Publisher's description
Captain Sulu of the U.S.S. Excelsior and his crew are kidnapped. When Federation-conducted negotiations come to a standstill, Captain James T. Kirk and the former officers of the U.S.S. Enterprise reunite to rescue their old comrade.
The officers learn carrying out their mission could prove difficult when they encounter the kidnappers - a greedy, little-known race called the Thraxians, who believe their way is the only way. Now the Thraxians are demanding super-powerful weapons in exchange for the hostages.
With no other alternatives, Kirk is forced to consider giving in to the Thraxians to save the Excelsior crew - a decision that could save a few, but endanger the lives of an entire star system...
Summary
References
Characters
- A'ron • Barush • Violet Bays • Belzie • B'huto • Cavanaugh • Pavel Chekov • David • Dramin • Caius Fesidas • Julius Fesidas • Garth Flanagan • Spiros Focus • Garith • Peter Garvin • Handler • Bernard Hans • Henrey • Kannish • James T. Kirk • Kornish • Licus • Maldari • Eugene Marasco • Leonard McCoy • Melgood • Mikali • Barbara O'Marla • Sandra Pastur • Puss-in-Boots • Janice Rand • Reiss • Russel Roose • Sarek • Nora Schmidt • Montgomery Scott • Sencus • Silky Way • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Norquist Svenson • Taras Tarquin • Rockefeller Thaylor • Nyota Uhura • Vegune
- Referenced only
- Akara • Robert April • Capulets • Chang • Jacques Cousteau • Gaia • Guardian of Forever • Hamlet • Harrison • Kerla • Montagues • Samuel Morse • Mother Earth • Christopher Pike • Polonious • William Shakespeare • Singh • Valeris • Masoud Valtane • Zieglar
Starships and vehicles
- USS Excelsior (Excelsior-class) • Plush Princess • Shanghai Expresscraft • Sundew
- Referenced only
- Calypso • HMS Enterprize • USS Enterprise-A • IKS Krogshat (B'rel-class) • Yonada
Locations
- Hades
Starbases, Space Stations and Orbital Facilities
Planets and planetoids
- Alpha Memory • Beta Prometheus 1 • Beta Prometheus 2 • Beta Prometheus 3 • Beta Prometheus 3a • Earth • Gamon VI • Luna • Mars • Memory Alpha • Mirage • Talos IV • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Cytrops 469 • Jupiter • Orgon • Pollux IV • Qo'noS • Rakatan • Rangoren • Rura Penthe • Venus
Plantary locations
- Archnos • Central Reference Library • China Beach • Conclave Hall • Eurosphere • Globe Theatre • Health Science Center • Highlands • Leningrad • London Intergalactic • Mercury Room • New York • North America • Pacific Ocean • San Francisco • San Francisco Bay • Shikar • Siberian continent • Starfleet Headquarters • Starship's Wharf • Sutro Selestial Baths • Telegraph Hill • T'Khasi
- Referenced only
- Africa • Chinatown • England • Mandelaport • South Africa • Troy
Bars and Restaurants
- Asian Paradox • Flag and Grog • Heaven's Hearth • Nebulae • No Where cantina • Pluto's Inn • Poseidon • Star Club
Star Systems and Sellar Locations
- Beta Promethean system • Beta Quadrant • Neutral Zone • Orion Nebula • Sol system
- Referenced only
- Delta Triciatu system • Deuteronimous system • Murasaki 312 • Vornok system
Races and cultures
- Being • Beta Promethean • Betazoid • Caltarian • Deltan • Dolpheel • Human • Kartoan • Kitarian • Klingon • Octoan • Phylosian • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Andorian • Aurelian • Caitian • Centaurian • Chameloid • Chemizoid • Cytrops 469 native • Kaferian • Legaran • Melkotian • Romulan • Tellarite
States and organizations
- Conclave • Deltan Duo • Federation Council • Gaian • Inner Council • Intergalactic Geographic Museum • Intergalactic News Network • Inter-Galactic Systems • Maritime Museum • Melpomene Players • Office of the President of the Federation Council • People of Light • Ruling Family • Shrewdest Ones • Spiritual Leaders • Starship Historical Preservation Society • Trans-Universal Shipping • The Trendoids • United Federation of Planets • Vulcan Science Academy
- Referenced only
- Byzantine Empire • Dilithium Mining Corps
Starfleet
