Feb 08 | While his "Lost" co-stars prepare to pack up and leave Hawaii, Daniel Dae Kim can plan to remain there for at least a few more months. Mr. Kim, who plays the time-traveling tough guy Jin on "Lost," has been the first actor cast in a coming remake of the crime drama "Hawaii Five-O," The Hollywood Reporter said. He has been cast as Chin Ho Kelly, a detective played by Kam Fong in the original series, which began in 1968. The "Hawaii Five-O" revival is being developed by the screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ("Star Trek," "Fringe") and Peter Lenkov, an executive producer of "CSI: NY."
Feb 03 | William Shatner has paid tribute to his former Boston Legal co-star Justin Mentell, who died in a freak car accident on Monday. The 27 year old was thrown from his Jeep after swerving off the road near Madison, Wisconsin and died at the scene of the tragic crash. The Star Trek legend was saddened to hear of Mentell's passing - as he's convinced the actor was destined for a glittering career. In a post on his Twitter.com page, Shatner writes, "I'm deeply saddened to hear about Justin Mentell. There's no telling how far up the ladder he may have climbed. My sympathies to his family."
Feb 01 | Journalist Edward Gross posted an article at SciFiTVZone.com called "The Making of the Star Trek Pilots, Part 3: "Assignment Earth"" which takes a retrospective look at the making of the Gene Roddenberry unsold TV pilot "Assignment Earth" filmed at Desilu Studios as a second season Star Trek episode. The article feature rare interviews - including authors involved with the character of Gary Seven in comics and in novels.
Up to this point the entire NEW FRONTIER saga has been crafted with loving hands by Peter David and received with enthusiastic fan response. Everything that developed in the NEW FRONTIER saga--all of the character arcs, the subplots, you name it--David has been solely responsible for. Such is the blessing, and the curse, of playing in such a series: said creator has the vision of what he or she wants to convey without outside influence, allowing them to exert total control over what is prepared, but outside influences are unable to penetrate the creator's field of vision to offer their input as the story develops.
Now, for the first time, David and co-editor Keith R.A. DeCandido have allowed other writers to enter into the NEW FRONTIER universe and bring their approaches to the characters and storylines. As with any series, whether film, television, comics, or novels, each new writer has brought to NO LIMITS fresh perceptions and ideas to the table, remaining all the while respectful of what David has created over the past six years. Does it work? Let's look at what NO LIMITS brings to the NEW FRONTIER universe:
"Loose Ends" by Dayton Ward -- In this opening segment, set just after the events of the NEXT GENERATION episode "The Pegasus", a renegade Mackenzie Calhoun infiltrates the Romulan warbird Terix to steal the phase cloaking device Captain Picard willingly handed over to the Romulans. Through this mission we begin to see what influenced Calhoun to return to Starfleet.
"All That Glisters..." by Loren L. Coleman -- Set early in TNG's third season, Coleman's story focuses on Lieutenant Elizabeth Shelby. Up for a promotion by her captain, this tale reveals the drive Shelby has in moving up the command track and in her study of Borg tactics.
"Waiting for G'Doh" by David Mack -- In this short tale, a young Zak Kebron, just transferred to the security detail of the U.S.S. Ranger, is assigned to covertly monitor the sale of Starfleet security information from a double agent to his Cardassian accomplice. Kebron's undercover assignment: a park statue. What he uncovers is more than he expected. The scene with Kebron's unfortunate (and hilarious) encounter with a pair of birds is worth the price of admission.
"Lefler's Logs" by Robert Greenberger -- Over the course of a ten-year period, and told entirely in the first-person narrative of log entries, we see what transpires in young Robin Lefler's life, leading to the loss of her mother Morgan Primus Lefler and the creation of Lefler's Laws (from TNG's "The Game").
"Alice, on the Edge of Night" by Ilsa J. Bick -- Set during the events of "Lefler's Logs" and the NEW FRONTIER novel FIRE ON HIGH, we learn of the tragic turn of events that led to the death of Morgan Primus Lefler and the effect it had on numerous people, among them her daughter Robin and her shrink.
"Revelations" by Keith R.A. DeCandido -- This compelling tale spotlights Ensign Soleta, as she, Worf, and a Starfleet landing party come under fire from a Romulan attack at a Federation outpost. They capture one of the Romulan attackers, and Soleta comes face to face with the worst horrors of her own life and realizes that her own background may not be what it seems. How does she cope with this? DeCandido provides no easy answers here.
"Turning Point" by Josepha Sherman -- Si Cwan takes center stage in this tale, set after the birth of his younger sister Kalinda. What shapes the Thallonian prince from his warrior heritage to become the seasoned and mature diplomat of today?
"'Q'uandary" by Terri Osborne -- This one's for all you Suzie Plakson fans out there. Twice during her tenure on the Enterprise-D, Dr. Selar has an interesting encounter with the female Q, the latter of which occurs during the Q civil war (first mentioned in "The Q and the Grey").
"Oil and Water" by Robert T. Jeschonek -- In this tale, the dual-sexual Hermat officer Burgoyne 172 must work with a scientist from the androgynous J'naii race to prevent a probe from annihilating a race of beings from existence. How can two beings with entirely different views on sexual nature work together?
