Progenitor

This is a great series and it shows a young Jon Luc before the officers aboard the Enterprise followed him without question. It shows an untested captain and makes for much more interesting stories.. there is a scene in this novel where the characters are surrounded by intergalactic wolves. Greyhorse is another one of those Friedman characters that always surprise the reader.This series is going to rival that of Peter David's Excalibur series. I just wish they would do more than two a year. At that pace no one is going to get into this series without having to wait a very long time for the next installment.

In this second part of the new Stargazer series the Chief Enginner and the Scond Officer Wu are the main focus. Simeon has to return to his world and has to participate in a race with other of his kind. In this race if you win you get to fertilize the eggs and continue your family line.Simeon has to have some people with him in this race and he picks his Stargazer friends. His family members hav died off and only one remain so this is why he has to pick offworlders.While this is going on Wu has to rescue a ship and decide if she wants to stay on board or become 1st office of her old ship.If this was not enough we hav good old politics going on back at Fleet headquarters. This is a continuation from the first book where there is this admiral determine to mess up Jean-Luc.The story also has some interesting cameos from people such as the Hansens (Seven's relatives), Rachel Garrett and a new crew member someone with the last name of Paris. The series is off to a good start and I can't wait for more. The only flaws I saw was a printing mistake that merged some stories together without a break between them. I also saw that Picard's first officer referred as human which I believe he is not. But those errors are very minor and not important to the story.

Before the Enterprise, "Q," and the Borg, Captain Jean-Luc Picard's first command was on the U.S.S. Stargazer. This adventure of Star Trek: Stargazer - Progenitor by Michael Jan Friedman is about the continuing adventures of Captain Picard's first command.This is a character driven adventure mainly focusing on two stories interwoven within the main theme of this book. But there are sub-stories within this tapestry... potential for sabotage, deceit, and intelligence gathering. Also, there is great character interaction and interplay. This is a well crafted story and will keep you interested... galactic heroism and a race for a bloodline survival... hence the title "Progenitor."The book takes right off where "The Gauntler" left off and builds to two important climaxes as the captain and crew work their respective ways through a maze of twists and turns. All testing the mettle of the characters as self-doubts and second guessing play into the characters thinking. Also, as the characters work through the story, they find their respective talents and strong suits making an interesting story better.This series called Star Trek: Stargazer has a lot of potential and so far has delivered... both in character crafting with a cohesive narrative along with action and adventure spiced with intrigue. This provides us with a much needed backstory for one of the most interesting of all captains Jean-Luc Picard.If you are a fan of Jean-Luc Picard this is a good series to get to know him when he was a younger and more free captain. Start with "The Valiant" from the TNG series to get a good foot hold on the series... if you happen to have the "Double Helix #6: The First Virtue" it has background and is worthy of reading for this new series.Fascinating potential for a new series in the STAR TREK Universe.

As the second entry to Michael Jan Friedman's new Star Trek Stargazer series, PROGENITOR gets into the mix of character dynamics early and with a passion. Surly and cantankerous Chief Engineer Phigus Simenon is even worse than ever, and Admiral McAreet is plotting to set a spy aboard STARGAZER after Second Officer Elizabeth Wu accepts a First Officer position with her old captain. Wu was one of the new crewmen McAreet ordered aboard in the last book for Picard's first mission as captain. The author shakes out his net with the patience and craft of a born storyteller. As it turns out, Simenon is being called back to his planet for a very important ritual regarding the continuation of his family. Wu takes Ensign Jiterica (a low-mass energy being) and new ship's pilot Cole Paris (any ties to Tom Paris to further shore up the Star Trek families?) under her wing to help them through personal issues. Furthermore, Ensign Andreas Nikolas is back as the reader's personal barometer for what the rest of the ship is doing, and he's taken an interest in Idun Asmund, one of the human sisters raised by Klingons. In the middle of this juggling act of plot threads, the reader also gets a closer look at Dikembe Ulelo, who definitely has nefarious ideas in mind for the ship.Michael Jan Friedman is an old salt when it comes to telling tales of the Starfleet crews. He's done novels in Star Trek The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager, as well as many of the mini-series and special events within that license. He's also written novels about Marvel Comics' X-MEN, including the cross-over between the X-Men and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Other books include volumes in the Wishbone series, based on the kids' television program, and upcoming books about the Cartoon Network smash-hit, JUSTICE LEAGUE.Friedman displays a real flair for handing a young Jean-Luc Picard and the new ship and crew. He keeps the plot threads weaving, finishing off some stories just as he is starting others. Despite getting a satisfying read with each novel, he always leaves the reader wondering what else is going on with the things he hints at. At the end of both novels so far, the reader is left wanting more. Even though the readers know that Picard goes on to have a very long and distinguished career in Starfleet, there is a host of other characters to worry over. The books read very much like episodes of the television series, and serve to keep the reader nailed to his or her seat during the tour of duty. The interplay between the characters, both with each other and their thoughts bouncing off the readers, is excellent.One of the most jarring parts of this book was the lack of blank spaces and/or asterisks to warn the reader of scene changes. This was no fault of the author, and is only mildly unsettling because this lack happens at the end of the book. Another small niggle is Carter Grayhorse's uncanny abilit

Progenitor continues the saga of the Stargazer crew that was began with Gauntlet. In this book we continue to see wonderful characterizations. As in Gauntlet there are no great enemies to defeat no planet to save just great characters working together. Picard, Greyhorse, Ben Zoma accompany chief engineer Simenon to his home world and help him with a ritual he must face. We continue to see the developement of Victoria Wu as she commands Stargazer as they attempt to rescue a stranded starship. Ensign Nicholas learns the hardway that an Asmund sister isnt helpless. What is the mystery concerning Ulelo Dikembe? All in all an excellent addition to the Stargazer series.