The Wounded Sky is a Star Trek novel, the 13th book in the numbered series of TOS novels published by Pocket Books. This volume was written by Diane Duane and released in December 1983.
Description[]
- A pretty alien scientist invents the Intergalactic Inversion Drive, an engine system that transcends warp drive and the Enterprise will be the first to test it! The Klingons attempt to thwart the test, but a greater danger looms when strange symptoms surface among the crew and time becomes meaningless.
- Now Captain Kirk and his friends face their greatest challenge - to repair the fabric of the universe before time is lost forever!
Summary[]
The Enterprise is assigned to test a new propulsion system, based around a speck of material with infinite mass which will allow the ship to blink out of existence and reappear outside the galaxy. The Klingons attack once the Enterprise is out of Federation space and the ship turns a star supernova and uses the drive to evade them.
However, during the course of the inversions the crew experience hallucinations, seeing historical and future events they did not witness and each other's past experiences. Worse, their next jump is accompanied by another supernova and observation shows an area of space where entropy and the normal flow of time has ceased. The use of the drive has torn a hole with another universe where entropy does not exist.
The Enterprise journeys into the anomaly, where the crew see themselves travelling through a landscape to reach the being at the centre of the universe. Spock, Nyota Uhura and D'Hennish, a crewmember whose species perceive time differently, manage to communicate with the creature, giving it self-awareness for the first time, and convince it the breach between universes must cease. K't'lk, the scientist who invented the drive, is able to weave a universe for the creature to inhabit after they are gone and stays behind when the breach is sealed.
The Enterprise returns to its own universe where the effect of the breach has been reversed. Kirk finds that, as per her species' reproduction, K't'lk left behind an egg which hatches a new version of herself, who joins Scotty in working on the drive again.
References[]
Characters[]
- Larry Aledort • Amekentra • Athendë • Brand • Lia Burke • Christine Chapel • Pavel Chekov • Niwa Awath-mánë ri d'Hennish enu-ma'Qe • Dithra • Jerry Freeman • Heming • Katha'sat • Janíce Kerasus • James T. Kirk • K't'lk/K's't'lk • Mahásë • Matlock • Leonard McCoy • Mosley • Niliet • Mayri Sagady • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Harb Tanzer • Nyota Uhura • unnamed Bellatrig • unnamed mrait
- Referenced only
- Aesculapius • Ludwig van Beethoven • Benford • Julius Caesar • Dabach • DD Tauri V • Stephen Decatur • Rhonda S. Halloran • Jerry • Mikelle • Isaac Newton • Janice Rand • Solomon Short • Sivek • Surak • Susanne • Tasha • T'k'rt't • T'Pask • Y'tk't
Locations[]
- 109 Piscium • Acamar system • aia'Hnnrihstei • Alpha Arietis • Altair IV • Coma B patrol corridor • de Sitter space • Hamal • Iota Sculptoris • Majoris Congeries • Mars • Rasalgethi • Rukbah V • Sa-na'Mdeihein • Small Magellanic Cloud • Sol • Starbase 18 • Zeta-10 Scorpii
- Referenced only
- Alexandria II • Andor • Antares A II • Aus Qao • Beta Pavonis IV • DD Tauri • Earth (California • Euxine • Kazalkum • Kremlin • Los Angeles • Pompeii • San Francisco • Stonehenge • Tripoli • Van Nuys) • galactic barrier • Lórien • Luna (Bianchini • Flamsteed • Herigonius • Jura Range) • McDade • Mirfak XI-C (Ten-Thousand-Step Stair) • NGC 2419 • Orual • Procyon A (Serengeti • Mount Meritaja) • R Scuti Cluster • Rigel • Sadr • Theta Carinae • Vercingetorix IV • Vulcan
Enterprise locations[]
