Mirror, Mirror
Whilst wandering last week through the second-hand shops of an unfamiliar town I found a ancient tome most curious and strange, which had something oddly familiar about it. It came from a previous millenium (1997 to be precise) and through the use of certain arcane techniques (like, reading) I was able to unravel its secrets and use it to transport myself to another dimension full of Vulcans, phasers, starships, and snappy but pocketless uniforms. The name on the outside was Star Trek New Frontier by Peter David; and the text was the pulpiest pulp ever pulped, albeit with a turn-of-the-millennium sensibility. I'm serious; the book opens with a 17-year old boy leading a revolution to free his home planet from from alien invaders and getting invited to Starfleet Academy by the Federation observers, and it doesn't slow down from there.
But the character I'm here to talk about is Starfleet Chief Engineer Burgoyne, who seems somewhat familiar. Burgoyne is an alien humanoid from a dual-sexual species. S/he is a perfectionist engineer, a skilled fighter, an honorable officer, and a amorous pursuer of basically anyone who doesn't run away fast enough. In the first quartet of novellas s/he enthusiastically courts a Vulcan woman until realizing that h/ir attention is causing distress (the Vulcan is having difficulty mourning the death of her husband) at which point s/he gallantly offers whatever assistance s/he can give as an officer and a friend. Then s/he helps save the day (and the starship) and ends up seducing the h/ir old friend the helmsman.
Not quite the same as our Shatterstar, but evidence this isn't the first time PAD's trod this ground.
But the character I'm here to talk about is Starfleet Chief Engineer Burgoyne, who seems somewhat familiar. Burgoyne is an alien humanoid from a dual-sexual species. S/he is a perfectionist engineer, a skilled fighter, an honorable officer, and a amorous pursuer of basically anyone who doesn't run away fast enough. In the first quartet of novellas s/he enthusiastically courts a Vulcan woman until realizing that h/ir attention is causing distress (the Vulcan is having difficulty mourning the death of her husband) at which point s/he gallantly offers whatever assistance s/he can give as an officer and a friend. Then s/he helps save the day (and the starship) and ends up seducing the h/ir old friend the helmsman.
Not quite the same as our Shatterstar, but evidence this isn't the first time PAD's trod this ground.