Review: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Asylum
The reintroduction of Una Chin-Riley – the original Number One first seen in Star Trek‘s very first episode – in modern Trek thanks to Star Trek: Discovery was a highlight of that show’s second season. Una, played by Rebecca Romijn, continued to endear herself to viewers in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and now has, in our opinion, become an invaluable element of that show’s success. It makes sense, then, that the genetically modified Illyrian takes center stage in what’s the second novel based on Strange New Worlds (despite what the book’s cover suggests). But does this story serve the character faithfully?
We were glad to hear veteran Star Trek novelist Una McCormack was helming this installment; her previous modern Trek works, including Star Trek: Picard: Second Self, Star Trek: Picard – The Last Best Hope, and Star Trek: Discovery – The Way to the Stars, were wholly enjoyable affairs that dabbled in the ever-expanding worlds of Kurtzman-era Star Trek. Asylum fits this description, too, as McCormack takes us to two points in Una’s life. The first is during her senior year at Starfleet Academy when Una tackles helping alien asylum seekers along with other activities befitting an A+ student. The second time is just after her trial in Strange New Worlds’ instant-classic season two episode “Ad Astra per Aspera.”
Events and people from Una’s academy days come back to trouble her decades later, as diplomatic and political tensions arise with the Chionians and their close relatives, the Euxhana, as the former race begins a formal relationship with the Federation. It’s a complicated political situation between the Chionians and Euxhana, cat-like people who share a planet. The Euxhana are culturally suppressed by the Chionians, which leads to ethical and moral questions as the crew of the Enterprise and Starfleet diplomats engage with the relative strangers. What’s troubling Una is her history with Euxhana; back in the academy, she helped a family of Euxhana refugees.
Asylum isn’t entirely an Una affair, as her future commanding officer, Christopher Pike, falls off the proverbial horse not long after graduating from the academy and returns to campus to deal with the aftermath. (Here’s a little teaser about Pike’s storyline in this book: it leads to the creation of a famous Star Trek test). It’s in this context that Una and Chris meet, and while the idea of the two becoming romantically involved surfaces briefly, the idea is shut down, which is completely fine by us; not every male-female pairing needs to get romantic. The relationship between the two young future crewmates is fascinating to read unfold, as Pike senses Una will become a key part of his eventual command if he has anything to say about it. It turns out the two start to depend on each other long before they serve on the Star Trek: Enterprise.
Asylum is most notable for its portrayal of a family of emigrants trying to make it on Earth, away from their repressive government back home. Una becomes involved with this Euxhana family, which includes a mom and her four children, as she wants to do something important, something beyond academy classes and theater work. She realizes the family of Euxhana is an incredibly worthy cause to which to dedicate her time, and indeed she becomes quite attached to them and vice versa. But Una, for once in her life, bites off more than she can chew, and her all-important academy work starts to suffer, something to which the model student is not at all accustomed. It’s a major decision for Una, then, when she must back away from the Euxhana family – but this decision turns out to have a domino effect that follows Una to the present day.
We don’t want to explain how key players come in and out of Una’s life, but suffice to say much care was clearly taken by McCormack in crafting a narrative that offers both a delicate look into refugee life and the sheltered existence Una is leading to hide her Illyrian nature. We couldn’t help but feel for Una as the young, somewhat naïve student embarks on an emotional odyssey that makes her question what it means to be in Starfleet Academy, but we felt even more for the plight of the Euxhana family that enters Una’s life.
We appreciated McCormack’s Una-centric tale; the fact that the author’s portrayal of Number One aligns so well with our perception of her in Strange New Worlds speaks volumes – even though the younger Una presented in Asylum is far less wise than we are used to. Beyond that, we’re sure Trekkies and casual readers alike will value the heartfelt tale told through the lens of the Euxhana family Una comes to know, and the identity struggle Una faces as she aims to hide her true nature (she’s not strictly successful, by the way).
McCormack’s story is a sobering look at an unstable life many can’t relate to and serves as a sensible and thinly veiled analogy for any number of oppressed cultures here in real life. We appreciate Star Trek books that make us reflect on the real world, and Asylum does that well. What more could you ask for?
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