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Star Trek: The Original Series #5
The Prometheus Design
Can the galaxy's growing violence be stopped?
Captain Kirk and his crew are on a mission to investigate the mysterious wave of violence that has overtaken the Helvans--revolutions, mass riots, horrible tortures. But this chaos is all part of an experiment by an unimaginable power that soon grips the crew of the Enterprise.
Captain Kirk is plagued by violent hallucinations and removed from command. Spock takes charge but his orders seem irrational--even cruel.
Unless this terrible power can be stopped, not only the Enterprise, but an entire galaxy will be ensnared in the deadly grip of the Prometheus Design.
190 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1982
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December 2, 2022
5 Minute Prometheus Design
SAVAJ: [does Vulcan salute with both hands] I am Savaj.
KIRK: Ah, welcome aboard, Adm. Awesome McCoolname.
SAVAJ: As you are aware, I was Fleet-Commander of the all-Vulcan wing of Starfleet with primary responsibility for Vulcan exploration ships, which opened some 32 percent of the now explored galaxy. I've found cures for cancer, won every possible award, saved the kittens, wrote the original code for the universal translator, I'm the reason Neil Young, Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen are still alive and putting out new material, I'm cooler than everyone else in the galaxy by 64.325 decimal places, and I invented the internet.
Now then. Capt. Kirk, you are relieved of command because you are being influenced by aliens.
KIRK: I take advice from Spock all the t...
SAVAJ: No, they're enemies, beaming THOUGHT WAVES from the forbidden planet.
KIRK: Oh, I see what you mean. *puts on tinfoil hat*
SAVAJ: Peace and Long Life, Spock. Let us engage in Vulcan martial arts and beat the crap out of each other.
SPOCK: FOR GREAT JUSTICE!
(They do so. Later:)
SAVAJ: Spock, you are a manly, studly Alpha Male.
SPOCK: Are you making a pass?
SAVAJ: Shuddup this isn't slash. [Savaj is in SERIOUS DENIAL.] I mean that you have been holding back your godlike strength and powers for the sake of these puny humanlings.
KIRK: I'm a fool, Spock, but a very lucky man.
SPOCK: Agreed. Also, you know what I told you after I came back from trying to connect with V-GER and realized that "this, simple feeling" and my human qualities were just as important as my Vulcan ones and I should stop f@#7$ing around with Kohlinahr and trying to be perfect and I even cried on the bridge?
KIRK: Yes, Spock, I remember.
SPOCK: Well, forget it. I'm going to be a cold p@#7$ off Kohlinahr b@#7$ for the rest of this book.
KIRK: I will now ANGST for roughly 3/4 of the book because I found out Spock has been holding back when we have martial arts practice. Waaah! I'm just a weak, puny, flimsy gloppy Earthling. I suck and should just go kill myself right now.
SPOCK: A wise precaution, but not one I would recommend until I have kicked your ass numerous times and we have completed this mission.
SONDRA MARSHAK: *is ....really enjoying this* ... yep, welcome to ... BIZARRO MARSHAKWORLD!
MYRNA CULBREATH: *SQUEEEEE!!!*
**BOOM!**
SPOCK [runs out naked]: Somebody just tried to blow me up in the shower!
KIRK: Not me, doo de doo...
SAVAJ: This is what I meant about the aliens. That tinfoil hat didn't work. You're demoted. From now on Spock runs the ship! You're so unfit, you can be first officer (showing what a worthless position it was).
SPOCK: Kirk, you disobedient fool-whelp...
[it really has him saying that]
KIRK: Eeeek! Aaaagh he's gonna spank me
SPOCK: The prospect appeared quite attractive to you last time (in Joan Winston's fanfic story "The Maze", Metamorphosis fanzine, issue 2, August 1976!)
SAVAJ: These puny weak earth people are just so puny and weak. Vulcans are way better.
