Star Trek: Voyager was ten years old in 2005, and as part of the celebration, Pocket Books published Distant Shores, an anthology of stories set during the television series. Edited by Marco Palmieri, this collection is definitely better than a lot of the episodes, with great characterization of the regulars, imaginative extrapolations from existing episodes, as well as original stories that don't have anything to do with the episodes. One of the things I've noticed about these anthologies (Prophecy & Change for Deep Space Nine is another one) is that the stories are often used to show us things that the various episodes weren't able to show, for whatever reason.

Thus, we get some closure to the relationship between Neelix and Kes ("Closure"). We see some of the survivors of the Equinox (from the episode of the same name) who joined the Voyager crew, and then disappeared into the vast Central Casting pool, never to be seen again. Some of the stories are quite touching, while others are fun. This is definitely a collection for any Voyager fan, and even non-Voyager fans might actually like it a little bit.

The Stories
"Da Capo al Fine" (Heather Jarman)
Forming the book ends to the group of stories, this is told in two parts, separated by a cliffhanger. The Admiral Janeway from the future who came back to help Voyager home (in the finale) is being mentally assaulted by the Borg Queen. Or is she? Could some alien be returning to deliver what he promised? She visits numerous instances of the life and death decisions she's had to make over seven years in the Delta Quadrant, and she must decide whether to turn down a final offer that could eradicate all of that. I wasn't sure what to make of this story at first, but ultimately it could almost be an analogy for the whole Voyager series. If we had it all to do over, would we begin this tragic journey again? These seven long years? Ultimately, the answer is a given, but it's still an interesting exploration in Jarman's hands.

"Command Code" (Robert Greenberger)
It's only been a few days since Captain Janeway stranded Voyager on this side of the galaxy, and the two crews (Starfleet and the Maquis they were chasing) have only begun to integrate. Mistrust still simmers below the surface, especially since Chakotay, the captain of the Maquis crew, was made First Officer. When the ship enters an alien mine field, Captain Janeway is incapacitated, forcing Chakotay to take command far sooner than he ever thought he would. Tuvok, Janeway's friend and security officer, has taken steps to prevent Chakotay from doing anything too rash until he can get a feel for how Chakotay will command. However, the battle of wills between these two men could spell doom for the ship before their journey home even starts. This was an interesting story, mainly because the television series pretty much ignored the tension that must have existed for some time between the two crews. We finally get to see that in action, and Greenberger captures both Tuvok and Chakotay almost perfectly. Chakotay still isn't overly comfortable with the position he's assumed, and he must retain his Maquis crew's loyalty as well as gaining the Starfleet officers' respect. Greenberger keeps the tension tight, and the final scene is perfect.

"Winds of Change" (Kim Sheard)
It's only a couple of weeks since young Kes had her body taken over by an alien warlord, which has opened a lot of aggressive feelings that she has never experience before. Meditating with Tuvok doesn't seem to be working, so she looks elsewhere. B'Elanna Torres has always had to keep a lid on her Klingon aggressiveness, and Kes hopes that she can learn how to do it too. When sports don't work, making Kes frustrated instead of calm, Tom Paris suggests something else. Something that might end up helping the entire crew as well. This is a nice little story between two women who are vastly different people, and how they learn that they have something in common. I do wish that Sheard hadn't added an external threat that, of course, Kes is able to help solve with what she's learned from B'Elanna. I thought that was a bit clichéd. Otherwise, I liked the characterization of the two women, and the peacefulness of the story. Not top notch, but definitely enjoyable.

"Talent Night" (Jeffrey Lang)
With a lonely journey across the Delta Quadrant, and with no Shore Leave in sight, Captain Janeway has decided to take up Neelix's suggestion of a "talent night" for the crew, and she has strongly suggested that her senior staff all take part in order to demonstrate how important this is to the rest of the crew. Tom Paris is placed in charge of it, and he enlists Torres' help in setting things up. Things don't quite go as planned, though, when the warp core starts acting up, and all power must be cut from the Holodeck. Still, the show must go on, right? This is a very quiet story, and I must admit that I loved it. It shows us a bunch of different characterizations, the possible beginnings of the Tom-B'Elanna pairing, as well as some tender scenes between Neelix and Kes that were simply wonderful. We also see a side to Janeway that I never thought we'd see. Nothing "exciting" happens in the story, but it's so well-told that I didn't care.

