Crisis of Consciousness is a Star Trek: The Original Series novel written by Dave Galanter.
Introduction[]
- The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is completing a treaty mission with the Maabas, a peaceful alien race not native to the star system they currently inhabit, as descendants of refugees from a great war long ago. Several hundred thousand Maabas once took shelter on their new world, and have now been here for millennia. They do not travel the stars, but seek to explore from within. The Federation's interest is in the Maabas's great intellectual resources — their science, while behind in some areas, excels in others, and their philosophy is in line with that of the Federation. But just as the pact is signed, the Enterprise is attacked by an unidentified vessel. Enough force is shown to keep the alien assailants at bay, but a new danger arises. Their mysterious foes are the Kenisians — a race that used to inhabit the Maabas's chosen world thousands of years ago, and who now want to take it back.
Summary[]
The Enterprise has been assigned to escort Pippenge, the Maabas ambassador, back to his homeworld after completing a treaty with the Federation. However, when they arrive in the system they encounter a vessel which names the Maabas homeworld as Kenis Prime: The Kenisians inhabited the planet before the Maabas and want it returned. After a brief exchange of fire, the Kenisian commander Zhatan communicates with the Enterprise. The Kenisians turn out to be a Vulcan offshoot who practice an extreme form of katra transfer where the memories and personalities live on in future generations: Zhatan now holds hundreds of such personalities.
The Enterprise crew discover the Kenisians scanned several ancient sites on the surface. One of them turns out to contain mines filled with an unstable compound, na'hubis. Spock believes the substance is dangerously unstable and using it will destroy an entire sector. However, Zhatan kidnaps Spock and Pippenge to assist her and takes the mines.
As the Enterprise pursues the Kenisians, it becomes clear Zhatan intends to use the na'hubis on the Sahntiek, the race who forced the Kenisians from their world and enslaved them thousands of years previous. The Kenisians defeated them in turn and forced them to give up their technology. Every few generations they try to rebuild but every time the Kenisians, still driven by the personalities of their ancestors, destroy them again.
The Enterprise reaches the Sahntiek home system first to learn that, reduced to a primitive level, they were forced from their home in turn and the ships the Kenisians detected actually belong to the system's new occupiers, the Grepund. Spock forcibly mind melds with several Kenisians, causing their mix of personalities to overwhelm them, then helps Zhatan expunge the ancient personalities. The Kenisians and Maabas begin negotiations to share their world.
References[]
Characters[]
- Alkinth • Ashnu • Baumgartner • Bidras-eta • Brintle • Burgee • Christine Chapel • Pavel Chekov • Chith'gol • Colone • Colost • Costre • Debarr • Djow • D'ricci • Enict • Joshua Forbes • Gross • Histet • Hong • Hutindra • Chris Jolma • Kaalburg • Kand • James T. Kirk • John Kyle • Lodi • Rueft Martish • Jabilo M'Benga • Leonard McCoy • Merrill • Moberte • Murlit • Nedash • Nehring • Nehrin • Nidal • Norla • Oaebint • Ortov • Ottenbrite • Carolyn Palamas • Pippenge • Podor • Roath • Sakura • Sanchez • Sciver • Montgomery Scott • Sentell • Skent • Spock • S'toas • Strigle • Hikaru Sulu • Tainler • Talar • Tibis • Touré • Twibe • Nyota Uhura • Bob Withrow • Zhatan
- Referenced only
- Robert April • Jonathan Archer • Bleda • Chifger • Devil • Elias • Fate • Kelvar Garth • Gorm • Gudapati • Adolf Hitler • Idran • Kodos • Kozachok • Arublis Pa'atar Maalganq • John Milton • Arlyne Jorgensen Scott • Surak • Tyms
Locations[]
- Deep Space 5 • the galaxy • Gloskik Plain • Maaba S'Ja • Maaba S'Ja system • Mitash Gles dig site • Sahntiek system • unnamed planets
- Referenced only
- Alpha Centauri • Argus Valley • Beta Quadrant • Earth • Heffron • Hell • Maabas homeworld • Maabas system • Mars • Mongolia • North Yorkshire • Rigel IV • Romulan Neutral Zone • Sahntiek homeworld • Starbase 10 • Tarsus IV • Vulcan
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Enterprise (Constitution-class battlecruiser) • Grepund vessel • Pride (Kenisian warship)
- Referenced only
- cargo vessel • USS Exeter • USS Farragut • Maabas ocean vessel • shuttle • taxi
Races and cultures[]
- Grepund • Human (Terran) • Kenisian • Maabas • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Augment • Klingon • Neanderthal • Preserver • Romulan • Sahntiek • unnamed races and cultures
States and organizations[]
- Assembly Vital • Grepund Confederacy • Kenisian Assembly • Maabas High Court • Starfleet • Tibis clan • United Federation of Planets
- Referenced only
- Federation Council • Hill Society • J'fren • Kenisian Fleet • Maabas Archaeological Institute • Maabas Central Archives • Maabas Science Directorate • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Command • Vomla clan • Vulcan Science Academy
Science and technology[]
