Commentary: Trek Stars 14: Less Botany, More Botany Bay

Meyer Part 5: Black Orchid. In 1977, Nicholas Meyer teamed up with his University of Iowa classmate Barry Jay Kaplan to write his fourth novel, Black Orchid. The book was Meyer’s first attempt at something outside of the mystery genre, specifically historical fiction. It looks at the Brazilian Rubber Boom of the late Nineteenth Century, and the United Kingdom’s attempt to steal rubber seeds in the hopes of breaking up Brazil’s rubber monopoly. This week, Max and Mike are joined by Matt Rushing of Trek.fm’s Literary Treks and The Orb to discuss the book’s strengths and weaknesses, whether or not Kaplan’s influence hurt the overall work, the protagonist’s similarities to Indiana Jones, the real life history behind the fiction, the inherent drama of seed-stealing espionage, the finale’s similarities to the Battle of the Mutara Nebula, and why The Undiscovered County is the perfect title for Star Trek VI.