Star Trek: The Face of the Unknown
{4.5/5} “Yet the quiet certainty of the marriage bond was always there for you, so solid that you didn’t need to think of it. Now, though, it is gone… both the mental connection itself and your image of who T’Pring would turn out to be. And so you are alone, adrift.” — Nisu, to Spock
Star Trek: The Face of the Unknown by Christopher L. Bennett, published in 2017
Captain Kirk discovers the hidden home of the First Federation, a collection of races who have retreated from the galaxy at large because of an enemy known as the Dassik. The Dassik wiped out many worlds of the First Federation thousands of years ago and they are still feared. But the Dassik have a surprising connection to the Linnik, Balok’s race, and now they’re looking for something other than destruction.
This is a sequel to the original series episode “The Corbomite Maneuver.” Kirk meets Balok for the first time in this episode.
It’s about what people will do if they’re ruled by fear.
The whole team is involved but Spock, Uhura, and Chekov in particular have some nice moments.
I previously reviewed Bennett’s novella Star Trek Typhon Pact: The Struggle Within.