Nov 17 | Originally hired as co-executive producer to help with the second half of the show's first season, Kevin Murphy has now taken the reins of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel on Syfy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He now serves as an executive producer along with Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson and oversees the day-to-day functions of the show.
Nov 12 | Star Trek star Zachary Quinto is loosely attached to star in the romantic dramedy Whirligig, reports Risky Business.Quinto would play the lead role in the independent Canadian film, which is aiming to shoot early next year. The movie centers on a man who, in a misguided attempt to woo an older woman, befriends the woman's adopted son.Chaz Thorne is directing the pic, based on a screenplay by Michael Amo, creator of the Canadian supernatural series "The Listener."
Nov 11 | The CNS Foundation, is hosting an on-line charity auction at www.charitybuzz.com. One of the items they are auctioning is a signed movie poster of the new Star Trek movie which has all the cast members and writers. The president of our organization is Carol Abrams, JJ's mother, and she arranged for the donation from Bad Robot Production Company. J.J. Abrams is also a major donor to their organization. The funds raised will go to help find a cure to neurological disorders in children. The auction link is here.
Nov 10 | Candice Bergen, Charles Lisanby, Don Pardo, Gene Roddenberry, Tom and Dick Smothers and Bob Stewart have been selected as the next inductees into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame. They will be honored at a Jan. 20 ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "This year's inductees have challenged and shaped popular culture, changed television for the better and entertained us royally while doing so," TV Academy Chairman-CEO John Shaffner said. More info at the Hollywood Reporter
Nov 08 | Unreality-SF.net has interviewed Star Trerk author James Swallow about some of his upcoming projects. He talks about Titan: Synthesis and Seven Deadly Sins: The Slow Knife, as well as some forthcoming Doctor Who and Stargate stories.
While all the STAR TREK series have their own distinctive personalities, none has as rich a tapestry of characters, storylines, and adventures as DEEP SPACE NINE. For seven years we were treated to an ever-growing universe that pushed the boundaries and when the ride was over, STAR TREK was richer for the experience and we were all saddened at its conclusion.
Pocket Books has taken the reins with Paramount's blessing and re-launched the series with original novels that explored the DS9 universe beyond the conclusion of the series. To date we've seen some wonderful novels, among them Andrew J. Robinson's first-person Garak narrative A STITCH IN TIME, J.G. Hertzler's excellent two-part Martok saga THE LEFT HAND OF DESTINY (co-written with Jeffrey Lang), and RISING SON, among others.
Now we come to the first-ever collection of DEEP SPACE NINE stories that continue to fill in the gaps during the series, PROPHECY AND CHANGE. Editor Marco Palmieri has brought together ten all-new tales that offer a look behind the curtain at some of the events that were not seen on television, all of which offer fascinating insights into the characters. Told from the perspective of an aged Jake Sisko, and adapting the bridging dialog from the excellent fourth-season episode "The Visitor," Palmieri gives us a new appreciation for the series's diverse cast of characters.
"Ha'mara" by Kevin G. Summers - Set a few days after the pilot episode "Emissary," Benjamin Sisko takes Kira, Jake, Julian Bashir, and Kai Opaka to Bajor to explore the remains of one of Bajor's long-lost libraries. When an explosion traps Sisko and Kira, they must examine their hidden uncertainties as to whether or not Sisko is the prophesied Emissary. This allegory reveals how Sisko continues to come to terms with his identity and destiny.
"The Orb of Opportunity" by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels - This tale, set between the third-season episodes "Life Support" and "Heart of Stone," finds both Kira and Kai Winn dealing with the loss of Vedek Bareil, only to be thrown into a new task: the Maquis have seized the Orb of Contemplation from the Cardassians, intended as a peace offering between the two long-time enemies, and taken it to the Badlands. Kai Winn takes along the young Ferengi Nog, who makes a crucial decision that will affect his future in the series.
"Broken Oaths" by Keith R.A. DeCandido - After the events of the fourth-season episode "Our Man Bashir," Chief O'Brien and Dr. Bashir are still not on speaking terms after the incident with the Jem'Hadar in "Hippocratic Oath." DeCandido shows what effects their strained friendship has on the entire station crew and what must be said in order for both men to move forward as officers and friends.
