Assignment: Eternity

Star Trek: The Original Series #84

by Greg Cox

Captain Kirk first encountered Gary Seven on twentieth-century Earth. Now Seven, a time-traveling operative for unknown alien forces, makes a surprise visit to the U.S.S. Enterprise. Kirk is on an urgent mission to bering relief to a disaster ravaged planet, but Seven has an agenda of his own -- and he's not above hijacking the Starship Enterprise and sending it on a perilous journey deep into the heart of the Romulan Empire.

Kirk must date to trust Gary Seven once again, as he confronts the possibility that the enigmatic stranger may bring death and destruction to Kirk's own era.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Star Trek Original Series, Time Travel, Space, Adventure

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“So what happens to them anyway?” Roberta asked. “Do you know?” “The same thing that happens to all of us, Miss Lincoln, if we’re lucky. A mixture of tragedy and triumph that eventually passes into the realm of memory.”

A perfectly fine and engaging Trek story. The author reveals some interesting details of Gary Seven's mission, saving humanity from itself during the tumultuous 20th century, although not in any real depth. The time travel paradox was well portrayed, but I found it irksome that the Romulan antagonist felt it necessary to travel to the future to accomplish her goal when doing so in the present would have been just as effective. I guess Romulans like to do things the hard way, or have a flair for the dramatic, but still, it just feels wrong when time travel becomes too routine. Seven is quite the fascinating and mysterious character. It's a shame his storyline was never spun off into it's own series, or that he didn't become a semi-regular in the same way Q did on TNG.

[Clark Hallman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assignment: Eternity is another very enjoyable Star Trek (original series) novel from Greg Cox. It is also a time-travel story that includes, Gary Seven, a character first seen in the last episode of the second year of the original Star Trek TV show. Gary Seven is a 24th century man who was sent back in time to Earth in the late 1960s as a Class One Supervisor known as Supervisor 194. In this book, Seven, who has the ability to communicate and travel through time, sees the assassination of Mr. Spock in 2293 by a Romulan. He recognizes that this assassination will precipitate extreme violence in the future universe. Therefore, he and his assistant, Roberta, transport themselves from Earth in 1969 to the Enterprise in 2269. Then they commandeer the Enterprise and take it into the heart of Romulan space, where they attempt to prevent the threatening changes in the time stream. Of course the fierce and hostile Romulans attack the Enterprise. Mr. Spock finds himself commanding the ship against the Romulan aggressors with help from Roberta, while Captain Kirk, Gary Seven, Sulu, and Chekov break into a mysterious fortress on a cloaked planet in the Romulan sector to avert the assassination. It is another fun read from Greg Cox, which includes many references to the original TV series and to the dear old 1960s on planet Earth. Of course, it also includes explosive starship battle action between the Enterprise and the Romulan ship and fearsome struggles between Kirk, Seven and the aspiring assassin. I recommend it to all Star Trek fans, time-travel fans, and anyone who likes military space travel sagas.

[David Palazzolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally approached Assignment: Eternity with some trepidation as I really didn't like the last book i read by Greg Cox, but I had been constantly told I was missing a gem of a book. So after many years of sitting the fence I finally decided to take the plunge--turns out it's one of the most fun Star Trek novels I've ever read. Fast paced with plenty of humor to balance it out, the book makes me want to see Cox write the further adventures of the mysterious Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln. While there seems to be no further books focusing primarily on Seven and Lincoln, Cox strongly hints that they make an appearance in his Eugenics Wars trilogy that chart the rise and fall of that most infamous Trek villain Khan Noonian Singh.

The major downsides of this book are ironically what made it such a fun read for me. There are plenty of asides here to many older SF television programs such as The Avengers, The Man--and Girl--From U.N.C.L.E and even an old movie of Leonard Nimoy's, The Brain Eaters, not all of which are clearly labeled. Also there are tons of references to past Trek Original Series episodes and movies that would make it hard for someone unfamiliar with Trek canon to fully enjoy the book. Having said that, I'm no longer opposed to reading further works by Cox, and in fact I will next be reading his latest Trek novel The Weight of Worlds.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When an Aegis Base is captured in Romulan space, Tal Shiar agents take the opportunity to interfere in the future.