- 45D9 node • A544 receptacle • access panel • air handler system • alien • anesthetic • animal • antimatter • artificial gravity • atmosphere • atom • auxiliary control system • bandage • battery • biobed • bird • blood • boiler • bone • bone-knitter • brain • bullet • cargo transporter • centimeter • chemical • chemistry • chromosphere • chronometer • circuit meter • circuit module • circuit node • cloaking device • coal • command chair • comm panel • communications • communicator • computer • computer bank • computer kiosk • coolant • dampening field • databank • database • data card • data slate • deck plate • deflector • dilithium • direct cortex interface • disruptor • distance indicator • DNA • doomsday device • earpiece • ecosystem • edar • electricity • elevator • energy • engine • evolution • explosive • fan • feather • Feinberger • fire • fire extinguisher • force field • G-6 output • galaxy • gas giant • gene-therapy • genetic code • gravity • hail • hair • heart • heliosphere • holograph • hour • humanoid • hypospray • ice • impulse engine • impulse point • indicator • inertial damper • insect • intelligent missile • intercom • intercooler • intercooler circuit • internal communication implant • intraship transporting • ion • ion trail • jamming device • K-type star • Kenisian disruptor • Kenisian mine • Kenisian missile • Kenisian tricorder • kilogram • kilometer • laser pistol • lifeform • life support • lift indicator • lightning • lung • Maabas tricorder • magnetic lock • mathematics • matter • medical scanner • medical tricorder • medkit • meter • micro fissure • microscope • mine • minute • missile • monitor • multiphasic disruptor array • N131 cable • nacelle • na'hubis • orbit • oxygen • palm screen • parp • parsec • passive sensor • phaser • photon • photon torpedo • physics • plant • plasma • plasma conduit • platelet • poison • pressure bandage, type 45 • primate • probe • protein • radiation • recording • Rigelian blood therapy • robot • Romulan disruptor • scanner • scaphoid bone • second • sensor • sensor cowl • sensor grid • sequencer • shields • shock wave • solar wind • space • space station • speaker • spine • spleen • starbase • starship • star • star chart • star system • stellar wind • structural integrity field • structural integrity field generator • stylus • subatomic particle • subspace • subspace transceiver • targeting sensor • telepathy • telephone • terraforming • tibia • time • tornado • torpedo • torpedo launcher • torpedo tube • tractor beam • tractor emitter • transceiver • transmitter • transporter • transporter buffer • tricorder • tri-ox • tri-viewer • turbolift • universal translator • viewscreen • visual cortex • Vulcanoid • warp drive • warp-engine plasma • warp factor • warp field • warp nacelle • water • whirlpool
Ranks and titles[]
- admiral • ambassador • archaeologist • archaeology and anthropology officer • assistant • astrophysicist • attendant • bartender • cadet • captain • chemist • chief • chief engineer • chief medical officer • commander • commanding officer • communications officer • crewman • doctor • emperor • engineer • ensign • field medic • first officer • helmsman • historian • instructor • junior officer • lab tech • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • linguist • matriarch • medic • musician • navigator • nurse • officer • physician • physicist • pirate • politician • prefect • president • queen • science officer • scientist • security guard • security officer • senior officer • soldier • tailor • technician • transporter chief • Vulcan master • warlord • warrior • yeoman
Other references[]
- anthropology • archaeology • archive 1-4-3-4 indok • armor • asab nectar • Ashko season • asteroid field • authentication Baker 7-3-1-2 Omega • authentication Victor 9-6-5-6 Eta Nu • barnacle • baseball • battle stations • berry • billiards • biscuit • blade • boot • bosun's whistle • brandy • bread • brick • bridge • briefing room • brig • bulkhead • cake • captain's log • carpet • century • chorus • city-state • city • civil war • Class M • clipboard • cocoon • coffee • colony • comet • continent • cricket • cuneiform • dagger • dance • Days of Remembrance • day • decade • demon • diary • door chime • dress uniform • duty tunic • emotion • empathy • engineering • engineering station • Eugenics Wars • extinction • fable • farming • farm • Fast of Landing • Federation protectorate • fishing • flask • flower • fork • fruit • gauze • General Order 23 • genocide • geography • glass • glyph • gorilla • government • grass • gravel • gun powder • hail • handshake • hangar deck • hardtack • helm • helmet • hen • herd • Heta'ar period • hieroglyph • history • holocaust • homeworld • hospital • h'roole • hull • Iikum • immortality • insignia • Jefferies tube • Jovian planet • jumpsuit • ka'atreh • karfis • katra • Kenisian language • Kenisian mind-meld • kilt • klaxon • knife • Kolinahr • Korean language • laboratory • landing party • language • leash • logic • Maabas language • makeup • map • meditation • military • milk • mind meld • month • moon • moonlet • morgue • mud salve • museum • musical instrument • mythology • napkin • nectar • net • Oort cloud • paint • paralithium • pennant • phantom • philosophy • pillow • pilot-fish • pineapple • piracy • planetoid • planetesimal • planet • primary hull • protein biscuit • protein supplement • psycho-simulator test • quarters • rabbit • racism • rank • ration • red alert • robe • rock • rodinium • Rosetta Stone • salad • salt • sauna • school • science • science station • sculpture • secondary hull • sector • sha'esues • shark • Shautish-keem • shore leave • sickbay • snifter • song • spaceport • spacesuit • splint • stardate • Stone Age • storage container • tea • technology • thermos • tiger • tin • toast • toolkit • toy • transporter room • treaty • trilithium • tuber • uniform • vegetable • Vulcan language • Vulcan neck pinch • Vulcan salute • weapon • wood • xenoarchaeology • xenophobia • xenopology • year • yellow alert
Appendices[]
Related media[]
Images[]
Cover image.
Enterprise.
External link[]
- Crisis of Consciousness article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.