Sight Unseen is a Star Trek: Titan novel by author James Swallow that was first published 29 September 2015.
Publisher's description[]
- In the wake of political upheaval across the United Federation of Planets, Admiral William Riker and the crew of the USS Titan find themselves in uncertain waters as roles aboard the ship change to reflect a new mandate and a new mission. On orders from Starfleet, Titan sets out toward the edge of Federation space to tackle its latest assignment: to work with an alien species known as the Dinac, who are taking their first steps into the galaxy at large as a newly warp-capable civilization.
- But when disaster befalls the Dinac, the Titan crew discovers they have unknowingly drawn the attention of a deadly, merciless enemy; a nightmare from Riker's past lurking in the darkness. Friendships will be tested to the limit as familiar faces and new allies must risk everything in a fight against an unstoppable invader; or a horrific threat will be unleashed on the galaxy!
Summary[]
Titan is ordered to patrol the Alpha Quadrant frontier, of which Riker has just been made sector commander. Vale is made ship's captain, with Riker aboard as a flag officer. Dalit Sarai, a former Starfleet Intelligence officer who supported the Ishan administration, is assigned as first officer. Their first task is to make contact with the Dinac, a race which Starfleet has recently been working with. However, they arrive to find USS Whitetree has disappeared and the Dinac ship is deserted.
When crewmembers begin experiencing disturbing dreams and then showing signs of injuries they sustained in them, it becomes clear the culprits are the Solanae, the solanagen-based lifeforms who once abducted Riker and Rager from Enterprise-D. Riker attempts to use the previous defence against them but this triggers a booby-trap on the Dinac ship which produces hundreds of spider-like drones that sabotage the ship before being destroyed.
Having failed to take the whole ship, the Solanae settle for abducting several of the personnel, including Sarai, Troi and Tasha. They end up in an asteroid base with the surviving members of the Whitetree crew and the Dinac.
Titan tracks the largest concentration of Solanae lifesigns to another asteroid but find only a civilian colony. The group there are called the Ciari, and have turned their back on the abductions. They explain the subspace dimension where they exist is collapsing and their people were analysing the inhabitants of this dimension for both survival and conquest purposes. One of their number, Xikkix, ran the operation on Enterprise: Repenting, he helps give Titan crew the knowledge to enter subspace before committing suicide.
Titan enters the subspace dimension and uses the transporters to hold the Solanae ships in the pattern buffer. Shuttles are sent across to the asteroid and Titan ends up crashing into it to bring the freed prisoners aboard. It is discovered the Solanae are planning to send the Whitetree back as a bomb loaded with biogenic weapons, to wipe out the Dinac and Ciari and form a bridgehead. Dakal sacrifices himself to destroy it.
Vale offers two Solanae a truce and assistance with their problem but, seeing all other races as inferior, they refuse. Titan departs, having wrecked the Solanae’s plans, and helps form an alliance with the Dinac and Ciari.
References[]
Characters[]
- Leonard James Akaar • Pava Ek'Noor sh'Aqabaa • Blay • Olivia Bolaji • Balim Cel • Mordecai Crandall • Zurin Dakal • Feren Denken • Dennisar • Evesh • Peya Fell • Guoapa • Hriss • Hubose • Jaq • Kekil • Kelt • Kershul • Ranul Keru • Keyexisi • Kikkir • Ellec Krotine • Kuu'iut • Ethan Kyzak • Aili Lavena • Karen McCreedy • Meldok • Alyssa Ogawa • Melora Pazlar • Klace Polan • Bowan Radowski • Sariel Rager • Xin Ra-Havreii • Shenti Yisec Eres Ree • William T. Riker • Natasha Riker-Troi • Koasa Rossini • Paolo Rossini • Dalit Sarai • Holor Sethe • Sobasor • Gian Sortollo • Ssura • Tokiz • T'Pel • Deanna Troi • Tuvok • Christine Vale • SecondGen White-Blue • Vidra Tabyr • Torvig Bu-Kar-Nguv • Vennoss • Reedesa Waen • Xikkix • Yakoj • Y'Lira Modan • Ythiss
- Referenced only