"...Loved I Not Honor More" by Christopher L. Bennett - During the events of the fifth-season episode "Soldiers of the Empire," Quark and his Klingon ex-wife Grilka meet once again. Grilka has a financial problem: a dishonorable Klingon has seized control of her assets and property, and it takes Quark into a journey to discover the Klingon sense of honor in his own heart.
"Three Sides to Every Story" by Terri Osborne - During the events of the sixth-season episodes "Behind the Lines," "Favor the Bold," and "Sacrifice of Angels," an unlikely friendship develops between Jake Sisko and Tora Ziyal, Gul Dukat's half-Cardassian, half-Bajoran daughter. Jake sees potential in the girl and attempts to bring to the public her talents and abilities as an artist trying to fit into Cardassian and Bajoran societies, while using the opportunity to alert Starfleet Command of the Cardassian occupation of DS9.
"The Devil You Know" by Heather Jarman - Shortly before and leading into the events of "Time's Orphan," Jadzia Dax reluctantly works with a Romulan scientist in looking for a way to counter the effects of the Jem'Hadar race's addiction to ketracel white and unknowingly comes face to face with one of her innermost demons.
"Foundlings" by Jeffrey Lang - In this tale, set just prior to the seventh season premiere "Image in the Sand," Odo and a Cardassian agent investigate the mysterious deaths of a group of refugees who died after escaping a Lurian transport vessel. During the investigation, Odo comes to terms with the fact that the lives who are saved are more important than finding those responsible for their reported deaths.
"Chiaroscuro" by Geoffrey Thorne - This episode, set between the seventh season episodes "Afterimage" and "Take Me Out to the Holosuite," spotlights Ezri Dax. Thorne takes Ezri on a journey through Dante's INFERNO to confront a hidden inner horror that her previous host Jadzia had eliminated from her memories.
"Face Value" by Una McCormack - Shortly before the events of the penultimate episode "The Dogs of War," Kira, Garak, and Damar travel to Cardassia to meet with a Bajoran arms dealer and to receive information on an arms shipment to the Cardassian resistance against the Dominion. During their sojourn they discover their prejudices stirring once again and ultimately discover that prejudice may not be all they have in common with one another.
"The Calling" by Andrew J. Robinson - In the only post-series story in the anthology, Robinson returns to pen this follow-up to his highly acclaimed novel A STITCH IN TIME. Written again in a first-person point of view, Garak continues his messages to Julian Bashir about life on Cardassia after the war and the journey he undertakes to find a cure for a Cardassian plague.
What works so well about PROPHECY AND CHANGE is that all of the main and supporting characters are utilized to wonderful effect. No one is neglected, and each character, whether solo or with another cast member, explores the issues concerning their situations and, in some cases, bring about resolution and change that allows them to grow. In some instances, we are given stories "behind the curtain" during certain episodes, particularly with the Ferengi, Klingon, Cardassian, and Dominion-driven story arcs of the series. Marco Palmieri ties all of the stories together effectively, uniting each story with the theme of growth and development; hence the title of the anthology.
It's hard to pick a favorite story among the ten tales presented here. All of them work so well and every character is spotlighted in one way or another. "The Calling" might be regarded as my personal favorite, simply because Andrew Robinson gets into the mind of Elim Garak and reveals tantalizing new aspects of his character, showing that even Garak can grow spiritually yet also be the target of an assassination plot. As with A STITCH IN TIME, it's hard to know if this Cardassian leopard will change his spots, because in Garak's mind, everything is true, including the lies. This is why Garak remains one of the most fascinating and complex STAR TREK characters ever created, and a fan favorite to this day. However, the ending left things a little disjointed and could have been a bit stronger.
Keith DeCandido's "Broken Oaths" is a definite winner, and it shows that he is just as versatile with Federation characters as he is with his strongest forte, the Klingons. There is an uneasiness that permeates through the story and he effectively reveals through Bashir and O'Brien that what needs to be said is sometimes the hardest thing to say, especially when both parties involved feel that they are right. "The Orb of Opportunity", "Three Sides to Every Story", "The Devil You Know", and "...Loved I Not Honor More" are also solid stories in their own right.
PROPHECY AND CHANGE serves both its title and its story content well, exhibiting necessary characteristics that the DS9 characters must reveal in order to grow. It's a fine complement to the series and makes for enjoyable reading.
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