Star Trek: How Much for Just the Planet?
{4.5/5} “‘Allow me to welcome you most sincerely to the free, independent, and unaligned planet of Direidi. My name is Flyter. Hi there.’ He pumped Kirk’s hand. ‘Hi there.’ He shook Sanchez’s hand, then Uhura’s, the rest. ‘Hi there. Hi there. Hi there.’ He paused, wiped his hands and his forehead with a huge red silk handkerchief. ‘Well, thank goodness that’s over.’ He looked up. ‘Oh, are you still here?'”
Star Trek: How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford, published in 1987
The planet of Direidi has lots of dilithium. The Federation and the Klingon Empire discover it around the same time. According to the Organian Treaty, the locals get to decide who gets to mine the dilithium. When the Enterprise officers beam down and are greeted by locals singing Gilbert and Sullivan, they’re not sure what to expect.
The tone of this book is not like any other Star Trek book. It’s like what would have happened if Douglas Adams had written a Star Trek book.
It didn’t wow me quite as much as it did the first time, but it’s still amusing. It’s silly, so maybe you have to be in the right mood — but it’s also clever.
There are Shakespearean levels of deception and misunderstanding.
This is the 2nd time I’ve read it. I’ve read Ford’s 2 Star Trek books but none of his others yet.