SPOCK: I must go into VULCAN COMMAND MODE NOW *leaps a tall building in a single bound* *gets out a megaphone*
Now hear this! From now on this ship will be run by Vulcan standards.
SULU: Wow! That means reason, logic and orderly thinking, right?
SPOCK: Nope! That means instant, unqualified, unargued obedience!!!
[I'm not making that up. That is really what it says. Twice!]
CHEKOV, SULU, VARIOUS REDSHIRTS: ... the fuck???
SPOCK: Also, from now on, all crew members will do TWICE the amount of Phys Ed as before.
UHURA: Hey! I have a switchboard to run!
SCOTT: The engines aren't gonna recalibrate themselves, y'know!
McCOY: I'M A DOCTOR, NOT A....
SPOCK: That's THREE times for you!
SAVAJ: Come, let us superior creatures take this puny weak earthoid and beam down to the planet. We can do more athletics to prove how superior we are.
ALIENS: We are the aliens who have been influencing you.
The entire universe is really all a big lab experiment, and you are a lab rat.
LAB RAT!
KIRK: *turns on the ol'charm, etc. for the lady alien* *doesn't work*
ALIENS apparently have a copy of the machine from THE LOST CITY. They turn both Spock and Savaj TEN FEET TALL, remove their clothing (or most of it) and let them go at it. [Remember, this is NOT SLASH.] This is the entire moral of the story: sweaty Vulcans in loincloths wrestling.
KIRK: WAAAAH I'M A WEAK PUNY LAB RAT I SHOULD JUST DIE
*deep breath, jumps into the pit*
AND WOULD YOU GUYS BREAK IT UP AND STOP FIGHTING!!
Book ends on a 45 degree angle. Spock not only doesn't come out of COMMAND MODE, he is now in AUGMENTED COMMAND MODE FOREVER. Presumably he and Savaj spend the rest of the series taking turns kicking Kirk's ass while he cries like a little girl.
And he turns command back over to Kirk, 'cause he can be the captain and sit in the Cushy® seat and all, AS LONG AS HE KNOWS WHO'S *REALLY* IN CHARGE!
"As for the matter between us," Spock said in the tone of not letting him off the hook, "I believe that can be resolved privately."
"Yes, sir."
[Alex Courage fanfare and out!]
It's the end of galactic civilization! Right here, on ESPN!
See Also: Prometheus Design at Cannonball Read
SAVAJ: [does Vulcan salute with both hands] I am Savaj.
KIRK: Ah, welcome aboard, Adm. Awesome McCoolname.
SAVAJ: As you are aware, I was Fleet-Commander of the all-Vulcan wing of Starfleet with primary responsibility for Vulcan exploration ships, which opened some 32 percent of the now explored galaxy. I've found cures for cancer, won every possible award, saved the kittens, wrote the original code for the universal translator, I'm the reason Neil Young, Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen are still alive and putting out new material, I'm cooler than everyone else in the galaxy by 64.325 decimal places, and I invented the internet.
Now then. Capt. Kirk, you are relieved of command because you are being influenced by aliens.
KIRK: I take advice from Spock all the t...
SAVAJ: No, they're enemies, beaming THOUGHT WAVES from the forbidden planet.
KIRK: Oh, I see what you mean. *puts on tinfoil hat*
SAVAJ: Peace and Long Life, Spock. Let us engage in Vulcan martial arts and beat the crap out of each other.
SPOCK: FOR GREAT JUSTICE!
(They do so. Later:)
SAVAJ: Spock, you are a manly, studly Alpha Male.
SPOCK: Are you making a pass?
SAVAJ: Shuddup this isn't slash. [Savaj is in SERIOUS DENIAL.] I mean that you have been holding back your godlike strength and powers for the sake of these puny humanlings.
KIRK: I'm a fool, Spock, but a very lucky man.
SPOCK: Agreed. Also, you know what I told you after I came back from trying to connect with V-GER and realized that "this, simple feeling" and my human qualities were just as important as my Vulcan ones and I should stop f@#7$ing around with Kohlinahr and trying to be perfect and I even cried on the bridge?
