA (Captain Erika Hernandez)
>
> I haven`t read the latest Enterprise novel yet and am not familiar with 
> any name of her crew. I don`t find this crew as distinctive and as 
> interesting as the other ones in this book but that doesn`t mean that I 
> didn`t feel very much with them and their fate.
>
> There is just a minor thing here that irritated me. It is very minor 
> compared to the rest of this excellent book but I want to mention it. What 
> is it about Germans (Is that man Austrian or German?) in American 
> literature or movies sometimes? All right, it was not as bad as the 
> dreadful broken, misused and misspelled German Marvel inserted years ago 
> into the X-Men when Nightcrawler appeared but I have never met any German 
> who speaks English and sprinkles German words into his or her English as 
> found also in this book. I certainly don`t. Something else: Be careful 
> with literal translations. �Scheisskopf� is not a swear word that exists 
> in the German language. I had to laugh when I read that because I remember 
> that my husband wanted to be clever and used this word when driving after 
> I had told him off for swearing at the wheel when our daughter is sitting 
> on the back seat.
>
> As with the other captains in �Gods of Night�, also Captain Hernandez 
> showed that she is a highly qualified officer who had to deal with a 
> terrible situation. When reading this part of the book I always had that 
> image in my mind of the abandoned, broken ship on a desolate world.
>
> Also in this case, David Mack captured the desperate mood on board and the 
> torn feelings among the crew very well during their long journey until 
> they met the Caeliar. They are very interesting beings, higher evolved 
> than humans, isolationists and against taking lives under any 
> circumstances. On the other hand they are looking for civilizations 
> further developed than they are. I wondered from early on how realistic 
> this attitude is because maturity and wisdom are not necessarily combined 
> with a higher level of development. For example, when looking at the Q, 
> maturity and level of development are two very different matters.
>
> As I learned later, that includes the question of peaceful intent. I knew 
> that something bad must have happened but I had no idea. Well, I know now 
> a lot of what happened to the Columbia and its people on board but I have 
> the feeling, there is more to learn.
>
>
> OTHERS
>
> I think David Mack dealt very well with the fact that when writing about a 
> war, especially a war on the scale as in Destiny, it is important to also 
> show sometimes how other people than the main characters are affected and 
> the difficult choices they have to face.
>
> I found the part of the book when the Ranger sacrificed itself in a 
> suicide attack, destroying the Borg vessel and saving the Klingon world 
> Khitomer extremely moving. It was an interesting choice that it was an 
> Andorian who was unable to execute the order for the suicide mission. I 
> couldn`t blame him. I am not sure I would be able to do it. I think nobody 
> knows until he is actually placed in a life or death situation, especially 
> in one that looks like a hopeless sacrifice that is expected of you. I am 
> very curious how this noble sacrifice that saved so many Klingons will 
> affect the relationship with the Federation in future. I liked the 
> appearance of Martok and I want to use this opportunity to ask the people 
> at Pocket Books again, please continue KRAD`s Klingon series! I want to 
> read more.
>
> Admiral Paris death was unexpected and moved me a lot, too. I will miss 
> him. I liked the scene when his son, Tom Paris, got his message and 
> learned soon after that he will never be able to speak with his father 
> again. I regretted it that Tom and B`Elanna separated. It seems what I 
> could read in Christie Golden`s novels was the beginning of the end of 
> their relationship. I don`t think their relationship was ever very stable 
> so that I am not surprised that it didn`t survive the difficulties coming 
> with their return from the Delta Quadrant. But I would have hoped that 
> B`Elanna would at least allow the father of her daughter to have some 
> access to their child.
>
> It was great to read that Calhoun and his Excalibur managed to destroy a 
> Borg ship! This adds another teaser to the already long list of what I 
> would like to see explored in the New Frontier series. I learned that 
> �Treason� won`t have any connections with Destiny but I am hoping that 
> Peter David will deal with this topic in a future book.
>
> I also welcomed it to meet some of the characters from �Articles of the 
> Federation�, first of all Federation President Nanietta Bacco. Appointing 
> Seven as her new deputy security advisor is not unexpected but 
> interesting. I am curious how this part of the trilogy will develop in 
> future.
>
> Hopefully it won`t be long until I will be able to read the next Destiny 
> book!
>
> Baerbel Haddrell