When I was a kid the original Star Trek series was among my favorite shows. Though dated today in many respects (I'm sure somewhere on the Internet there's an essay about those minidresses that the female crewmembers wore), it was an exciting and fun series that offered an optimistic picture of the future. That was not easy to envisage in the Cold War-dominated 1960s, and the show reflected this with episodes that referenced the nuclear tensions of the late-20th century and even the ominous-sounding "Eugenics Wars" of the then-futuristic 1990s.

As it turned out, the show went on and the Cold War didn't. As the Star Trek franchise spawned movies and additional TV shows, the canon on which it was all based looked increasingly outdated. The problem was that it was impossible to ignore it. After all, how can you dismiss the "Eugenics Wars of the 1990s," which it was the basis of not just one of the best episodes of the original series, but the best movie of the entire franchise? So the solution was to construct an ever-more-elaborate backstory that connected it all together, one that, had to evolve to take into account additions made by subsequent shows and even novels.

This effort is at the heart of Dayton Ward's book. In it the Enterprise-E is on a mission in unexplored space that brings it into contact with an alien species still recovering from a nuclear war that took place centuries before. The war was tied to an exploration effort the species undertook three hundred years before — one that brought it into contact with early 21st century Earth. Through this premise Ward connects events in the 24th century to characters and plot strands from three different Star Trek series, as well as novels written by other authors. It's really an impressive exercise from a franchise standpoint, though one that is hobbled by two problems. The first is the underlying plot, which staggers out the development of the backstory to cover for the fact that the story involving Picard and company just isn't all that substantial. The other is Ward's apparent need to incorporate nearly every possible character from the franchise's take on 21st century Earth history. It's an impressive effort in some respects, but it also left me thinking that Ward was more interested in creating a Grand Unified History of the Star Trek universe than he was in telling a good story. It makes for a frustrating read, yet one that should be enjoyed by fans looking to fill in some of the gaps in the Star Trek universe — at least until another series or movie introduces new elements that renders it all contradictory or irrelevant. ( )

Star Trek: Hearts and Minds is your typical Star Trek: TNG story. There wasn’t anything new or different about the plot, what happened, or the outcome. The Enterprise and crew are put into a dire situation, and the day is saved at the last minute. (Very much like a typical TNG TV episode.) Dayton Ward gets the main characters – Picard, Worf, LaForge right and that goes a long way to making Hearts and Minds an enjoyable read. My problem with the book had to do with the secondary (slightly parallel) storyline set on 21st century Earth. I found this storyline to be a big backstory info-dump that did not do anything to advance the main story featuring Picard et. al. I did not care about those characters, I did not care about the events, and I felt there was a lot of “name dropping” of minor characters from TOS to try to force a continuity of events. There were also some plot points and storylines that remained unanswered and failing to tie up those loose ends left a feeling of incompleteness about the story. ( )

Star Trek The Next Generation: Hearts and Minds is the latest novel in the Star Trek universe by Dayton Ward. The book takes place in two timelines, one starting in 2031 as an alien ship is shot down over the United States, and the other as the crew of the Enterprise under the command of Jean Luc Picard make what they believe to be first contact with another space faring civilization.

Things are never as simple as they first seem, and in both timelines, complications soon begin piling up. Before the Enterprise can make contact with the alien Eizand, he receives cryptic orders from Starfleet command warning him that this planet, devastated by nuclear war, may hold secrets. Meanwhile, in the earth-centered timeline, the crashed alien craft leads to investigation by Majestic 12, as well as the group of people who have been watching and sometimes guiding human events that fans of the original series first encountered in the form of Gary Seven.

The Eizand turn out to be the race common to both timelines. As xenophobic elements on earth debate taking aggressive action towards this alien race, Picard and the Enterprise are surprised to discover that the Eizand are familiar with Earth. Picard and his crew must unlock the mystery of what led to disaster for the Eizand and trace its history back to 21st century Earth.

Ward does a good job of spending time with both the well-known characters such as Picard, Worf and La Forge as well as lesser known characters and ones from favorite episodes such as Gary Seven. He blends in new characters as well that make for a balanced and interesting cast.

Juggling the two time frames becomes a little distracting at times as it proves difficult for the story to maintain momentum in both. Starfleet’s cryptic interference with Picard’s command annoys him greatly, and it is frustrating for readers as well. Eventually Picard and his crew shed new light on a centuries old event which will reshape how both civilizations view their own respective histories.

I’m a big fan of the continued adventures in the Star Trek universe and the opportunity they present to spend time with favorite characters, learn more about minor characters and meet new ones. Hearts and Minds is a lot of fun for Star Trek fans.

Robert Petkoff is the narrator for this book and once again does a stellar job. His command of multiple character voices is superb and it’s hard to believe that one person is doing the reading. His reading complements the story in both pacing and emphasis. He is my go-to narrator for any Star Trek book and makes the audio version of these stories my preferred way of consuming them. I don’t care what he’s reading, I’ll listen.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this audiobook from the publisher. ( )