Supervisor 194, alias Gary Seven, must persuade Captain Kirk to infiltrate the Romulan Empire in order to save the timeline.

Greg Cox creates a revival of the 'Assignment: Earth' premise and writes a deft adventure which flows well and feels authentic to both 'Star Trek' and its failed spin off.

[Tomislav · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 1989 Star Trek novel follows on the final episode of the second season of the original series (1968), entitled “Assignment: Earth.” In that episode, the Enterprise has time-travelled to 1968 Earth for purposes of “historical research”, when the transporter accidently intercepts a mysterious human being named Gary Seven. Seven is from a distant advanced civilization that has its own population of humans bred and trained as its agents, for purposes of clandestinely guiding primitive planets like Earth through its dangerous years. Seven has a companion being disguised as a black cat named Isis, and enlists the assistance of a young Earth woman he encounters named Roberta Lincoln.

The script was originally written to be a pilot for a half-hour television series, but when that didn’t sell, it was revised to fit into a Star Trek episode with the hope of spinning off a new series. But that also didn’t sell. So, it was left as an anomalous episode, the only one in which the Enterprise casually utilizes time travel as a part of its mission.

In this novel, set in 2269, literally just a few days after the close of the final episode of third season of the original series, the Enterprise is on a rescue mission to a flood-ravaged planet. Unexpectedly, Gary Seven, Isis, and Roberta Lincoln appear in the transporter and demand the services of the ship in order to prevent a future disaster foreshadowed in the Prologue of the novel. This reveals to Kirk and the crew that his civilization operates across time. The last time they saw him was about three hundred years earlier, and his mission now involves the Khitomer Accords, a major event further yet in the future. Without explaining anything, he hijacks the Enterprise across the Neutral Zone into Romulan territory. It all gets enjoyably rough and tumble, with the major characters true to the original series. The future history is also consistent with subsequent events developed in the films and The Next Generation series, making this a satisfying chapter of the overall timeline. However, there is lots of crazy stuff like transporting 1,000 light-years and across time, breaking through Romulan cloaking, and quickly re-configuring the Enterprise’s engines to spawn its own wormhole.

Apparently, Greg Cox has further developed the backstory, characters, and future history of the Aegis civilization in other Star Trek novels of his, which may or may not bear any relationship to what the spinoff television series would have been.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Greg Cox has a solid claim to being one of the current fanwank kings in the "Star Trek" line of novels, and this one in particular is a prime example of just how good he can be at this task. A sequel to a famous episode, with lots of kisses to the past and the future, wrapped up in an exciting adventure story that lets all the fanwank flow organically throughout the novel -- it never feels forced or awkward. A truly enjoyable read from start to finish.

[Jeff Wetherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a lot of fun to read of the further adventures of Gary Seven, Roberta Lincoln, and Isis as they travel to the future of the Enterprise to try and prevent the assassination of Mr. Spock.

[Graff Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Trek: TOS: Lit-verse: 20th/21st Century: Assignment: Eternity by Greg Cox

3.5 Stars

challenging funny lighthearted tense

Medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I cannot really remember the original episode (S2:E26), since it's been a while. I've seen it, but it didn't register as one of the episodes that I loved, but one that "okay, that's fine" was applied.

I like time travel stories, but there are obvious rules to time travel...that are important to stick to. Mr. Seven seems to be playing with a different set of rules, or at least a different point of view (to borrow a phrase frome another franchise that I love). And, it's obvious that that would happen...if you were a time traveler, trying to correct things that have gotten out of alignment (sort of like Doctor Who...which I also love).

Miss Lincoln's original character was played by the late Teri Garr (RIP 2024). She was a great comedic actress, but I've always felt that she was (in the episode) too funny, and in this story...it carried over. Not funny ha-ha, but more bumbling funny...within the situation. Of course I've known people who were like her, in real life...so maybe this is a "me" issue (in taste of character traits).

I'm truly interested how THIS story fits in this series of seemingly unconnected books within the Star Trek Lit-verse Flowchart.

