| Review : |
This book from the early days of ST:TNG is rather extraordinary. It takes place during the first season and concentrates on Tasha Yar with Data being involved also. The book set's up a rather complete "biography" of Tasha's career before her service on the Enterprise. Their mission is to travel to planet Treva in which the UFP has a certain strategic interest in close to the Orions space. Treva may be a candidate to join the UFP but the official governmernt, which claims to be democratic and elected by the people, says to be under attack of warlords who once draw their political power from feudalistic principles. During their investigations Yar and Data quickly find out, that the civil war is part of a conspiracy of the orion-influenced head of state, to bring the UFP into overwhelming the opposition, being the true local government, and later to turn over to the Orions. Finally Yar is being kidnapped by a commando of one warlord and brought to his HQ in order to get told his point of view. In the warlords HQ she meets her old love. His name is Daryl Adin and ge was once the starfleet officer in comand of the away team that saved Tasha Yar from the lost federation colony where she lived before. Later he got her mentor but their relationship split dramatically after an incident during a traing mission while Yar was still a cadet. The training-ship on which they all served was ambushed by Orions and many cadets and officers died. Later a complot presented Adin as being responsible and a traitor. He escaped prison and began working as a soldier of fortune, now serving for the trevan warlord. The same as he was considered being a traitor he considered Tasha for having betrayed him and having destroyed his starfleet career. Tasha and Data discover to be the warlord being the "good guy" and the official government to be dangerous and take part in fighting it in self defense after the HQ gets under attack. They manage to be victorious and in the moment of triumph, when Yar seems to have lost contact to starfleet principles and the prime directive due to reborn sympathies for Adin, Data arrests him as still being a federation wide wanted traitor. Due to Datas android capabilities he can manage to proofe Adin accused wrong and being the victim of an orion plan to bring him in trouble after he once defeated the orions very clearly. So he is set free but refused to return to Starfleet and remains the famous "Silver Paladin", a soldier of fortune. Shortly after the events described in the book Tasha dies in the Episode "Skin of Evil" and Data has to tell Adin the bad news. By the way: The figure of Daryl Adin as the Silver Paladin will reappear in another book of Jean Lorrah but only shortly. The book is nice to be read because it brings in some more real attitudes toward Star Trek besides the sometimes very elitaerien view of mankind presented by Star Trek. It's very understandable, that especially Tasha get's drawn more and more into the warlords mission. Her origin from a planet in chaos makes this clear after all the others except Worf are risen in the sorrow-less federation. Data's role is being a counterpart to her because he logic mind isn't influenced by emotions and thus holds on to the starfleet principles. After having read the book, you beginn missing the Tasha of the novel in the series. As far as I know, there is no other book making a great deal out of Tasha and so this one is very special. |
