Description
- In the twenty-first century: United at last after countless years of warfare, humanity turns towards the stars. But when an alien spacecraft crash-lands in the South Pacific bearing visitors from another world - the Vulcans - Earth must decide whether to extend the hand of friendship, or the fist of war...
- While in the distant future, horrible dreams torment Admiral James T. Kirk, dreams promoted by his reading of "Strangers from the Sky", a book about the historic first contact. Dreams of an alternate reality where he somehow changed the course of history - and destroyed the Federation before it began!
Summary
McCoy convinces Kirk to read a new novel, Strangers from the Sky, which purports to tell the story of the real first encounter between humans and Vulcans, twenty years before the official first meeting. A Vulcan scout ship crashlanded on Earth, with its two survivors, T'Lera and her son Sorahl being found first by a farming couple and then by the crew of a submarine. However, both Kirk and Spock begin to have dreams indicating they were present during events. In an attempt to regain their sanity, and with Kirk having recalled Elizabeth Dehner was present, they begin a mind meld to retrieve the memories.
Early in the first five year mission, the Enterprise encountered a planet phasing in and out of existence. Kirk, Spock, Mitchell, Kelso and Dehner beamed down but soon afterwards they disappeared from the surface, being transported back in time two hundred years. The humans were met by Parneb, a long-lived human who lived his life out of order and was responsible for the planet, while Spock sought refuge with Jeremy Grayson, an ancestor known for taking in refugees.
The groups learned of the Vulcans' existence on Earth and, fearing their presence had interfered with history, Kirk and Dehner infiltrated a party sent to the Antarctic to meet them. When the news was leaked to the media, nearly everyone else was evacuated. Mitchell joined in time to warn them of an attack by terrorists seeking to make a statement, while Spock also joined them using Grayson's credentials after he suffered a fatal stroke. Together, Kirk and Spock stopped the submarine captain Jason Nyere from announcing their existence to the media in order to prevent the authorities ordering their execution and convinced T'Lera not to kill herself and her son to prevent further violence.
The Enterprise group arranged to have the Vulcans leave the planet in an abandoned DY-100 ship and erased the memories and records of the humans involved, leaving Sorahl's journal as the last piece of evidence upon which the novel would be based. Parneb then returned them to their own time, tampering with their memories in turn. Their recollection of events restored, Kirk and Spock muse on their impact on events.
References
Characters
- 23rd Century
- Cleante al-Faisal • Elizabeth Dehner (alias "Sally Bellero") • DeSalle • John Gill • Amanda Grayson • Lee Kelso (alias "Howard Carter") • James T. Kirk • Tran Van Ky • John Kyle • Mathee • Leonard McCoy • Gary Mitchell (alias "Jerzy Miklovcik") • Galarrwuy Nayingul • Heihachiro Nogura • Mark Piper • Purdi • Koro Quintal • Montgomery Scott • Krista Sivertsen • Spock (alias "Ben") • T'Sri • Nyota Uhura
- 21st century
- Aghan • Tatya Bilash • Easter • Jeremy Grayson • Kaze • Henry Moy • Yoshi Nakamura • Mahmoud Gamal al-Parneb Nezaj • Noir • Jason Nyere • Reeta Patel • Racher • Red • Savar • Melody Sawyer • Selik • Sorahl • Stell • Raven Takes-the-Bow • T'Lera • T'Preth • T'Saaf • T'Syra • Mariya Yevchenkova
- Referenced only