Star Trek: 20th/21st Century
1) Assignment: Eternity
2) The Eugenics Wars, Book One
3) The Eugenics Wars, Book Two
4) To Reign in Hell
5) From History's Shadow
6) Elusive Salvation
7) The Rings of Time

So, with the first one completed, I will pick up the next one.

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel to the back door pilot episode Assignment: Earth, this book is a satisfactory follow up to the classic episode.
Whilst the TV episode gave the the bulk of the action to Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln, this book shares the action between them and the Enterprise crew (although Roberta Lincoln is better served than Seven).
The initial references to Seven and Roberta's other adventures (tying into other well known TV and film franchises) is fun at first but tires after a while as does the frequent references to previous episodes of the series.

[Michael Goth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greg Cox is one of several writers who has taken the forgettable second season Star Trek episode "Assignment: Earth" and written a novel that surpasses the episode. This is one of Greg's earliest Star Trek novels and not quite up to the level of quality that he would later achieve but Assignment: Eternity is well worth your time.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best Trek books are the ones that feel like a really good TV show episode while at the same time doing stuff that the TV budget never could have handled.
This book pulls it off while bringing back one of my favorite characters, Gary Seven.

Gary is an agent for an alien power that is keeping an eye on earth as it evolves towards the point where it'll be redly to handle contact with other planets.
He's a mix of Doctor Who, the Watcher from marvel comics and a 60's spy hero. Fun character, with lots of gadgets, a cute assistant and and cat that is more than it appears.
Shame more hasn't been done with Gary and company.

Anyway, Gary receives an SOS from another of his fellow agents and in order to save the day has to travel in both time and space and of course ends up crosses paths with the Enterprise crew.
While both Gary and the Trek characters are written well getting them together feels a bit forced and it made me think Paramount should try to do some solo Gary Seven novels.
Lots of nice use of Trek history and some very funny bits where the writer drops hints to other unwritten Gary adventures.
Lots of fun.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is the case with most of The Original Series, Assignment: Eternity brings some of the zanier, over-the-top elements of the show to print.

Focusing on the characters of Gary Seven (a Doctor Who-like character) and his assistant, Roberta Lincoln, Assignment: Eternity sees this dynamic duo travelling to the USS Enterprise in the future, hijacking the ship and taking it deep into Romulan Space.

Thanks to the wonder of time travel, pretty much any story can be classified as having happened and so it doesn't really mess with any specific continuity. Moreover, it's nice to see the return of characters that seemed rather underused in TOS, and giving them some interesting adventures. Overall, if you're a fan of TOS and looking for something a bit more sensible than the TV show, this is the one for you.

[Sidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was always intrigued by the Gary Seven character in Star Trek's original series. This book marks a fun and action-packed return for the character and his sidekicks, his cat Isis and his assistant Roberta Lincoln. It's a short while after the events of the TOS episode "Assignment: Earth," but events from TNG's "Unification" and "Star Trek VI" are important as well.

Gary Seven needs a star ship for a mission, so he commandeers the Enterprise and takes it deep into Romulan Empire space.

Soon Capt. Kirk and company are facing space battles, adventures on a strange planet and a tough and Romulan commander who has sights set on a plan that will rattle the world.

It's a fun read, as has been noted in other reviews, it's like reading a really good Star Trek episode featuring old friends.

[Ingrid · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading the good reviews here I ordered the book.
I think it is maybe the second time in my life that I actually threw a book in the garbage.
The characterization was so incorrect that that in itself made the book ridiculous.
Then pages upon pages are spend on Kirk trying to figure out what he's thinking, what he should do, etc. that the only thing missing was his contemplating the reason for the existence of the universe.
It is a while since I tried reading the book so I don't remember all the details, but I seem to remember that Chekov and Sulu where last seen escaping around a building in fear of their lives and next thing appearing on board the Enterprise, no questions asked. But at that point I was skipping pages so maybe I missed something though I doubt it.

[F.J. Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better Star Trek books. There were a few errors, but only things that would be noticed by a devout Trek fan. The story and the writing are very well done. It was particularly fun seeing Roberta's reaction to the 23rd century. I have previously read Cox's Eugenic Wars books, which also feature Gary Seven, Roberta Lincoln, and Isis (characters from the TOS episode "Assingment: Earth"). Assignment: Eternity is almost as good as those two books.

