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Star Trek: The Next Generation #4
Survivors
Treva is an isolated human colony on the fringes of known space on the verge of becoming a true interstellar community, a full fledged member of the Federation. But now the U.S.S. Enterprise has received a distress signal for Treva is in the throes of a violent revolution, a revolution led by a merciless warlord who has committed countless atrocities in the name of freedom. Data and Lt. Tasha Yar are dispatched to investigate. Once they reach Treva, they discover the truth, and any possible solution may be far more complex than a simple rebellion. Treva's president wants more then Starfleet's good words in her fight against the rebels, she wants their weapons technology.
253 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
Jean Lorrah
57 books64 followersJean Lorrah is a science fiction and fantasy author. She has produced several Star Trek novels and often collaborated with Jacqueline Lichtenberg. Her most recent work with Lichtenberg is on the Sime - Gen Universe. Her fantasy series The Savage Empire, from the 1980s, is mostly solo work. She is also a professor of English at Murray State University and received her PhD from Florida State University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
May 14, 2023
As a loyal superfan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, one may feel that there is no more tragic story than the death of Lieutenant Tasha Yar. It was the first time that a main character had been killed off from the show. In Survivors, her history is told, elucidated, retconned, and amplified to make the story even more tragic. Here, Tasha’s rescue from New Paris is detailed via flashback. She had been kidnapped by a rape gang that had had their way with her when a Federation away team had made landfall and saw that she was a minor.
Is it any wonder she became a student at Starfleet Academy, and specialized in Security when the man who rescued her was a Security Chief? Her entire story arc on the show is included here and amplified in a way that increases the pathos and enlightens some of her motivations until the moment of her death. Her relationship to Data is explained, and it is GOOD! I found myself crying, which is not just because I’m an emotional geek, but because the writing is spot on and made me recall the Skin of Evil episode where she dies for no significant reason. This is a great ST: TNG novel. No caveats needed.
Is it any wonder she became a student at Starfleet Academy, and specialized in Security when the man who rescued her was a Security Chief? Her entire story arc on the show is included here and amplified in a way that increases the pathos and enlightens some of her motivations until the moment of her death. Her relationship to Data is explained, and it is GOOD! I found myself crying, which is not just because I’m an emotional geek, but because the writing is spot on and made me recall the Skin of Evil episode where she dies for no significant reason. This is a great ST: TNG novel. No caveats needed.
April 30, 2024
If you're the world's biggest Tasha Yar fan you might consider picking this up. But for the rest of us it's ruined by a flimsy, sappy plot that just feels silly, too many glaring mistakes and liberties taken with Trek canon and the TNG Trek world, and characterizations (particularly Data) that are so far off base I don't even know where to begin. I don't know why I made myself finish this.
January 1, 2021
What was that last chapter!! Lorrah like usurped a whole episode into 10 pages 😳
I won't post anything else until after the other half of the buddy read finishes 😳
I won't post anything else until after the other half of the buddy read finishes 😳
November 30, 2009
I liked Tasha Yar well enough on the show but actually came away from this book caring a lot less about her, which I'm pretty sure wasn't the point. I found her 'traumatising' backstory quite boring and her later relationship with 'Dare' quite silly and thought she behaved inappropriately for most of the book.
I also thought the characterisation of Data was a bit much and that the author may have overstretched his emotional capabilities for the period.
It was still an entertaining book but It didn't do too much for me.
I also thought the characterisation of Data was a bit much and that the author may have overstretched his emotional capabilities for the period.
It was still an entertaining book but It didn't do too much for me.
January 1, 2017
While I enjoyed the fact this novel focused exclusively on Data and Tasha Yar, giving us greater insight into Yar's backstory and the relationship between the two, and the story itself was quite entertaining, if derivative and cliche-ridden, there were some whoopsies.
The most egregious, the one most of the other reviewers here have mentioned, was how emotional Data was, especially during his internal musings. The show made a point of impressing on the audience the fact that Data was a sentient, but unemotional, being. Most of his story arc was in service of his quest to become human, several episodes of which revolved around the emotion chip Noonien Soong had invented. Counselor Troi, whose very job it was to read other's emotions, continually stated how she was unable to read Data because he had none; it was only later on in the series, when Data began to "dream" and develop a more emotional core on his own that Troi was able to get a sense of him. So to have a story set so early in TNG's timeline featuring so much emotional depth from Data was a big mistake by author Jean Lorrah.
The other whoopsie, which is majorly perplexing to me and one which I haven't seen anyone else pick up on, is a section of Tasha Yar's backstory. During one of the flashbacks, when she's rescued by the group of Federation officers and they ask for her name, she can't remember her last name, so she gives them the last name of her most recent companion/teacher, which is 'Yar'. Okay, here's where I'm confused: In TNG episode "Legacy," the crew of the Enterprise manages to find the sister of Tasha Yar, Ishara Yar. How? How did Data manage to find her in the database? How is her last name the same as Tasha's considering Tasha adopted hers? Am I being anal? Probably, but it's this kind of small shit which bothers me. Especially if you're an author writing a novel set in an already-established universe--it behooves you to do due diligence and research the heck out of what you're writing.
Other than those blunders, the story fit in with the general tone of the show, that of being very dramatic, emotional, with a satisfactory, if not exactly happy, ending, and I had an enjoyable time reading it.
The most egregious, the one most of the other reviewers here have mentioned, was how emotional Data was, especially during his internal musings. The show made a point of impressing on the audience the fact that Data was a sentient, but unemotional, being. Most of his story arc was in service of his quest to become human, several episodes of which revolved around the emotion chip Noonien Soong had invented. Counselor Troi, whose very job it was to read other's emotions, continually stated how she was unable to read Data because he had none; it was only later on in the series, when Data began to "dream" and develop a more emotional core on his own that Troi was able to get a sense of him. So to have a story set so early in TNG's timeline featuring so much emotional depth from Data was a big mistake by author Jean Lorrah.
