Product Description: The Starship Rhea has discovered a cluster of carbon planets that seems to be the source of the quantum energies rippling through a section of space. A landing party finds unusual life-forms inhabiting one of the planets. One officer, Lieutenant T'Ryssa Chen -- a half-Vulcan -- makes a tenuous connection with them. But before any progress can be made, the Rhea comes under attack from the Einstein -- a Starfleet vessel now controlled by the Borg. The landing party can only listen in horror as their comrades are assimilated. The Borg descend to the planet, and just as Chen accepts that she will be assimilated, the lieutenant is whisked two thousand light-years away.
A quantum slipstream -- instantaneous transportation -- is controlled by these beings in the cluster, and in the heart of the cluster there is now a Borg ship. Cut off from the rest of the Borg collective, the Einstein cannot be allowed to rejoin it. For the sake of humanity, the Borg cannot gain access to quantum slipstream technology.
Starfleet Command gives Captain Picard carte blanche: do whatever he must to help the beings in the cluster, and stop the Einstein no matter the cost.
"Restistance is Futile, But you are welcome to try!" This book, the fourth in the series of the relaunch of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the relauch of a new and more deadlier Borg is just the prelude of a upcoming battle with the borg. More deadlier and dangerous then ever before.
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Voyager" both sort of humanized the borg to the point where you dont get that skin crawling feeling when you see them.
Thanks to the relaunch of Doctor Who and the Darleks, Paramount decided to upgrade the Borg from a mindless drones who react when in danger to drones who attack on sight!
The writers of "Resistance", "Q & A", "Before Dishonor" and "Greater then the sum" all wrote a interconnecting story about the new crew members of Enterprise, the trials and tribulations of the old crew merging with the new crew as well as slowly improving the borg from a humanized version last see in Voyager to a new and improved deadly borg!
The the death of Janeway and Seven of Nine as well as the return of the old Doomsday machine (from Kirk's era) and its destruction were just stepping stones to how the Borg slowly improved themselves.
Picard having suffered the events of "Before Dishonor" is trying to merge his crew with the new replacements for the trouble making security chief and the Troi's replacement who decided to transfer out at beginning of the story. The addition of a half human/ half vulcan female hybrid who is more human then vulcan is a breath of fresh air and does provide a touch of humor when needed.
The addition of the Nor Angels and the galaxy wide alien lifeform as well as the battles with the borg and the fights between Beverly and Picard are handled nicely and are settled before the last chapter before the Borg leave for places unknown with that cryptic message sent to starfleet command. "Resistance is Futile, But you are welcome to try!"
HMMM Nice Try but Not Quite.... First let me say that i'm a 3rd generation Trekker and up-to-date on all of the most current ST movies, books, comics, conventions, exhibits etc. etc. etc. This review will not be written in "trek speak". So enjoy!
This book is hard to review because it sucked but at the same time its necessary. Why did it suck? Well, I'm sorry but I like my Vulcans to be vulcans Sarek, Tuvok, Spock those are my boys and I love it!! So to have this Vulcan who doesn't act like a vulcan is a little jarring. Plus to put it mildly the book was a little boring in parts. To have a main character be a goof off and a silly goof off makes me wonder exactly who in "star fleet land" is vetting these applicants. I mean was she related to a high ranking admiral? Then, Picard to me was a tad bit whinny. I'm all for putting emotions and exploring the character but he's the captain of the flagship of the fleet is he really that petty?? (HMMMM to answer my own question he does get a little crazy when it comes to the borg). I actually like the new security chief she's pretty cool, but again she's a crier. Where's Worf when you need him (OH right he's first officer - See the A Time To series) I miss Data!! When is Geordi going to move out of engineering?? Everyone else is moving up why is he standing still??? (okay don't mean to use this to vent back to the book)
Why do I think this book is necessary? Well I just ordered the Destiny trilogy and from the reviews (and my friends) you would need to know whats going on in the Borgs head and why Picard is even more intense. (SPOILER ALERT - I should say why the Picard's are even more intense)
So all in all I would say if you're an avid trek fan and you can follow "trek world" bypass this book unless you just have to read every story (like me)!!
what is this garbage? after reading this book, all i can do is ask that question and scratch my head.
The Borg Keep Coming Unlike many of the reviews, I enjoy the fact that the Borg story-line is being continued. I read many reviews about this book, and read peoples remarks from the previous books, including everything from silly Super-Cubes absorbing things, to the Borg being a dead-end story, etc. However, I don't see it this way. First, the Borg absorbing things is a homage to Star Trek I: The Motion Picture. In the movie, V-Ger sends out an energy pulse that (seemingly) vaporizes everything in its path, however it appears that in fact it is absorbing the information of these things because of the vast amount of information it contains, one of these things being a humanoid - Ilea (much like it absorbed Janeway). Further then, Ilea, the drone made by V-Ger is, by many oppinions, an early form of the Borg or Borg Technology. In the movie, Bones talks about how she has microscopic hydraulics replacing her tissues, molecule-size processor chips (later called nanites in Star Trek series), and she is controlled by a single entity, in this case V-Ger. Also, in the movie, Spock has a "vision" of a machine-planet that sends V-Ger, highly modified, back to Earth to combine with its maker, humans, wich is what the Borg ulitmately are - mechanicl and biological combinations. Thus, in my oppinion, this is a return to, or a modified tactic of, a previous way of collecting information. Second, as far as the Borg being a dead-end story-line, and too radically changed due to their interest in destroying things now, I would have to disagree. In ST:TNG, Lore's Borg attacked, were less connected (collectively) and seemed to have little interest in assimilation, but rather in conquest. This seems to be the way the books are going now. That said, I love the Borg, everytime we see them, we end up beating them, so in many ways they have "lost their teeth", but they still pose a difficult situation for the federation, and usually deliver quite a bit of excitement. Further, it always forces one to think about issues such as what if this were to become a reality, what would I do, what lengths would I go to save my family, and loved ones, etc. This book continues that story, and those thoughts. It's a good read.
The Borg, again?! Man, how many more books with the Borg are we going to have to read?
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
