The Higher Frontier. Mysterious armored warriors have reduced the Aenar population to nearly zero. Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise must investigate this brutal and seemingly unprovoked attack with the help of Miranda Jones and the Medusan ambassador, Kollos. However, the situation escalates when the targets of the mysterious attackers expands to include other telepaths, including members of the Enterprise crew. Can the mystery surrounding these dangerous warriors be solved before more lives are lost? In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Bruce Gibson and Dan Gunther discuss the new TOS novel The Higher Frontier by Christopher L. Bennett. We talk about Commander Thelin and the Aenar, the "New Humans," a sequel to "Is There in Truth No Beauty?," the war between the Spectres and the Lords, parallels to hate groups here on Earth, ending the novel on a hopeful note, some fun references from the author, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings. In the news segment, we talk about the recently announced TOS novel, A Contest of Principles by Greg Cox. We also respond to listener feedback from The Babel Conference for Literary Treks 299: We Need a Kick in Our Complacency. News TOS: A Contest of Principles Synopsis (00:05:45) Listener Feedback (00:09:23) Feature: The Higher Frontier The Aenar and Thelin (00:16:19) New Humans (00:24:16) Is There in Truth No Beauty? (00:30:16) The Spectres and Lords (00:34:53) V'Ger (00:41:22) Hate Groups (00:44:15) T'Nalae and the V'tosh ka'tur (00:51:53) Ending on a Hopeful Note (00:54:53) Admiral Morrow (00:57:35) Starfleet: The Enterprise Chronicles (00:59:37) Ratings (01:05:37) The Crew's New Positions (01:09:44) Final Thoughts (01:13:08) Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson Production Bruce Gibson (Editor and Producer) Dan Gunther (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)

The Captain's Oath. Captain James T. Kirk: one of the true legends of Starfleet. Awarded command of the U.S.S. Enterprise at a very young age, Kirk made his mark on the galaxy with an impressive career commanding one of Starfleet's most prestigious vessels. But what made him the captain he would become? And how did his experience commanding smaller starships prepare him for the years spent commanding the Enterprise? In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Bruce Gibson and Dan Gunther talk about Christopher L. Bennett's new TOS novel The Captain's Oath. As a special bonus, the author shared his thoughts with us about aspects of the novel which we will share with you! We discuss the different time periods covered in the novel, Kirk's early years as commander of the U.S.S. Sacagawea, the fascinating cast of original characters, the mysterious threat posed by the Agni, Kirk's first mission as commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the disparate parts of continuity referenced in The Captain's Oath, and wrap up with our final thoughts and what Christopher L. Bennett has coming soon as well as where he can be found online. At the top of the show, we review issue #2 of Star Trek: Year Five and respond to listener feedback from The Babel Conference for Literary Treks 269: Kellogg's Spock 'n' Krisp. News Star Trek: Year Five #2 Comic Review (00:02:51) Listener Feedback (00:12:57) Feature: The Captain's Oath Different Time Periods (00:22:02) Kirk's Early Command (00:30:55) The First Officers (00:44:25) Dr. Sherev (00:50:31) Ensign Diaz (00:54:41) The Agni (00:56:18) The Enterprise at Karabos II (01:04:09) Dr. "Bones" McCoy (01:08:18) Continuity Nods (01:09:50) Ratings (01:12:39) The Author's Upcoming Works (01:16:28) Final Thoughts (01:18:19) Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson Production Bruce Gibson (Editor and Producer) Dan Gunther (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) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer)

Spectre. Captain James T. Kirk: a name that has blazed across the quadrant for over a hundred years, shaping political events and influencing hundreds of worlds. However, his influence is not limited merely to our universe. During his first five-year mission, Kirk convinced Spock from the Mirror Universe to rebel against the evil Terran Empire, and the consequences of that action have now caught up with the Starfleet legend in the 24th century! In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson welcome Matthew Rushing to talk about William Shatner's Spectre. We discuss the Shatnerverse, Kirk in the 24th century, responsibility, Kirk and Scotty, looking in the mirror, Janeway, a mirror imposter, the prime directive and our ratings. In the news we review Waypoint #3. News Waypoint # 3 (00:04:33) Feature: Spectre The Shatnerverse (00:23:07) Kirk in the 24th Century (00:28:13) Weight of Responsibility (00:35:49) Kirk and Scotty (00:40:19) Looking in the Mirror (00:43:23) Kate Janeway (00:51:58) Mirror Imposter (00:56:44) The Prime Directive (01:00:26) Ratings (01:07:43) Final Thoughts (01:10:37) Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson Guest Matthew Rushing 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) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Bruce Gibson (Associate Producer)

Mere Anarchy: Its Hour Come Round. The film Star Trek: Generations saw the loss of a legend: Captain James T. Kirk, presumed dead during the maiden voyage of the Enterprise-B. The loss is a devastating one, especially for his former crew and the lives he has touched over the many years of his Starfleet career, including the people of the ravaged planet Mestiko. As the people of that world debate joining the Federation, the former crew of the Enterprise come together one last time to usher in a new era for the Payav. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Matthew Rushing and Dan Gunther talk about the last book in the Mere Anarchy series It’s Hour Come Round. We discuss another end, the loss of Kirk, Bones, family, parallels, adversity bringing people together, an ambiguous ending and our ratings. In the news segment we take a look the brand new comic Starlet Academy issue #1 Hosts Matthew Rushing and Dan Gunther Production Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Will Nguyen (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Bruce Gibson (Associate Producer) News Funny Story (00:01:50) Starfleet Acadamy #1 (00:02:26) Feature: It’s Hour Come Round Another End (00:09:58) The Loss of Kirk (00:10:53) Bones (00:16:54) Family (00:18:47) Parallels (00:20:49) Adversity Bring People Together (00:23:34) Ambiguous Ending (00:29:28) Ratings (00:34:05) Final Thoughts (00:36:22) Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact Visit the Trek.fm website at http://trek.fm Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm Support the Network! Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep Star Trek talk coming every week. We have great perks for you at http://patreon.com/trekfm