Star Trek #11: Yesterday's Son

You would think that a sequel to the original series' episode All Our Yesterdays, in which Spock gets it on with the prehistoric babe of the week Zarabeth, wouldn't be so... ship-teasing terrific.

I'm not even sure how I picked this book up. Perhaps it was the cover (I have a soft spot for the pointy-eared logic elf), and perhaps it was because it was written by A.C. Crispin. Her name does sound vaguely familiar (maybe because I've read her short stories in Tales from Mos Eisley Cantina and Tales from Jabba's Palace.)

I'm quite happy that I did, too. This is a really good story, and one that doesn't ignore or break apart the power trio that was the backbone of the original series. (I'm looking at you, Weinstein! Stranding Spock with Chekov of all people! in the middle of nowhere and ignoring him for nearly half of the book and he's on the cover! Everyone knows the bromance is the key...)

In Yesterday's Son, we find out that Spock's time in Sarpeidon was very productive indeed. An ensign finds a Sarpeidonite cave painting that looks suspiciously like Spock, which leads the Vulcan, with Kirk and McCoy in tow, to the Guardian of Forever in hopes of retrieving his son. They find the boy, of course, but he's no longer a child.



The son, Zar, is a decent original character. Here he is, nearly grown and alone for years, finally getting a chance to meet his father... only to find that his father is, well, Spock, who goes into uber-Vulcan mode whenever he is emotionally troubled. Spock, who doesn't even know how to talk to his son without hiding behind his role of a teacher. Spock, who is so repressed, he can't even tell Zar how happy he was to have him as a son.

They have a tiff, of course. It's a great tiff, too, and very childish on the part of Zar. Sure, Spock should be used to seeing people eat meat in front of him, but that's his son. I'd feel awful, too.

The story is about this relationship between father and son, but Kirk and McCoy thankfully don't fade into the background. They join Spock on his trip to Sarpeidon's past (Kirk via blackmail and McCoy by outright inviting himself). They both play mentor and councilor to Zar when the poor kid is trying to understand his emotionally distant father. They even join in on the climactic battle with Tal (yes, even McCoy ... and yes, Tal the Romulan Commander's second. No, not the one that looks like Spock's dad. The one that Spock seduces. Yeah, that Romulan Commander. How many more times must I run into her??!!)

SHOP SHOWING UP!!!

Along with the power trio love, there are some slashy bits here and there. Not many, but it's there if you look for it. When Zar pours his heart out to McCoy, he says that "there's only one person Commander Spock cares deeply for, and that's... not me." (Trust him, he's an empath, and a powerful telepath to boot. He knows what he's talking about.) Combine that with his farewell words to Kirk (where his leans in and whispers, "Take care of him for me."), and I've gotten my required Kirk/Spock for the night.

I can see how this book was the first Star Trek book (that wasn't a movie novelization) that hit the New York Time's bestseller list. It's a great little read, short but packed full of character and action. Gonna have to read it again in the future.

Next time, I'll talk about the other book in the Yesterday series, Time for Yesterday.