Introduction
While testing a new shielding device, the USS Enterprise is caught in the middle of a Klingon/Romulan battle. When the Enterprise crew rescues a lifepod, they are confronted by a Klingon who claims to know nothing of human existence. Convinced the Klingon is telling the truth, Captain Kirk hurries to Starfleet Headquarters in search of answers. But upon arriving on Earth, the starship Enterprise crew finds that Earth is a vast jungle-like paradise where large, reptilian animals rule ... with no signs of human life anywhere. Now Kirk must travel to the past in search of the key to the mystery - or face the destruction of the human race.
Summary
References
Characters
- Aur • Dale Bannon • Gaston Barnes • Pavel Chekov • Dewey • Hardy • James T. Kirk • Louise LaCerra • Elizabeth Ling • MacGuinness • Leonard McCoy • Douglas Newman • Nourredine • Oya • Phillips • Reenie • Rhula • Mark Rice • Roth • Rusa • Montgomery Scott • Erica Smith • Sova • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Temron • Nyota Uhura • Vernon • Williams
- Referenced only
- Robert April • Zefram Cochrane
Starships and vehicles
- USS Enterprise • USS Exeter • USS Farragut • T'Lom
- Referenced only
- USS John Rockland
Locations
- Earth (Bangkok • Boston • Georgia • London • Los Angeles • New York • San Francisco) • Izell
- Referenced only
- Argentina • Arizona • Chixulub crater • Colorado • England • Indonesia • Jupiter • Mexico • Morocco • Rigel • Starbase 10 • Utah • Wyoming • Yucatan
Races and cultures
- Clan Ru • Human (Native American) • Klingon • Romulan • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Orion • Preserver • Rigellian
States and organizations
Other references
- Alamosaurus • ammonite • Apatosaurus • asteroid • bird • Brachiosaur • Brontosaur • ceratopsid • cosmic string • Cretaceous • Deinonychus • dinosaur • dromaeosaur • frog • Guardian of Forever • horse • Jurassic • mammal • nautilus • ostrich • paleontology • Pentaceratops • phaser • photon torpedo • reptile • salamander • sauropod • Secretary of the Vulcan High Council • soul • spiker • stegosaurus • titanosaur • Torosaurus • Triceratops • troodon • turkey • Tyrannosaurus rex • universal translator • Utahraptor • war game • X-ray
Information
- Diane Carey wanted to call the novel Lost Frontier, a name suggested by her daughter; however this was seemingly vetoed by Pocket Books editors. (ST reference: Voyages of Imagination)
- In one of his anecdotal footnotes from Danse Macabre [1], Stephen King remarked that this very same story idea was proposed by author Harlan Ellison as the subject for the first Star Trek film; the Enterprise would travel back in time to discover they were in this alternate dinosaur reality, and would have to make the moral decision whether to destroy that reality in favor of their own. The story goes that one of the producers was fascinated by the Mayan calendar, insisted that Ellison include that in the story (which he insisted had no relevance), and after some argument, Ellison walked out in a huff.
Related Stories
Connections
- First Frontier article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: The Fearful Summons |
TOS numbered novels | Next novel: The Captain's Daughter |
| Previous novel: The Search |
Novels by: Diane Carey |
Next novel: The Way of the Warrior |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: Plato's Stepchildren |
Next Adventure: Wink of an Eye | |
| Previous Adventure: Plato's Stepchildren |
Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) (2264 to 2270) |
Next Adventure: Wink of an Eye |
| The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in 2268. The Pocket Books Timeline places events from this story in one other timeframe: | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Escape Chapters 12, 17, 19 & 23 |
64,018,143 BC Chapters 23-38 |
Next Adventure: Spock's World Vulcan: Two |