273: Unintended Consequences

Orion's Hounds. The Starship Titan under the command of William Riker begins its mission of exploration far beyond the boundaries of Federation space! In the largely-uncharted Gum Nebula, Riker and the crew of Titan encounter giant, space-dwelling lifeforms that have been seen only once before: during the mission to Farpoint Station that began the voyages of the Enterprise-D. But these majestic lifeforms are being hunted, and Riker feels the need to intervene. However, all may not be as it seems. In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson discuss the Orion's Hounds. We talk about the beginning of Titan's true mission, the mysterious "star-jellies," Riker's decision to get involved, the other cozmozoans that make up the Gum Nebula ecosystem, the difficulty in changing one's way of life and adapting to new circumstances, some stand-out characters in the novel, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings. In the news segment, we talk about the recently-announced reprinting of the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in honor of the film's 40th anniversary. We also review the fifth issue in IDW's Star Trek: The Q Conflict miniseries and respond to Babel Conference feedback for Literary Treks 271: To Thine Own Self Be True. News ST:TMP Novelization Re-release (00:03:13) Q-Conflict #5 Comic Review (00:07:55) Listener Feedback (00:17:56) Feature: Orion's Hounds Titan's Mission of Exploration (00:22:53) The "Star-Jellies" (00:29:41) Making Snap Judgments (00:34:16) The Pa'haquel (00:45:24) A Matter of Perspective (00:50:23) Adapting to Change (01:03:04) Character Relationships (01:11:32) Orilly Malar (01:22:37) Ratings (01:27:03) Final Thoughts (01:30:12) Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson Production Bruce Gibson (Editor and Producer) Dan Gunther (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer)