Michael Jan Friedman – författare

Captain's log, Stardate Eleventy-leven eighty six point negative nine. Charted a blah blah blah with my blah blah crew today, collecting samples of blah blah blah... Aren't you tired of surveying all the brave new worlds and startling new civilizations of the galaxy with the safe, polite, politically correct members of the Federation? After all, they only have fun when they break their own rules and leave a communicator behind on a planet of curious mimics, or travel through time to play with tribbles. Wouldn't you rather travel the stars with me? Who am I? Spelled the same way front as back: Q! You've heard of me. All-seeing, all-knowing, dashing beyond comparison. The Q have been here since the dawn of time (and in some cases, a little before that, but that's another story), and we've seen it all. But I've put it all together in a form you can understand. The title? Q's Guide to the Continuum! (Well, what did you think I would call it? Picard's Incessant Droning About Stellar Gas Formations?) Want to know what the longest-lived race in the galaxy is? It's here. Ever wonder who is the greatest mass murderer of all time? I know that, too. And are you dying to find out if a certain relative of mine ever played the harpsichord while dressed like a Victorian nobleman? Well, there are some things I won't tell you, but the rest will be revealed in Q's Guide to the Continuum! (Love that title, don't you?) Prepare to be enlightened!

The Stargazer is sent on a mission to investigate the tales of a pair of visitors proclaiming to be descendants of survivors of the Valiant, presumed lost in an attempt to cross the Galactic Barrier more than three hundred years earlier. On the edge of the galaxy, the Stargazer is ambushed by Nuyyad warships, leaving her second officer, Lieutenant Commander Jean-Luc Picard, with his first command, as his captain and first officer were casualties of the unexpected melee. Now trapped on the wrong side of the Barrier, beyond hope of any help from Starfleet and the commanding officers he once served, Picard finds himself isolated and under siege, the crew''s trust his to win or lose. He is caught between the suspicions of his mysterious charges and his bond with the stunningly beautiful and psychically gifted woman, which could be a bridge between the Federation''s past and his singular future. The fate of his own crew and possibly all of Starfleet weightily seated upon his inexperienced shoulders, Picard wrestles with his dilemma. Can he trust her? Can he trust himself? Within such unforgiving fires, a future commander is forged.

DOUBLE, DOUBLE On a routine exploratory mission, the Starship U.S.S. Hood picks up a distress signal from a research expedition thought lost long ago -- the expedition of Dr. Roger Korby, one of the centuries'' greatest scientific minds. Korby himself is dead, it seems, but his colleagues have made a most incredible discover -- a discovery they insist the Hood''s captain see for himself. Reluctantly, the captain agrees to beam down... Meanwhile, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise™ begins long-overdue shore leave on Tranquility Seven. James T. Kirk is looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation....until what seems like a bizarre case of mistaken identity plunges Kirk into a whirlpool of mayhem and murder. And puts an inhuman stranger with his memories and anilities in command of the Enterprise.

A routine survey of the planet Alpha Octavius Four turns disastrous as Spock is attacked and poisoned by a huge creature and Kirk''s landing party is trapped underground by a violent earthquake. As Spock fights for his life in sickbay, Scotty organizes a search for Kirk and his men. However, rescue efforts must cease when the U.S.S. Enterprise™ is called away to the Beta Cabrini system where a mining colony is under heavy attack. At Beta Cabrini, the U.S.S. Enterprise™ faces off against a Marauder named Dreen -- a man that Spock had watched his former captain Christopher Pike defeat years before. Fighting the effects of the poison, Spock struggles to his feet and takes command of the ship. Soon, Spock and Dreen are locked into a deadly game of cat and mouse -- a game driven by mad revenge that can have only one survivor!

The U.S.S. Enterprise™ members must resolve a conflict that could be their demise.En route to Alpha Malurian Six to settle a dispute between two religions, the U.S.S. Enterprise™ first stops to do a routine check on the progress of a terraforming colony on Beta Canzandia Three—a colony whose inhabitants include Carol and David Marcus. While Spock is left behind at the terraforming colony to continue his scientific studies, the rest of the crew heads to Alpha Malurian Six to find the dispute has turned to war. As Kirk, McCoy, and Scotty search for a solution to end the conflict, a ship piloted by a Klingon faction arrives at the terraforming colony to take control of the facility. When colonists are imprisoned, Spock and David must defeat the Klingons or face certain death...