The other whoopsie, which is majorly perplexing to me and one which I haven't seen anyone else pick up on, is a section of Tasha Yar's backstory. During one of the flashbacks, when she's rescued by the group of Federation officers and they ask for her name, she can't remember her last name, so she gives them the last name of her most recent companion/teacher, which is 'Yar'. Okay, here's where I'm confused: In TNG episode "Legacy," the crew of the Enterprise manages to find the sister of Tasha Yar, Ishara Yar. How? How did Data manage to find her in the database? How is her last name the same as Tasha's considering Tasha adopted hers? Am I being anal? Probably, but it's this kind of small shit which bothers me. Especially if you're an author writing a novel set in an already-established universe--it behooves you to do due diligence and research the heck out of what you're writing.
Other than those blunders, the story fit in with the general tone of the show, that of being very dramatic, emotional, with a satisfactory, if not exactly happy, ending, and I had an enjoyable time reading it.
September 11, 2014
There are so many things wrong with this book. I really like Data's characterization, but it is not particularly representative of the series. Tasha's backstory is a checklist of Awful Things That Turn a Girl Into a Survivor: abandonment, poverty, drug addiction, rape, rape gangs, street gangs, emancipation as a minor, lack of education but incredible academic potential, death, betrayal, lost love, more abandonment. The love story is highly problematic and the love triangle is somehow both overworked and abridged. Dare is a cliche and the rest of the original characters are one-note. The plot is agonizingly predictable. And in the end she doesn't survive!
So, why'd I give it four stars? Simply, I love this book.
I read it when I was 14 and I over-identified with Tasha as only a 14 year old can. I got a Tasha Yar haircut. I used the name Tasha as an alias despite obviously not needing an alias. I made up a Dungeons and Dragons character modeled on Dare. I thought he was So Romantic. If I noticed any of the issues I outline in the first paragraph I didn't care. I fell in love with Dare, Data, and especially Tasha, and especially, especially the idea of "survivors". Twenty years later, I still over-identify with scrappy and sassy and spunky survivor girls. This is a book about me.
So, why'd I give it four stars? Simply, I love this book.
I read it when I was 14 and I over-identified with Tasha as only a 14 year old can. I got a Tasha Yar haircut. I used the name Tasha as an alias despite obviously not needing an alias. I made up a Dungeons and Dragons character modeled on Dare. I thought he was So Romantic. If I noticed any of the issues I outline in the first paragraph I didn't care. I fell in love with Dare, Data, and especially Tasha, and especially, especially the idea of "survivors". Twenty years later, I still over-identify with scrappy and sassy and spunky survivor girls. This is a book about me.
May 27, 2012
A nice try at illuminating Tasha Yar's character, but the overall feel of the prose is somehow quite amateurish.
August 5, 2023
After finishing this book I was left wondering, is there a good story here or am I just so interested in these characters I will read and enjoy anything involving them? It's a valid question when it comes to works of fiction that are tie-ins to other media you already enjoy. I'm not a long time Star Trek fan, I'm just getting into this world really, still I feel invested enough in the characters to wonder if there is more to them, more to their stories. After the premature and abrupt death of Lt. Tasha Yar, one of the main characters of The Next Generation's first season, I needed to know more of her and was glad to find a novel dedicated to expand upon her story and even better she shared the spotlight with Data, my favorite TNG character.
In Survivors Lt. Yar is indeed given depth and background, but oh the high price she paid for for that, let's just say the term "rape gang" was repeated 16 times on the short first chapter; raised by an addict mother who abandoned her, Tasha's childhood was one lived in poverty, drug addiction and abuse. That's some depth alright, if given enough nuance it could be an interesting development. The main focus of the story though, is the love triangule between Lt. Yar, the father figure who saved her from her home planet and Data. That's an odd enough scenario without mentioning the Young Adult romance tone the writer assumes when narrating their ins and outs, I had this overwhelming feeling I was reading about a group of teenagers and not trained and experienced adults. The plot that moves the story forward is enjoyable to some degree, Lorrah never stays too long on a given scene, which lends her writing a welcomed sense of fluidity. When I was having a bad time reading Tasha's remarks on the lips of some male character or a sexist commentary I knew it would only last a few sentences, on the other hand the rule also applied to Data's good dialogues sprinkled throughout the novel. Data has a few great dialogues and insights here, they're short and sweet and left me wanting for more.
I truly believe Jean Lorrah likes this universe, she was already an active figure in the Trekker community long before publishing her ST novels. I can see how she tried to develop the characters in a sympathetic light, giving them convincing roles in the story frame and respecting most of their established lore. Unfortunately, while I had some fun reading it, Survivors fails in the attempt of solidly establish Tasha as a fully formed person; Data managed to stay alive long enough so he gained well-deserved depth in the TV series later. Tasha only had the mediocre first season and this book, and it's a pity, she had much potential as a female chief of security of a Galaxy-class starship. I don't regret reading this novel, it's a fast enough read that it's almost painless, I had good laughs in the most unhinged moments, there's a decent amount of tension to keep you going and there are genuinely good dialogues occasionally. I'd give it a 5 out of 10 rating, a middle of the road experience.
In Survivors Lt. Yar is indeed given depth and background, but oh the high price she paid for for that, let's just say the term "rape gang" was repeated 16 times on the short first chapter; raised by an addict mother who abandoned her, Tasha's childhood was one lived in poverty, drug addiction and abuse. That's some depth alright, if given enough nuance it could be an interesting development. The main focus of the story though, is the love triangule between Lt. Yar, the father figure who saved her from her home planet and Data. That's an odd enough scenario without mentioning the Young Adult romance tone the writer assumes when narrating their ins and outs, I had this overwhelming feeling I was reading about a group of teenagers and not trained and experienced adults. The plot that moves the story forward is enjoyable to some degree, Lorrah never stays too long on a given scene, which lends her writing a welcomed sense of fluidity. When I was having a bad time reading Tasha's remarks on the lips of some male character or a sexist commentary I knew it would only last a few sentences, on the other hand the rule also applied to Data's good dialogues sprinkled throughout the novel. Data has a few great dialogues and insights here, they're short and sweet and left me wanting for more.
