Peter David: Complete Star Trek: New Frontier Series: “The best of both worlds.”
Star Trek: New Frontier is a series of novels written by Peter David that features original characters set in the larger Star Trek universe.
“The advantage of playing in the Star Trek universe is that you have access to that vast reservoir of possibilities. The disadvantage is that you really can’t change any of the characters. Except that’s not an issue in New Frontier. It’s really the best of both worlds.”
Star Trek: New Frontier is a series of novels written by Peter David that features original characters set in the larger Star Trek universe. The first Star Trek tie-in fiction property not based on a TV show, the New Frontier stories explore life aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur, commanded by Capt. Mackenzie Calhoun. New Frontier is based in the same time period as Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager TV shows and their tie-in books.
David is a prolific writer whose career spans more than 25 years in every kind of media. In addition to his famous Star Trek writing—and there’s been lots of it (and it’s been great)—David’s famous comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year(!) run on The Incredible Hulk, plus notable runs writing the adventures (and drama) of Aquaman, She-Hulk, Young Justice, X-Factor, Supergirl, Captain Marvel, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099.
Peter David’s health issues
Author Peter David is also struggling with health issues right now. Over the past few months, David suffered kidney failure, a series of strokes AND a mild heart attack. And the bills are piling up.
David’s wife Kathleen released this update a couple of days ago (April 24):
“Peter is still in rehab but that is week to week until the insurance decides that he is well enough to come home. The big hurdle is that he is a two person assist right now. I have the door widening in the works so he can come home along with a couple of other things that will make his life easier...He is still working at Marvel but is on leave right now so no income there to speak of….
“The only thing that has saved us from being homeless and hopeless is each of you. Peter cried when he heard what y’all have done. It gave him a peace of mind so he could focus on healing. You have made it able for me to put in a ramp and some other things in the house that he needs. You have kept this roof over our heads, food on the table, our cars street legal, and our cats in food and litter. For that Peter and I will be eternally grateful, and we thank you every day for it.”
You can help the Davids at Go Fund Me or on his Patreon page.
When Peter David built his own Star Trek series
The Star Trek: New Frontier world was co-created by David and book editor John J. Ordover. The once-powerful Thallonian Empire has collapsed following a popular uprising, destabilizing a vast region of space known as Sector 221-G. Starfleet has dispatched the USS Excalibur (NCC-26517), under the command of Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, to fly the flag, and offer aid to those affected by the political and economic instability of the region.
In total, the New Frontier story has been told through more than two dozen books—including novels, a short story anthology, and even comic books. (Scroll down to see the list of books below.)
Characters and settings from New Frontier have also appeared in other Star Trek novels, most of which were written by David. The novels have also included crossovers with other Star Trek series, such as: The Captain’s Table (1998), Double Helix (1999) Gateways (2000), The Lost Era (2003), and the Mirror Universe (2007–2009) anthologies.
David told Newsarama about the pros and cons of writing in the Star Trek universe:
“The advantage of playing in the Star Trek universe is that you have access to that vast reservoir of possibilities, not to mention an existing audience base. The disadvantage is that you really can’t change any of the characters. Except that’s not an issue in New Frontier. Characters can come and go, get married, get divorced, give birth, die. So it’s really—no joke intended—the best of both worlds.”
The series was co-created by David with book editor John J. Ordover.
“One of the major problems with the novels at the time [the mid-nineties],” Ordover said in Voyages of Imagination (2009), “was you couldn’t put any inherent continuity into them and you couldn’t make any significant changes, so characters couldn’t die, they couldn’t change, they couldn’t leave. The core characters always had to remain the same. After a few years, that gets frustrating for an editor.”
Ordover and David built New Frontier to explore—and enjoy—the Star Trek universe, while having the freedom to have characters grow and change. They created new characters and were allowed to bring in established Star Trek characters and have a and all-new series set in the world of Star Trek.
Complete list of Star Trek: New Frontier books
A new Starfleet crew must assemble to aid an ancient empire after its tragic collapse! This four-in-one volume includes the books House of Cards (1997), Into the Void (1997), The Two-Front War (1997), and End Game (1997).
The ancient Thallonian Empire has collapsed, throwing an entire sector of the galaxy into chaos and unrest. Billions of sentient beings are faced with starvation, warfare, and worse. Faced with a tragedy of interstellar proportions, Starfleet assembles a new, handpicked crew to help where it can and report what it finds.
Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, recommended by Jean-Luc Picard himself, takes command of the U.S.S. Excalibur, which is manned by Starfleet’s best and brightest, including some old friends from Star Trek: The Next Generation and some of the most dynamic new characters ever to boldly go where no one has gone before!
With the fall of the ancient Thallonian Empire, civil war threatens the planet of Zondar. The arrival of the U.S.S Excalibur is greeted with relief and celebration by the anxious populace, and Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, fresh from his cataclysmic escape form the Thallonian throneworld, is acclaimed as their prophesied savior. But one believer’s messiah is another's blasphemer—and a prime candidate for martyrdom.
When Captain Calhoun is captured, Lieutenant Commander Burgoyne must find him before an alien fleet launched a holy war against the Federation!
Lieutenant Robin Lefler’s mother died in a shuttle explosion ten years ago. So is the woman being held prisoner in Thallonian space really her? If it is, what is her connection to the mysterious woman holding a weapon that could doom entire worlds?
With the lives of billions at stake, Robin Lefler, Captain Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur must find the answers before time runs out for them and for the struggling remnants of the once-great Thallonian Empire.
Ever since the fall of the Thallonian Empire, Si Cwan has been searching for his younger sister, the only other survivor of the royal family. His quest has been a hard one, filled with many disappointments, but now it may be nearing its end....
On the planet Montos, a mysterious young woman, whose past is shrouded in secrecy, finds herself pursued by both the fanatical Redeemers and a vicious race of feral predators known only as the Dogs of War. All are in search of information regarding the true nature and location of the Quiet Place, a mystical realm celebrated in myth and legend. Only this same woman, now called Riella, may hold the secret of the Quiet Place, a secret that the Redeemers and others will kill to possess.
Is Riella indeed Si Cwan’s long-lost sister? Before he can learn the truth, he and his crewmates must brave the unchecked savagery of the Dogs of War—and enter the terrifying heart of the Quiet Place.
Dark Allies (1999)
The continuing voyages of the Starship Excalibur!
Many years ago, a bizarre alien life-form known as the Black Mass consumed and destroyed an entire solar system in what was then the Thallonion Empire. Now the Black Mass has returned and its target is Tulan IV, homeworld of the fearsome Redeemers. Faced with near-certain destruction the Overlord of the Redeemers is forced to turn to an unlikely ally: Captain Calhoun and the Starship Excalibur.
Busy coping with the return of his rebellious son, Calhoun is none too eager to come to the aid of his despotic enemy, but when innocent lives are threatened he has no choice but to confront the unstoppable Black Mass. But how can one starship turn back a force capable of consuming entire suns?
When the U.S.S. Excalibur was suddenly and mercilessly destroyed, Starfleet lost one of its finest starships. But the crew members of the Excalibur lost their captain...and their home. Now, in mourning for their ship and Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, First Officer Elizabeth Shelby and the rest of the crew await new assignments.
For Lieutenant Soleta, that means a painful reunion with her Romulan father, while Zak Kebron and Mark McHenry are sent undercover to investigate a series of mysterious alien abductions an a low-tech world. Going their separate ways throughout the Alpha Quadrant, the Excalibur's survivors must face diverse challenges and dangers on their own.
The ship is history, but the adventure continues...
Renaissance (2000)
The ship is only a memory, but the drama unfolds....
The U.S.S. Excalibur has been obliterated. Its captain, Mackenzie Calhoun is gone. Now the surviving crew members are dispersed throughout the galaxy, seeking to forge new lives in the wake of the Excalibur’s destruction. For Dr. Selar, the ship’s former medical officer, that means facing a very personal crisis.
Following the birth of her child, the Vulcan doctor returned to her homeworld, determined to raise the child exclusively in the way of logic. But the child’s father, the Hermat Lieutenant Commander Burgoyne, has hir own views regarding their offspring’s future, and s/he intends to fight for hir paternal rights, even if it means appealing to the highest authorities of two worlds!
Elsewhere in the Alpha Quadrant, Lieutenant Robin Lefler and her enigmatic mother travel to the pleasure planet Risa where they encounter a genuine Starfleet legend....
Restoration (2000)
From the universe of Star Trek The Next Generation®—Book Three in the adventures of Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the valiant crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur. This adventure begins with the future of Calhoun and his mission very much in doubt...
