The Enterprise, with Captain Picard in command and Worf as his first officer, are sent by Federation President Bacco to the planet Andor. Borg had killed milliions of the antennaed aliens and they are still recovering from the worldwide disaster. They are also having reproduction problems which their scientists are trying to fix. One experiment is to use the DNA from another alien species, though the Fundamentalist faction is opposed to this. But one scientist is getting help and information from an unknown benefactor, which may hold the key to their species' survival. However, this turns out to be the Tholians--and they reveal that the Federation has been sitting on this secret information about DNA for over a hundred years, information that could have already helped Andor. This basically causes a civil war on the planet when Picard and his crew are in one of the cities. They are taken prisoner and have to figure out how to get out of the situation.
This last book in the Typhon Pact series will have some longstanding consequences in the Star Trek universe since it may cause a dominio effect in regard to planets that are members of the Federation. The one thing, though, I wished the novel addressed more directly, was the nature of Andorian reproduction. It takes not two, not three, but four Andorians in order to reproduce, yet the details of this foursome is never disclosed. One chapter opens with a scientist finishing up the explanation and it begins with "And that's how Andorian babies are made." That was a cop out.
However, this is a decent series and definitely adds to the familiar characters of the Next Generation universe, particularly in regard to new father Picard and the love-life of Geordi LaForge. Recommended.
The Enterprise, with Captain Picard in command and Worf as his first officer, are sent by Federation President Bacco to the planet Andor. Borg had killed milliions of the antennaed aliens and they are still recovering from the worldwide disaster. They are also having reproduction problems which their scientists are trying to fix. One experiment is to use the DNA from another alien species, though the Fundamentalist faction is opposed to this. But one scientist is getting help and information from an unknown benefactor, which may hold the key to their species' survival. However, this turns out to be the Tholians--and they reveal that the Federation has been sitting on this secret information about DNA for over a hundred years, information that could have already helped Andor. This basically causes a civil war on the planet when Picard and his crew are in one of the cities. They are taken prisoner and have to figure out how to get out of the situation.
