Arguably the most complex of the Star Trek: Discovery novels to date, it’s also the most engaging.
While I have enjoyed most of the Star Trek: Discovery tie-in novels so far, there has been a regular formula to them. Take one principal character, add a hitherto unseen crisis and a liberal serving of backstory. Which makes Dave Galanter’s DEAD ENDLESS even more exciting for avoiding these tropes, offering up one of the more complex series tie-ins to date.
Having ripped through character profiles for Burnham, Saru, Tilly and even Pike/Spock, this volume finally turns its attention to Lt. Commander Paul Stamets. Being the first openly gay regular character in a Star Trek television series, I asked in my review for The Way to the Stars: “Can we please get the story of Paul Stamets coming out in the 23nd century?” After all, what does that look like in the idealised vision of the future?
Galanter doesn’t take this expected path. In fact, he doesn’t even follow the existing one. Taking place entirely with an alternate universe, it’s one where the Battle of the Binary Stars didn’t end in war and Burnham is now Captain of the Discovery. Troubled by unexplained dreams, Stamets helps guide them through the mycelial network where they encounter two unexpected things: a distress call from an unknown source – and Doctor Hugh Culber.
This is one of those perfect side stories that could have easily been an episode of the show. Galanter cleverly fills in the gaps of what Culber and Stamets (or Culmets if you will) experienced prior to the former’s return (in the excellent second season episode “Saints of Imperfection”) while offering us a new first contact outing that doesn’t impact on the primary continuity. If this were a TV episode it would probably be considered a “bottle show,” one that uses the existing cast and crew on a mostly ship-bound narrative.
Yet one of the primary attractions to this story is that of a star-crossed romance between Stamets and Culber. More than simply feeding the fans who ship this already well-rounded screen couple, Galanter crafts a tangible connection between the duo, even if we know that they come from different universes (I’m not crying, by the way: you are crying). The long stretches of dialogue between Ephraim, the space-dwelling tardigrade, and Culber talk about finding your “clearing,” get to the heart of what ‘Trek is about. While it’s literally referring to the pockets of linearity in mycelial space, it’s also an apt analogy for following one’s bliss.
Which is the other thing that Galanter is exceptionally good at: writing in the voices of the established characters. When the first of the Discovery books were released, there wasn’t much to work with in terms of screen reference. (Hell, the show didn’t even establish the names of half of the bridge crew in any overt fashion). Yet as Galanter acknowledges in his afterword, the voices of these actors (especially Anthony Rapp and Mary Wiseman) are his inspiration, and they are pitch perfect on page.
When Star Trek: Discovery returns for a third season in 2020, it promises to have a very different outlook – not to mention a timeline we’ve never seen before. What DEAD ENDLESS demonstrates so well is that it is possible to put this crew in an alternate setting and still retain the core of the characters. Here’s hoping that the new Picard show, and its own tie-ins, doesn’t overshadow the excellent foundations established here.
2020 | US | WRITER: Dave Galanter | PUBLISHER: Pocket Books (US) | LENGTH: 304 pages | RELEASE DATE: 17 December 2019
