Blind Man's Bluff is a Star Trek: New Frontier novel by Peter David, published 26 April 2011 by Gallery Books in trade paperback and eBook editions.
Description[]
- 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…
Summary[]
Calhoun reports to Nechayev on his suspicion the D'myurj are using human body suits to infiltrate and his belief Morgan Primus must be deactivated. However, after he has gone Nechayev contacts Morgan to suggest a plan to dispose of Calhoun. Xyon is paid to inform Calhoun that alien soldiers have been seen on Xenex, prompting him to take the Excalibur to the planet to investigate. The report proves false but Morgan then strands Calhoun on the planet, using holograms to make it appear he returned with the rest of the away team. The planet is then attacked by the Brethren, working for the Visionary, but Calhoun leads his people in guerilla warfare and manages to defeat them and capture their ship.
Starfleet are next approached by Tusari Gyn, who requests Calhoun come to New Thallon to negotiate peace. In fact, he is working with Nechayev. When the Excalibur arrives at the planet, Morgan takes control of the ship and fires on the surface, killing thousands. Nechayev declares Calhoun and his crew rogue and orders all starships to destroy the Excalibur on sight.
In the meantime, acting under instructions from Calhoun, Soleta recruits Robin, Seven of Nine and the Doctor to develop a virus to destroy Morgan. They track down the Excalibur and convince her to beam them aboard. She deactivates the data chip Soleta is carrying but the real virus is contained in the Doctor's mobile emitter and persuades to erase Morgan from the computer core and cripple the ship. The USS Dauntless arrives on the scene but a combination of Jellico's presence onboard, the Excalibur crew signalling an SOS with the running lights and Calhoun's arrival convinces them to hold their fire.
Working with Calhoun and Jellico, Soleta performs a forcible mind meld on Nechayev, which causes Nechayev to melt and leaves Soleta in a coma. Calhoun then receives words that the Brethren have attacked Xenex in force, slaughtering nearly the entire population.
References[]
Characters[]
- Arex • Ronni Beth • Boyajian • Burgoyne 172 • Mackenzie Calhoun • Caroline • Cwansi • D'ndai of Calhoun • Theresa Detwiler • The Doctor • Tusari Gyn • Hopkins • Edward Jellico • Annie Kalandra • Zak Kebron • Kalinda • Joshua Kemper • Robin Lefler • Lyla • Meyer • Craig Mitchell • M'Ress • Katerina Mueller • Alynna Nechayev • Morgan Primus • Seven of Nine • Elizabeth Shelby • Soleta • Tania Tobias • The Visionary • Ray Williams • Xy • Xyon of Calhoun
- Referenced only
- Lord Acton • Borg Queen • Cheshire cat • Si Cwan • Data • Devil • Doctor Frankenstein • God • Mick Gold • Gr'zy • Halliwell • Erin Hansen • Magnus Hansen • Kathryn Janeway • Janos • James T. Kirk • Moke • Nomad • Jean-Luc Picard • Selar • William Shakespeare • Romeo Takahashi • Tuvok • Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus • Villers • Lewis Zimmerman
Locations[]
- Calhoun • Daystrom Institute • Earth • the galaxy • New Thallon • PAS3000 sector • San Francisco • Sector 7G • Space Station Bravo • Starfleet Headquarters • Tendara Colony • Tower Rim • Xenex
- Referenced only
- AF1963 • Bajoran sector • Federation Institute of Science • Hell • Pluto • Thallon
Starships and vehicles[]
- battle cruiser • Brethren vessel • USS Dauntless (Galaxy-class) • USS Excalibur (Galaxy-class) • grav car • USS Hermes (ETV) • Lyla • shuttle • IRW Spectre • Thallonian battleship (battleship)
- Referenced only
- boat • USS Dauntless • USS Paradox (timeship) • USS Raven • USS Trident • USS Voyager
Races and cultures[]
Burgoyne 172, a Hermat.
