The long-awaited story of a young James T. Kirk's first adventure into space!
Introduction[]
- As James T. Kirk prepares to retire from a long and illustrious Starfleet career, events in a distant part of the Federation draw him back to a part of the galaxy he had last visited as a young man—a mysterious world called Faramond whose name takes Kirk on a journey back to his youth.
- At sixteen, Kirk is troubled, estranged from his father, and has a bleak future. However, a trip into space with Kirk's father George and Starfleet's legendary Captain Robert April changes James Kirk's life forever, when a simple voyage becomes a deadly trap. Soon, Kirk and his father find themselves fighting for their lives against a vicious and powerful enemy.
- Before the voyage ends, father and son will face life and death together, and James T. Kirk will get a glimpse of the future and his own best destiny...
Summary[]
In the past, some forty-five years earlier, the reader is introduced to a young Jimmy Kirk. At 16 years old, he embodies every parent's worst fears: he is brash, rebellious, impulsive, cocky, and reckless. He is first seen leading a group of similarly rebellious (and criminal) youths on a barely-considered scheme to "escape" from Iowa, sign onto an ocean-going freight vessel as underage deckhands (itself illegal), and make their fortune somewhere in South America. Even at this young age, it is clear that Jimmy is a leader, but he is completely directionless. His father's long absences on Starfleet assignments and his own experiences on Tarsus IV have made him angry and violent, as well as impatient for the right to make his own decisions and live his own life.
Eventually, after Jimmy talks his way aboard a freight ship along with his "gang", the ship is stopped by the authorities and boarded by a Starfleet security team, one of which turns out to be Jimmy's father, George. Predictably, George is extremely unhappy with his son and forcibly returns him to the family farm in Iowa. Once there, however, he is at a loss for how to straighten his son out. It is clear that Jimmy's mother, Winona, can no longer handle him, but George's continuing commitments to Starfleet will inevitably keep him in deep space. Fearing that his son is on the road toward becoming a career criminal and ne'er-do-well, George briefly considers resigning from Starfleet until Winona suggests that he call in some old favors and take Jimmy into space with him.
Warming to the idea, George contacts his old friend, Robert April, and arranges to take Jimmy into space on a routine assignment to the planet Faramond. A new archaeological dig is about to get under way there, and April has been asked to break ground. More than that, April has arranged not only to take George and Jimmy with him to Faramond, but to do so aboard the still cutting-edge U.S.S. Enterprise. Although Jimmy displays his usual rudeness and lack of respect for authority on the trip up from the Earth's surface, April displays an uncommon patience and understanding for his godson, even as George experiences continuing frustration. Nevertheless, even Jimmy is impressed by his first view of Enterprise.
References[]
Characters[]
- Robert April • Tom Beauvais • Bennings (Technician) • Angus Burgoyne • Lou Caskie • Pavel Chekov • Dazzo • Devereaux (Ensign) • Emily • Carlos Florida • Veronica Hall • George Samuel Kirk Sr. • James T. Kirk • Winona Kirk • Klein • Zack Malkin • Lawrence Marvick • Leonard McCoy • Quentin Monroe • Rex Moss • Roy John Moss • Munkwhite • Okenga • Lucy Pogue • Sarah Poole-April • Francis Drake Reed • Alma Roth • Montgomery Scott • Lorna Simon • Isaac Soulian • Spock • William Thorvaldsen • Nyota Uhura
- Referenced only
- Christopher Cockerell
Locations[]
- Bremerton • Faramond • Iowa • Mahaska County • Nebraska • Omaha • Oregon • Riverside • Rosette Nebula • Rosette trinary • Skunk River • Starbase One
- Referenced only
- Niagara Falls
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Bill of Rights • cargo carrier • Sir Christopher Cockerell (dynacarrier) • dynaship • USS Enterprise-A • liaison cutter • Shark • stratotractor • train • work bee
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Science and technology[]
- antigrav • antiproton flushback • duckwing stabilizer • energy • gravity • hair • navigation computer • robotics • space • starship • telescoping mast • time • ton • transporter
Ranks and titles[]
Other references[]
- Blue zone • book • cigar • colony • continental hatchery • crab • day • deck shoe • denim • dock • fish • food • Great Exodus • gunwale • harbor • hedgehog • homework • hull • ocean • Oregon Trail • planet • potato • sandbagger • sea gull • sea monster • shrimp • Stampede • statis outpost • toy boat • uniform • water • year
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TAS episode "The Counter-Clock Incident"
- TOS novel Final Frontier
- TOS movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Background[]
This is a sequel to Carey's previous TOS novel, Final Frontier, which chronicled a previously untold adventure of Captain Robert April, Commander George Samuel Kirk Sr. (the father of James T. Kirk), and the newly constructed Constitution-class U.S.S. Enterprise.
This novel actually consists of two separate stories: one set in the past and featuring April, George Kirk, and a 16 year-old Jimmy Kirk; the second is set soon after the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
- The framing story is completely removed from the Audiobook adaptation by the author, leaving only the backstory of young James Kirk and George Kirk/Robert April.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Probe |
TOS hardcovers | Next novel: Shadows on the Sun |
| Previous story: Ghost Ship |
Stories by: Diane Carey |
Next story: The Great Starship Race |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: "All Fall Down" |
Pocket Books Timeline | Next adventure: Sarek |
| Previous adventure: "All Fall Down" |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Sarek |
| The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in 2293. The Pocket Books Timeline and Memory Beta Chronology place events from this story in 1 other timeframe(s): | ||
| Previous Pocket adventure: Sarek Chapter 7, Section 5 Previous MB adventure: Star Trek Chapter 3 (section 4-5) |
2249 | Next adventure: Sarek Chapter 12, 1st entry |
Translations[]
- 1993
- German : Kirks Bestimmung, translated by Harald Pusch. (Heyne)
External links[]
- Best Destiny article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.