Another thrilling adventure set in the Star Trek universe!When the Borg destroyed the U.S.S. Saratoga at Wolf 359, killing Captain Sisko''s beloved wife, one chapter in his life came to a tragic end. Now painful memories are reawakened when the U.S.S. Defiant carries the survivors of the Saratoga to an important Starfleet ceremony. But Sisko''s bittersweet reunion with his old crewmates is cut short when an unexpected malfunction threatens the Defiant as well as the lives of everyone aboard. Even worse, evidence suggests that the accident was caused by deliberate sabotage. Has one of Sisko''s oldest friends betrayed them all? Sisko and Dax must uncover the truth before death claims the survivors of the Saratoga.

When a fatal disease spreads over Bajor, threatening the entire planet with extinction, Captain Sisko must accept aid from an unexpected source: Ro Laren, Starfleet officer turned Maquis renegade. Major Kira and Ro reluctantly join forces to track the alien plague to its source -- even as the disease claims new victims on Deep Space Nine itself. Dr. Bashir struggles to find a cure, but the secret of the virulent invader may hide deep in the shadows of Dax''s past.

Before he commanded the Starship Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard was the captain of the deep space exploration vessel, the U.S.S. Stargazer, on an incredible twenty-two year voyage. Now Picard is reunited with his old crew for the first time in over a decade, on a mission to see his former first officer installed as ruler of the Daa''Vit Empire. The reunion turns deadly when a ruthless assassin begins eliminating the U.S.S. Stargazer crew one by one. Picard''s present and former shipmates must join forces to solve the mystery of the Captain''s past, before the killer strikes again.

Continuing the mission he began in "Unification," Starfleet Ambassador Spock endeavors to impart the logic of the Vulcan way to a small band of Romulans eager to unite the Romulan Empire and the planet Vulcan. But unbeknownst to them, a Romulan spy has joined the ranks disguised as a Unification sympathizer. Deceived by this traitor, Spock and his students are taken hostage. Fearful that Spock''s knowledge of Federation security will fall into enemy hands, Starfleet dispatches its best ship, the U.S.S. EnterpriseTM 1701-D, and most respected captain, Jean-Luc Picard, to secure the hostages'' release. Spock''s former shipmate from the original Starship EnterpriseTM, Ambassador McCoy -- over one hundred forty years old, but still as feisty as ever -- is brought in to consult on the negotiations. Their situation is further complicated when Captain Montgomery Scott confiscates an out-of-service starship and effects his own daring rescue of Spock. Picard must now find a way to preserve the Federation''s security and prevent a war while treading a mindfield of danger and deadly Romulan politics that threaten his ship, his crew, and the Federation he serves.

For 1500 years, the Klingons have revered him as their first emperor, the legendary warrior who united their people and taught them the meaning of honor, but the truth of his incredible life has been shrouded in myth and fables... until now. A clone of the original Kahless now reigns as emperor, but the discovery of an ancient scroll throws the legends into doubt and threatens to tear the Klingon empire apart. Surrounded by treachery and rumors of revolt, this new Kahless can trust no one - except Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lieutenant Worf of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

An exciting crossover between the Starfleet''s finest crew and Earth''s greatest mutant heroes who must team together to stop a deadly threat to the Federation. On the planet Xhaldia, ordinary men and women are mutating into bizarre creatures with extraordinary powers. But is this a momentous evolutionary leap or an unparalleled catastrophe? The very fabric of Xhaldian society is threatened as fear and prejudice divide the transformed from their own kin. Dispatched to cope with the growing crisis, Captain Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise™ receive some unexpected visitors from another reality -- in the form of the group of mutant heroes known as the uncanny X-Men®. Storm, leader of the X-Men, offers their help in resolving a situation that is agonizingly similar to the human/mutant conflicts of their own time and space. But when hostile aliens appear in orbit around Xhaldia to try and abduct the transformed for use as a superpowered force in an attack on the Federation, even the combined forces of the crew of Starfleet and the X-Men may be unable to prevent an inferno of death and destruction. Starfleet''s finest crew and Earth''s greatest mutant heroes will need all their powers and abilities to save the Xhaldian people and stop a deadly threat to the Federation.