"Letting Go" (Keith R.A. DeCandido)
What about those who the Voyager crew left behind? Told from the eyes of Mark Johnson, Janeway's fiancé, this is the story of the survivors and how they coped with the supposed loss of Voyager. It covers about three years in time, from the one-year anniversary of Voyager's disappearance to just after they discover the Voyager is stranded, and it's a very poignant story. It's the second-best story in the entire book. Mark is basically living his life from day to day, never quite severing his ties with Janeway, until a friendship develops with another Starfleet officer who also lost a loved one on Voyager. She finally forces him to let go and live his life again, and he finds a woman right under his nose. Meanwhile, a young man whose father was on Voyager also can't let go, and that may have more tragic consequences. This is a side of Voyager that the television show could never show us, and I'm glad DeCandido did. It almost brought a tear to my eye. It's a story of love, loss, and mourning, and ultimately how we can hold too tight to the past if we don't let go. It's simply wonderful.

"Closure" (James Swallow)
Neelix and Seven of Nine are trapped on a planet, buried underground. Seven is badly hurt, so badly that her Borg nanoprobes may not be able to repair her. Neelix is trying desperately to find a way out, but he seems lost in a fantasy with his old love, Kes. Will he be able to get out of it in time to save Seven, and himself? Or is it even a fantasy? This story didn't really appeal to me that much, and I can't really say why. Swallow captures the characterizations pretty well, and I do like the closure of the relationship between Kes and Neelix, but ultimately I thought it was unnecessary. By the time this story takes place (during the fifth season), Kes is long gone, and Neelix should have moved on. In fact, there's nothing in the series that really says that he hadn't. So I found the point of the story to be a bit superfluous. Yes, I agree that the severing of their relationship was horribly done on the series, but I think a different way could have been found than this. On the story side, I did find Seven intriguing as her internal monologues are starting to sound more human. She doesn't want to die down in this cavern, and she's even given to a little desperation, which is nice. Ultimately, a nice little story that I think should have been set at a different time.

"The Secret Heart of Zolaluz" (Robert T. Jeschonek)
Captain Janeway's been kidnapped by some raiders, and Seven of Nine's shuttle has crashed as she attempts to rescue her. Hidden away from the searching soldiers by a one-legged young girl, Zolaluz, Seven must remain hidden while her broken leg heals. The soldiers treat all people with the same disease that Zolaluz has very brutally, and Seven almost reveals herself. When it comes time to rescue Janeway, though, she finds that all of those who are stricken are quite courageous, and she is ultimately given a great gift. Unbeknownst to Seven, she has also given Zolaluz a gift that will soothe her secret heart. This is an interesting story too, with intriguing characters and a wonderful characterization of Seven. We see inside her secret heart as well, the human being she was before she was assimilated by the Borg, the young girl who cries out that she cannot be forgiven for all she did as a Borg. When we finally discover the secret of Zolaluz, it is quite touching.

"Isabo's Shirt" (Kirsten Beyer)
I have to say up front that I didn't like this story that much, and it isn't really Beyer's fault at all. She tells a great story here, but I never liked the whole Janeway/Chakotay "will they or won't they?" romance angle on the television series, so an entire story devoted to clearing it up once and for all wasn't high on my list of desired reads. When Janeway gives Chakotay a "Bonding Box" for his birthday, he thinks that she's finally declaring that she's willing to have a relationship with him. He's been in love with her all along, but he's never thought he could say anything unless he knew she would agree, as it may affect their professional relationship. He goes through all of the "how do I carry this forward" agonies that men do in all those stories, even asking Tom Paris for advice (without disclosing who he's talking about, of course). The results of their first "date" bring final clarity to their relationship, and they show us that both characters really need to do their research more carefully. I can't argue with the characterization in this story, but I really didn't like seeing the lovestruck Chakotay that much. I did, however, enjoy the kitchen conflict between Neelix and a young Bolian crewman that Chakotay has to mediate. To me, that was the best part of the story. Ultimately, I'm just glad the whole thing is put to rest so we can move foreward. Sorry, Kirsten. It's nothing against your writing here.