- Ahkarin • Jasmine al-Faisal • Isaac Asimov • Bach • David Bailey • Boma • Borodin • Fletcher Christian • Zefram Cochrane • John Farrell • Hassan Fathy • Sean Finnegan • Garth of Izar • Dora Grayson • Colonel Green • Hannibal • Adolf Hitler • Hrokk • Jaeger • Galileo Galilei • Garamet Jen-Saunor • Kinski • Kodos • Kyle • Janice Lester • Jabilo M'Benga • Carol Marcus • Joanna McCoy • Merlin • Abu Nidal • Scarlett O'Hara • Parmen • Christopher Pike • Prokofiev • Ramses III • Janice Rand • Rojan • Rosebud • Ruth • Carl Sagan • Sarek • Sargon • William Shakespeare • Areel Shaw • Khan Noonien Singh • Socrates • Sotir • Benjamin Spock • Surak • Trelane • T'sai • T'Shael • T'Sri • Janet Wallace • John Wayne
Starships and vehicles
- UNSS Amity • CSS Delphinus (SCC-MultiUse) • DY-100 sleeper ship • USS Enterprise • USS Farragut • UNSS Icarus • USS Intrepid • K'tinga-class starship • USS Reliant • USS Republic • snocat • snowmobile • Vulcan robot ship • wingboat • CSS Xeno
Locations
- 61 Cygni • Alabama • Aldebaran colony • Alexandria • Alpha Centauri • Americas Base • Antarctica • Arecibo • Argelius • Agro III • Agro IV • Babel • Boston • Brisbane • Canton • Darrinbandi • Delta Vega • DownUndersea • Earth • Easter Island • Egypt • England • Epsilon Eridani • Epsilon Indii • Fairbanks • Glockamorra • Goddard Moonbase • Hollywood • Ireland • Ivory Coast • Jupiter • Kapeshet • Khazakstan • Kiev • Lagos • Lima • Llingri Star Cluster • Luna • M-155 • Mali • Mars • Marsbase • Martian colonies • Mayabi Fault • Memory Alpha • Neptune • Nevada • Norfolk Island • Nourlangie Rock • Ohio • Oort cloud • Pacific Ocean • Pitcairn • Pluto • Posnan • Rano Raraku • Rigel XII • Ross Ice Shelf • Salt Lake City • San Francisco • Sector Epsilon Z-3 • ShiKahr • Shiloh, Tennessee • Sol system • Solomon Islands • Starbase 6 • Starbase 16 • Stockholm • Sunshine • TerraMain Spacedock • Tezqan • Thebes • Tierra del Fuego • Timbuktu • Ukraine • Vancouver • Vulcan • Vulcan Space Central • Western Desert • Woolwonga • Wyoming
Races and cultures
- Andorian • Centaurian • Coridani • Horta • Human (Jewish) • Klingon • Medusan • Melkot • Organian • Orion • Romulan • Tellarite • Thasian • Troyian • Vulcan
States and organizations
- AgroInternational • Alliance for the Twelfth of November (Twelve November Alliance) • Back to Earth Movement • Boston Museum • Boy Scouts of America • Combined Services • Comm Central • CommPolice • Dove Society • Easter Rebellion • Gdansk Shipyards • Gestapo • GlobalNews • Ground Forces Intelligence • Intergalactic Brotherhood of Space Cadets • Irish Republican Army • Massachusetts Institute of Technology • MediaComm • MediaMagix • MeteorCom • Museum of the South Pacific • Offworld Service • Peace Fellowship/Peace Institute • PentaKrem • Prolificom • Red Brigades • SeaSources • Starfleet Command • STEM Local 583 • Tellar • United Earth • United Earth AeroNav Forces • United Earth Ground Forces • United Earth Council • United Earth Space Probe Agency • United Federation of Planets • University of Pacifist Studies • Vulcan Council • Vulcan High Command • Welcome
Other references
- 12th century BCE • 2045 • 2048 • 2055 • 2065 • 2068 • 2087 • agronomy • Ancient Astronaut • android • Antique Films Festival • apricot • Armagnac • Articles of Federation • Astromance • Aswan Dam • Australian • Babel Interplanetary Conference • babushka • Bleak House • bourbon • brandy • Byrd Research Complex • Cheshire cat • chess • chicken Kiev • Class M • clearsteel • coffee • commphone • date • Demerol • djellaba • dolphin • Dream-time • dVel'nahr • esper • Eugenics Wars • Faust • The Final Reflection • Flag Officers' Handbook • flame-thrower • Flying Dutchman • Freedom of Information Act • Gibraltar Locks • High Commissioner of United Earth • holovision • IDIC • infrawhite • intracranial senceiver • ka'athyra • kaiidth • katra • kelp • kelpwilt • Kobayashi Maru scenario • kolinahr • kroykah • laser pistol • laser rifle • Lieutenant Kije •loshiraq • malesh • Maori • MedArts complex • meperidine • Mind Control Laws • Mind Control Riots • mint • Murasaki Index • Murphy's Law • Napoleon Complex • "A Nation Once Again" • neo-dopamines • neutron cannon • The Once and Future King • Parkinson's disease • peace symbol • penguins • petunia • Philosophers' Stone • poetry • Prefect • Prime Directive • Provo • psychoscan • Purdi's Book Emporium • rice • Romulan Wars • SDI • The Seventh Seal • Singing • soccer • sonic grenade • Sorahlaze • stardate • Strangers from the Sky (23rd-century novel) • T'Kahr • ta'al • tal-shaya • tapeworm • tea • tennis • Tellarite Insurgency • Third War • Through the Looking Glass • time-warp speed • tobe • tofu • Twelve November Uprising • UFPMA Seal of Approval • United Earth Accords • United Earth Movement • University Hospital • V'Ger • vidvertising • Vulcan Archives • Vulcan Prime Directive • Vulcanian Expedition • War and Peace • Warmongoria • Weltschmerz • "wiping" • World Hunger Year Concert/Concert for Peace • xenobiology • Xenopsych Today • xenopsychology • yarmulke • You and I
Appendices
Related media
- Where No Man Has Gone Before (TOS episode) -
- Dwellers in the Crucible (TOS novel) -
- The Final Reflection (TOS novel) -
- A Time to Sow (TNG novel) - Jean-Luc Picard reads a 23rd century novel which "purported to be the 'real story' of Earth's first encounter with the Vulcans", an apparent reference to Strangers' novel-within-a-novel.
Background
Publication history
- 1987
- Original Pocket Books paperback edition published in July.
- Audiobook published by Simon and Schuster Audioworks in September.
- Science Fiction Book Club hardcover edition also published.
- In the UK Titan Books issue a paperback edition in September.
- 1993 - Pocket Books paperback reprint.
- 1999 - Simon and Schuster Audioworks audiobook re-released in November.
- 2006 - Pocket Books issue a new reprint in august, with new cover art, as part of the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek celebrations.
Images
Connections
Timeline
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Enterprise: The First Adventure |
TOS unnumbered novels | Next novel: Final Frontier |
| Previous story: Dwellers in the Crucible |
Stories by: Margaret Wander Bonanno |
Next story: Probe |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Future Imperfect Chapters 1 (section 3), 2 (section 2), 3 (section 2), 5 (section 1), 6 (section 2), 7 (section 1), 8 (section 2), 9 (sections 1 & 3), 10 (sections 2-4) & 11 (section 1) |
Pocket Books Timeline | Next adventure: Time for Yesterday Chapter 1-4, 5 (sections 1-2), 11-13 & Epilogue |
| Previous adventure: Future Imperfect Chapters 1 (section 3), 2 (section 2), 3 (section 2), 5 (section 1), 6 (section 2), 7 (section 1), 8 (section 2), 9 (sections 1 & 3), 10 (sections 2-4) & 11 (section 1) |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Time for Yesterday Chapter 1-4, 5 (sections 1-2), 11-13 & Epilogue |
| The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in 2284. The Pocket Books Timeline and Memory Beta Chronology place events from this story in 2 other timeframe(s): | ||
| Previous Pocket adventure: Make-Believe Previous MB adventure: E² Past |
October 2045 Book 1: Chapters 1 (sections 1-6), 2 (sections 1-10), 3 (sections 1-5), 4 (section 1-5), and 5 (sections 1-12); Book 2: Chapters 3-10, and 11 (sections 1-7) |
Next adventure: The Sundered Chapter 6 |
| Previous Pocket adventure: Enterprise: The First Adventure Previous MB adventure: Sceptre of the Sun |
2264 Book 2: Chapters 1-2, and 11 (section 8) |
Next Pocket adventure: Enterprise Chapter 5 (sections 1-2) Next MB adventure: Mission's End, Issue 1 |
Translations
- 1990
- German : Der Fremde vom Himmel, translated by Andreas Brandhorst. (Heyne)
External links
- Strangers from the Sky article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Strangers from the Sky article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.