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From: freeman@spar.UUCP (Jay Freeman)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: The Final Reflection (spoiler warning)
Message-ID: <426@spar.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 03:15:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: spar.426
Posted: Mon Jul 29 03:15:19 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 23:24:31 EDT
References: <133@aplvax.UUCP> <255@ihlpl.UUCP>
Reply-To: freeman@max.UUCP (Jay Freeman)
Distribution: net
Organization: Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, CA
Lines: 49

[Captain, I dinna think the line-eater can take it much longer!!]

In article <255@ihlpl.UUCP> sag@ihlpl.UUCP (Gore) writes:

>Could someone please post a good summary of The final Reflection? 

Don't know if it will be good, but I will try.  In general I don't think
much of Star Trek, but I find this a superb book -- Hugo quality on its
own merits.  And yes, I know it has been out for more than a year, but
nevertheless I shall post a ...

                      ##### SPOILER WARNING #####

John M. Ford's _Final_Reflection_ is set in the Star Trek universe about
forty years before the TV series.  Ford traces the career of a military
officer from orphaned, futureless, junior cadet to commander of a battle
cruiser.  Most of the book deals with a specific task, in which
Commander Krenn is in charge of a diplomatic mission a long way from home:
Major power groups among both the Klingons and the Humans want to start an
unlimited interstellar war.

Krenn's goal is to keep the peace.

What's more, he's a Klingon.

Ford paints an alien culture in rich and fascinating detail, a Klingon
civilization completely consistant with the "heavy" image of the Star Trek
series, but whose unendearing reputation is more the product of deep
prejudice on the part of the Federation than of anything of substance.  In
particular, Krenn is a man [sic?] of iron-bound and unimpeachable integrity,
yet as tough as nails and as ruthless and sophisticated at espionage and
intrigue as anyone could wish for.  He is also possessed of a puckish sense
of humor ("How many Romulans does it take to change a transtator?"), and is
unparalleled at oneupsmanship. (There's a scene with a transporter that is
just delightful, possibly the best in the book.)

According to Ford, every civilization has a game that epitomizes it.  For
the Humans, it is chess; for the Klingons a board game that is a little more
like capture the flag.  There are variants of this game, and Krenn is a
master of one of them -- the "reflective game", in which under certain
circumstances you get to move your opponent's pieces, and your opponent gets
to move yours.  The game is metaphor for political intrigue in a
society neck-deep in it -- for you cannot get anything done without
working with a team, yet there is no one -- no one -- whom you can always
trust.

And it is no accident that Krenn's battle cruiser is named ... _Mirror_.

-- 
Jay Reynolds Freeman (Schlumberger Palo Alto Research)(canonical disclaimer)