The ever resourceful Captain Mackenzie Calhoun abruptly finds himself at a loss—marooned on he primitive outback world of Yakaba after his ship, Excalibur, is destroyed by deadly sabotage. He is separated from his loyal first officer, Shelby, who has gone one to command the Exeter and is certain that Calhoun has been blasted into oblivion. On Yakaba's dry frontier, Calhoun meets and befriends Shula, an extraordinary woman beset by enemies trying to control or destroy her and her gift—summoning rain to her parched homeland.
Trapped on this hostile world, unable to relay to his people that he survived their ship's cataclysm, Calhoun must stand against countless adversaries who will stop at nothing to gain power or keep it from others. Life and death hang in the balance. Out in the distance, mourning but determined to move on, Shelby must discover what sort of captain she really is.
Full of unexpected twists and surprises as only Peter David can devise them, Restoration is a major turning point in the ongoing saga of Star Trek®: New Frontier.
Being Human (2001)
From the universe of Star Trek: The Next Generation®!
Throughout the Star Trek: New Frontier saga, Mark McHenry, the navigator on the U.S.S. Excalibur, has demonstrated abilities beyond those of the somewhat odd human being he appears to be. When the inhabitants of an innocent solar system are confronted by a menace linked to the source of McHenry's powers, his true heritage is revealed at last.
Meanwhile, Zak Kebron is going through a startling change that will leave him both more and less than he was.
Gods Above (2003)
Captain Mackenzie Calhoun has often been accused of playing God, but he has never faced off against real gods—until now.
As Captain Kirk did before him, Calhoun has encountered beings of unnatural power and abilities verging on godhood, and who claim to be the very individuals who inspired the Greek, Roman, Norse, and, other pantheons from Earth culture.
These beings say that all they want is our worship, and in return for it will provide us with a peaceful galaxy-wide paradise of perfect health and endless pleasure. When the Federation, in the person of Captain Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur, refused their offer, the resulting battle left Morgan Primus dead and Lieutenant Mark McHenry, whose own powers over time and space had proved to be substantial, in a limbo beyond death.
Now, with a wounded ship and an injured crew, Captain Calhoun, along with Captain Shelby and the crew of the Trident, must face these god-like beings once again, with the fate of galactic civilization at stake.
Stone and Anvil (2003)
Captain Mackenzie Calhoun’s journey is never less than fascinating, told here as only Peter David can tell it.
A crewman has been murdered aboard the U.S.S. Trident, and all evidence points to Ensign Janos of the Excalibur. Captain Mackenzie Calhoun is reluctant to accept that Janos, a powerful non-humanoid whom the captain has known and trusted for years, could be a killer, and immediately launches an investigation into the crime.
But this troubling murder mystery soon escalates into a full-fledged diplomatic crisis that threatens to pit Calhoun and Captain Elizabeth Shelby against the entire United Federation of Planets—and the Starship Enterprise™.
Meanwhile, the turmoil involving Ensign Janos forces Calhoun to recall his own tempestuous past, his rocky relationship with a young Elizabeth Shelby—and a long-ago exploit that may have everything to do with the deadly emergency that now confronts them all!
After the Fall (2004)
New York Times bestselling author Peter David’s unforgettable novels of Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the Starship Excalibur remain one of Star Trek’s most popular book series among fans. Now, David takes the New Frontier universe in a bold direction that will at once shock, thrill, and delight longtime and brand-new readers of this acclaimed series.
Three years have passed since the events depicted in the novel Stone and Anvil, and for the past and present crew members of the U.S.S. Excalibur, life has taken many surprising twists and turns. Captain Elizabeth Shelby has been promoted to admiral and heads Space Station.
Bravo...while her former ship, the U.S.S. Trident, has a new captain. Soleta has left Starfleet to embrace the perils of exploring her Romulan heritage. The powerful Zak Kebron serves as the Excalibur 's counselor and head of security.
And Mackenzie Calhoun? Well, Mackenzie Calhoun's still who he is.
As Si Cwan, prime minister of the New Thallonian Protectorate, prepares to marry off his sister Kalinda in a politically advantageous pairing that will strengthen his newly restored empire, the bride-to-be is abducted just before the wedding in a calamitous event that threatens to destabilize the entire sector—especially since Kalinda's abductor is someone all too familiar.