I truly believe Jean Lorrah likes this universe, she was already an active figure in the Trekker community long before publishing her ST novels. I can see how she tried to develop the characters in a sympathetic light, giving them convincing roles in the story frame and respecting most of their established lore. Unfortunately, while I had some fun reading it, Survivors fails in the attempt of solidly establish Tasha as a fully formed person; Data managed to stay alive long enough so he gained well-deserved depth in the TV series later. Tasha only had the mediocre first season and this book, and it's a pity, she had much potential as a female chief of security of a Galaxy-class starship. I don't regret reading this novel, it's a fast enough read that it's almost painless, I had good laughs in the most unhinged moments, there's a decent amount of tension to keep you going and there are genuinely good dialogues occasionally. I'd give it a 5 out of 10 rating, a middle of the road experience.
December 10, 2021
This one was good...really good...and my goodness, that last chapter really hits one in the feels...
When you look at it, this was half story / half "flashback." The story was rather run-of-the-mill, good guy actually turns out to be bad guy, bad guy turns out to be good guy...nothing really much going there, but the other half of the book, which was essentially "Tasha Yar: The Back Story" was pretty good.
Sure, it was cringey as hell, with all sorts of CWs and problems with coercion, agency, and a lack of awareness of the inappropriateness of relationship with improper power balances...
It also follows that same TOS legacy of a planet with essentially a Human population, uh, I mean Trevans (who look 100% Human) who have probably the equivalent of 20th Century Earth Tech who are somehow applying for Federation membership...
There's also the issue of money. There is so much money in this book. Starfleet Officers taking bribes, getting paid off, complaining about their pensions, unable to afford starting their own businesses, etc. The kind-of antagonist is also very TOS being a sort of gallivanting space-pirate - akin to Harry Mudd...
Yes, it has these issues, but compared to some of the early TNG novels, it's literary gold.
And that last chapter - ouch! It builds upon Tasha's funeral from "Skin of Evil" with more between Data and Picard and such...had a few tears welling up in the eyes there...
When you look at it, this was half story / half "flashback." The story was rather run-of-the-mill, good guy actually turns out to be bad guy, bad guy turns out to be good guy...nothing really much going there, but the other half of the book, which was essentially "Tasha Yar: The Back Story" was pretty good.
Sure, it was cringey as hell, with all sorts of CWs and problems with coercion, agency, and a lack of awareness of the inappropriateness of relationship with improper power balances...
It also follows that same TOS legacy of a planet with essentially a Human population, uh, I mean Trevans (who look 100% Human) who have probably the equivalent of 20th Century Earth Tech who are somehow applying for Federation membership...
There's also the issue of money. There is so much money in this book. Starfleet Officers taking bribes, getting paid off, complaining about their pensions, unable to afford starting their own businesses, etc. The kind-of antagonist is also very TOS being a sort of gallivanting space-pirate - akin to Harry Mudd...
Yes, it has these issues, but compared to some of the early TNG novels, it's literary gold.
And that last chapter - ouch! It builds upon Tasha's funeral from "Skin of Evil" with more between Data and Picard and such...had a few tears welling up in the eyes there...
January 14, 2021
This is the second time I've read this book, I was just a fool the first time around and didn't write a review for it and by the time I was looking at it I had, basically, no memory of this thing. So here we go, round two! This probably sits more in the 2.5 range for me, there's stuff I liked and things I didn't like, but if you've read my other reviews this is, pretty much, standard fair for these early Star Trek works.
So, this is a story centered around Tasha Yar and Data, seemed more like Tasha than Data for the majority of this book. Her character was far more fleshed out, but while I'm sure Data is a character the author liked, Lorrah still did a horrible job portraying him. Which has been fairly consistently true in these early TNG novels. At the time this novel was published I would think it's conceivable that she had seen at least an episode of the series since this was technically published after the first season aired altogether. But who knows how many contracts were commissioned back in the 80's for authors to write books who were only given a rough overview of the series? So, I am somewhat willing to give a little bit of the benefit of the doubt.
Anyway, the popular theme of the novels so far is to send a couple characters away from the Enterprise and then you can develop their background more or something. It's sort of getting a bit tiring and feeling a little formulaic. Data and Yar are sent to observe a planet that has asked to become a member of the Federation. The bizarre part in all this is that at one point the author says that Data and Yar are technically not qualified for this... and literally the only reason they are sent is because they will be able to spurn the sexual advances of the current leader. What?! This was pretty bizarre, even by Star Trek standards. On that note, almost everyone is sexy by the way. Data gets hit on and Data hits on people with his "flirtation" program that he made etc.
I think a lot of the motivation for this was because this takes place after Yar and Data had slept together. But it's so overt it's almost entirely ridiculous, but the ideas aren't terrible. There was a later episode where Data ended up dating that one character and he wrote a special "relationship" program for her. So, the premise isn't that outlandish really, but the whole playing Data off as having thriving "sex appeal" was fairly off putting. The other nail in the coffin for Data's character was that he basically had full on emotions and talked about being frustrated etc. One character even came right out and said he clearly had feelings and Data did nothing to deny this. This is entirely out of character for Data. At the end of the book "he learned something about his feelings" and it's just not true. Oh well, this is why I question when this novel was actually written versus when it was actually published.
