One after another, a number of Starfleet ships are overwhelmed by a mysterious alien aggressor, who appears to possess an intimate knowlege of the technology of the vessels under attack. The young Captain Jean-Luc Picard, with his first command, the USS Stargazer, finds himself in the front line of defence. As he and his crew prepare to make a desperate stand against an invincible enemy, it seems … seems that nothing can stop the alien’s headlong plunge into the very heart of the Federation…
more
ENIGMA is the fifth and penultimate book of the Stargazer series by Michael Jan Friedman, covering the first six months of Captain Jean Luc Picard as commanding officer of the Stargazer. I was a big fan of the concept and have been meaning to read the series for years. Now at the end of the series, I am saddened that it is coming to an end. I really would have read a twelve-book series about the crew and wished they had covered more of the 22-year period where Captain Picard was head honcho of the ship.
I think the timeline is a bit off for the description, though, and sadly misses some of the things that would have been interesting to cover. Carter Greyhorse’s romance with Gerda Asmund is something that plays a big role in the events of REUNION and yet it is something that happened decades earlier but never was discovered. It also seems to be the full focus of Carter and Gerda’s characters, which undermines both. Also, we never got to meet characters like Jack Crusher and Morgen.
Anyway, Enigma does get to pay off on the plotline of Ulelo the mole that has been examining the secrets of Starfleet’s technology and transmitting them across the stars. He doesn’t know he’s a secret agent or at least much about it and is torn about his relationship to his crew. I think this plotline was very interesting (I loved a similar one in Discovery). I liked how they initially mistake his condition for schizophrenia but felt they should have done more technobabble since I presume they have treatments for that in the 24th century.
Part of why I like this book is it does follow up on a lot of the emotional plotlines of various characters. The relationships among the crew, the trauma of the Mirror Universe Gerda’s betrayal, and the (premature?) ending of Carter’s relationship with Gerda. I especially liked following Nikolas’ resignation from Starfleet. I admit, I do have some criticisms about it, though. I think he’d be feeling at least some anger over the woman who tricked him, betrayed his crew, and tried to steal his friend. I would have thought he’d also feel some guilt over how he was so utterly fooled than acting like she was a blameless innocent.
We also get some serious progress on Admiral MacInteer’s plot to remove Captain Picard from his position as head of the Stargazer. I would have liked a bit more evidence or reasoning for him to decide to hold a competency hearing but Picard actually did screw up a few times. The fact he had a spy onboard his ship that he only noticed after they transmitted valuable data, the danger he put his crew in trying to help the traitorous Mirror Gerda, and letting the White Wolf go in the first book are all serious offenses. However, it seems like McInteer is focusing on other much milder slights. I look forward to seeing the trial next book.
In conclusion, this is a great book and I’m sad its wrapping up as a series. I feel like there was much more they could have done with the characters and setting.