In the tradition of UNIFICATION, here is the story that fans of the original STAR TREK series and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION have been clamoring for -- Montgomery Scott''s return to the Star Trek universe and his encounter with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise™ NCC 1701-D. Missing in space for seventy-five years, Scotty manages to survive against incredible odds, only to be found by the crew of the Starship Enterprise™. Though rescued, Scotty soon finds himself lost in a world that he barely recognizes, a world that has passed him by... But the adventure is not over for Captain Scott who must do the impossible when the new U.S.S. Enterprise™ faces a very old danger in a remote sector of space. This time, Captain Picard and his crew will need more than all of their courage and all of their skills to save the great Starship from destruction. This time, they will need a miracle worker.

Seven years ago, Captain Jean-Luc Picard first faced the judgment of the Q Continuum -- a race of beings with God-like powers over time and space who presumed to gauge humanity''s fitness to exist in the galaxy. Seven years ago they suspended judgment, but now a decision has been reached: The human race will be eliminated, not only in the present, but throughout time. Humanity will never have existed at all. The only chance to save mankind lies with Captain Picard. An old enemy has granted him the power to revisit his life as it was seven years before, and to experience his life twenty-five years in the future. With the help of friendships that span time and space, Picard struggles to defeat the plans of the Q Continuum. But even as he fights to save the human race from total extinction, he has been set up to be the unwitting agent of mankind''s destruction. In an effort to save humanity, Picard must sacrifice himself and all those he commands and if their sacrifice fails all mankind is doomed.

The Enterprise discovers a lifeless Federation research vessel, orbibting a planet hidden behind a mysterious energy shield. Over the strong objections of his senior officers, Captain Picard and an away team beam over in search of the missing crew -- And vanish. But soon his captain''s disappearance is not the only problem facing Commander Riker. For a mysterious disease has begun ravaging the Enterprise crew. Now Riker must uravel the secrets of the planet below in order to rescue Picard -- a prevent the starship''s destruction.

The planet Kirlos -- an artificial world built by a mysterious long-dead race called the Ariantu. Kirlos is now home to many races from both the Federation and the K''vin Hegemony, who have enjoyed years of peaceful co-existence and profitable trade. The planet also hold a wealth of undiscovered archaeological treasures, which the Enterprise™ and its crew are dispatched to help uncover. Sent to the surface to assist an archaeological team, Geordi, Data, and Worf soon find themselves cut off from the Enterprise -- and the prime suspects in a series of terrorist attacks. The three Enterprise crewmen are imprisoned, relations between the K''vin and the Federation begin to crumble, and Kirlos'' ancient underground machinery awakens from a centuries long dormancy, primed to release the most powerful destructive force ever known.

Dante Maxima Seven -- a world known to its inhabitants as Imprima. A world where Madragi -- huge social/economic entities wealthy beyond compare -- control the fate of millions.. Years ago, William Riker was part of the Starfleet delegation that opened Imprima to the Federation. Now the disappearance of an old friend -- Teller Conlon, who also served on that team -- draws Riker and the Enterprise™ across the galaxy, back to Imprima. Because the jewel known as Fortune''s Light -- one of Madraga Criathis''s most priceless possessions -- has been stolen. And Teller Conlon stands accused of its theft. Now Riker must discover the truth behind the disappearance of both his friend and Fortune''s Light, no easy task on a world where treachery and intrigue are commonplace...and where even an old friend''s embrace may conceal the deadly bite of a dagger''s blade.

Twenty-five years ago, Captain Jean-Luc Picard conducted breakthrough negotiations with an aggressive race called the Gorn. Now, on the anniversary of that achievement, Captain Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise™ are headed for the Gorn Homeworld to continue that important work. But when the ship stops to investigate a mysterious alien artifact, Captain Picard is suddenly hurled through time and space. Just as Commander Riker and the Starship Enterprise™ crew begin an impossible search for their captain, the Gorn summit goes terribly wrong. As war looms over the galaxy and Picard is desperately needed on the Gorn Homeworld, the captain finds himself stranded in the past on a planet called Cestus III at a crucial turning point in Federation history. Now, caught in a deadly situation that challenges Picard''s most cherished beliefs, he must weigh the fate of a world against the future of the entire Federation...

