The Light Fantastic is a 2014 Star Trek: The Next Generation novel by author Jeffrey Lang.
Description[]
- He was perhaps the ultimate human achievement: a sentient artificial life-form - self-aware, self-determining, possessing a mind and body far surpassing that of his makers, and imbued with the potential to evolve beyond the scope of his programming.
- And then Data was gone.
- Four years later, Data's creator, Noonien Soong, sacrificed his life and resurrected his android son, who in turn revived the positronic brain of his own artificial daughter, Lal. Having resigned his commission, the former Starfleet officer now works to make his way on an alien world, while also coming to grips with the very human notion of wanting versus having a child.
- But complicating Data's life is an unexpected nemesis from years ago on the U.S.S. Enterprise - the holographic criminal Professor James Moriarty. Long believed to be imprisoned in a memory solid, Moriarty has created a siphon into the "real" world as a being of light and thought. Moriarty wants the solid form he was once told he could never have, and seeks to manipulate Data into finding another android body for him to permanently inhabit... even if it means that is Data himself.
Summary[]
Data returns to his home on Orion Prime to find both Lal and her companion, an Alice series android, missing. A message from Professor Moriarty reveals that he is responsible and offers to release them if Data can provide him and Countess Regina Barthlomew with physical bodies.
Moriarty explains to Lal and Alice that the destruction of the Enterprise-D affected his and Regina's world, wiping their two daughters out of existence. Their programme was transferred to the Daystrom Institute but a further disruption during Vaslovik's raid on the facility saw the rest of their world wiped out.
Data enlists the help of Geordi and together they contact Albert Lee, an old crewmate now working at the Daystrom Institute, who helps them breach the facility and determine Moriarty and Regina have escaped. Data then begins a series of deceptions with collectors such as Harry Mudd, now aged to the point he needs a mechanical conveyance, and Kivas Fajo and manages to gain possession of one of the mind transfer devices from Exo III and a damaged blank template.
Data meets with Moriarty and offers to use the device to transfer Moriarty's mind into his own body. Instead, he tricks Moriarty and places him in a memory cube, where Regina voluntarily joins him. Realising she is expected to return to her home, Alice attempts to leave by taking Lal hostage but Mudd, who Data and La Forge brought hidden inside the template, orders her to comply.
Some months later, Moriarty leaves a message with Lal, telling Data he and Regina have been given their physical bodies and had their daughters restored.
References[]
Characters[]
- Reginald Barclay • Regina Bartholomew • Leah Brahms • Broik • Beverly Crusher • Data • The Doctor • Kivas Fajo • Vic Fontaine • Mrs. Hudson • Jiro • Kelly • Geordi La Forge • Lal • Albert Lee • Jimmy McGuire • Gladys Moriarty • James Moriarty • Sophia Moriarty • Harry Mudd • Oban • Jean-Luc Picard • Settu • Shakti • Noonien Soong • Todd • Nyota Uhura • Worf
- Referenced only
- Akharin (Flint) • Braxton • Clea • Guinan • Jarrell • Kathan • Kevar • James T. Kirk • Roger Korby • Bruce Maddox • Rhea McAdams • Nog • Miles O'Brien • Oboloth • Rene Jacques Robert Francois Picard • Proxima • Katherine Pulaski • Q • Quark • William Riker • Ro Laren • Montgomery Scott • Deanna Troi • Varria
Locations[]
- Alpha Quadrant • Deep Space 9 (Plaza • Quark's) • Earth (Pacific Ocean • North America • San Francisco • Upper Haight) • Exo III • Galor IV • Happy Bottom Riding Club • Mudd • Orion (Commons • Lode Stone) • Veridian III
- Referenced only
- Beta Quadrant • Delta Quadrant • Europe • Gamma Quadrant • Hawaii (Kona) • Rigel III • Starbase 14
Starships and vehicles[]
- Archeus • USS Enterprise-D (Galaxy-class explorer) • USS Enterprise-E (Sovereign-class) • USS Galen (Galen-class)
- Referenced only
- Cetacean Probe • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • USS Voyager (Intrepid-class)
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
- Body Electric • Breen Confederacy • Daystrom Institute • Port Authority • Project Full Circle • Starfleet • Starfleet Command • Tholian Assembly • United Federation of Planets
Other references[]
- 29th century • Alice series • Altair water • Annabelle series • ansible technology • bacon • barracuda • bioplast • blackjack • brandy • brown mustard • brussels sprout • Cardassian bola-nettles • cheese • chicken • Christmas • Citizen Kane • clay • cobalt • coffee • cortenide • craps • darjeeling tea • Dolores series • duranium • egg • Emergency Medical Hologram • Exo-type android • Green Thorn • Grub worm • havarti sandwich • Herman series • hologram • holomatrix • holosuite • honey • iron • isolinear chip • kanar • lagavulin • lettuce • Maisie series • mayonnaise • memory solid • mobile emitter • molybdenum • nano-compiler • ninchalla • Norman series • onion • orca • Oscar series • Sancho Panza • paradin • pitchak • plasteel • poker (Texas Hold'em) • positronic brain • potato • Don Quixote • Raiders of the Lost Ark • raktajino • replicator • The Rules of the Game • sjoko-wan • Soong-type android • spatula • Stella series • Stockholm syndrome • Sydney series • tequila • tomato • tricorder • tripolymer • Trudy series • turbolift • turkey sandwich • Varon-T disruptor • VISOR • waffle • water • Watership Down • xenolinguistics
Appendices[]
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Indistinguishable from Magic |
TNG novels | Next novel: Takedown |
| Previous story: Where Everybody Knows Your Name |
Stories by: Jeffrey Lang |
Next story: Force and Motion |
Translations[]
- 2016
- German : Das Licht der Fantasie, translated by René Ulmer. (Cross Cult)
External link[]
- The Light Fantastic article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.