Book #124: Star Trek IX: Insurrection by J.M. Dillard

 


Star Trek IX: Insurrection

J.M. Dillard

 Released: December 1st, 1996

My 54rd book for 2025 was J.M. Dillard’s "Star Trek IX: Insurrection.  

This one has always been interesting to me.  I read reviews of it growing up, and saw the negative take a lot of people have had.  The two times I have viewed it, I honestly did not mind the film.  The book reads pretty well too.

Lt. Commander Data has been temporarily reassigned to a mission on the planet of Ba'ku.  Captain Picard is informed of an incident, where a Starfleet admiral has found Data to not only be insubordinate, but also has attacked.  Picard disregards orders to another system and heads warp speed towards the planet.  When he arrives, the admiral, working with the Son'a race, is surprised to see him there.  As Picard interacts with the Ba'ku and Son'a people, he learns that the planet emits a radioactive element that reverses the effects of age and heals illnesses.  Some of the Ba'ku people are over 300 years of age.  He uncovers a plot by Starfleet and the Son'a to relocate the Ba'ku people via deception in holodecks and to harness the planet's power to heal the universe.  Picard disobeys his orders and engages in an Insurrection against the admiral's directive.  

The premise is pretty sound.  It feels like a long episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.  All the characters never seem to age, and if they advance, they seem to find themselves right back on the Enterprise.  We even see a return to a beardless Riker, and the restoration of his relationship with Deanna Troi.

We learn a bit of new information about Picard as, despite being a captain, he is given admiral-level accessibility to Starfleet information.  He also falls in love with Anij despite knowing that they cannot be together long-term.  He also seems to have the credibility to disavow Federation orders when the situation calls for such.

Admiral Dougherty shows ill intent in this one despite believing his actions to be of a reasonable nature.  While it is great that he wants to utilize something he found to heal and support the greater good, it is unreasonable that he seeks to take it away from a harmless race.

It's a good sci-fi adventure.  It's not breaking any records or outstanding in some critical way, but the last TNG adventure of the 1990's works.

Here is what I learned:

—————

  • For Jack Benny, wherever you are.
  • A Anij is part of the Ba’ku culture.
  • 12-year-old Artim is Anij’s youngest friend.
  • Barrel is Artim’s mother.
  • Sojef is Artim’s father.
  • Sojef is leader of the Ba’ku community, Son’a.
  • Sojef recently proposed to Anij without an answer.
  • The greeting for the Evora people is “Yew-Cheen chef-faw”.
  • Worf was at the Manzar colony, installing a new defense perimeter.
  • Son’a ships are rumored to be equipped with isolytic subspace weapons, which ar banned by the Second Khitomer Accords.
  • The Son’a are a dying race.
  • A genetic deformity has prevented procreation.
  • A Kolar beast is comparable to a Terran gray seal.
  • Data attack a Federation Admiral’s starship, and has been marked for termination.
  • “We believe when you create a machine to do the work of a person, you take something away from that person.”
  • Data has a fail-safe system where his ethical and moral subroutines take over all his basic functions.
  • The smaller the town, the fewer the secrets.
  • Deanna Tori prefers Riker clean shaven.
  • There is a large cloaked Federation ship underwater on Ba’ku.
  • Worf has a gorch (Klingon Acne) on his face due to the radiation exposure.
  • The radiation exposure causes people to not age.
  • La Forge’s eyesight has regenerated.
  • He sees his first sunrise.
  • Data’s legs are 87.2 centimeters long.
  • “Jak’tahla” is Klingon puberty.
  • Mark these words: technology will bring about your violent downfall.

—————

Overall, it's a decent read.  I read it quickly.  There's a lot of conversing, and sentimental moments for various fans.  It's good, but probably best for fans.

Recommended only for Trekkies.

On to Book #125: Star Trek X: Nemesis by J.M. Dillard.

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Need to catch up?  See previous blog post: Star Trek VIII: First Contact.

-----

Want to read about just this series?  See the other posts below:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Star Trek: Probe

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek TNG: All Good Things...

Star Trek VII: Generations

Star Trek: The Return

Star Trek VIII: First Contact

Star Trek IX: Insurrection

Star Trek X: Nemesis

Star Trek (2009)

Star Trek: Into Darkness

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