An electrifying novel set in the Star Trek: The Next Generation universe from New York Times bestselling authors Michael Jan Friedman and Christie Golden.An insidious plot for revenge has spanned several years in the life of Jean-Luc Picard, but how did this merciless vendetta get started? Like a double helix curling back on itself, the final answer lies at the very beginning... A series of terrorist attacks have heightened tensions between two alien races, bringing an entire sector to the brink of interplanetary war. While Picard, captain of the U.S.S. Stargazer, struggles to keep the peace, Lieutenant Commander Jack Crusher must team up with a Vulcan officer named Tuvok to uncover the hidden architect of the attacks, but the outcome of their quest would breed dire consequences for the future.

Long before he took command of the Starship Enterprise™, Captain Jean-Luc Picard led another proud vessel through the uncharted regions of the galaxy: the U.S.S. Stargazer. Thrust unexpectedly into the center seat, the twenty-eight-year-old Picard must live up to the challenges of starship command—and a crew that hasn''t yet learned to trust himThe pirate known as the White Wolf has been wreaking havoc across several sectors, and the inexperienced Picard has been given the assignment to stop him. Surprised at getting such a challenge, Picard soon learns that he is expected to fail in his duty and have his captaincy disgraced before it can even begin. Given an untested crew and an impossible mission, Picard must beat the odds and apprehend the White Wolf—but the pirate keeps a shocking secret that leaves Picard to make a deadly decision.

Thirty years before the days of Star Trek: The Next Generation®, Captain Jean-Luc Picard was thrust unexpectedly into command of another proud vessel: the U.S.S. Stargazer. Surrounded by a crew he doesn''t entirely know or trust, the young Picard must answer the challenges of leadership.While Picard and his senior staff accompany Chief Engineer Simenon to his homeworld of Gnala to undergo a ritual, his second officer, Victoria Wu, is left in command of the Stargazer. Responding to a distress call from a nearby star system, Wu finds herself in the middle of a mystery involving a damaged ship and a peculiar interstellar phenomenon—one that threatens to destroy the Stargazer if she can''t learn its secret. Meanwhile, on Gnala, Picard must help his friend undergo the ritual—and find out who is trying to sabotage their chances of completing it before they''re all killed!

An exciting tale of the founding of Starfleet and the courageous men and women who created a legacy that has endured for generations.Earth Command defeated the Romulans with the help of other races across the galaxy, and the Neutral Zone was established. Out of that necessary and uneasy collaboration came the United Federation of Planets and its combined forces, Starfleet. But the close quarters of a starship among so many races and personalities is discomforting to all the ranks. Control of what could grow to be the greatest power in the galaxy is at stake and no one is taking it lightly. A powerful new class of starship, the Daedalus, flagship of the new Federation fleet, is up for grabs among the six new Starfleet captains. Adm. Ed Walker is determined to keep this jewel, and all of Starfleet, under military command and away from the scientists. He chooses Capt. Aaron Stiles as his protégé in the endeavor. Stiles, bent on avenging the death of his brother Jake, faces stiff resistance from Walker¹s rebellious space jock nephew Dane and scientist Capt. Bryce Shumar. But they face their biggest threat of all in an unknown alien race destroying the bases of the Oreias system. Can brains and brawn combine to win without killing each other in the process?

A rift in the Mirror Universe threats the crew of the Stargazer in this Star Trek: The Next Generation novel.Identical twins Gerda and Idun Asmund lost their human parents early in life and were raised as warriors on the Klingon homeworld. They were taught to face every danger shoulder to shoulder—regarding each other as the only certainty in a dangerous and uncertain universe. The Asmunds continued to depend on each other as helm officer and navigator on the Starship Stargazer, peril and adversity forging a bond between them as strong as tritanium. But that bond is tested when a transporter mishap deposits a mysterious visitor on the Stargazer—a beautiful woman from another universe who resembles Gerda and Idun as closely as they resemble each other. As Captain Jean-Luc Picard pits the Stargazer against a savage alien species in a gallant attempt to send their visitor home, Gerda comes to suspect the woman of treachery. But she has to wonder—is she following her Klingon instincts or succumbing to simple jealousy? Gerda needs to find out—before Picard and his crew pay for their generosity with their lives.