Yar is a little better, she does seem a bit over impulsive, even compared to who character in the show. Lorrah did a decent job fleshing her out and when she talked about Yar's background on her home planet there were a few things that would contradict later episodes, such as no mention of Yar's sister. This novel also basically outright said Yar was raped when she was younger, but I don't think that was ever stated in the show. Other than that Yar's story arc was by far the best. It talks about her rescue by Starfleet and her falling in love with the man who rescued her when she was old enough, this is pretty tropey, but whatever. Darryl Aiden, who they call Dare, was a prominent figure and lover in her life until it was found out that he allegedly betrayed the Federation to a people known as the Orions (a species made up for the purposes of this book). Naturally, Yar's loyalty to the Federation won and Aiden and her split up as a result.
Now, moving onto the new planet. This being Star Trek, it comes as no surprise that something is amiss on this planet and with their leader. There are two warring factions that are both claiming rule over the planet and the idea of this is pretty good and showed up a few times in very good TNG episodes in later seasons. This was one of the best parts of the books when they finally got to the planet and were trying to find out what was really going on. Basically, the Federation is far more technologically advanced than this planets current society so Data is able to get access to their systems pretty easily, at one point the author tries to describe this... and it's just not how computers work really. It reminded me of that movie Hackers where they were literally "flying" around cyberspace to find the files on a server. But, I just tell myself this was the 80's and this stuff really wasn't common knowledge. Heck, this book may have been written on a typewriter!
So, I can't dive into my next bit without spoilers:
Helping the other side is Tasha's old flame Darryl and he's still very hot, in case you were at all wondering. They end up patching things up, as is expected at this point. Finally, towards the end the Enterprise shows up to save the day, because of course they do.
Tasha and Darryl's story was the best part of this book and, honestly, what bumped it up for me. The other main thing I didn't like is they kept bringing the Orion's in over and over. Darryl fought the Orion's before meeting Tasha, then in Tasha's final test at the academy the Orion's showed up again! By the end it was just too much. I understand the author probably liked the alien species, but it got really repetitive by the end. It was like that 24 Season where Jack's dad was the bad guy and just when you thin he's dead... oh no! It's Jack's dad again, he's back!
So, this is a story centered around Tasha Yar and Data, seemed more like Tasha than Data for the majority of this book. Her character was far more fleshed out, but while I'm sure Data is a character the author liked, Lorrah still did a horrible job portraying him. Which has been fairly consistently true in these early TNG novels. At the time this novel was published I would think it's conceivable that she had seen at least an episode of the series since this was technically published after the first season aired altogether. But who knows how many contracts were commissioned back in the 80's for authors to write books who were only given a rough overview of the series? So, I am somewhat willing to give a little bit of the benefit of the doubt.
Anyway, the popular theme of the novels so far is to send a couple characters away from the Enterprise and then you can develop their background more or something. It's sort of getting a bit tiring and feeling a little formulaic. Data and Yar are sent to observe a planet that has asked to become a member of the Federation. The bizarre part in all this is that at one point the author says that Data and Yar are technically not qualified for this... and literally the only reason they are sent is because they will be able to spurn the sexual advances of the current leader. What?! This was pretty bizarre, even by Star Trek standards. On that note, almost everyone is sexy by the way. Data gets hit on and Data hits on people with his "flirtation" program that he made etc.
I think a lot of the motivation for this was because this takes place after Yar and Data had slept together. But it's so overt it's almost entirely ridiculous, but the ideas aren't terrible. There was a later episode where Data ended up dating that one character and he wrote a special "relationship" program for her. So, the premise isn't that outlandish really, but the whole playing Data off as having thriving "sex appeal" was fairly off putting. The other nail in the coffin for Data's character was that he basically had full on emotions and talked about being frustrated etc. One character even came right out and said he clearly had feelings and Data did nothing to deny this. This is entirely out of character for Data. At the end of the book "he learned something about his feelings" and it's just not true. Oh well, this is why I question when this novel was actually written versus when it was actually published.
Yar is a little better, she does seem a bit over impulsive, even compared to who character in the show. Lorrah did a decent job fleshing her out and when she talked about Yar's background on her home planet there were a few things that would contradict later episodes, such as no mention of Yar's sister. This novel also basically outright said Yar was raped when she was younger, but I don't think that was ever stated in the show. Other than that Yar's story arc was by far the best. It talks about her rescue by Starfleet and her falling in love with the man who rescued her when she was old enough, this is pretty tropey, but whatever. Darryl Aiden, who they call Dare, was a prominent figure and lover in her life until it was found out that he allegedly betrayed the Federation to a people known as the Orions (a species made up for the purposes of this book). Naturally, Yar's loyalty to the Federation won and Aiden and her split up as a result.
Now, moving onto the new planet. This being Star Trek, it comes as no surprise that something is amiss on this planet and with their leader. There are two warring factions that are both claiming rule over the planet and the idea of this is pretty good and showed up a few times in very good TNG episodes in later seasons. This was one of the best parts of the books when they finally got to the planet and were trying to find out what was really going on. Basically, the Federation is far more technologically advanced than this planets current society so Data is able to get access to their systems pretty easily, at one point the author tries to describe this... and it's just not how computers work really. It reminded me of that movie Hackers where they were literally "flying" around cyberspace to find the files on a server. But, I just tell myself this was the 80's and this stuff really wasn't common knowledge. Heck, this book may have been written on a typewriter!
So, I can't dive into my next bit without spoilers:
Helping the other side is Tasha's old flame Darryl and he's still very hot, in case you were at all wondering. They end up patching things up, as is expected at this point. Finally, towards the end the Enterprise shows up to save the day, because of course they do.
Tasha and Darryl's story was the best part of this book and, honestly, what bumped it up for me. The other main thing I didn't like is they kept bringing the Orion's in over and over. Darryl fought the Orion's before meeting Tasha, then in Tasha's final test at the academy the Orion's showed up again! By the end it was just too much. I understand the author probably liked the alien species, but it got really repetitive by the end. It was like that 24 Season where Jack's dad was the bad guy and just when you thin he's dead... oh no! It's Jack's dad again, he's back!
October 30, 2022
This is very readable but there are so many anachronisms that I can’t rate it more highly. The characterization of Data is awful. Lorrah gets so much wrong and, at this point, there was a full season to have understood him.
