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| The events of the cover takes place during the last ten pages of the book. Don't worry, you're only about halfway done the story. Wait, what? |
In Starfleet
Academy: Line of Fire, Peter David continues to tell the story of Worf from
Star Trek: The Next Generation,
during his years at Starfleet Academy in San Francisco. The first novel served
as an introduction to a young Worf and the friends he made at the Academy. It
also focused on Worf’s first real interaction with people who didn’t accept him
or trust him because of his Klingon heritage. The second novel expands on this
and also adds another staple element of Worf’s character in TNG, how he seems himself not fully as a
Klingon and no fully Terran, either.
We learn at the beginning of Line of Fire that Worf’s study group, comprising of Terrans Mark
McHenry and Tania Tobia, Vulcan Soleta and Brikarian Zak Kebron, has become one
of the Academy’s best group of students. Professors and other students have
even started to call them the “Dream Team”. As such it’s not surprising that
all five cadets are chosen to accompany one of their teachers on a negotiation
mission on Dantar IV. Danta IV is a colony with a population that is equally
divided between Terrans and Klingons. It’s a little too obvious a situation in
which to spotlight Worf’s dual heritage but a direct approach isn’t always a
bad thing.
The cadets travel to Dantar aboard the Repulse which we first encountered in
season two, episode one of TNG. David
writes a nice scenes in which Worf and Captain Taggert talk about Taggert’s
crew being surprised at Worf’s appearance. Some of the crew members even do a
double-take when seeing the young Klingon in a Starfleet uniform aboard their
ship. Worf mentions his disappointment at the reaction of members of Starfleet.
He didn’t expect shock and surprised from people who had been trained at the
Academy and have likely seen many stranger things than he. Taggert’s reply is
that just because you’ve gone through Starfleet training doesn’t mean you’ve
been ride of the capability of being surprised. Starfleet, like many other
large organizations, no matter how well organized, will always be made up of
individuals who have their own beliefs and prejudices. Worf will have to learn
to cope with people’s reaction to him.
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| It's really hot and bright on Dantar IV. It's not all bad, you get to wear these awesome shades. |
Worf gets another taste of this once they arrive on
Dantar IV. So far he’s experience the reaction of his adoptive family and
cadets at the Academy. He’s not in the middle of a negotiation between
colonists comprised of people from both his heritage. Worf embodies nature vs.
nurture, the constant struggle between his Klingon genes and his human
upbringing. On Dantar his inner conflict is externalized. David also throws in
a romantic interest by having K’Ehleyr be one of the Klingon negotiators. It’s
so strange to me that both groups have chosen young individuals to take part
and, at times, lead the negotiations.
I understand that the individuals in this novel are
teens, young adults actually. They deal with everything seemingly without ease.
There are scientists and other professionals in the colony but they’re unable
to deal with some relatively simple tasks. I’ve always considered colonists to
be strong, independent and resourceful individuals. Their job requires that
they regularly deal with difficult decisions forcing them to apply problem
solving skills daily. Why then are they incapable of taking care of themselves
and their petty squabbles? I feel like David didn’t take the time to address
this while plotting the book because of he intended audience. I also think he
did this in order to avoid writing a book about the day to day lessons in
Starfleet. It would probably have been a bore for David and the readers if
every chapter was about the Dream Team attending class and studying.
Just like my review, the second Starfleet Academy book ends upbruptly. An unidentified ship attacks
the colony and everybody evacuates except for the Dream Team, K’Ehleyr and a
couple more Klingons. It’s not really a cliffhanger. The book simply ends and
immediately picks up with the third book.
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