#jm dillard

[spocks-husband]

J.M. Dillard's "The Lost Years" is SO FUCKING GOOD SO FAR

Look at these dumbasses. Look at them.

[nevinslibrary]

Make It So Friday

This was a look at what happened in between Season 3 of The Original Series, and, the first Star Trek Movie. Or, rather, it’s the stories of what happened with Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy between the two pieces of media.

We get to see Kirk after he has been bumped from Captain to Admiral, the good and the bad of it. He also apparently sorta gets a girlfriend-ish, sorta, it was unclear at some points. Spock makes some humongous decisions about his life in Starfleet and on Vulcan. And then there’s McCoy. Wow does McCoy get into some serious trouble in this one.

It was a fun book about all these guys, although, I do wish that it had actually been three books so that we’d have gotten to see more of characters like T’Sura on Vulcan, or McCoy’s “new friend” Keridwen Llewellyn. Both were such interesting characters that I definitely wanted more of on the page! On the whole though, it was a really fun read, and, come to find out, it’s sort of the start of a 4 part series that continues the stories started in this book. Fun.

You may like this book If you Liked: Moments Asunder by Dayton Ward, The Autobiography of Mr. Spock by Una McCormack, or Captain to Captain by Greg Cox

The Lost Years by JM Dillard

[crackingthetbrpile]

New favorite secret Vulcan technique: melting people’s skin off with sheer brainpower

(Passage taken from The Lost Years by J. M. Dillard, 1989)

[space-dog-from-space]

The Sarek - Uhura team up in The Lost Years by JM Dillard is unexpected but also pretty great:

Uhura jumped to her feet. "Please... I beg of you, don't kill the ambassador. I'm military personnel-- I'm expendable. But if you kill the ambassador, you'll have all of the Federation-- and Vulcan --against you."

"She is quite correct," Sarek affirmed amiably as he rose from his chair.

She couldn't help but shoot him a dirty look for that.

Uhura shivered, unable to do anything but gape at them. She felt no relief; that they had so cooly dispatched the Romulan proved that the moment she was no longer needed, she would be just as callously killed. She stumbled toward her chair, but before she made it, her legs went weak under her. She sank to her knees.

Sarek lifted her firmly by the arms and deposited her in her chair. "The food will not be necessary," he told Kel. "But you could bring some hot tea."

She felt suddenly, horribly cold, and only dimly aware of the fact that Sarek was standing over her, and her teeth were chattering. At some point, a very hot cup of green tea appeared in front of her. She sipped a little, and when she could speak again, said, "Tell me, Ambassador, that you didn't know that was going to happen." She glared up into his serious face. "Or I will kill you myself."

He blinked. "Djanai is an illogical language full of metaphors I do not understand. I did not know that was going to happen. However, in the future it would be best for your safety if you could refrain from heroics."

"You've got a deal." She deflated with a great sigh and laid her head wearily on the table.

[star-trek-pop-quiz]

Star Trek POP-QUIZ #5

( 04 / 11 / 23 )

Question 1.

In which episode of TNG can you see the actor of Tuvok ( Tim Russ )?

a. Unification ( S5, E7 ) b. Starship Mine ( S6, E18 ) c. Rascals ( S6, E7 ) d. Cause and Effect ( S5, E18 ) Bonus Question: What was his name and role?

Question 2.

Which of Ash's Pokemon is named after a Starfleet captain?

a. Squirtle b. Kirlia c. Pikachu d. Infernape Bonus Question: What captain are they named after?

Question 3. Fill-in Question!

What does Spock call "marshmellows"?

Bonus Question: In which movie do we see him refer to them?

Question 4.

TRUE OR FALSE

The infamous VOY episode "Threshold" won an emmy.

Bonus Question: If so, what was the Emmy for?

Question 5.

In the modern Vulcan language, what is the word "idiot" derived from?

a. One who possessed no special skill or status. b. One who has little-to-no telepathic capabilities. c. One who is not able to speak. d. One who fails to participate in civil affairs.

Score: __ / 5 + 4 bonus points ( answers under cut )

Question 1.

b. Starship Mine ( S6, E18 )

+ Tim Russ plays the mercenary, Devor.

Question 2.

c. Pikachu

+ Ash's Pikachu's name is Jean Luc Pikachu, after Captain Jean Luc PIcard.

Question 3.

Marshmelons

+ Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

( From the Novel Adaption by JM Dillard )

Question 4.