- Alien Language Translation • Communications Satellite Tracking • Department of Humanoid Resources • Galaxy Vegetation Research • Humanoid Resource Records • Navigational Research Division • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Command • Starfleet Navigation Group
Ranks and titles
- king • knight • pirate • President of North America • President of the United Federation of Planets • Press Liaison • Zone Governor
Other references
- 19th century • 20th century • alcohol • Alien Parks • anabolic protoplaser • ant • antigravity plasticine • Aphasia • Asian • asteroid • Basic Orders • Berengaria dragon • Bon Voyage • Book of Muharbar • brainwashing • bridge • cacoa • Calypso • cetacean • chess • Christmas • Cobanian cigar • communicator • conference room • conn • databank • datapadd • Debellium brain rot disease • desert • dilithium • disruptor • distress signal • dolphin • Dos Vidaniya • ducat • dwarf • eel • elephant • enviropod • European • fal-tor-pan • Fantasy Stimulator • firestorm • fog • Gaelic • gold • golf • Greek • Grog optoman, nokt ingo • G-string • Hamlet • helmsman • Higher Calling • holodoc • infoport • Interior Architecture • ivory • kern • Kitarian Cloud Rock • knife • Kobayashi Maru scenario • Kolchinsky gambit • Kwaheri • Latin • linguacode • logic • Luxury Worlds • macrobiotic food • medical tricorder • Mediterranean • Mercury bourbon • Mongolian • Mongolian Tea • Morse code • mushroom • navigator • Norwegian • Only Way • Oudachy • Pan Gow • pearl • phaser • photon torpedo • Phylosian cognac • piano • Picades • popsicle • Prime Directive • radiation • radio • reptilian • robot • Romeo and Juliet • Romulan ale • Russian • Saurian brandy • Scottish • Semper Fidelis • sensor • sheep • shields • silver • Slán agat • spray applicator • squirt gun • Star Yachts • Swahili • telegraph • Thaylor Expedition • Tholian Web • titanium • toadstool • transporter • tricorder • Trojan Horse • turbolift • Ukrainian • universal translator • vacation • viewscreen • volcano • Vulcan neck pinch • water • Winter Solstice • zoo
Information
- The back cover blurb calls the Beta Prometheans "Thraxians", which they are never called in the novel.
- The story is dated to spring 2294; the Pocket Books Timeline adjusts this date 2293 to make it compatible with the Star Trek Chronology. The claim that Kirk has been retired for six months is also disregarded.
- Mirage is stated to be one hundred fifty billion years old, making it ten times older than the universe itself.
- Valtane's first name is given as Masoud. This was later contradicted canonically in Star Trek: Voyager.
- Scotty speaks of travelling "hundreds of millions of light-years into deep space", which surely must be an exaggeration, as it would place them in another galaxy.
Connections
- The Fearful Summons article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Recovery |
TOS numbered novels | Next novel: First Frontier |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Ashes of Eden |
Next Adventure: War Dragons (framing story) | |
| Media featuring the USS Excelsior (NCC-2000) under Captain Hikaru Sulu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| episodes/movies | The Undiscovered Country • Flashback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| novels | The Undiscovered Country • The Fearful Summons • The Captain's Daughter • The Ashes of Eden • Starfleet Academy • The Captain's Table: War Dragons • The Lost Era: The Sundered • Excelsior: Forged in Fire • Flashback • The Lost Era: One Constant Star • Burning Dreams | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| comics | Tests of Courage (The Tabukan Syndrome) • A Wolf in Cheap Clothing (1 • 2 • 3 • 4) • Captain's Log: Sulu • The Undiscovered Country • The Veteran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Captain Sulu Adventures (audiobooks) |
Cacophony • Envoy • Transformations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| games | Shattered Universe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| characters | Hikaru Sulu • Pavel Chekov • Janice Rand • Devon Gabler • Dmitri Valtane • Leonard James Akaar • Lojur • Tuvok • Altos Viger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
