Book #117: Star Trek: Probe by Margaret Wander Bonanno
Margaret Wander Bonanno
Released: April 1st, 1992
My 47th book for 2025 was Margaret Wander Bonanno’s "Star Trek: Probe".
I deviated from the beaten path this time. You’re probably expecting Star Trek V: The Final Frontier to be here. In 1992, a continuation novel was published about the Probe seen in The Voyage Home. It features the Enterprise having to deal again with the Probe and the Romulans. I have chosen to read this first as it directly correlates to the prior book.
Funny tale about this one, I put this book on a Christmas list a back in 2012. My aunt and uncle got it for me for Christmas. They also gave me a gift card as well because they felt bad. This book was only $0.01 on Amazon.
Following the events of The Voyage Home, Starfleet receives word that the Romulan Praetor has died, and the Romulan Empire seeks a conference with the Federation in hopes that a sort of peace deal can be achieved. As the Federation and Romulan Empire meet, their conference is cut short by the actions of the Probe, that has wandered into Romulan space and killed some innocent Romulans. As the Probe heads back in the direction of Earth, the Enterprise and the Romulan ambassadors attempt to communicate with the Probe. They transport down to a planet that consists of crystal caverns used to power the Probe. After beaming back up, a rouge Romulan has plans to attack the Probe, giving the Enterprise a need for physical attack to protect the Probe, while attempting to warn it of danger.
I don’t know how I feel about this one. I remember being super excited to read it. After reading it…it’s not what I was expecting. It certainly has some Star Trek moments and things, but it plays out more like a regular episode than a movie follow-up sequel. The final battle where the Enterprise has seconds to determine whether to fire on a Romulan ship is probably the best thing you’ll find here.
The credited author even disowns it. She stated in her web-site, “I know my name is on the cover, but no, I did not write it.” She turned in a different treatment that apparently was heavily edited.
There does seem to be a fair amount of technical material. I’m sure it would thrill a very scientific person, but otherwise bore others.
I’m starting to understand why this book was $0.01.
Here is what I learned:
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- Historian’s Note: Probe takes place sometime prior to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home are also pivotal to this story, and the reader may wish to view it as a referent.
- The Probe has existed for five hundred millennia.
- Kirk adopted San Francisco as his home city his first day at the academy.
- The New Cetacean Institute is located just off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
- The Romulan Praetor is dead.
- Jandra is a Romulan married to Tiam.
- Jandra is summoned to play at the Praetor’s funeral.
- Romulans are masters of irony.
- Commander Hiran commands the bird-of-prey Galtizh.
- The Praetor is said to be “third in rank, but first in power”.
- “Perestroika” is a coinage from Modern Russian that translates to “restructuring“.
- Dajan and Jandra were not permitted to see each other for five years.
- They are twins, with Jandra being slightly older.
- The Romulan Empire refuses to deal with Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan.
- Kevin Riley is chosen as the ambassador to the Romulans.
- Riley was an apprentice to Sarek.
- Riley’s biological parents were killed on Tarsus IV.
- A peace conference is set to take place on Temaris Four.
- Temaris Four is an archaeological site of great significance to the Romulans and Starfleet.
- A recently uncovered city on the planet was the single largest known remenant of the Erisian Ascendancy.
- The Romulans have requested Federation archeologist Dr. Audrea Benar.
- The tlakyrr is an obsolete instrument.
- Dr. Benar is a specialist in ancient Vulcan musicology.
- Spock enjoys Thirellian mineral water.
- “Strike” is misspelled on page 58.
- Kirk has never heard of someone named “Penalt” before.
- Symphony for the Nine is the only composition of Penalt to gain widespread recognition.
- Anneke is Mr. Penalt’s protégé.
- Handler requires a Retinax booster every six months for his nearsightedness.
- Jandra has mastered all instruments domestic and foreign.
- She owns an Earth cello, a Vulcan ka’athyra, and defiant.
- “Always appear totally confident, but the day you feel totally confident is the day to hang it up because you’re bound to make a mistake.”
- Reelan is Dajan’s brother.
- Reelan was the commander of the forces on Kalis 3.
- The Probe destroyed a Romulan scientific station and a pair of civilian transports near the Romulan world of Wlaariivi.
- The Romulans attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with the Probe.
- “In for a penny, in for a pound.”
- The Probe pulls the Enterprise through the Orion and Sagittarius arms and close to the Shapley Center.
- But they told the crystal sensor little more than they had told it from thousands of parsecs away. The spectra had shifted beyond reason. The temperature had dropped. And the world of its creators had died. Its creators themselves had died. And its purpose—to return to its creators with the news of others who could Speak the True Language-had died. And out of that death was born the ultimate paradox of its existence. Its creators had said: If a problem arises that you find yourself incapable of resolving, return to the creators and they will resolve it. But the problem it now found itself incapable of resolving was the discovery that the creators themselves no longer existed.
- The Prove can travel Warp 30.
- The creators might be gone, dead or departed hundreds of millennia ago, but surely their memories remained. And perhaps the answer to the paradox—to all of the paradoxes that had descended on it in these last terrible days-would be there. Perhaps the creators, after the entity had left, had anticipated these very situations.
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Overall, what seemed like a promising follow-up fell flat. I love Star Trek IV and I found the Probe to be a fascinating adversary. But this novel doesn’t hit right.
Not Recommended, diehards and collectors only.
On to Book #118: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier by Vonda N. McIntyre.
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Need to catch up? See previous blog post: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
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Want to read about just this series? See the other posts below:
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
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