By the Book. Season one of Enterprise was a unique time in Star Trek history: for the first time, humans were setting out to explore the galaxy and make first contact with new alien species. Would they jump in with both feet, introducing themselves and their technology with little regard for the consequences, or would they take the slow, measured approach favored by the Vulcans? In this week's episode of Literary Treks hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson are joined by special guest Brandon-Shea Mutala to discuss the first original Enterprise novel, By the Book. We talk about the crew's RPG game, Archer's first contact style, how well the novel portrays the series in its early days, the two alien races, Vulcan logic vs. Human impulsiveness, and wrap up with our ratings. In the news, we have a new Hearts and Minds cover to judge and a new Waypoint comic to discuss. News Hearts and Minds Cover (00:04:34) Waypoint #4 (00:10:31) Feature: By the Book Enterprise's First Novel (00:32:34) Star Trek Adventure RPG (00:36:27) I Told You So (00:42:42) Early Novel (00:49:16) The Aliens (00:51:42) Vulcan Logic vs. Human Impulsiveness (00:56:59) "A" Story vs "B" Story (01:00:15) Ratings (01:02:47) Final Thoughts (01:05:32) Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson Guest Brandon-Shea Mutala Production Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Bruce Gibson (Associate Producer)