57: Semi-United and It Feels So Good

Rise of the Federation: Tower of Babel. The premature cancellation of Enterprise left fans in the dark about two key events in Star Trek history. The first was the Romulan War, which has since had light shone upon it by Michael A. Martin. The second is the founding of the Federation, a pivotal time that we still know almost nothing about. Until now that is. Christopher L. Bennett's Rise of the Federation series tells the story of those early years of unity—or semi-unity—and the first book, A Choice of Futures, explored the struggles faced by the Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites as they began to work together. In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Matthew Rushing and Christopher Jones are joined by Dan Gunther or Trek Lit Reviews to discuss the second book in the series, Tower of Babel. We explore the internal debate over what form the Federation should take, as well as the external challenges that threaten to destroy the young union before it can spread its wings. We also find out what course Bennett has charted for familiar faces from Enterprise's television run, especially for Archer. In our news segment we judge The Light Fantastic by its cover, find out what new stories may be set for Seekers, and drool over some very pricey, but very beautiful limited edition Star Trek / Doctor Who crossover sets from IDW.