True.

+ Michael Westmore won a 1996 Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for the Series.

Question 5.

d. One who fails to participate in civil affairs.

[trek-tracks]

When you spend so much time together that you take on each other's mannerisms.

Tomorrow Is Yesterday / The Lost Years by J.M. Dillard

[jotunvali02]

Oh shit...

Was anyone going to tell me the people who horribly die in a defected transporter in the ST:TMP movie, right under Jim’s eyes, are little Sonak from the wonderful Recovery novel and Lori fucking Ciana, the fucking wife of Jim Kirk he married two years prior to the movie??

No wonder he’s in an awful mood until Holy Ti Amo Simple Feeling Spock steps in!

No wonder he demands Bones’ presence on the ship!

When you’ve read Jeanne Dillard’ ST novels, you’ll never watch the movies, especially the first, the same way ever again.

Now excuse me, I’ll go sob in a corner.

[startreknovels]

Mindshadow by JM Dillard

[originallonemagpie]

2018 Book Log #17

SURAK'S SOUL by JM Dillard

Dillard's long been a favourite Trek writer of mine, but this Enterprise one... Well at least it was short and quick. And still over-padded. Basically it's a simple moral dilemma for T'Pol which was already answered by Spock in Wrath Of Khan, bolted onto a thin short story and stretched out to 200 pages rather than the 5 or 6 pages of story it actually has. It's basically an exercise in wondering how fucking stupid the characters are to not notice the goddam motherfucking obvious.  It is therefore also utterly predictable from the get-go.

On the upside, Phlox in particular, and also Archer, T'Pol, Trip and Reed all read fairly true to the TV counterparts (Hoshi far less so, and Mayweather never got a personality in the series anyway), and there is an alien that was pleasantly TOS-like, which kind of helps in viewing Enterprise as a prequel to that series- I could damn well see how it would have looked in TOS.

But otherwise... Sadly a decent 5 or 6 page story lost in 220 pages.

[jotunvali02]

Our favorite Irish boy. ^^

Kevin Riley in “The Conscience of the King”

[nevinslibrary]

Make It So Friday

This is the final book in the four book series that takes place after the original series ends, but before the first Star Trek movie. I recommended the first book in the series, The Lost Years. And, the second and third books, A Flag Full of Stars and Traitor Winds were good books too, but, this one, that like the first one was by J.M. Dillard, was my favourite of the series.

The still Admiral Kirk is just done with sitting behind a desk. And, when he decides to get back on a ship, boy does he do it right and fully. He’s invited to observe a new automated rescue ship. Except, suddenly he’s in command of that ship, oh, and that ship is full of quite a few cadets. And, he needs to stop the rescue ship before it (as well as the very very bearded McCoy) sails right into Tholian space (remember the interesting web from the original series?).

As well as a almost thriller like sort of story, it was cool to sort of see some of the ‘new’ computer things that would wind up in Star Trek The Next Generation (after all, this book was being written long after The Next Generation premiered), like the being able to find anyone on the ship at any time from a panel in the hall. I know that I’m an easy mark when it comes to whether I like a Star Trek novel or not, but, this one was a really great read.

You may like this book If you Liked: Moments Asunder by Dayton Ward, Captain to Captain by Greg Cox, or The Body Electric by David Mack

Recovery by JM Dillard

[space-dog-from-space]

Just as swiftly, the amorphous Horta (whom the Klingon had mistakenly trusted) produced a phaser from deep within himself, and by rather clumsily manipulating it with the edge of his stony bulk produced a blinding burst of red light.

From The Lost Years by JM Dillard

👀 Where he keepin that thing??

@reffitt-blog1

[startrekreviews]

