Today’s book: Section 31: Rogue

The second of four Section 31 books (and for a change really worth packaging into separate books), Rogue shows us a Next Generation mission where Picard and Data, of the regulars, are called in to clean up when a Section 31 mission goes off the rails, on a strange planet whose populace is about to vote on whether to join the Federation or the Romulan Star Empire. Seems Section 31 wants them to join the Romulans, part of a deal with the Tal Shiar, but the Romulans have a little something extra up their sleeves. Picard and Data, along with First Contact’s Lt. Hawk (the first openly gay Star Trek character as far as I can remember), must foil the dastardly plans at great peril to themselves; Hawk is the poor bastard in the film who goes with Worf and Picard out onto the Enterprise’s deflector shield and is assimilated and then killed by Worf. Cronan Thompson wrote a Mystery Science Theater version of the movie, quite funny.

This adventure is mainly set six months before First Contact–it takes only a few days to unfold–but is wrapped in a post-First Contact prologue/epilogue for some reason. Decent pacing and good characterization for the non-regular characters.