As the Excalibur, the Trident, and the entire Thallonian fleet attempt to bring order to their sector of space, none could ever suspect that a mysterious alien force may also be playing a part in Kalinda's disappearance—and that the entire galaxy may soon face a long-forgotten enemy.
Missing in Action (2005)
In this New Frontier novel, the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur find themselves thrust into another universe—and must find a way home by any means.
Following the dramatic events of After the Fall, Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur find themselves catapulted headlong into another universe, far from the New Thallonian Protectorate and Sector 221-G...a place where an ancient war rages between two powerful alien races.
But Calhoun has no intention of staying here for very long and, adopting the time-honored philosophy of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," takes it upon himself to somehow (and by any means necessary) persuade one side or the other to help him and his crew get back home.
Meanwhile, the shadow of war has fallen over the New Thallonian Protectorate, and an embattled Si Cwan faces growing treachery as he attempts to maintain his tenuous hold on power. With Starfleet and the Federation declaring Sector 221-G temporarily off-limits, Admiral Elizabeth Shelby and Captain Kat Mueller decide to take matters into their own hands, ignoring orders by trying to find some way of getting to the Excalibur, presuming there is any Excalibur to get to.
But they never count on the most unexpected of allies—an old friend whose shifting loyalties are about to be put to the ultimate test even as a growing cataclysm looms....
Treason (2009)
Tensions are at a fever pitch following the murder of Prime Minister Si Cwan, and the sudden power vacuum will have ramifications for Captain Mackenzie Calhoun...
It is a time of political upheaval and uncertainty in the New Thallonian Protectorate. Following the brutal assassination of her husband, Si Cwan, former Starfleet officer-turned-newly-appointed-Prime Minister Robin Lefler must now face the growing danger and intrigue surrounding her newborn son and heir to the noble line of Cwan.
Following a harrowing assassination attempt, Robin has no choice but to flee New Thallon with her child...seeking refuge with Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur and creating a major diplomatic crisis in Sector 221-G.
The political fallout between the Federation and the New Thallonian Protectorate pales, however, in comparison to the threat of an enigmatic alien race determined to seize the infant Cwan for its own mysterious purposes.
But nothing could possibly prepare Calhoun for the shocking betrayal from within—an act of treachery to aid and abet this alien race—forever altering the lives of the Excalibur crew....
Captain MacKenzie Calhoun has faced incredible odds before, but nothing he has ever experienced could prepare him for the simultaneous threats from two of the most destructive forces he’s ever encountered.
The first is the D’myurj—a mysterious and powerful alien race bent on either the complete domination of humanity or its destruction... a potentially massive risk to the very foundations of Starfleet, one that goes so deep it’s impossible to determine whom to trust.
The second is even more alarming: Morgan Primus, once a living creature with a soul and a conscience, now an incredibly sophisticated computer simulation taking up residence within the very core of the U.S.S. Excalibur... and quickly becoming a growing menace for the Federation.
MacKenzie Calhoun is playing a dangerous game as he attempts to outwit and outmaneuver these new enemies, with the fate of the Excalibur crew members and potentially the lives of billions at stake...
In 1997, Star Trek: New Frontier® debuted and became an instant sensation, chronicling the exciting adventures of Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the U.S.S. Excalibur, as told by New York Times bestselling author Peter David.
Now, over a dozen books later, Peter David has gathered some of the finest Star Trek authors to tell new tales of the Excalibur crew:
Dayton Ward’s thrilling adventure from Calhoun’s sordid past, Loren L. Coleman’s tale of Shelby’s first experience with the Borg, Robert Greenberger’s origin of “Lefler’s Laws,” Susan Shwartz’s adventure with Soleta and Ambassador Spock, Terri Osborne’s chronicle of Selar’s encounter with the Q, David Mack’s tale of the longest day of Zak Kebron’s life, plus stories by Keith R.A. DeCandido, Susan Wright, Josepha Sherman, Ilsa J. Bick, Kevin Dilmore, Christina F. York, Robert T. Jeschonek, Peg Robinson, Mary Scott-Wiecek, Allyn Gibson, and Glenn Hauman and Lisa Sullivan.
Added Bonus! Peter David himself tells the untold story of Calhoun and Shelby's honeymoon on Xenex!