The Tasha story is stronger but there’s a lot of infantalizing of her that I found problematic — people using gross phrases like “little kitten” to describe a grown woman who’s a security chief. There’s a lot of sexism throughout.
The Tasha story is stronger but there’s a lot of infantalizing of her that I found problematic — people using gross phrases like “little kitten” to describe a grown woman who’s a security chief. There’s a lot of sexism throughout.
September 4, 2023
Tasha is a wonderful character that for reasons I’ve not fully researched, was cut short. This book does her some credit by fleshing out what made her who she was in her youth, as well as who she was as an officer.
The whole adventure is rather light? Almost fun, really. The weight of Dare never really landed for me, but it made for some fun tension.
The ending of this book though is an absolute gut punch. Recontextualizing is a hell of a thing.
The whole adventure is rather light? Almost fun, really. The weight of Dare never really landed for me, but it made for some fun tension.
The ending of this book though is an absolute gut punch. Recontextualizing is a hell of a thing.
March 9, 2012
The ruler of a non-federation planet requests starfleet intervention in a civil uprising, Tasha Yar and Data get sent on their own to see whats what. As usual things are not to to be taken at face value.
I knew I'd like this book from the outset, because who can deny that Tasha and Data were two of the most interesting characters on TNG. And that we never saw enough of Tasha, and that we could never have enough of Data.
Of course theres always the impending doom hanging over this book, as I knew it was set only slightly before the episode where Tasha Yar dies, so I wasn't waiting for the perfect happy ending, but it really good none-the-less.
See my other reviews of the Star Trek: The Next Generation novels:
1# - #3 not reviewed :( | #5 Strike Zone →
I knew I'd like this book from the outset, because who can deny that Tasha and Data were two of the most interesting characters on TNG. And that we never saw enough of Tasha, and that we could never have enough of Data.
Of course theres always the impending doom hanging over this book, as I knew it was set only slightly before the episode where Tasha Yar dies, so I wasn't waiting for the perfect happy ending, but it really good none-the-less.
See my other reviews of the Star Trek: The Next Generation novels:
1# - #3 not reviewed :( | #5 Strike Zone →
September 3, 2017
I've divested myself of most of the Star Trek novels I bought in my misspent youth, but I held onto this one for sentimental reasons. Returning to it some 20 years later I was glad that I did. This is a wonderful character-driven story, and it brings Tasha Yar to life far better than the television show ever did. Sometimes Yar's and (especially) Data's voices ring false, but this was only the fourth book written in the Next Generation universe, so I don't fault the author for that. I highly recommend the book.
August 7, 2007
Describes Tasha Yar's childhood on a post-apocalyptic planet! Much darker and grittier than most Next Gen novels.
January 4, 2021
I've had real trouble deciding between two and three stars for this, and two-and-a-half just doesn't cut it. I eventually decided on two, for reasons detailed below. Basically, it had some enjoyable bits but I probably wouldn't read it again.
The good parts were honestly very good, though. Data in particular was portrayed very well - I was genuinely and surprisingly interested. I say "surprisingly" because I've always been largely indifferent to Data. I think Brent Spiner did an excellent job with him, but the Pinocchio type figure who wants to be human is a trope that I've never liked. I didn't like it as a kid, when I first watched TNG, and I don't like it now. This iteration of it, though, was pretty damn thoughtful, which I appreciated. I do think that Lorrah erred on the side of making him perhaps too emotional, but if I understand it correctly this book was written during the first season of the show, so the characterisation naturally had less weight behind it - under the circumstances, her interpretation is entirely forgivable, and anyway if you're going to err with Data, I'd prefer it to be on the side of emotion rather than anything else. The mutual friendship with Tasha was also appealing. When it comes to friendship, Data's most often paired with Geordi so it was nice to see a different duo, and have them be so consistently supportive of each other.
So, everything with Data was good. That just leaves Tasha... who has always been badly utilised in Trek and things don't much change here. It left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth to be honest, and is the primary reason for the two star rating. This book gives her some much-needed backstory, although I could really have done without the description of her gang rape as a 12 year old, and her pet cat being gutted in front of her by the rape gang (really, Star Trek? Really??? Was this truly necessary? I think not. You are meant to be the hopeful franchise and not the edgy tragedy porn one). But it's the romance with Dare that's even more off-putting. He's one of the Starfleet officers who rescues child Tasha from another rape gang. He takes her back to his starship, supervises her education and coaxes her into civilisation and eventually the Academy. It's made very plain that she totally idolises him as a mentor, has pretty much glommed onto him from childhood, and just before she graduates from the Academy they become romantically involved, because apparently she's grown up enough for it now (there's been no-one since the gang rape, age 12, and so of course the much older man who taught her everything else has to teach her this too). Now some decades back this might have passed muster, but now it looks horribly like grooming, and the whole thing is just gross. I'm sorry, but it is.
The good parts were honestly very good, though. Data in particular was portrayed very well - I was genuinely and surprisingly interested. I say "surprisingly" because I've always been largely indifferent to Data. I think Brent Spiner did an excellent job with him, but the Pinocchio type figure who wants to be human is a trope that I've never liked. I didn't like it as a kid, when I first watched TNG, and I don't like it now. This iteration of it, though, was pretty damn thoughtful, which I appreciated. I do think that Lorrah erred on the side of making him perhaps too emotional, but if I understand it correctly this book was written during the first season of the show, so the characterisation naturally had less weight behind it - under the circumstances, her interpretation is entirely forgivable, and anyway if you're going to err with Data, I'd prefer it to be on the side of emotion rather than anything else. The mutual friendship with Tasha was also appealing. When it comes to friendship, Data's most often paired with Geordi so it was nice to see a different duo, and have them be so consistently supportive of each other.
