Last Full Measure

I had heard that the new "Star Trek" movie (XI) would be using sources outside of the TV shows as Canon. (JJ Abrams made this decision - it is still contrary to the thoughts of Gene Roddenberry, but I've never understood why Roddenberry wouldn't accept some of the better written books as Canon.) This is one of the books that is used as Canon for the new movie. It tells a story that takes place after the episode "The Xindi". It explores the relationship between the Starfleet Crew and the MACOs, and there is a framing story which contains some very interesting revelations. With a cast of characters you'd be familiar with having seen the show "Enterprise", there is information about one of the main characters of that show, as well as one of the main characters of TOS that serves to remind us that good fiction should be Canon. You'll want to follow this book with "The Good That Men Do (Star Trek: Enterprise)" as it is also considered as Canon and makes an excellent companion story to this - revealing more and concluding some "Enterprise" plot lines nicely.

Star Trek: Enterprise, Last Full Measure written by Micheal A. Martin and Andy Magels is a well-written action-adventure novel. Involving Captian Jonathan Archer and the Enterprise crew along with a contingent of MACO's (Military Assult Command Operations) personnel. A battle harden group of soldiers ready for planetside combat to complement the Starfleet personnel aboard the Enterprise, in search for the Xindi homeworld. The main events in the novel take place during the summer of 2153, between the Enterprise's discovery of a Xindi who was working in a mining complex("The Xindi") and before the ship is stopped cold by a spatial anomaly and is boarded by pirates ("Anomaly"). This novel has two main stories which complement each other. One is an away mission by Captain Jonathan Archer with a contingent of MACO's and they are on a learning curve of mutial respect. The other is an away mission headed by Mayweather with a MACO contingent,learning as they go along. Archer is looking for clues as to where the Xindi homeworld is and Mayweather is on a mission to blow-up a fuel depot in the middle of a nebula, where the Xindi refuel their ships. There is plenty of action in both away missions with surprises along the way to make the reader rivited to the action in both stories. There are twists and turns and when you think that the missions a in jeopardy, Martin and Mangels work their magic, as good authors do, and you are surprised by the outcome. I truely enjoyed this installment into the Star Trek: Enterprise universe where action-adventure, intrigue, and mystery were well salted in this novel. Making the reader stay with this book until the end was easy. Martin and Mangels are a writing duo that captivates the reader with a well-told story with details and very good character development. An interesting storyline is always a plus... Martin and Mangels deliver in spades. I gave this novel a full solid five stars for a story told well, full character develpement, and action-adventure. This story will not disappoint you and is well worth the price of the novel. Enjoy this book as we get to know the Enterprise crew along with the development of the MACO's aboard Enterprise making for a very interesting read.

When a contingent of MACO's is assigned to the Enterprise to support Captain Jonathan Archer's Starfleet crew both groups share a common goal: stopping the Xindi, but they differ in their ideas of how to accomplish that goal. In the new Enterprise novel Last Full Measure the writing duo of Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels have crafted a first-rate story that goes a long way toward reconciling how the two groups learned to work together and trust each other while at the same time fleshing out the characters and bridging some of the gap between Enterprise and the Original series. Then there is the little matter of a very shocking revelation within the framing story. The bulk of the action in Last Full Measure takes place right after the third season episode "The Xindi" so it's not surprising that the Military Assault Command Operations personnel have a fairly low opinion of Archer and his Starfleet crew. When Archer decides to lead a landing party to Kaletoo to follow another tenuous lead on the Xindi, Major Hayes has justifiable doubts about Archer's leadership skills but dutifully assembles a small squad to accompany the away team. Meanwhile T'Pol, who has been left in command on Enterprise, sends Mayweather and another squad of MACO's lead by Mayweather's nemesis Corporal Chang to investigate what appears to be the trail of a Xindi vessel. The trail leads the shuttlepod to a Xindi fuel facility and a showdown between Mayweather and Chang over the decision about what to do about their discovery. As the main narrative unfolds in Last Full Measure the tension between the MACO's and Archer's Starfleet crew is palpable. Mangels and Martin employ several tried and true storytelling techniques to simply and effectively take most of the Enterprise characters out of the equation early so that the reader's attention is focused on the small core group they tell their story through. This approach works wonderfully and although you barely know some of the major players as the story begins by the final chapter they feel like old friends. In addition to getting to know several of the MACO's a bit better we also get a chance to meet Lieutenant "D.O." O'Neill, one of Enterprises watch commanders. Some people might be disturbed by the characterization of Archer in this story, primarily the methods he employs to ensure the "cooperation" of Trahve in tracking down the Xindi but given the weight of responsibility he carries you can understand those methods even if you can't agree with them. The surprise in the framing story raises lots of questions but once the initial shock passes you can sense that a door has just been opened that allows for some potentially exciting novels in the future.

The third season of Star Trek: Enterprise was a season-long epic about the quest to destroy the superweapon aimed at Earth by the alien Xindi. Some liked it, some didn't, but there was no question that this was different for the television Treks, a story where each episode told a specific part of the story, rather than being self-contained. The latest Enterprise novel, Last Full Measure (by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels) takes place near the beginning of the season, and it's well-written (as is typical from these two). While I didn't enjoy it as much as I have some of their other work, it is definitely a novel worth reading. On their quest for the Xindi, the Enterprise has been assigned a platoon of MACOs (Military Assault Command Operations), soldiers that will be expected to be the ground troops for any planetary missions the expedition requires. Being spit-and-polish military, rather than rather laid back Starfleet types, tensions between the two crews begin to rise, especially amongst those Starfleet officers who have to make room for these MACOs. Especially affected is Ensign Mayweather, the helmsman of the Enterprise. His MACO roommate is really getting on his nerves, and it's made even worse when T'Pol assigns him to pilot a shuttle full of MACOs which includes his roommate. Meanwhile, Captain Archer and Lieutenant Reed are having some growing pains of their own with the MACO commander, Major Hayes, on a clandestine mission that could turn out to be a Xindi trap. Both teams will have to use all of their ingenuity to get out of their predicaments, and they'll have to get past their prejudices as well. Mangels and Martin handle the Enterprise characters really well, even managing to make Mayweather interesting (not that they had much to build on from the television show). Some of the plot is a bit cliched, as we know how things will generally work out, not only because of where in the show this book takes place, but also because that's generally the way these types of stories work. On the other hand, the authors manage to demonstrate a successful sleight of hand technique in a couple of instances, including the resolution of one of the regular MACO soldier's storylines. I liked that, as I hated to think that the authors would give us something that ordinary. On the other hand, the torture aspect of the book seemed a little forced, mainly because I think it's dealt with a couple of episodes later in the series, and this doesn't seem to bring anything new. My memory of the episode is hazy, but I think Reed seemed surprised when Archer resorted to it, which he wouldn't have been if a similar thing happened as it does in this book. However, I do trust the authors to have done their research on that, so I'm just commenting on how it made me feel at the time. In the book itself, I thought the debate was well-handled, with Reed being the dissenting figure in the use of it, and then Mangels and Martin showing us why he's so aga

this book is great and is better than the Enterprise series. it even has a surprise at the end that would correct a problem from the last episode of Enterprise.