Weinstein, Howard

AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:

3 out of 5

(1 book)

Star Trek: Tests Of Courage

(Art by Rod Whigham, Gordon Purcell, Arne Starr and Carlos Garzon)

Set between 'The Final Frontier' and 'The Undiscovered Country', this story begins with Hikaru Sulu taking command of the USS Excelsior.  His first mission in command sees him paired with his former shipmates as the Enterprise-A joins the Excelsior to protect the end of hostilities between worlds who had been warring for generations.  However, an aggressive alien race, aided by the devious Romulan Star Empire, plans to disrupt the peace process and seize powerful weapons for themselves.

I have to say that I like the concept behind this book far more than I really enjoyed the execution.  Seeing Sulu command the Excelsior is a treat and I liked the idea that he's paired with Kirk for his first mission, with the two old friends trying to figure out their new dynamic on the fly.  Plus, just seeing Enterprise and Excelsior go into battle again hit all the right buttons for someone who has adored 'The Undiscovered Country' since he was a kid.

Truthfully though, the finished products is somewhat lesser than the sum of its parts and never quite pays off the incredible potential that the premise allowed for.  It certainly doesn't help that while the art for the Starfleet crews and ships is very good, the designs and depictions of the two main alien races are pretty terrible.  Be it the four-eyed horse people or the race who look like a cross between the Ferengi and Orcs, they make the whole book feel cheaper as a result.

3 out of 5

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