The Returned, Part I (e)
The first installment in a brand-new three-part digital-first Star Trek: New Frontier e-novel from New York Times bestselling author Peter David!
Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur are back, picking up three months after the stunning events depicted in New Frontier: Blind Man’s Bluff. Calhoun’s search of Xenex has failed to find any survivors, and now he is bound and determined to track down the race that killed them—the D'myurj and their associates, the Brethren—and exact vengeance upon them.
His search will take the Excalibur crew into a pocket universe, where he discovers not only the homeworld of the D’myurj, but another race that shares Calhoun's determination to obliterate his opponents. But is this new race truly an ally…or an even greater threat?
Find The Returned, Part I on Amazon
Peter David talked to StarTrek.com about this trilogy:
“We pick up three months after the previous story finished. Calhoun has been wandering Xenex, determined to see if he can find any of his people. He refuses to accept sensor readings that indicate there’s no life. But what he’s really doing is dealing with his grief and reaching a point where he decides the next step he’s going to take. The whole gang is back in this new outing, plus we introduce a new alien race that might either help him against the D’myurj, or wind up being even bigger trouble.
“He’s gone from being a warlord, to Starfleet captain to outcast and back to captain again. He wound up developing strong enough feelings about Elizabeth to marry her, and he even has children now. But I’d say he’s never going to end up being your typical family man.”
The Returned, Part II (e)
The second installment in a brand-new three-part digital-first Star Trek: New Frontier e-novel from New York Times bestselling author Peter David!
Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur are back, picking up three months after the stunning events depicted in New Frontier: Blind Man’s Bluff. Calhoun’s search of Xenex has failed to find any survivors, and now he is bound and determined to track down the race that killed them—the D’myurj and their associates, the Brethren—and exact vengeance upon them.
His search will take the Excalibur crew into a pocket universe, where he discovers not only the homeworld of the D’myurj, but another race that shares Calhoun’s determination to obliterate his opponents. But is this new race truly an ally…or an even greater threat?
The Returned, Part III (e)
The final installment in a brand-new three-part digital-first Star Trek: New Frontier e-novel from New York Times bestselling author Peter David!
Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur are back, picking up three months after the stunning events depicted in New Frontier: Blind Man’s Bluff. Calhoun's search of Xenex has failed to find any survivors, and now he is bound and determined to track down the race that killed them—the D’myurj and their associates, the Brethren—and exact vengeance upon them.
His search will take the Excalibur crew into a pocket universe, where he discovers not only the homeworld of the D’myurj, but another race that shares Calhoun’s determination to obliterate his opponents. But is this new race truly an ally…or an even greater threat?
Crossovers connecting New Frontier with other Star Trek series
There’s a bar called “The Captain’s Table,” where those who have commanded mighty vessels of every shape and era can meet, relax, and share a friendly drink with others of their calling. But the first drink is always paid for with a story—even for Starfleet’s finest officers!
Star Trek—War Dragons by L.A. Graf | James T. Kirk must join forces with Captain Hikaru Sulu of the U.S.S. Excelsior to end a bloody conflict in a distant star system—before it erupts into a full-scale interstellar war!
Star Trek: The Next Generation—Dujonian’s Hoard by Michael Jan Friedman | For more than two hundred years, treasure hunters have sought a fabled trove of priceless artifacts and forgotten technology. Now Joan-Luc Picard must go undercover too find the hoard before it falls info the hands of the Federation's greatest enemies!
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine—The Mist by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch | Is the Mist the ultimate cloaking device—or a gateway to another dimension? Benjamin Sisko contends with the Cordassions, the Fereagi, and even the Klingon Empire to uncover a secret that could change The balance of power throughout the entire Alpha Quadrant!
Star Trek: Voyager—Fire Ship be Diane Carol | A sudden attack separates Captain Kathryn Janeway from her ship and crew, stranding her aboard an alien vessel and in the middle of a war she doesn't understand. Now she must rise from the ranks once more—to fake command of a wholly new ship!
Star Trek: New Frontier—Once Burned by Peter David | Six years ago, before he took command of the Starship Excalibur, Mackenzie Calhoun served aboard the U.S.S. Grissom -- until disaster struck. Now at long last, Captain Calhoun reveals the true story Ind the greatest tragedy of his life!
