Lost to Eternity

Lost to Eternity is a Star Trek novel, a TOS book authored by Greg Cox, released in July 2024.

Description[]

A thrilling new Star Trek "movie era" novel from New York Times bestselling author Greg Cox!

Three eras. Three mysteries. One ancient enemy?

2024: Almost forty years ago, marine biologist Gillian Taylor stormed away from her dream job at San Francisco's Cetacean Institute – and was never seen or heard from again. Now a new true crime podcast has reopened that cold case, but investigator Melinda Silver has no idea that her search for the truth about Gillian's disappearance will ultimately stretch across time and space – and attract the attention of a ruthless obsessive with his own secret agenda.

2268: The USS Enterprise's five-year mission is interrupted when Captain James T. Kirk and his crew set out to recover an abducted Federation scientist whose classified secrets are being sought by the Klingons as well. The trail leads to a barbaric world off limits to both Starfleet and the Klingon Empire – and an ageless mastermind on a quest for eternity.

2292: The Osori, an ancient alien species, has finally agreed to establish relations with its much younger neighbors: the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans. A joint mission involving ships from all three powers, including the Enterprise-A, turns explosive when one of the Osori envoys is apparently killed. Each side blames the others, but the truth lies buried deep, nearly three hundred years in the past…

References[]

Characters[]

Violet Achebe • Shirin Akbari • B'Eleste, daughter of Glukra • Dennis Berry • Bob Briggs • Pavel Chekov • Chorn • Todd Coates • Cyloo • Ken Dows • Regan Dows • Dupic • Enkidu (rat) • John Farrell • Pierre Fortier • Bill Fulton • George • Gledii • Gracie • Gyar • Halley (character) • Taya Hamparian • Harpo • Hepna • Jaheed • Dmitri Katov • Khod • James T. Kirk • Kulton • Martha Landon • Peter Levine • Kybra Larrol • Mary Michelle • Leonard McCoy • Miguel (helmsman) • Motox • Nawee • Nestrom • Plavius • Pujal • Naomi Rahda • Saavik • Montgomery Scott • Melinda Silver • Spock • Taleb • Gillian Catherine Taylor • Jane Temple • Nyota Uhura • Javier Valdez • Varis (23rd century) • Varkat • Vasily • Wight • Orlando Wilder/Willard Offutt/Siroth/Kesh (alias) • Wrultz • Wutlo • Jerry Yamada • Yorba
Referenced only: Carl Bernstein • Nicholas Cage • Mary Christine • Mildred Coates • Zefram Cochrane • "Deep Throat" • Amelia Earhart • Albert Einstein • Eleanor • Ellis • Enkidu • Benjamin Finney • Flint • Gilgamesh • Grant (Lieutenant) • Jason • Ben McIntyre • Koxar • Lawrence Marvick • Christopher Pike • Ronald Reagan • Rich • Sarek • Eric Silver • Mark Twain • Bob Woodward • Zack
Fictional characters: Javert • Methuselah • Fox Mulder • roc • Dana Scully • Sinbad

Starships and vehicles[]

car • SS Chinook • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • USS Enterprise-A (Enterprise-subclass refit Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • IRW Harrier (Romulan warbird) • limosine • IKS Lukara (Klingon bird of prey) • Skral (Klingon shuttlecraft) • Vespa
Referenced only: aircraft • Boeing 747 • HMS Bounty • Chevrolet pickup truck • USS Enterprise (aircraft carrier) • garbage truck • helicopter • Moryana • motorcycle • UFO

Locations[]

Atraz • Bryant Street • Cape May • Golden Gate Park • Hiberna Base • Hibernia House • Innovation District • Lincoln Way • Lower Haight • Mission District • New Jersey • Oakland • Osor Prime • Pacific Heights • Pescadora • Reliux • San Francisco • San Francisco Bay • San Francisco Botanical Garden • San Jose • Sausalito • Silicon Valley
Referenced only: Afghanistan • Argelius II • Alaska • Area 51 • Atlantis • Bering Sea • Berlin Wall • Brecillien II • Capella IV • Cetacean Institute • Cibonor Prime • Coney Island • Dolores Park • El Dorado • Gamma Trianguli VI • Lost Colony of Sh'Gol • Hellguard • Luna • Mars • Mercy General Hospital • Monterey • Niagara Falls • Nimbus III • Ninevah II • North Bay Pizza • Oslo • Palace of Fine Arts • Pentagon • Planet G • Roswell • Russia • Scotland • Shasta County • Soviet Union • Sutro Tower • Talos IV • United States • Vladivostok • Yegorov Institute • remote mining planet

Races and cultures[]

Andorian • Argelian • Atrazian • Deltan • Greek • Human • Klingon • Osori • Romulan • Russian • Tiburonian • Vulcan

Referenced only: Horta • Metron • Organian • Therbian

States and organizations[]

Amaranth Inc. • Bay Area Rapid Transit • Buddhism • Catholic Church • Cetacean Operations Division • Chrysalis Project • CIA • Discreet Detections, Inc. • DoorDash • FBI • Federation • Klingon Empire • Osori diplomatic initiative • Pfizer • Romulan Star Empire • San Francisco Police Department • San Francisco Recreation and Park Department • Sisters of Saint Francis • Soong • Starfleet • United States Navy • University of San Francisco • Witness Protection Program

Science and classification[]

astronomy • biology • cloning • cryogenics • dialysis • eugenics • gene splicing • genetic engineering • immunotherapy • nanosurgery • technology

