Best Destiny (Classic Star Trek )

Like so many of the greatest commanders in history, James T. Kirk was a rebellious teenager, driving his Star Fleet father George Kirk to the brink of frustrated parental defeat. In his first attempt to show his son what Star Fleet was all about, Jimmy Kirk experienced the brutality of Kodos' own brand of survival techniques. When Jimmy leads his gang in an attempt to run away on an ocean ship, George tries one last time to alter his son's life course. Although the mission is designed to be a "milk-run", it turns out to be much more than that. George Kirk, Captain Robert April, Jimmy Kirk and several other Star Fleet members are observing a unique star formation in a small craft when a pirate ship attacks them. They put up a good fight but when they think that they are about to be destroyed, they put Jimmy in a makeshift survival pod and try to send him out of danger. However, Jimmy has other ideas and proceeds to attack the pirate ship and disable them long enough for his father and shipmates to join in the fight. They manage to defeat their opponents, one of which is a boy genius who has somehow managed to develop a new and revolutionary shield technology. There is a later story intertwined with this one. Years later Kirk is an admiral and the time frame is right after "The Undiscovered Country." The Enterprise is about to be decommissioned when it is forced to answer a distress call from one of the newest models of starships. When they arrive, Kirk finds himself confronting an old nemesis with delusions of godhood. This book is an excellent glimpse into the troubled teen years of the strong-willed Jimmy Kirk and the circumstances that turned a potential sociopath into one of the finest commanders Star Fleet ever produced.

Like so many of the greatest commanders in history, James T. Kirk was a rebellious teenager, driving his Star Fleet father George Kirk to the brink of frustrated parental defeat. In his first attempt to show his son what Star Fleet was all about, Jimmy Kirk experienced the brutality of Kodos' own brand of survival techniques. When Jimmy leads his gang in an attempt to run away on an ocean ship, George tries one last time to alter his son's life course. Although the mission is designed to be a "milk-run", it turns out to be much more than that. George Kirk, Captain Robert April, Jimmy Kirk and several other Star Fleet members are observing a unique star formation in a small craft when a pirate ship attacks them. They put up a good fight but when they think that they are about to be destroyed, they put Jimmy in a makeshift survival pod and try to send him out of danger. However, Jimmy has other ideas and proceeds to attack the pirate ship and disable them long enough for his father and shipmates to join in the fight. They manage to defeat their opponents, one of which is a boy genius who has somehow managed to develop a new and revolutionary shield technology. There is a later story intertwined with this one. Years later Kirk is an admiral and the time frame is right after "The Undiscovered Country." The Enterprise is about to be decommissioned when it is forced to answer a distress call from one of the newest models of starships. When they arrive, Kirk finds himself confronting an old nemesis with delusions of godhood. This book is an excellent glimpse into the troubled teen years of the strong-willed Jimmy Kirk and the circumstances that turned a potential sociopath into one of the finest commanders Star Fleet ever produced.

Rarely do authors dig into the past of major series characters, but Diane Carey does a magnificent job here! I've read this book dozens of times, and I find something new that I'd missed the time before! The skill with which Carey uses flashbacks to tell the entire story of Kirk's last mission is amazing, and we get one of the best glimces into Kirk's younger years than had ever been presented in print, small, or large screen formats. We also are introduced to several new people that molded Kirk into the best captain in Starfleet, his in-and-out father, Commander George Kirk, and Captain Robert April, the first captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Anyone calling themselves a Trekker should buy this book and read it often!!!!

Young "Jimmy," at 12, is running, for his life, it seems, from father's bidding, which would mean Jimmy must travel with Dad on the maiden voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Jimmy, always the rebel, prefers to keep his feet on the ground, or at least not in outer space; so he finds like-minded youths and leads them cross-country away from the threat of Dad and Starfleet. It seems this rebellious journey was every bit the important part of his life as that inevitable journey into which Dad forced Jimmy.

After reading literally hundreds of books which portray Kirk as a super-hero without fault, it is nice to see a book that actually portrays him as human. It tells of his trouble family life in a way many of us can relate to. More than that, it shows the potential in all of us to be like Kirk and learn from our early life mistakes. It is an inspirational tale about character, family relationships and sheer tenacity against all odds. A must read if there ever was one