"Brief Candle" (Christopher L. Bennett)
This, however, is the best story in the entire collection. Lieutenant Marika Willkarah has recently been rescued from the Borg collective, but unfortunately her severing from the link is going to kill her soon. She decides that she has to live her life to the fullest in her limited time. She becomes attracted to Ensign Harry Kim, who feels he can't return her feelings because he would get too close to her and her death would be too painful. Whether or not she convinces him to ignore that fear, we see her carry out her goal. And when it's time to go out, she is able to make the choice her own way. This is an incredibly touching story that did leave a tear in my eye at the end. It ties in nicely with the episodes that are supposedly around it, and Bennett's characterization is wonderful. Kim is a great mix of naïve and afraid, and his best friend, Tom Paris, is not afraid to let him know when he's being an idiot. The coda to the story is what definitely makes it work, however. This is a must-read for any Voyager fan.

"Eighteen Minutes" (Terri Osborne)
In the episode "Blink of an Eye," the holographic Doctor is on a planet where time passes much faster than it does in orbit. Voyager is able to grab him within 18 minutes of his departure, but for him, down on the planet, almost three years pass. This is the story of what he did. He tries to fit in as best he can without breaking the Prime Directive, and he befriends a pregnant young woman who is all alone. There are two main provinces on this land mass, and they are constantly in conflict. Tensions are high, and the Doctor may not survive to be beamed up by Voyager. The stories in this book seem to go mostly for the high emotional effect, and this one really isn't any different. While the story is definitely good, I found that it was getting to be too much too fast at this point. My emotions were starting to run dry. So I suggest stopping somewhere in the middle of all these. That being said, "Eighteen Minutes" has a wonderful characterization of the Doctor, especially as he keeps on having to adjust his program to deal with the new roles he has to play. This is shortly after his disastrous attempt to have a holographic family, so the wounds are still raw, and when he's forced to be a father-figure again, he's not sure he can handle it. There is definitely some tension as well, but this is mostly another emotional wringer story.

"Or the Tiger" (Geoffrey Thorne)
The first of the stories that deal with the crew of the Equinox, this story is a Torres story. She can't get past what the crew of the Equinox did to the innocent aliens that they were using for fuel, and she is holding it against all the survivors that are now on Voyager. The ship stumbles across an alien artifact and, to her dismay, Lessing, one of the Equinox crewmembers is assigned to the team of fifteen sent to explore it. But the artifact might be more than what it appears, and Voyager may be making a short trip home. Until Lessing and some of the other team members discover a little wrinkle in the plan. This story was definitely an interesting examination of Torres and her past, especially the friend that she left behind on Equinox. The tension between Torres and Lessing is great, and it's nice to see some conflict among the Voyager crew as well, even if it is just Torres against everybody else. The ending is fitting, except that I think Janeway went a little too easy on the culprits, and there's no indication that she disciplined both sides. All in all, quite nice.

"Bottomless" (Ilsa J. Bick)
And finally, we get to this one. In typical Bick style, it's quite a bit darker than the other stories, with a bit grittier feel to it. Janeway also has extremely bitter feelings toward the Equinox crewmembers she rescued, and she demonstrates it by giving them some of the harshest duty around. Marla Gilmore is one of those crewmembers, and she's getting sick of it. She feels incredibly alone, and it's only when she gets a chance to go on a rescue mission under the oceans of the water planet below them that she may find redemption. But will it come at a cost? I did enjoy this story overall, but I did find Janeway's attitude incredibly strict. I don't remember "Equinox" that well, but I don't think there was any sign that there was this much animosity toward them, at least not from the captain. And her attitude when Chakotay tries to call her on it seems a bit harsh as well. Otherwise, this is a nice tale of a woman trying hard just to redeem herself after the horrible things that she has taken part in, and how she's able to survive in the meantime. I loved the rest of the characterization, and the story was ultimately worthy of finishing the book.


The Voyager Re-launch
Homecoming
The Farther Shore
Spirit Walk: Old Wounds
Spirit Walk: Enemy of my Enemy

Other Voyager books:
String Theory I: Cohesion
String Theory II: Fusion
String Theory III: Evolution
Distant Shores

Recommended: Yes