- Brikar • Brethren • Caitian • D'myurj • Hermat • Human • Romulan • Thallonian • Triexian • Vulcan • Xenexian
- Referenced only
- Borg • Cineen • Danteri • Human (Roman) • Klingon • Organian • Parasite • Trill symbiont
States and organizations[]
- Borg Collective • Federation Council • New Thallonian Protectorate • Starfleet • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Security • Thallonian Council • United Federation of Planets
Ranks and titles[]
- admiral • ambassador • archer • bill collector • cadet • captain • chief engineer • chief medical officer • commander • commanding officer • commodore • conn officer • counselor • crewman • dictator • doctor • engineer • ensign • farmer • first officer • general • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • medtech • monk • navigator • Number one • officer • physician • pilot • prime arbiter • ranking officer • ringmaster • science officer • scientist • second in command • security guard • soldier • spy • teacher • technician • tightrope walker • transporter chief • warlord • warrior
Science and classification[]
- adrenaline • alien • animal • antigravity sled • antimatter • arrow • artificial intelligence • atmosphere • axe • bear trap • biological sensor • biology • blaster • blood • bomb • bone • bone-knitter • Borg implant • bow • brain • cancer • canine • carbon • cellular stasis field • cloaking device • clone • combadge • communications screen • computer • computer core • containment field • dagger • database • datachip • dermal regenerator • disruptor • DNA • earthquake • electronic filter • Emergency Medical Hologram • energy • energy cell • engine • environmental suit • evolution • exobiology • fire • firewall • FTL drive • galaxy • gas • gp1 promoter • gravity • gun • hailstone • hair • heart • heart attack • high-warp sled • holodeck • hologram • holographic projector • holotechnology • hour • hull • hydroponics • ice • impulse drive • insect • intercom • kidney • kinetic simulator • knife • landmine • lifeform • life support • lung • mathematics • matter • microsecond • millisecond • minute • mirror • mobile emitter • monitor • multiverse • nanosecond • nano-virus • Occam's Razor • onboard locator • orbit • parasite • parsec • pattern buffer • phaser • phaser bank • photon torpedo • pitchfork • prefix code • probe • pulse cannon • quarantine • radio • rainstorm • replicator • release vent • Runge-Kutta algorithm • running light • second • sensor • shields • shovel • space • spaceship • space station • space-time continuum • spanner • star • starship • stasis field • subspace • sword • T7 nano-DNA • telegraph • time • transporter • turbolift • universe • viewscreen • virus • warp engine • warp factor • water
Other references[]
- 29th century • access ladder • alcohol • ale • analgesic cream • ant • apple tart • armor • away team • bat • Blind Man's Bluff • booby trap • book • boot • bridge • butterfly • cat • century • chameleon • chess • city • clothing • cockroach • colony • continent • cork • couch • court martial • credit • crow • day • decade • decanter • distress call • dog • Dominion War • eagle • emotion • empathy • engineering • fencing • flea • flower • French language • General Order 12 • genocide • German language • ghost • glass • goose • granite • grass • grozit • hailing frequency • Heidelberg fencing • helmet • history • iron • jackal • jacket • Jefferies tube • kiss • klaxon • laboratory • landing bay • landing party • language • lemming • lion • logic • magic • magic wand • marriage • mausoleum • meatloaf • memorial service • metal • military • milk • mind meld • money • month • Morse code • mountain • mouse • mutiny • napkin • novel • nut • omelet • opera • painting • paper • paper weight • philosophy • Photons Be Free • pillow • planet • plastic • Plomeek soup • poker • protracted information dump • puppet • pyre • quarters • rank • rat • ready room • red alert • rock • rodinium • Romulan ale • saucer section • science • science station • self destruct • shuttlebay • sickbay • smuggling • snail • SOS • spaceport • Starfleet Charter • Starfleet uniform • statue • Stone Age • suicide • technology • telepathy • Ten-Forward • torch • towel • transporter room • tree • turkey • uniform • vase • weapon • wheat • yardstick • year • yellow alert
Appendices[]
Background[]
- This novel was the second New Frontier novel published in the trade paperback format, and the first in the series to be published under Simon and Schuster’s new imprint, Gallery Books; the previous imprint, Pocket Books, having moved to only publishing books in mass market paperback format.
- The novel was initially announced at the Shore Leave convention in 2009, scheduled for publication in June or July of 2010 when it was suggested it would be set before the events of Star Trek: Destiny[1] By January 2010 it had apparently been removed from the schedule[2], but was later listed on Simon and Schuster's website, revealing it to have just been pushed back; then scheduled for release in January 2011, and titled Resolutions[3]. As of March 2010 that working title had been dropped, in favour of the current title [4].
- In April 2011, Peter David commented that Blind Man's Bluff may be the "last hurrah of New Frontier", due to it being the last novel in his current contract and silence on the issue from Pocket Books. [5]. This ominous message predicted a long hiatus until NF did return with an eBook release, The Returned.
- Tusari Gyn is identified as being Thallonian, while other sources describe him as being Boragi. While on the surface this might seem to be an error, it might also be interpreted as an attempt to draw a parallel between the two species.
Continuity[]
As part of the post-Nemesis TNG continuity and post-Endgame VOY continuity, this novel references events of Federation-Borg conflict leading up to Destiny, including the loss of Kathryn Janeway fighting the Borg and the removal of Seven of Nine's Borg implants. While Janeway's fate was not final, the evolution of Seven's character does not reconcile well with the events established in Star Trek: Picard.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Treason |
New Frontier novels | Next novel: The Returned, Part 1 |
| Previous story: Treason |
Stories by: Peter David |
Next story: The Returned, Part 1 |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Not yet placed |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Not yet placed |
Translations[]
- 2019
- German : Mörderisches Spiel, translated by Claudia Kern and Helga Parmiter. (Cross Cult)
External link[]
- Blind Man's Bluff article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.