Astronomy[]

space • star

Biology[]

lifeform

Lifeforms[]

cat • corgi • dog • eucalyptus tree • garlic • genetic hybrid • humanoid • humpback whale • rat • sea gull
Referenced only: amaranth • mugato • swan

Technology and weapons[]

airlock • answering machine • antacid • aquarium • baffle plate • camera • computer • coordinates • database • d'k tahg • drone • FaceTime • fingerprint • firearm • handgun • harpoon • hydraulic press • Iduna • Internet • kidney pill • laser • medical science • microphone • microwave • orbital weapons platform • parallel evolution • pepper spray • phone • radio • ray gun • robot • satellite • Skype • speed of light • starship • Swiss Army knife • television • tranquilizer • transmitter • Tums • video

Occupations and titles[]

arms dealer • bartender • bouncer • cop • dentist • detective • doctor • driver • gangster • journalist • lawyer • mafioso • marine biologist • master chef • monk • nun • nurse • physician • pilot • saboteur • scientist • security • spy • surgeon • swimmer • teacher • technician • time traveler • tycoon • waiter

Foods and beverages[]

Antarian glow water • fortune cookie • french fries • granola • lemon-glazed salmon • milkshake • New Coke • oregano • pancake • paprika chicken on pasta • pizza • Romulan ale • water

Media[]

Arabian Nights • Cascade • Cetacean • The Door from Nowhere • The Endless Andorian • Epic of Gilgamesh • Erin Brockovich • Ethan Frome • Fifth Amendment • "Forever Young" • jazz • jukebox • Les Miserables • King Kong • magazine • Methuselah's Children • The Mortal Immortal • movie • music • newspaper • novel • Organian Peace Treaty • Orlando: A Biography • The Philadelphia Experiment • The Picture of Dorian Gray • Prime Directive • "Rip Van Winkle" • She: A History of Adventure • Tuck Everlasting • The War of the Worlds • yearbook

Other references[]

1915 World's Fair • American Civil War • American Sign Language • autograph • blood • bookstore • bottle • brainwashing • caffeine • century • chess • Chrysalis Project • claustrophobia • coffee shop • Cold War • concussion • conspiracy • convent • day • death • decade • detective agency • dimension • diner • DNA • ebook • English language • espionage • evolution • extinction • feather • fire • fireplace • Frisbee • gas • glass • government • Halley's Comet • heart • heart attack • high school • history • honeymoon • hospital • identification badge • kal-toh • kitchen • laboratory • leather • lightning • memory • Metro line • Metro station • mind meld • minute • mirror • Occam's Razor • ocean • painting • passport • photo • picnic • plastic • police • poster • pulse • races and cultures • reptile • Romanian language • Rosetta Stone • science • science fiction • sign language • sound • space • state • steel • suicide • suit • surgery • telepathy • temple • tomb • ton • transparent aluminum • true crime • vampire • Watergate • wedding • whale song • wine • xenopolycythemia

Appendices[]

Background[]

Greg Cox began working on the book in 2020, planning it to be set in 2024, not knowing that it would coincide with the release date. He chose the date because of a hopeful estimate that would be after the CoViD-19 pandemic, so he would not have to reference it.^[1]
Vulgar profanity is included in the 2024 sections. While Melinda usually says "freak", her deliberate practice to avoid accidentally swearing during podcast recordings, she says f--- when accidentally wounding Dennis. S--- is also spoken three times. F--- previously appeared in print in ENT novel: Kobayashi Maru in 2008 and VAN novel: Precipice in 2009.

Continuity[]

The main premise of the book is events that unfold because of the disappearance of Gillian Taylor in 1986, as depicted in the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
The book contains callbacks to several Star Trek: The Original Series and TAS episodes, such as: "The Devil in the Dark", "Assignment: Earth", "Space Seed", "Requiem for Methuselah", "Charlie X", "Court Martial", "The Tholian Web", "The Enterprise Incident", "Beyond the Farthest Star", "Elaan of Troyius", "Bread and Circuses", "The Gamesters of Triskelion", "Amok Time", "The Apple", "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", "The Trouble With Tribbles", and "A Private Little War".
Saavik's background story was established in The Pandora Principle. In an interview^[1] Greg Cox confirmed he read the book in preparation for Lost to Eternity.
The book also foreshadows events from TNG: "Unification" and "The Next Phase".
Cox was advised by CBS not to reference the Eugenics Wars that would have happened between 1986 and 2024. ^[1] The as-yet-unreleased Strange New Worlds episode "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" implies that, as a result of interference with the timeline, Khan's rise to power in those wars would happen sometime after 2022.
Gillian Taylor also appears in the DC Comics graphic novel Debt of Honor, which is why Cox read it as inspiration for Lost to Eternity. ^[2]
Cox also stated that fighting scenes were inspired by the Kirk Fu Manual.^[2]
Names and background of 20th century characters are consistent with Vonda N. McIntyre's novelization of The Voyage Home. TOS - Strange New Worlds VI short story: "Whales Weep Not", which depicts the SFPD's investigation into her disappearance, gives different names for some of the 20th century characters.
The book usually states that Taylor disappeared on Tuesday, 13 May 1986, but she slapped Bob Briggs earlier that same day, on 6 May. Both dates disagreed with TOS novel: Elusive Salvation, in which the Beta 5 computer detects the Bounty arriving on 25 June. And the San Francisco Register newspaper Kirk spots in a display rack in The Voyage Home is dated 18 December.