Star Trek—Where Sea Meets Sky by Jerry Oltion | Long before Kirk began his own voyages, Captain Christopher Pike led the Starship Enterprise™ into uncharted realms of space, encountering strange and unearthly dangers—including vast, spacefaring life-forms capable of devastating entire star systems!
Like a strand of mutating DNA, a deadly conspiracy winds its way through the Alpha Quadrant, even as it stretches across several years of Starfleet history. This special omnibus volume contains the entire bestselling saga-by some of Star Trek’s most popular authors.
Book One: Infection by John Gregory Betancourt | Deanna Troi’s life is endangered by a mysterious plague that threatens to spread throughout the Federation and beyond!
Book Two: Vectors by Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch | On the Cardassian space station known as Terok Nor, Dr. Katherine Pulaski struggles to heal the planet Bajor!
Book Three: Red Sector by Diane Carey | An elderly Dr. McCoy reunites with Ambassador Spock to save the Romulan royal family-and a new generation!
Book Four: Quarantine by John Vornholt | Lieutenant Tom Riker joins forces with the outlaw Maquis to rescue a world in peril!
Book Five: Double or Nothing by Peter David | Along with Captain Mackenzie Calhoun of the Starship Excalibur, Jean-Luc Picard tracks the deadly contagion to its source!
Book Six: The First Virtue Michael by Jan Friedman & Christie Golden | Years before commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise™, a young Picard must prevent a war—and witness the secret origin of a diabolical threat that would someday menace all he cares for!
Gateways (2000)
Created by the incalculably ancient Iconians, whose transcendent technology is quantum levels beyond that of the Federation and its allies, the Gateways offer instantaneous transport across unimaginable distances.
Throughout the known galaxy, from Deep Space Nine™ to the New Frontier, from the Delta Quadrant to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise™, the sudden reactivation of the Gateways has destabilized interstellar relations between planets and cultures previously separated by countless light-years.
Starfleet’s finest have coped with the crisis as best they can, but circumstances have forced several valiant commanders to leap through separate Gateways into the unknown.
This all-star collaboration features six popular, bestselling Star Trek authors. This is their first mega-collaboration.
Gateways #1: One Small Step (Star Trek: The Original Series) by Susan Wright
Scattered throughout the galaxy are Gateways capable of transporting matter and energy across unfathomable distances. Left behind by a long-vanished civilization, these mysterious portals offer a means of exploration -- or conquest -- many times faster than warp travel. The technology responsible for the Gateways has been lost for at least ten millennia, but that doesn't mean it can’t be found again....
Having defeated the hostile computer program guarding an abandoned Kalandan outpost, Kirk and his crew are exploring the artificial planetoid in hopes of discovering the secret of an ancient apparatus that has hurled the Starship Enterprise™ over nearly a thousand light-years. Unfortunately, the reactivated Gateway has attracted the attention -- and avarice -- of various alien explorers, including a mysterious race who claim to be none other than the enigmatic Kalandans themselves!
Gateways #2: Chain Mail (Star Trek: The Original Series) by Diane Carey
Dangerous remnants of an extinct interstellar civilization, the Gateways connect the Alpha Quadrant with the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Hidden away in various corners of the universe, the ancient portals could be the future of space travel, but they may also provide a open doorway for an invasion from beyond!
Twenty years ago, in the space near Belle Terre, a caravan of alien vessels disappeared into a gigantic Gateway. Now the descendants of those aliens have returned, armed with incredible new weapons and abilities. Captain Nick Keller of the U.S.S. Challenger, already struggling to maintain peace in the troubled sector, must now cope with a fleet of hostile aliens driven by their own fanatical agenda!
Gateways #3: Doors into Chaos (Star Trek: The Next Generation) by Robert Greenberger
More than 200,000 years ago, the ancient Iconians created a network of interdimensional Gateways providing instantaneous transportation across unimaginable distances. Once known as the "Demons of Air and Darkness," the Iconians mysteriously vanished many millennia ago, never to return—or so it was believed.
Summoned to an emergency briefing at Starfleet Headquarters, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is stunned to discover that the legendary Iconians have returned at last, and are offering to sell the secrets of their advanced technology to the Federation. To prove their sincerity, they have reactivated their long-abandoned Gateways, but the results have been strife and chaos throughout the entire Alpha Quadrant. Now Picard and his crew must contend with feuding Klingons and Romulans as the captain seeks to discover the sinister truth behind the Iconians' unexpected rebirth!
