Star Trek Enterprise: The Good That Men Do by Michael A Martin and Andy Mangels

Beware – significant spoilers ahead

There is simply no way to review this book – and those coming after – without revealing a major plot point. It isn’t so much a spoiler if you have finished reading ‘Last Full Measure’, but for those who maybe haven’t gotten that far in their own reading, I want to be very careful.

Last Warning – Spoilers Ahead

Trip didn’t die.

That’s right. The emotional final battle of Star Trek Enterprise was all a hoax, or at least, so say authors Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin.

And surprisingly it isn’t cheesy, either. There was not a lot of work needed to make the last episode work for the authors, and the reasoning behind the deception speaks volumes of one of Enterprise’s greatest characters.

‘The Good That Men Do’ is the real story of what happened, and is framed by a conversation between DS9 characters Nog and Jake Sisko, who ‘discover’ the real story. It’s a useless framing sequence, adding nothing to the story other than dreary hypothesising about why and poor lead ins to “what happens next”. It baffles me why the authors felt the need to frame a good story in such a way, especially considering that the characters questions of “Why” are never sensibly answered.

The main story is fun though, ignoring the absurd framing sequence. The ret-con of TV is very well done, and creates a fascinating branch for the authors to work on. Not only will the Enterprise continue its work of working feverishly to avoid war with the Romulans – not to mention Captain Jonathan Archer’s own desire to ensure the Coalition of Planets works – but Trip will now be doing his part as well.

The interplay between the conspirators was fascinating, and the way that T’Pol was sidelined another interesting aspect to play with. While again I don’t think that the authors have quite got a handle on how to write a Vulcan, I do enjoy the moments we spend with T’Pol and the emotions she is dealing with.

I enjoy this Enterprise relaunch, as it gives me a chance to be reunited with characters I enjoyed. I was never the detractor of Enterprise that many fans were, and having the opportunity to witness the momentous impact these characters had on what would come later is fun: the formation of the Federation, the Earth-Romulan War, etc.

While not up to the class of authors like David R George III or S.D. Perry (other Star Trek authors), The Good That Men Do is a worthwhile read if you are interested in finding out what happened following Star Trek Enterprise, what happened prior to The Original Series, or are just looking for a quick and fun Trek read.

7/10 A quick and fun Trek read.