Deep Space Spines – Page 12 – A chronicle of the non-canonical since 2017.

#222: Wrath of the Prophets (DS9 #20)

On 19 July 2022

Spoiler level in this review: somewhat heavy.

In today’s episode, when a Bajoran leader turns to the black market for solutions, her refurbished replicators come with an unwanted extra. But when a certain well-known Maquis makes an offer Sisko can’t refuse, the station’s snark levels threaten to reach critical mass. Is this town big enough for two strong-willed Bajoran women? Why is Dax spacing out all the time? And don’t you hate it when Kai Winn is right? All this and more in Wrath of the Prophets, the book that pours kerosene on the “O’Brien is the worst husband ever” fire.

#221: Breakaway (TNG YA #12)

By jess

On 9 July 2022

In TNG, YA

In today’s episode, Cadet Troi’s freshman year is off to a rough start, and if it isn’t one thing, it’s her mother. But once she signs up for a major pass/fail test early, she’s in for a slip of latinum, in for a bar. Can Deanna overcome her reputation of privilege? How quickly does Lwaxana go through valets? And is the galaxy ready for Kirk 2.0? All this and more in Breakaway, the book that throws an unexpected punctuation curve.

#220: Intellivore (TNG #45)

By jess

On 10 June 2022

In TNG

(A Quick Note: This review contains a few more spoilers than usual. Some have actually been requesting that for a while, so for those people, today is your lucky day. But if you want to keep some of the mystery alive, I’d recommend skipping the “MVP & LVP” section on this one. —Jess)

In today’s episode, when the Enterprise is tapped to scare off Beta Quadrant baddies, the locals advise shooting first and asking questions never. But when Picard realizes that may well be the only way to neutralize an even bigger threat, he’ll need all of Data’s USB ports to get the job done. Can you change the difficulty setting of space? How do hiccups feel to a Trill? And how much setup is too much for one pun? All this and more in Intellivore, the book that demonstrates the value of (ab)using your noggin.

#219: Chrysalis (VOY #12)

By jess

On 4 June 2022

In VOY

In today’s episode, when Voyager’s latest grocery run puts them on holy ground, the natives are surprisingly chill about it. But when they make off with an ensign who gets their old-time religion, Janeway only has until the Rapture to get her back. How much weight do the needs of the many carry in the Delta Quadrant? When would Voyager need to start seriously considering a coupling regimen? And will Chakotay dare to tarnish his immaculate “being uninteresting” streak? All this and more in Chrysalis, the book that spills the Kazon tea.

Side Trekked #2: Wil Wheaton, “Still Just a Geek”

By jess

On 31 May 2022

In Side Trekked

It might not seem like that long ago to some of us, but the Internet of 2001 was an entirely different Internet from today’s. Social media was almost literally nonexistent. There was no Facebook, no Twitter, not even MySpace yet. There was no Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok. Forums existed, but there was no Reddit yet. YouTube was still four years out. Amazon was but a humble bookseller. Google had already pulled out to the front of the search engine pack, but was also still—at least nominally—trying to Not Be Evil.

Another major difference was that blogs had a lot more cachet in those days. I speak mainly of blogs that were on their own websites, though LiveJournal and Xanga added their own flavor to the online stew by bringing the concept to a less tech-savvy crowd, giving those who fancied themselves the stars of their own lives a spotlight to shine on themselves.1 But a blog that was on its own website was a different animal. You weren’t yet able to do what I did, which was find a website that would accommodate your modest hosting needs, pay a year upfront to gain access to the WordPress suite, find a layout you like, maybe tweak it a bit, and start pounding out the words. You either had to build the thing yourself from the ground up, or have someone who could do that do it for you.

And in the almost incomprehensibly different world of 2001, that’s exactly what Wil Wheaton did.