Ring of Fire

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow: The following content contains spoilers!

Ring of Fire is a Star Trek novel by David Mack in the Strange New Worlds series, released in October 2025.

Description[]

When murder and sabotage imperil the time-sensitive and top-secret mission of a team of civilian scientists, Starfleet deploys Captain Christopher Pike and the Enterprise crew to Kathara Station, a classified research facility located above the accretion disk of a black hole.

Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley soon discovers the station's director, Valkeya, is hiding secrets—but so is Captain Pike, who many years earlier visited this same black hole on a mission that went tragically wrong, and whose consequences have haunted him ever since.

Caught in the crossfire on the station are Science Officer Spock, Nurse Christine Chapel, and Security Chief La'An Noonien-Singh, whose romantic entanglements old and new threaten to unravel their bonds of friendship.

As enemies converge upon the station, can Valkeya and Pike both atone for the mistakes of their pasts in time to avert a tragedy? With time running out, the survival of Kathara Station, the USS Enterprise, and dozens of innocent lives hinges on their acts of contrition...

References[]

Characters[]

Alcetus • Caetano • Christine Chapel • Judah Chavez • Una Chin-Riley • Hinano Cocono • Otunde Corbetto • Eliara • Liz Fein • Guayo • Henslowe • George Samuel Kirk, Jr. • Sven Konrad • Garrett Kruse • Oshiro Kusaki • Lalar • Kiona Leaphorn • ch'Lesh • Lomok • Lowden • Sabine Mann • Joseph M'Benga • Jenna Mitchell • Uri Mitkov • Rani Mondal • La'An Noonien-Singh • Erica Ortegas • Pelia • Petzold • Christopher Pike • Qiu • Montgomery Scott • Shankar • Sidhu • Dalton Skalliger • Spock • Soro tal-Qir/Sifeh sh'Lesh • Thorpe • Arisa Trew • Nyota Uhura • Valkeya • Vickers • Karrie Weigel • Winger • Winik • Yang Ji • Fargo Zahn • Zehgan • Zier

Referenced only: Marie Batel • Frost • James T. Kirk • Roger Korby • Beto Ortegas • Sable • Spencer • Danielle Steele • Tango • Upjohn • V'Rel • Zett

Starships and vehicles[]

USS Chatelet • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class) • Kepler • USS Kirishima • Provenance • IKS SuGroQ (D7-class)

Referenced only: USS Farragut • VCS Kinshala • USS Lexington • USS Resolute

Locations[]

Kathara Station • Marbas • Xephos

Referenced only: Andoria • Azure Glacier • Caswell's Planet • Earth • Great Pyramid of Giza • Orion • Parnassus Beta • Portland • Somraw

Races and cultures[]

Andorian • Bolian • Deltan • Denobulan • Human • Illyrian • Klingon • Lanthanite • Orion • Rigelian • Tellarite • Tiburonian • Vulcan

Referenced only: Gorn • Xindi

States and organizations[]

Daystrom Institute • Federation • Federation Council • House of Qir • Starfleet

Other references[]

Antarean sunset • black hole • C-70 • chimera blossom • Denebian slime devil • dilithium • Hawking radiation • hengrauggi • Project Red Sky • red giant • Talaryan star gem • Trinidad Moruga scorpion pepper • xaranide

Appendices[]

Images[]

Connections[]

Media featuring Christopher Pike
Episodes and movies	The Original Series	The Cage • The Menagerie
	Movies	Star Trek^k • Star Trek Into Darkness^k
	Discovery	Will You Take My Hand? • Brother • New Eden • Point of Light • An Obol for Charon • Saints of Imperfection • The Sound of Thunder • Light and Shadows • If Memory Serves • Project Daedalus • The Red Angel • Perpetual Infinity • Through the Valley of Shadows • Such Sweet Sorrow
	Short Treks	Q&A • The Trouble with Edward • Ask Not
	Strange New Worlds	SNW season 1 • SNW season 2 • SNW season 3
Novels	The Original Series	Killing Time^a • Enterprise: The First Adventure • Vulcan's Glory • Legacy • The Rift • Where Sea Meets Sky • Burning Dreams • A Less Perfect Union^a • The Children of Kings • Child of Two Worlds
	Discovery	Desperate Hours • The Enterprise War
	Strange New Worlds	The High Country • Asylum • Toward the Night • Ring of Fire
Short stories		"Conflicting Natures" • "A Private Anecdote" • "Sins of the Mother" • "The Greater Good"^m
Video games		The Badgey Directive
Comics	Early Voyages	"Flesh of My Flesh" • "The Fires of Pharos" • "Our Dearest Blood" • "Nor Iron Bars a Cage" • Cloak and Dagger (1 • 2) • "The Flat, Gold Forever" • "Immortal Wounds" • "One of a Kind" • The Fallen (1 • 2) • "Futures, Part One" • "Future Tense" • "Futures" • "Now and Then" • "Thanatos" • "Nemesis"
	Starfleet Academy	"Return to the Forbidden Planet" • "A Prelude to War"
	Crew	"Shadows of the Past" • "The Ends of Eternity"
	New Visions	"A Scent of Ghosts" • "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner " • "The Cage"
	Strange New Worlds	The Illyrian Enigma (1 • 2 • 3 • 4) • The Scorpius Run (1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5)
	other	"All Those Years Ago..." • "To Walk the Night" • "Door in the Cage" • Alien Spotlight Alien Spotlight, Volume I (Vulcans • Orions) • Mirror Images^m (1 • 2 • 4 • 5) • Spock: Reflections, Issue 2 • Star Trek Movie Adaptation^k (2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6) • Captain's Log: Pike • Aftermath (1 • 2 • 3)
^k : Kelvin timeline • ^m : Mirror Universe • ^a : alternate reality

External links[]

Ring of Fire article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.