Captain Jean Luc Picard accepts a courageous mission which he soon finds could be a deadly trap in this Star Trek: The Next Generation novel.In 1893 a time-traveling Jean-Luc Picard encountered a long-lived alien named Guinan, who was posing as a human to learn Earth''s customs. During this "first encounter," Picard saved Guinan''s life, a favor she would never forget. Five centuries later, Captain Picard, now commander of the Starship Enterprise ™, brought Guinan aboard as the ship''s "bartender." The hope was that her wisdom and inner peace would provide a moral grounding for Picard''s crew as they experienced the dangers of space. Because he hadn''t yet made his trip through time, Picard had no knowledge of his nineteenth-century meeting with Guinan. But he did remember a different first encounter with the mysterious El-Aurian—a tumultuous adventure in which Picard and Guinan would risk their lives in a maze of interplanetary intrigue, with the future of the known universe at stake. This is the story of that fateful meeting, and of a Guinan very different from the woman we think we know—a person wracked by pain and longing, shaken to the roots of her soul. A Guinan who yearns for oblivion.

Without warning, a Starfleet ship is overwhelmed by a mysterious, alien aggressor—one who appears to possess an intimate knowledge of the vessel''s tactical technology. Then a second Starfleet ship is attacked. And a third.Twenty-eight-year-old Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the U.S.S. Stargazer—a Constellation-class starship—is ordered to help form a desperate line of defense against the aggressor. But it seems nothing can stop the aliens'' headlong plunge into the heart of the Federation. Or rather, nothing in front of them can. Trailing one of the alien attack formations is a tiny Starfleet shuttle with a half dozen crewmembers aboard. One of them is Picard''s first officer and best friend, Gilaad Ben Zoma. Another is Arlen McAteer, the ambitious admiral who has made it his business to relieve Picard of his command. Can Ben Zoma and McAteer work together to unlock the secret of the alien assault? Or will their differences sabotage their effort—and deprive the Federation of its last hope for survival?

Discover Captain Jean Luc Picard''s first command aboard the Stargazer in this Star Trek: The Next Generation novel.Ensign Andreas Nikolas, heartsick over the loss of his Mirror Universe lover, has resigned his post on Jean-Luc Picard''s starship, the Stargazer, to seek a home on the freighter Iktoj''ni. All he wants of his new life is a chance to forget his troubles. And that''s what he gets—until the Iktoj''ni is taken over by a monstrous alien with unbelievable powers and a disdain for all forms of life. Without saying why, the alien sends the freighter hurtling toward a part of space inhabited by the Ubarrak, the Federation''s deadliest and most xenophobic enemy. And Nikolas, who fears that the incident will start a war, can''t convince his captor to turn back. Picard''s only hope of stopping the alien menance is Serenity Santana—a woman who once abused his trust in the name of her people''s survival. Now she''s back, asking for the captain''s trust a second time. Picard desperately needs Santana''s help in his struggle to save his galaxy. But will she justify his faith in her—or once again twist it to serve her own shadowy ends?

Revealed at last, the full story of Jim Kirk''s lost friend, the man who helped him become the captain we know... Stardate 1312.4. -- A young Captain Kirk, early in his legendary career, faces the crisis of his life when he must kill his best friend in order to save the Enterprise. Later, alone in his quarters, be cannot help recalling how he first met Gary Mitchell: At Starfleet Academy, Gary is reckless and fun-loving while Kirk is driven, ambitious, but awkward around other people -- especially women. Their friendship begins with a fistfight. Then their routine training mission on the U.S.S. Republic is diverted to a planet where centuries of bloody interplanetary conflict are about to end in a ceremony of reconciliation. Assigned to help with security on the planet''s surface, Kirk and Gary quickly find themselves in the middle of a life-and-death struggle against terrorists determined to disrupt the ceremony. With the future of two planets at stake, Kirk and Gary must find a way to work together before a mission of life and peace becomes one of death and despair.