Ten years ago this month, I got to be a part of an exciting event in the Star Trek literary universe; my novel The Poisoned Chalice formed the penultimate chapter of a five-part miniseries called The Fall, an epic cross-over event that pulled in characters from all across the then-current line of Star Trek tie-in fiction.
The events of The Fall take place across a period of sixty days in the year 2385, beginning on the “new” DS9 space station in Revelation and Dust by David R. George III, when an assassination causes shockwaves around the galaxy; in The Crimson Shadow by Una McCormack, the action moves to political fallout on Cardassia Prime; David Mack’s A Ceremony of Losses touches on the events as they connect to a population crisis among the Andorians; my novel The Poisoned Chalice kick things into high gear as the clandestine forces behind the incident show their hand; and finally, Peaceable Kingdoms by Dayton Ward brings the whole series to a dramatic, thrilling conclusion.
The Fall builds on narratives established beforehand in the Star Trek: Typhon Pact series of novels and the Star Trek: The Next Generation – Cold Equations trilogy (along with a few other earlier ‘litverse’ tales), but at its heart it’s a mosaic story showing how the lives of different characters are affected by the aftershock of a terrible event and the discovery of the conspiracy underpinning it. The Fall details an existential crisis for the United Federation of Planets and a clash of ideals that ultimately puts its core fundamental principles to the test.
I had a great experience working on this series; we assembled a virtual “writers room” not unlike what would have been created for a TV series, building out on a project that was first pitched back in the Summer of 2012 by editor Margaret Clark; Margaret’s germ of an idea was to give the Star Trek literary universe its very own “Archduke Ferdinand” moment, in echo of the event that lead to the First World War.
Opening with David R. George III’s novel – which was also the 20th Anniversary Deep Space Nine story, The Fall occurs during the period it takes for the United Federation to choose a new President. We had to dig deep into the fictional workings of the UFP’s political system to make it work, as well as juggling plotlines that ran all over the Star Trek galaxy; David Mack created a huge timeline spreadsheet that became our shared work document, as we broke the storyline down into day-by-day (sometimes hour-by-hour) events to make sure everything dovetailed together.
As for the collective title for the series, as my colleague and fellow Brit Una McCormack noted, it was originally a placeholder to designate a release date, but Una and I “didn’t realize she simply meant the books due to come out in autumn, and immediately said, ‘Brilliant title!’”
The back-cover blurb for my contribution reads as follows:
One simple act, and the troubles of the United Federation of Planets have grown darker overnight. The mystery behind the heinous terrorist attack that has rocked the Federation to its core grows ever deeper, and William T. Riker finds himself beset by rumours and half-truths as the USS Titan is ordered back to Earth on emergency orders from the admiralty.
Soon, Riker finds himself drawn into a game of political intrigue, bearing witness to members of Starfleet being detained – including people he considered friends – pending an investigation at the highest levels. And while Riker tries to navigate the corridors of power, Titan‘s tactical officer, Tuvok, is given a series of clandestine orders that lead him into a grey world of secrets, lies, and deniable operations.
Who can be trusted when the law falls silent and justice becomes a quest for revenge? For the crew of the USS Titan, the search for answers will become a battle for every ideal the Federation stands for…
While The Poisoned Chalice isn’t branded as one, it was my intention as the author that it would also very much be a part of the Star Trek: Titan book series, placing it chronologically between Michael A. Martin’s Fallen Gods and John Jackson Miller’s Absent Enemies. I enjoyed writing a Star Trek political thriller in the style of a Tom Clancy novel, with drama in the corridors of power mirroring boots-on-the-ground action sequences. My touchstone was Clancy’s Clear and Present Danger, and you’ll find a deliberate nod to the movie version of that story in Will Riker’s confrontation with President Pro-Tem Ishan Anjar at the end of The Poisoned Chalice, which I wrote to echo Harrison Ford’s Jack Ryan in the climactic scene in the Oval Office.
The Poisoned Chalice became my 3rd New York Times bestseller, and the book remains one of my favourite Star Trek projects, not just because of the challenge it was to write, but because of the great experience I had collaborating with Margaret, David, Una, David and Dayton. I’m proud to have been a part of it.
Star Trek: The Fall – The Poisoned Chalice is now out of print in paperback, but the eBook is still available along with the other four books in the series from publishers Simon & Schuster – you can find them all right here.