- Sar Antillea • Jonathan Archer • Nanietta Bacco • Julian Bashir • Liam Boothby • Beverly Crusher • Elieth • Pral glasch Haaj • Edward Hagler • Shelley Hutchinson • Ishan Anjar • Kathryn Janeway • Jaza Najem • Christopher Jones • Angelina Kaminer • K'chak'!'op • Ione Kitain • Geordi La Forge • Nidani Ledrah • Medeiros • Minecci • Peters • Jean-Luc Picard • Pohodo • Se'al Cethente Qas • Rriarr • Huilan Sen'kara • Shull • Hikaru Sulu • Tane • T'Lirin • Tylith • Vanessa • Worf, son of Mogh
Locations[]
- Alpha Quadrant • Alpha Quadrant frontier zone • Casroc • Casroc orbital station • Earth • Mars • Milky Way Galaxy • Refuge • Sol • Starbase 1 (Earth Spacedock) • Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards
- Referenced only
- Alaska • Amargosa Diaspora • Badlands • Bajoran wormhole • Benecia Colony • Cardassia Prime • Deep Space 9 (II) • Delta 1 station • Delta IV • Delta Quadrant • Deneva • Europa • fluidic space • Gamma Quadrant • Garadius IV • Gemworld • Gum Nebula • Memory Alpha • Orisha • Pahkwa Majoris • Palais de la Concorde • Paradas • North Star • Selay • Trillius Prime • Valo II • Vela Pulsar • Vela sector • Zofor Beta
Starships and vehicles[]
- Armstrong (type-11 shuttlecraft) • asteroid-craft • escape pod • Horne (Flyer-class) • Monk (type-9A cargo shuttle) • pinnace • sloop • USS Titan (Luna-class) • USS Tokyo (New Orleans-class) • USS Whitetree (Saber-class) • workbee
- Referenced only
- USS Enterprise-D (Galaxy-class) • USS Enterprise-E (Sovereign-class) • galleon • USS Ganymede (Luna-class) • USS Lionheart (Nova-class) • USS Proxima • runabout • Scimitar (Scimitar-class) • shuttlepod • USS Voyager (Intrepid-class)
Races and cultures[]
- Andorian • Bajoran • Barzan • Benzite • Betazoid • Betelgeusian • Bolian • Borothan • Boslic • Caitian • Capellan • Cardassian • Catullan • Chelon • Choblik • Ciari • Cygnian • Deltan • Dinac • Edosian • Efrosian • Elaysian • Haliian • Human • Ithenite • Mazarite • Napean • Orion • Pahkwa-thanh • Selay • Selenean • Selkie • Sentry • Skagaran • Solanae • Tellarite • Trill • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Borg • Cairn • Cytherian • Dominion • Gorn • Hebitian • Jem'Hadar • Kasheeta • Kazarite • Kinshaya • Klingon • Medusan • Pak'shree • Prophets • Reman • Rigellian • Romulan • Shedai • Squale • Syhaari • Syrath • Thymerae • Vok'sha
States and organizations[]
- Dinac council • Dinac Expeditionary Initiative • Starfleet • Starfleet Command • United Federation of Planets
- Referenced only
- Cardassian Central Command • Daystrom Institute • Federation Science Council • Klingon Defense Force • Romulan Star Empire • Sentry Coalition • Solanae command cadre • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Corps of Engineers • Starfleet Intelligence • Starfleet Xenobiology • Tholian Assembly • Typhon Pact
Ranks and titles[]
- admiral • aide-de-camp • cadet • captain • chief • chief engineer • chief medical officer • chief petty officer • commander • commodore • counselor • diplomatic officer • doctor • engineer-commander • ensign • fleet admiral • midshipman • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • Lord Council • noncommissioned officer • Number one • officer • petty officer • President of the United Federation of Planets • President Pro Tempore of the United Federation of Planets • rear admiral • science officer • sector commander • security chief • tactical officer • vice admiral • XO
Science and technology[]
- antimatter • artificial gravity • artificial intelligence • battery • biocomputer • bioneural gel pack • chaotic void • class-1 probe • class M • combadge • computer • computer core • delta radiation • droneframe • drysuit • electroplasma • Emergency Medical Hologram • EPS conduit • EVA suit • F class star • hail • holodeck • hologram • impulse engine • inertial dampener • infrared • intercooler matrix • interplexing beacon • isolinear circuitry • Jefferies tube • K class star • keV • LCARS • life support • light-year • linguacode • mag-lock • nanoprobe • neural net • optical data network • orbit • organo-processor • padd • pattern buffer • positronic brain • prefix code • probe • protoplaser • quad • rebreather • replicator • Ros-Sina-Michael Scale • sensor • sensor wand • Shedai meta-genome • shuttlecraft • SIMs beacon • sonic shower • space station • spectacles • starship • structural integrity field • subspace communication • subspace rift • tractor beam • transponder • transporter • transwarp core • tricorder • turbolift • Tyken's Rift • ultraviolet • universal translator • verteron collider • viewscreen • warp core • warp drive • warp field • warp nacelle • wormhole • zero gravity