TOS Novel #37: Bloodthirst

TOS #37: Bloodthirst by J.M. Dillard Book Jacket’s Summary:      “A class one medical emergency summons the Enterprise to the Federation outpost Tanis. There, a grisly surprise awaits them. Two of the lab's three researchers are dead, their bodies entirely drained of blood. There are no clues. No records of their research. No remnants of their work.      There is only the outpost's sole survivor, Dr. Jeffrey Adams. A man with a secret that will rock the very foundations of Starfleet... and a terrible, all-consuming hunger that will bring death to the crew of the starship Enterprise.” Yeaka’s Notes:     As you might’ve guessed from the title and summary, this is a pseudo-vampire novel, not with aliens as you might expect, but Federation bio-warfare. And in case that summary didn’t tip you off, this one is dark. It has very little of the cheesiness of TOS or the comic nature of knock-off vampires, but tells a very gritty, bloody story of murder and disease. Several characters die, and others, like Christine Chapel, come very close. Kirk loses a dear friend and Bones spends a good chunk grieving, with the others only peripherally mentioned and worrying. Mostly, Kirk, Spock, and Bones try to solve a murder mystery whilst surviving a plague onboard the Enterprise and maybe a conspiracy within the Fleet itself.     Despite the depressing nature of the story, it’s a good read for those that can stomach that; the writing is deep and compelling. There are many original characters, several of which are holdovers from other books (especially Mindshadow and Demons), and all are thoroughly fleshed out and worth following. One new one is an Andorian ensign dealing with her own family troubles and cultural sexism, another a human man with a troubled past and a sexual eye—but one that stops just short of creepy, more so just realistic. For a space story, most of this is strangely plausible. That’s probably part of what makes its darkness so disturbing.     If you like that sort of thing—borderline horror stories with corrupt governments and hardened heroes—this is definitely one to pick up. Noteworthy moments: (below cut, spoilers) 

Ch1/p6 Bones beams down in the dark for an away mission on Halloween

p15 At lunch with Bones and Kirk, Spock explains vampires to Jim and asks if he’d also like to know about Santa Claus

Ch2/p22 Kirk coms José Mendez’s brother (TOS: “The Menagerie”) 

Ch3/p43 Bones gets stuck, ensigns rescue him

p48 An Andorian ensign woman new to the Enterprise

p53 Chapel tends to a vampiric patient and falls for a cheap trap

Ch4/p65 Kirk has an admiral friend who’s always trying to get Kirk to loosen up, which Kirk resists, he tells Kirk never to take a boring desk job

Ch5/74 Bones attends to Chapel in isolation and jokes he should’ve sent Spock in to cheer her up

Ch6/83 Spock ponders katras but doesn’t want to tell Kirk of them lest it be dismissed as Vulcan mysticism

Ch7/p108 M’Benga treats a drunk Andorian

Ch8/p124 Coming to ask for a favour, Spock corrects Bones’ grammar

Ch9/131 Broken up over her illness, Bones reflects on how much he loves Chapel (platonically)

p137 Sulu and Chekov gossip about the plot they’ve missed and Chekov’s “wampire” stories

Ch11/p166 Bones remembers drinking alone in his quarters with Chapel when he first came aboard, thinking her attractive and being terrified so drinking more until he realized she was just as resistant to romance because of her engagement (TOS “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”) they talked as friends about past hurt and her interactions with Spock in various TOS episodes

p169 Spock visits as Bones, crying, takes Chapel off life support, Bones asks Spock to come in and support him

Ch13/p197 Chekov tells the bridge Chapel’s a vampire now

Ch15/p226 Sub-commander Khaefv (presumably the one from TOS “Balance of Terror” for the reference to looking like Sarek)

Epilogue/p260 Bones brings Kirk Saurian brandy on his birthday and notes a package he jokes is cookies from Kirk’s mom, they toast to his late friend

[trek-tracks]

So I was joking when I made this post, but apparently my third panel “explanation” for marsh melons is the canonical novelization reason. Guess I don’t actually have to read Trek books to anticipate them...

Why does Spock say “Marshmelons?” The Novelization tells all!

In Star Trek V: the Final Frontier, we’re left wondering: why does Spock say “marshmelon” instead of marshmallow? It’s never explained. Luckily the JM Dillard’s novel adaptation explains it all!

First, we get the first campfire scene as we saw it in the film, but with some extra dialogue:

Spock is confused by the name, so Kirk and McCoy come up with some story about how it resembles a melon grown in a swamp. And then the scene continues as we saw it. But then, in the epilogue, we get the extended final campire scene, and the truth outs:

So McCoy knew that Spock would totally ask the ship’s computer “how do I go camping like a human?” So he paid off an IT guy to change the file like a Wikipedia page, but Spock being a computer genius KNEW what was up and was like, “you know what? I’m just gonna run with this and see what happens.” And he does and Bones gets roasted for it.

I can’t handle these two. I don’t know how Jim does it.

[butch-muppet]

im convinced this author hasnt actually watched the original series because spock will literally just breathe and jim will be all heart eyes and smiley at him

[vintagescifibookcovers]

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier by J.M. Dillard

1989