[David B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gary Seven and his assistant time travel from the past to hijack the Enterprise, taking it into Romulan space to deal with a threat to the time continuum whose nature they refuse to reveal.

This is a serviceable story and frequently fun to read but nothing too remarkable. Though well-plotted, it is terribly padded, with whole pages that can be skimmed over without missing anything important. A strong point of the novel is the way the characters are handled. They behave professionally throughout, which is a welcome change from other stories in which they are portrayed as one big happy family that is more preoccupied with how they feel about each other than the mission they are on, displaying little awareness that they are members of a quasi-military organization. I like that Kirk and company do not initially trust Seven, even though they have allied with him before. The numerous continuity references are fun for a Trek geek, even though they are part of what bogs down the narrative. In addition to the Trek timeline, we get a look at what Seven and Roberta Lincoln were up to in Earth’s past, which apparently included encounters with the British Avengers, James Bond, and Kolchak the Night Stalker among others.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Greg Cox had every opportunity to develop the Assignment: Earth universe and tell us all about Aegis, or Gary Seven's youth, or reveal things about Isis, etc., but no. Assignment: Eternity has the slimmest of plots, padded beyond endurance with references to other Star Trek episodes (Cox seems to be playing a game as to how many episodes he can cram in there) or to 60s pop culture (making Gary and Roberta either mention 60s stuff, or outright have interacted with The Prisoner, James Bond, and the Questor Tapes, making their appearance here a massive inside joke). One particular reference bears mentioning because it shows how slapdash this technique is. Roberta thinks Spock looks a little like the alien in The Brain Eaters, a B-movie in which Leonard Nimoy had a bit part. Except, he wasn't playing an alien, and he's nigh unrecognizable under the huge hair and beard pieces, so it doesn't make any sense. You have to KNOW the reference you're making! On a plot level, Kirk does not trust Gary to the point where he's just obstructing the story to add more pages, and the time travel story, to protect future Spock from Romulan agents screws with Star Trek VI without resolving the inherent paradox (the crew now knowing too much about future events). A waste of time.

[Patrick Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another must-read book for fans of the original Star Trek series. The book starts dramatically at Khitomer Outpost in the climatic scene from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. However, there's one major difference--Spock is assassinated just after Kirk's speech. Time has been changed. The story then goes to 1969 Earth and Gary Seven receives a message from a peer and he, Robert, and Isis are off through time to save it. Naturally they need the assistance of the crew of the Enterprise, but Captain Kirk still is unsure of this meddlesome time traveler. Also increasing troubles are the Romulans.

I loved the premise, the plot, the characters (whose voices are absolutely true to their screen counterparts), the action, the twists, and the conclusion. Gary Seven and his companions will always remain one of the great What Ifs in Star Trek history, since they were never spun off into their own series. Author Cox has created one adventure that will thrill readers and leave them pining for more. I was so glad I read this book and am looking forward to the other adventures Cox has written.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Greg Cox has captured classic characters perfectly. Kirk's courage, Spock's dedication, McCoy's irascible temperament, and his disregard for military protocol. (He frequently and loudly questions the decisions made by line officers.) There is plenty of action in this story and if you are interested in Romulans, you'll get plenty.

A couple of tiny nitpicks: the lead Romulan is something of a cliche. Fanatical to the point of insanity, she's repelling but not interesting. You know she's gonna do crazy stuff and yep, she does.

And the reference to guards makes me wonder: wouldn't the 23rd century have more sophisticated security than burly guards with phaser rifles? Security drones perhaps? True, that might make the story harder to write but I did wonder about that. Anyway, I enjoyed every page and want to read more from Greg Cox.

[Luke Sims-Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun action packed story that did stall at around the 170 to 220 page mark, but enjoyable nevertheless. Actually this one took me longer than the usual Trek book, because I moved house recently. That meant at least for me, that when I was able to pick this novel up again I wanted to to hurry up.