- astrocartography • bridge • corridor • engineering • observation lounge • officers' lounge • quarters • recreation deck • sickbay
Starships and vehicles[]
Federation vessels[]
- USS Arizona • USS Armstrong • USS Bannockburn • USS Bismarck • USS Bonhomme Richard • USS Challenger • USS Clarke • USS Condor • USS Constellation II • USS Constitution • USS Dataphda • USS Divine Wind • USS Eilonwy • USS Erinnye • USS Ewet • USS Ferris's Folly • USS Henrietta Leavitt • USS Hypsipyle • USS Inaieu • USS Indomitable • USS Intrepid • USS Isshasshte • USS John F. Kennedy • USS Kamë • USS Lewis • USS Lookfar • USS Malacandra • USS Manhattan • USS Marya Morevna • USS M'hasien • USS Milton Humason • USS Mor'anh Merin'hen • USS Na'i'in • USS Potemkin • USS Q.E. III • USS Queen Christina • USS Ransom • USS Raptor • USS Resolute • USS Rodger Young • USS Sadat • USS Sorithias • USS Sulam • USS Surak • USS Tao Feng • USS Thermopylae • USS T'Laea • USS Valkyr • USS Yorktown
Klingon Defense Force vessels[]
- IKS Amak • IKS Enekti • IKS Kaza • IKS K'j'khrry • IKS Kytin • IKS Menekku • IKS Okuv • IKS Tukab
Races and cultures[]
- Adarrin • Altasa • Andorian • Bellatrig • Capelle • Denebolid • Diphdani • Eseriat • Hamalki • hestv • Human • Ielerid • Mizarthu • Mneh'tso • mrait • na'mdeihei • Sadrao • Shediru • Sulamid • Tellarite • Vulcan
States and organizations[]
- Bureau of Planetary Works • Federation Department of Science • Klingon Empire • Romulan Star Empire • Starfleet Academy
- Referenced only
- Interstellar Astronomical Union • Lloyd's of London
Other references[]
- Acta Mega-Astrophysicalis • adrenocorticotropic hormone • ailurin • alicorne • allcall • Alroth • altar • Architectrix • Ardrosam-G • arie'mnu • Artemis/Luna reflector • bairn • Ballad of Orange and Green • Black Fleet • Caledax • clearsteel • command chair • death • deflector shield • dilithium • durasteel • entropy • flitter • graphite • guinea pig • Hawking radiation • humpback whale • inertrogen • inversion drive • Jane's Fighting Ships • kazoo • landshark • methane • M'hektath • Moira • Monopoly • Neonor • nhwe • nova • Occam's Razor • photon torpedo • poker • Prime Directive • red alert • Rofenisin • salad • Sargolian redwood • Saurian brandy • science station • sonic screwdriver • steak • Suspenar • tax • Thinking Planet • transdator • tribble • Unifactor • Valkyrie • veriglas • Wolf-Rayet star • Xanthopipericum flagrantum Ellison • xenopsychology
Appendices[]
Background[]
- Although the Pocket Books chronology places this story in the year 2275, based on the experience of the crew and the level of technology described, the narrative makes repeated references to uniforms of the TOS style. The text describes uniforms resembling those of the mid-2260s decade, rather than the Star Trek: The Motion Picture-era uniforms that were in place circa 2271, which is also an issue with the cover art. This indicates that Starfleet used uniforms matching this description, of an intermediate style, for a time before changing again to the later maroon uniforms in use by 2278 (as established in TNG episode: "Cause and Effect").
- The cover artwork was a painting by artist Boris Vallejo. In international editions of the book, a different painting was used, the same image that appears as the frontispiece to the deluxe edition of FASA's Star Trek: The Role Playing Game.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Mutiny on the Enterprise |
TOS numbered novels | Next novel: The Trellisane Confrontation |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh Chapter 22 |
Next Adventure: My Enemy, My Ally | |
Translations[]
- 1987
- German : Der verwundete Himmel, translated by Hans Maeter. (Heyne)
External link[]
- The Wounded Sky article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.