So, everything with Data was good. That just leaves Tasha... who has always been badly utilised in Trek and things don't much change here. It left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth to be honest, and is the primary reason for the two star rating. This book gives her some much-needed backstory, although I could really have done without the description of her gang rape as a 12 year old, and her pet cat being gutted in front of her by the rape gang (really, Star Trek? Really??? Was this truly necessary? I think not. You are meant to be the hopeful franchise and not the edgy tragedy porn one). But it's the romance with Dare that's even more off-putting. He's one of the Starfleet officers who rescues child Tasha from another rape gang. He takes her back to his starship, supervises her education and coaxes her into civilisation and eventually the Academy. It's made very plain that she totally idolises him as a mentor, has pretty much glommed onto him from childhood, and just before she graduates from the Academy they become romantically involved, because apparently she's grown up enough for it now (there's been no-one since the gang rape, age 12, and so of course the much older man who taught her everything else has to teach her this too). Now some decades back this might have passed muster, but now it looks horribly like grooming, and the whole thing is just gross. I'm sorry, but it is.
May 30, 2023
I really enjoyed the beginning and end of this novel. It's when the actual plot kicked in is when I checked out.
The beginning of the novel is excellent as Tasha and Data are assigned to go to a planet to check out why their leader is requesting Starfleet aid. The tension is high as the incident between the pair from the episode "The Naked Now" still looms large. I was really impressed with Lorrah giving Data thoughts about emotions that aren't touched upon in other books, episodes, or films. There was also quite a bit of backstory given to Tasha and I really appreciated that. I've always been a big fan of the character and was upset when she left during the first season. In this book Lorrah provides the bridge between Tasha's horrible childhood and her entering Starfleet. This chapters are fantastic.
It's the mission on the planet where things get predictable: the leader who called for aid seems suspicious, the hired mercenary was too coincidental, the battles disappointing, and the ultimate end with one of the familiar faces was too much to be believed, even in a science fiction novel.
However, the book ends with the Tasha's television fate, with a bit more added at the end, and that was marvelous. I actually got a bit weepy.
Loved the beginning and end, but I didn't care for the middle.
The beginning of the novel is excellent as Tasha and Data are assigned to go to a planet to check out why their leader is requesting Starfleet aid. The tension is high as the incident between the pair from the episode "The Naked Now" still looms large. I was really impressed with Lorrah giving Data thoughts about emotions that aren't touched upon in other books, episodes, or films. There was also quite a bit of backstory given to Tasha and I really appreciated that. I've always been a big fan of the character and was upset when she left during the first season. In this book Lorrah provides the bridge between Tasha's horrible childhood and her entering Starfleet. This chapters are fantastic.
It's the mission on the planet where things get predictable: the leader who called for aid seems suspicious, the hired mercenary was too coincidental, the battles disappointing, and the ultimate end with one of the familiar faces was too much to be believed, even in a science fiction novel.
However, the book ends with the Tasha's television fate, with a bit more added at the end, and that was marvelous. I actually got a bit weepy.
Loved the beginning and end, but I didn't care for the middle.
August 23, 2020
Explores Tasha Yar’s past, her reconciliation with parts of that past shortly before her death, and her relationship with Data. Despite having some early-novel oddities, this one was a bit above average. 🖖
June 1, 2023
DNF at page 15, couldnt get into it.
November 15, 2017
Light and quick, but the ending could have been better.
Good action scenes.
Good action scenes.
July 3, 2012
Slight tendency towards 2.5 stars
The only reason I read this book was the follow-up novel Metamorphosis which uses characters from and refers to events in this one.
My expectations were low. It was my first Star Trek TNGfan fiction book, and for all my Data love I wasn't sure whether I could handle a plot that focuses on Tasha Yar, one of my most disliked characters in television history. All tough, almost 'masculine' in a ridiculously clichéd way and kick-arse on the outside, she dreams of being more 'feminine' (what's it with those masculine/feminine clichés anyway?), just like Deanna Troi, the walking and talking Barbie. This is a trope I truly despise.
I wouldn't have dreamt of it, but in the end I could stand that woman even less, though I believed this wasn't humanly possible. See, you can actually learn something from Star Trek. Now I'm a bit smarter than before.
In addition to all the drama established in the series and her weird relationship with Data (that - in my opinion - was never actually there), we get even more drama. A lost and betrayed love, a reunion, emotional torture and Data in confusion over this oh-so wonderful woman. Yadda-yadda-yadda...
The main plot wasn't that bad, and there were moments when Jean Lorrah got Data right. He's always too emotional, but since the book was written with only the knowledge of season 1, in which Data was more emotional, I have to cut her some slack. That also affects canon violations, though they weren't too drastic.
I felt equally entertained and annoyed, but I've read much worse in my life, and "Survivors" was still okay(-ish). I'm pretty sure though I'll never pick it up again. It served its purpose, and that is that.
The only reason I read this book was the follow-up novel Metamorphosis which uses characters from and refers to events in this one.
My expectations were low. It was my first Star Trek TNG
I wouldn't have dreamt of it, but in the end I could stand that woman even less, though I believed this wasn't humanly possible. See, you can actually learn something from Star Trek. Now I'm a bit smarter than before.
In addition to all the drama established in the series and her weird relationship with Data (that - in my opinion - was never actually there), we get even more drama. A lost and betrayed love, a reunion, emotional torture and Data in confusion over this oh-so wonderful woman. Yadda-yadda-yadda...
The main plot wasn't that bad, and there were moments when Jean Lorrah got Data right. He's always too emotional, but since the book was written with only the knowledge of season 1, in which Data was more emotional, I have to cut her some slack. That also affects canon violations, though they weren't too drastic.
I felt equally entertained and annoyed, but I've read much worse in my life, and "Survivors" was still okay(-ish). I'm pretty sure though I'll never pick it up again. It served its purpose, and that is that.