This one sees Gary 7 taking the Enterprise to Romulan space to stop someone from tampering with the timeline. For the most part its great. There are references to 60's TV, Star Trek history and enough things to make fans happy. The regulars are spot on and the ending leaves you wanting more. I'm actually glad I read this first, because it offers a teaser to Cox's Khan novels.

Not a novel to set your world on fire, but enjoyable.

[Dirk Wickenden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have hundreds of Trek novels, mostly bought new at time of release but I do have gaps, one of which was this book in 2023, purchased used via Ebay. I had recently read Greg Cox's two volume Eugenics Wars hardbacks, so decided to grab this previous book also featuring Gary Seven, Roberta Lincoln and Isis.

It's a good adventure and the dialogue and literary depictions of Kirk and crew felt right, whereas some authors don't get them right.

Although I read it after the Eugenics books, it didn't matter that I read them in the order I did. I do feel that the character of Roberta was handled better here and closer to Terri Garr's portrayal, than she was in the Eugenics books.

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who really wanted more Gary Seven after that one episode of Star Trek, this is a fun and suspenseful story. Obviously the author had a bit of fun writing a character rooted in both science fiction and spy fiction of the '60s, as he makes numerous references to popular entries to both genres throughout. Not going too far out of bounds of the Assignment: Earth, we really don't learn much more about Seven or his mysterious alien employers. Holding on to that bit of mystery just makes the character and story all the more compelling.

[Stephen Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to a Star Trek book. Not sure when the last time was I read one of these. This one has been on my read list for years just waiting for a Star Trek phase.
It was certainly worth the wait. Getting Kirk and company back together with Gary Seven for another time bending adventure was fun to read. The author has a good grasp on writing the standard characters so well you can hear their voices and see their mannerisms while reading the text.
If you love Star Trek and love when they tie into previous episodes then you should love this one.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good TOS book with Kirk, Spock, Romulans, off-the-page (unseen but referenced) Klingons, along with the humans including the major crew of the Enterprise bridge. There was great characterization of most of the people, although it felt as though the character of Kirk was a little childish.

The book brings back Gary Seven, a human raised among aliens with the plan that he would surreptitiously assist humans to become better as a whole, while also preventing said humans from annihilating each other

The story was a race against time to achieve a goal before the crazy persons destroyed a planet while learning about the technology, and a race in time to even reach the right spot, an event dependent on Gary Seven and his super-computer.

Very well done, and recommended for Star Trek the Original Series fans.

[Craig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well took a break from this guy but I give up. There is a reason why Assingment Earth never worked for a show. Gary Seven is uninteresting, Roberta is annoying and the premise is stupid. Toss in this hack author and I can't finish. It's all irrelevant anyway as the story is just another "We have to reset the timeline! Let's toss these events and characters into a blender and see what we get!" Basically it wastes your time so I am pulling the plug now and not letting it waste mine. Greg Cox is awful.

[Jonathan Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent entry in the Star Trek series. Cox really successfully captures the voices of the characters here, in particular Gary Seven, Roberta Lincoln, Spock and Kirk. It would be very easy to see this as an episode of TOS, which is the highest praise one can give to a media tie-in novel, it seems to me.

[Andy Stjohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book and probably one of Greg Cox’s best, along with the Khan trilogy. A short fun adventure that features many of the hallmarks of TOS, Romulans and gives Gary Seven something to do. Also, the tie ins with the future and Undiscovered Country are nice. Highly recommend for it anyone wanting to read a TOS novel.

[Andrew Beet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book great to see Gary seven again liked when seven and Kirk go down to the planet to find out what happened to supervisor 146 and to prevent what happens to spock. Like the scene when Roberta Lincoln takes over the enterprise overall a very enjoyable book by Greg cox"

[Michael Hanscom · Rating 2 out of 5]

An average Trek romp, marred by the author trying too hard to drop “clever” references to other Trek and pop culture events, and (worse) using a PNW indigenous people’s name for the name of a planet (Duwamish).

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Enterprise is on an emergency mission to the planet Duwamish when they are diverted into the Romulan space by Gary Seven, who has his own mission to complete as the Romulan intent to change the future.
An entertaining re-read