"Singularity" by Christina F. York -- Mark McHenry takes center stage in this short tale inspired by TOP GUN. McHenry and a group of young officers are assigned to Starfleet's latest research project, a new and experimental four-dimensional drive system that is installed onto a prototype runabout vessel. At the edge of an undefined singularity, McHenry must choose between using his dual-heritage abilities in keeping the mission a success or relying on an experimental drive system that may, in fact, be faulty.
"The Road to Edos" by Kevin Dilmore -- This light-hearted story finds a displaced Lt. Arex (from the animated series), who is 75 years out of time and space, assigned to a Starfleet agent from the Bureau of Temporal Investigations on his first assignment, who is given the task of ferrying Arex to his home world. What transpires on their journey is amusing and adventurous.
"A Lady of Xenex" by Peg Robinson -- Mackenzie Calhoun's older brother D'ndai seeks to obtain the lady Catrine's hand in marriage. But does she really want to be the consort of a Calhoun?
"Making a Difference" by Mary Scott-Wiecek -- During the Borg attack on Earth in the opening moments of STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, Captain Morgan Korsmo (from the TNG novel VENDETTA), Commander Shelby, Lieutenant Burgoyne, and the crew of the Excalibur face off against the deadly Borg, and Captain Korsmo proves that he has what it takes in the heat of battle.
"Performance Appraisal" by Allyn Gibson -- Kat Mueller takes center stage in this short tale that occurs a month after TNG's "The Defector". Mueller heads an engineering team's investigation of a stellar comet, only to land the Grissom in the middle of a Romulan situation. Mueller's way out is the stuff that promotions are made of.
"Redemption" by Glenn Hauman and Lisa Sullivan – This dark tale focuses on Xant, the long-time enemy of Mackenzie Calhoun, as he seeks out a new disciple whose faith is wavering. This faith-based story clearly reveals the inherent dangers of doubting one's faith in the wrong deity.
"Out of the Frying Pan" by Susan Shwartz -- In this short adventure, Lieutenant Soleta, on leave from Starfleet, and Ambassador Spock must put their resources together when the freighter they are chartering is captured in a Ferengi hijacking, and teacher and student must use their resources to avoid further capture by the Klingons.
"Through the Looking Glass" by Susan Wright -- Burgoyne 172 returns in this short tale in which s/he sees into hir own future by looking at the past. When a shore leave romantic liaison goes awry, Burgoyne must see where s/he has come from in order to know where s/he is going and who s/he will fall in love with.
"A Little Getaway" by Peter David -- In the only tale of the collection penned by the NEW FRONTIER creator himself, we learn of the events that transpired during Calhoun and Shelby's honeymoon on Xenex after the wedding at the end of the novel RESTORATION.
Each of these tales provide one common theme: the shaping and development of the NEW FRONTIER cast members into three-dimensional beings with a rich history and background all their own. Over the last six years, Peter David has skillfully woven these characters' backgrounds into the tapestry of the STAR TREK universe without violating established continuity. With NO LIMITS, it's great to see that these newcomers to the NEW FRONTIER universe have played by the rules, and successfully.
Several tales in this collection stand out as winners. I particularly enjoyed "Waiting for G'Doh", as David Mack told a tale that's both serious and funny. Just the mere thought of Zak Kebron as a statue, and what we commonly think about birds and statues, is priceless. Bob Greenberger's tale "Lefler's Logs" is the most interesting because of its structure as a series of log reports. Like glimpsing into a diary, we see Robin Lefler's life unfold through her experiences. More tales should follow a similar narrative structure.
Keith DeCandido has another winner on his hands with the short tale "Revelations". Without going into too much detail, we sympathize with Soleta once she learns the ugly truth. Who in her shoes in our society wouldn't want to indulge in what she wants to do? The byplay between Worf and Tania Tobias is a welcome distraction to the main focus of the story, and there's a loose story thread to be tied up that I hope will make for a great sequel one day.
Mary Scott-Wiecek's "Making a Difference" stands out particularly for me because, to echo Captain Kirk's words in GENERATIONS, Morgan Korsmo definitely proves that he has what it takes to go head-to-head against the Borg, and so does Shelby, Burgoyne, and the Excalibur crew. The "never-say-die" spirit lives on.
What's good is that each member of the NEW FRONTIER team is given his or her moment in the spotlight, and only a few members of the cast -- Calhoun, Shelby, Burgoyne, Lefler, and Soleta -- appear multiple times through this collection. No one is given the short shrift here, and for that we are grateful. None of the stories are weak, and all play an important part in the development of the NEW FRONTIER saga.
In addition, Keith DeCandido has compiled a handy NEW FRONTIER timeline as a resource to all of the novels, novellas, graphic novels, and short stories set or tied in to the NEW FRONTIER saga, including events referenced in the Original Series, THE NEXT GENERATION, VOYAGER, and other novels. It's an indispensable guide that helps where all of the events fall into place in the timeline of the STAR TREK expanded universe.
For the fans, and for those newcomers to the NEW FRONTIER saga, NO LIMITS is for you because it has just that: no limits at all. It's one of the best collections ever.
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