May 29, 2020
This was a really interesting character study of Tasha Yar. Lorrah deep dives into her past to show how she got to be Security Chief on the Federation's flagship. I felt like Lorrah really captured the character extremely well. You hardly notice that the rest of the crew (except Data) is absent for the majority of the book. The only downside is her characterization of Data. It seemed like she had never seen the character on the show before because she had him experiencing emotions as if he had his emotion chip already, several years too early. It was odd how well she depicted Yar and how poorly she depicted Data. Fortunately, Data was only there to move the plot along in certain places and the focus was on Yar.
August 30, 2020
I liked the story as a whole but I can't say I enjoyed the whole journey.
It was great to have a Yar-centric story, since her presence in the episodes was ultimately cut short. I like her character and the complexity of her personality is greatly emphasised in this book.
I especially enjoyed getting inside Data's android perspective. The scenes in the final chapter were lovely.
Some of Yar's background is horrific and tragic. The author treated those topics more matter-of-factly than delicately.
I'm not big on love stories and I found the sections of this story about Yar's love interest to be less than enjoyable.
I'm glad this story is in the collection, even if it wasn't my favourite adventure.
It was great to have a Yar-centric story, since her presence in the episodes was ultimately cut short. I like her character and the complexity of her personality is greatly emphasised in this book.
I especially enjoyed getting inside Data's android perspective. The scenes in the final chapter were lovely.
Some of Yar's background is horrific and tragic. The author treated those topics more matter-of-factly than delicately.
I'm not big on love stories and I found the sections of this story about Yar's love interest to be less than enjoyable.
I'm glad this story is in the collection, even if it wasn't my favourite adventure.
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March 20, 2024A fun, breezy read that gives Tasha Yar more backstory and character development than she received in her sole season of TNG. Bonus points for giving Data some heft and heart, complete with ideas the show would continue to develop over its run.
May 4, 2016
More space opera fun!
November 1, 2016
Not my favorite, the main character is Tasha Yar and it explores her background as she and Data investigate things on another planet.
January 9, 2017
3,5 estrelas ou mesmo 4, não pelo tema (ainda que seja dos meus preferidos), mas pela caracterização dos personagens, muito para além da série (e do que se "conhece")
May 1, 2022
Tasha Yar was one of my favourite characters from TNG and one of the ones with the most wasted potential. Here she and Data are fleshed out, a much deserved tribute.
April 10, 2024
Let's be honest, this book doesn't make a darn bit of sense with what we later find out about Tasha's continuity or homeworld but I appreciate Jean Lorrah taking the time to flesh out the dystopian Mad Max hellscape that Denise Crosby never got to do any development of. I mean, you may argue that SA gangs have no place in Star Trek (and I'd agree with your argument) but it's fascinating to note that Gene Roddenberry was the guy who envisioned a Federation world withdrawing and degenerating to man's primitive and horrifying barbarism. Quark was right about humans and apparently the Father of Trekdom believed that it was only a few meals between your typical Hooman and a muggato.
I think one of the great authors here could easily fix most of the issues here. "New Paris" may have been the colonies original name before it was changed with independence (politics tends to do that) or it may have been its local name with Turkana IV being the official planetary name. Certainly, young uneducated waif Tasha Yar is not going to draw too much distinction as a little girl. Ishara Yar is a much bigger issue but I maintain that I actually think the Enterprise crew were right to be skeptical. If not of her being biologically Tasha's sister then how close they were since the Tasha we knew in the show was unlikely to have abandoned her 10 year old sister. Then again, continuity is fluid and sometimes you just have to say, "Yeah, that's no longer canon."
My headcanon for Ishara Yar is that she is biologically Tasha Yar's sister, or at least half-sister, and the two of them never met. The Coalition, however, encountered some traders that had encountered with the Federation and noted that the USS Enterprise had once had an officer named Tasha by sheer dumb luck--so they set up on making up a story about them being close as part of the con we know they pulled off.
If you wanted to make a whole novel about it, it was possibly a plot by Sela to screw with the ENTERPRISE and Ishara might even be someone she made in a lab somewhere before handing her over to the Coalition. Why? Maybe to involve them in a Prime Directive dispute or part of a larger plan that fizzled out. To make them feel guilty. I dunno, Sela has issues.
I have some issues with the book and that is the kind of "romance novel melodrama" that rubs me the wrong way. This needs to have the kind of asterisk that I feel I need to establish because I love romance novel melodrama and never want to feel like I'm criticizing a fellow author too harshly. I love melodrama, I live there. Still, "guy who looks like my current love interest who rescued me as a child that I later fell in love with as a consenting adult but was wrongly accused by a kangaroo court system then became a pirate/scoundrel mercenary/freedom fighter" is a bit much. Imagining Brent Spiner as a badass rogue is kind of hilarious, though, given all the statements Daryll Adin AKA Dare looks like Data, though.
My wife would LOVE this book, though, for that exact sort of storytelling, though, and I may have it be her first Star Trek novel. I feel like the villainess being a femme fatale dictator of her country (and tied to the orions) was a good twist even if I wondered how she ever thought the Federation would respond to a request to put down the local warlords positively. Not even the United States of the Eighties would be interested in that.
I think one of the great authors here could easily fix most of the issues here. "New Paris" may have been the colonies original name before it was changed with independence (politics tends to do that) or it may have been its local name with Turkana IV being the official planetary name. Certainly, young uneducated waif Tasha Yar is not going to draw too much distinction as a little girl. Ishara Yar is a much bigger issue but I maintain that I actually think the Enterprise crew were right to be skeptical. If not of her being biologically Tasha's sister then how close they were since the Tasha we knew in the show was unlikely to have abandoned her 10 year old sister. Then again, continuity is fluid and sometimes you just have to say, "Yeah, that's no longer canon."
My headcanon for Ishara Yar is that she is biologically Tasha Yar's sister, or at least half-sister, and the two of them never met. The Coalition, however, encountered some traders that had encountered with the Federation and noted that the USS Enterprise had once had an officer named Tasha by sheer dumb luck--so they set up on making up a story about them being close as part of the con we know they pulled off.