Gateways #4: Demons of Air and Darkness (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) by Keith R. A. DeCandido
Once they moved from world to world in a single step, through innumerable doors that spanned the galaxy. They were masters of space, and to those who feared them, they were demons of air and darkness. But long ago they left their empire and their miraculous technology behind. Now someone has found the key to it, and all those doors have been þung open.
A world near Deep Space 9™, threatened with destruction from the distant Delta Quadrant, becomes the focus of a massive rescue effort as Colonel Kira Nerys, her crew, and some unexpected allies fight to avert disaster on a planetary scale. Meanwhile, as Lieutenant Nog and Ensign Thirishar ch’Thane search for a way to shut down the spatial portals forever, Quark becomes involved in a dangerous game that could determine, once and for all, who will control the Gateways.
Gateways #5: No Man’s Land (Star Trek: Voyager) by Christie Golden
Throughout the galaxy, an ancient network of interstellar portals has been reactivated, instantly linking distant planets and civilizations. Back home in the Alpha Quadrant, Starfleet can devote all its considerable resources to coping with the Gateways crisis, but in the Delta Quadrant, there is only the Starship Voyager®....
Just as Voyager enters an unusually hazardous region of space, the ship and its crew are confronted with a flood of lost and disoriented starships from all over the galaxy. Accidentally transported incredible distances by the unpredictable Gateways, the diverse alien castaways regard each other and Voyager with hostility and suspicion. Captain Kathryn Janeway suddenly finds herself struggling to hold together an extremely fractious fleet of dislocated alien vessels even as the newly awakened Gateways hold open the prospect of finally bringing her own ship home!
Gateways #6: Cold Wars (Star Trek: New Frontier) by Peter David
Missing for two hundred millennia, the legendary Iconians have returned, bringing with them the secret of interdimensional teleportation across vast interstellar distances. Awakened once more, their ancient Gateways are rewriting the map of the galaxy, and nowhere more than in the New Frontier®....
A century ago, the imperial Thallonians separated two feuding alien races, depositing each of them on a new world safely distant from that of their ancestral enemies. Now, however, the Gateways have made it possible for the long dormant blood feud to begin anew. Captain Mackenzie Calhoun of the U.S.S. Excalibur and his partner, Captain Elizabeth Shelby of the U.S.S. Trident, find themselves fighting a losing battle to keep the horrific violence from escalating, even as they gradually realize the catastrophic danger posed by the Gateways themselves!
Gateways Book Seven: What Lay Beyond (Star Trek 7) by by Diane Carey, Peter David, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Christie Golden, Robert Greenberger, and Susan Wright
Created by the incalculably ancient Iconians, whose transcendent technology is quantum levels beyond that of the Federation and its allies, the Gateways offer instantaneous transport across unimaginable distances. Throughout the known galaxy, from Deep Space Nine™ to the New Frontier, from the Delta Quadrant to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise™, the sudden reactivation of the Gateways has destabilized interstellar relations between planets and cultures previously separated by countless light-years. Starfleet’s finest have coped with the crisis as best they can, but circumstances have forced several valiant commanders to leap through separate Gateways into the unknown.
Captain James T. Kirk of the original Starship Enterprise
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation®
Colonel Kira Nerys of Deep Space Nine
Captain Kathryn Janeway of the U.S.S. Voyager™
Captains Calhoun and Shelby of Star Trek : New Frontier
Commander Nick Keller of the U.S.S. Challenger
All of these heroes, for their own reasons, have taken the ultimate gamble: hurling themselves personally through a Gateway without any knowledge or forewarning of what lay beyond. Each must face their own unique challenge, struggling to find a way back to the ships and homes they left behind.
And waiting behind at least one of the Gateways are the ageless Iconians themselves, the primordial architects of the mysterious portals causing chaos throughout the Milky Way galaxy.
Where did they disappear to, many long eons ago, and what do they want now? The answer lies on the other side....
What Lay Beyond brings the Gateways saga to a spectacular finish, in an all-star collaboration by six popular, bestselling Star Trek authors. Among them, Diane Carey, Peter David, Keith R.A. Decandido, Christie Golden, Robert Greenberger, and Susan Wright have written dozens of Star Trek novels. This is their first mega-collaboration.
