51: The VISOR of DangerSlings and Arrows: The
Insolence of Office.
In 2007 Pocket Books decided to honor the 20th anniversary of
Star Trek: The Next Generation with a six-part eBook series that
bridged the gap between the destruction of the Enterprise-D in
Generations and the next time we saw the crew on the big screen in
First Contact. Penned by J. Steven York, Christina F. York, Phaedra
M. Weldon, William Leisner, Terri Osborne, Robert Greenberger, and
Keith R.A. DeCandido, these novellas tell the story of the
Enterprise-E’s shakedown cruise.
In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Matthew Rushing and
Christopher Jones discuss the third book in the Slings and Arrows
series, The Insolence of Office, which reveals the events that led
to Geordi's replacement of his VISOR with the ocular implants that
we see him sporting in First Contact. The novella also continues
the story that began in the DS9 episode "The Muse" as Lwaxana Troi
returns to Betazed for the birth of her half-Tavnian child. We
discuss how DS9 serves as the bridge for movie-era TNG, how leaders
in wartime struggle to balance utopian ideals with security, and
whether or not Starfleet is within its rights to ask Geordi to
undergo what amounts to medically unnecessary surgery.
In our news segment we take a look at the cover art for David R.
George III's One Constant Star and review Star Trek Ongoing #30
(Parallel Lives, Part 2) and Khan #5.
# War and LeadershipA theme explored in the episode, focusing on the dilemmas faced by leaders during wartime between ideals and the need for security.