Elements, particles and substances[]
- acid • ammonia • copper • dilithium • graviton • halogen • hydrogen • iron • methane • neutrino • nickel • oxygen • polymer • solanagen • tetryon • theragen • topaline • transparent aluminum • tri-ox compound • tritanium
Weapons and defence[]
- antimatter warhead • auto destruct • biogenic weapon • cloaking device • compression phaser rifle • deflector array • deflector shield • disruptor • force field • isolytic subspace weapon • orb-drone • particle beam weapon • phaser • phaser rifle • photon grenade • photon torpedo • plasma weapon • quantum torpedo • software weapon • TR-120 • transporter bomb
Other references[]
- 19th century • 2378 • assassination • asteroid • atmosphere • bell • booklet • Borg Invasion of 2381 • brain • cerebral cortex • colony • comet • cryptolinguist • Dominion War • espionage • fairy tale • Federation Starfleet ranks (2370s-2380s) • first contact • gas giant • ghost • glass • Greenwich Mean Time • helmet • homeworld • hurricane • imzadi • ion storm • Jackson metric • knife • Oort cloud • paper • phantom • pilot • piracy • Prime Directive • rank • saddle • searchlight • sector • sleep-stone • snow • star • star system • Starfleet Survival Guide • Starfleet uniform (2373-2386) • Starship Spotter • Stetson • Takedown Incident • Tech Clutch • telepathy • water • wood • World War III • yellow alert
Flora and fauna[]
- bat • cat • cephalopod • cetacean • cobra • cosmozoan • cutter termite • dog • fox • grass • horse • humanoid • insect • lamprey • magpie • rainmoth • snake • tree
Food and drink[]
Spacecraft/station terms and locations[]
- airlock • auxiliary control • away team • bosun's whistle • bridge • briefing room • bulkhead • Captain's Mast • cargo bay • cockpit • corridor • deck • distress signal • docking bay • docking ring • duty shift • engineering • explorer • heavy cruiser • hull • log buoy • main shuttlebay • nacelle pylon • officers' club • pilot craft • primary hull • quarters • ready room • refresher • replimat • sickbay • starbase • viewport
Timeline[]
Chronology[]
- The events in this story take place in early 2386, after the fallout from the assassination of President Bacco, the recall of the USS Titan to Earth, and Riker's promotion to the admiralty.
- The Federation's formal first contact with the Dinac was made in 2378.
- The first encounter with solanagen-based entities by the crew of the USS Enterprise-D occurred in 2369.
Production history[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Absent Enemies |
Star Trek: Titan | Next novel: Fortune of War |
| Previous story: The Poisoned Chalice |
Stories by: James Swallow |
Next story: The Latter Fire |
Appendices[]
Related stories[]
- TNG episode: "Schisms" - Riker and Rager's abduction by the solanagen-based entities was documented in this episode.
- TNG episode: "Lonely Among Us" - The Selay are first introduced in this episode.
- ST video game: Starfleet Command III - The USS Whitetree was first seen in this game.
Images[]
Connections[]
| Star Trek: Titan publications and stories | |
|---|---|
| Novels | Taking Wing • The Red King • Orion's Hounds • Sword of Damocles • Destiny (Gods of Night • Mere Mortals • Lost Souls) • Over a Torrent Sea • Synthesis • Seize the Fire • Fallen Gods • The Poisoned Chalice • Absent Enemies • Sight Unseen • Fortune of War |
| Short stories | "Improvisations on the Opal Sea: A Tale of Dubious Credibility" • "Empathy" |
| Other Works | "Star Trek: The Tour" (Short film) |
Translations[]
- 2017
- German : Aus der Dunkelheit, translated by Helga Parmiter. (Cross Cult)
External link[]
- Sight Unseen article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.