If you wanted to make a whole novel about it, it was possibly a plot by Sela to screw with the ENTERPRISE and Ishara might even be someone she made in a lab somewhere before handing her over to the Coalition. Why? Maybe to involve them in a Prime Directive dispute or part of a larger plan that fizzled out. To make them feel guilty. I dunno, Sela has issues.
I have some issues with the book and that is the kind of "romance novel melodrama" that rubs me the wrong way. This needs to have the kind of asterisk that I feel I need to establish because I love romance novel melodrama and never want to feel like I'm criticizing a fellow author too harshly. I love melodrama, I live there. Still, "guy who looks like my current love interest who rescued me as a child that I later fell in love with as a consenting adult but was wrongly accused by a kangaroo court system then became a pirate/scoundrel mercenary/freedom fighter" is a bit much. Imagining Brent Spiner as a badass rogue is kind of hilarious, though, given all the statements Daryll Adin AKA Dare looks like Data, though.
My wife would LOVE this book, though, for that exact sort of storytelling, though, and I may have it be her first Star Trek novel. I feel like the villainess being a femme fatale dictator of her country (and tied to the orions) was a good twist even if I wondered how she ever thought the Federation would respond to a request to put down the local warlords positively. Not even the United States of the Eighties would be interested in that.
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July 29, 2022Spoilers related to Next Generation…..I guess.
With much of the early seasons of TNG you kind of have to go into episodes prepared to have an attitude along the lines of….”Well, at least it gets better.” I love Star Trek but I’m willing to admit that there are some stinkers in there and the novels written early on while this universe was still beginning to branch out from the original series were no exception.
Still, there are definitely diamonds in the rough. For episodes that evoke pain like Code of Honor and Justice, there are still episodes like Q Who or The Measure of a Man. When I picked up this book it was one of a stack of cheap paperbacks I grabbed at Half Price Books and seeing that it was a Tasha Yar centered story, I came into it with some skepticism.
Tasha Yar is one of the most consistently disliked aspects of Next Gen, other than maybe Wesley. And I am just as guilty of giving Yar a hard time and being glad that they wrote her out. But looking back realistically, I think that hers was a character that was set up for failure from the start. For as much as people throw around cookie cutter criticism of the current era of the franchise as being “woke Trek” I think that Tasha Yar is one that would be more likely to succeed in the current landscape of the show. In the late eighties, in an era of episodic, amnesia-laden writing, it’s hard to succeed with a character that has a fairly dynamic and tragic backstory. The show never really gave Denise Crosby much to do and her ending ultimately feels flat and wasted.
All this and still not really much about the book, I know. But for what I was expecting going in to it I was actually surprised to find myself loving this story. First of all, it provides some fantastic material between her and Data and shows a connection and chemistry that the show just managed to kind of fumble at. They really got the chance to explore each other’s points of view and the book engages flashbacks from Yar’s past to really give her some weighty and sympathetic tones.
The story itself is not exactly groundbreaking. We’ve all seen it before where we open with a society under attack by some kind of splinter or terrorist group. But when we start looking into the actual situation we find out that things are not exactly what they seem. We’ve seen it in Star Trek and other places as well. But for this book, what makes it succeed is in presenting finally a substantive role for Yar and she does a fantastic job carrying the story. We see her placed into a compelling situation of conflicted loyalty to someone she cares about who may be also someone guilty of crimes. Her conflict is real and it makes the book great.
And what I think really makes the book fantastic is how it helps make her death in the show have some actual weight and meaning to it. It gives the character the real respect and focus that she never really got to have before, save for shoehorning her into later episodes for the shock value of it.
With much of the early seasons of TNG you kind of have to go into episodes prepared to have an attitude along the lines of….”Well, at least it gets better.” I love Star Trek but I’m willing to admit that there are some stinkers in there and the novels written early on while this universe was still beginning to branch out from the original series were no exception.
Still, there are definitely diamonds in the rough. For episodes that evoke pain like Code of Honor and Justice, there are still episodes like Q Who or The Measure of a Man. When I picked up this book it was one of a stack of cheap paperbacks I grabbed at Half Price Books and seeing that it was a Tasha Yar centered story, I came into it with some skepticism.
Tasha Yar is one of the most consistently disliked aspects of Next Gen, other than maybe Wesley. And I am just as guilty of giving Yar a hard time and being glad that they wrote her out. But looking back realistically, I think that hers was a character that was set up for failure from the start. For as much as people throw around cookie cutter criticism of the current era of the franchise as being “woke Trek” I think that Tasha Yar is one that would be more likely to succeed in the current landscape of the show. In the late eighties, in an era of episodic, amnesia-laden writing, it’s hard to succeed with a character that has a fairly dynamic and tragic backstory. The show never really gave Denise Crosby much to do and her ending ultimately feels flat and wasted.
All this and still not really much about the book, I know. But for what I was expecting going in to it I was actually surprised to find myself loving this story. First of all, it provides some fantastic material between her and Data and shows a connection and chemistry that the show just managed to kind of fumble at. They really got the chance to explore each other’s points of view and the book engages flashbacks from Yar’s past to really give her some weighty and sympathetic tones.
The story itself is not exactly groundbreaking. We’ve all seen it before where we open with a society under attack by some kind of splinter or terrorist group. But when we start looking into the actual situation we find out that things are not exactly what they seem. We’ve seen it in Star Trek and other places as well. But for this book, what makes it succeed is in presenting finally a substantive role for Yar and she does a fantastic job carrying the story. We see her placed into a compelling situation of conflicted loyalty to someone she cares about who may be also someone guilty of crimes. Her conflict is real and it makes the book great.
And what I think really makes the book fantastic is how it helps make her death in the show have some actual weight and meaning to it. It gives the character the real respect and focus that she never really got to have before, save for shoehorning her into later episodes for the shock value of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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