KIRK: Yes, Spock, I remember.
SPOCK: Well, forget it. I'm going to be a cold p@#7$ off Kohlinahr b@#7$ for the rest of this book.
KIRK: I will now ANGST for roughly 3/4 of the book because I found out Spock has been holding back when we have martial arts practice. Waaah! I'm just a weak, puny, flimsy gloppy Earthling. I suck and should just go kill myself right now.
SPOCK: A wise precaution, but not one I would recommend until I have kicked your ass numerous times and we have completed this mission.
SONDRA MARSHAK: *is ....really enjoying this* ... yep, welcome to ... BIZARRO MARSHAKWORLD!
MYRNA CULBREATH: *SQUEEEEE!!!*
**BOOM!**
SPOCK [runs out naked]: Somebody just tried to blow me up in the shower!
KIRK: Not me, doo de doo...
SAVAJ: This is what I meant about the aliens. That tinfoil hat didn't work. You're demoted. From now on Spock runs the ship! You're so unfit, you can be first officer (showing what a worthless position it was).
SPOCK: Kirk, you disobedient fool-whelp...
[it really has him saying that]
KIRK: Eeeek! Aaaagh he's gonna spank me
SPOCK: The prospect appeared quite attractive to you last time (in Joan Winston's fanfic story "The Maze", Metamorphosis fanzine, issue 2, August 1976!)
SAVAJ: These puny weak earth people are just so puny and weak. Vulcans are way better.
SPOCK: I must go into VULCAN COMMAND MODE NOW *leaps a tall building in a single bound* *gets out a megaphone*
Now hear this! From now on this ship will be run by Vulcan standards.
SULU: Wow! That means reason, logic and orderly thinking, right?
SPOCK: Nope! That means instant, unqualified, unargued obedience!!!
[I'm not making that up. That is really what it says. Twice!]
CHEKOV, SULU, VARIOUS REDSHIRTS: ... the fuck???
SPOCK: Also, from now on, all crew members will do TWICE the amount of Phys Ed as before.
UHURA: Hey! I have a switchboard to run!
SCOTT: The engines aren't gonna recalibrate themselves, y'know!
McCOY: I'M A DOCTOR, NOT A....
SPOCK: That's THREE times for you!
SAVAJ: Come, let us superior creatures take this puny weak earthoid and beam down to the planet. We can do more athletics to prove how superior we are.
ALIENS: We are the aliens who have been influencing you.
The entire universe is really all a big lab experiment, and you are a lab rat.
LAB RAT!
KIRK: *turns on the ol'charm, etc. for the lady alien* *doesn't work*
ALIENS apparently have a copy of the machine from THE LOST CITY. They turn both Spock and Savaj TEN FEET TALL, remove their clothing (or most of it) and let them go at it. [Remember, this is NOT SLASH.] This is the entire moral of the story: sweaty Vulcans in loincloths wrestling.
KIRK: WAAAAH I'M A WEAK PUNY LAB RAT I SHOULD JUST DIE
*deep breath, jumps into the pit*
AND WOULD YOU GUYS BREAK IT UP AND STOP FIGHTING!!
Book ends on a 45 degree angle. Spock not only doesn't come out of COMMAND MODE, he is now in AUGMENTED COMMAND MODE FOREVER. Presumably he and Savaj spend the rest of the series taking turns kicking Kirk's ass while he cries like a little girl.
And he turns command back over to Kirk, 'cause he can be the captain and sit in the Cushy® seat and all, AS LONG AS HE KNOWS WHO'S *REALLY* IN CHARGE!
"As for the matter between us," Spock said in the tone of not letting him off the hook, "I believe that can be resolved privately."
"Yes, sir."
[Alex Courage fanfare and out!]
It's the end of galactic civilization! Right here, on ESPN!
See Also: Prometheus Design at Cannonball Read
March 5, 2023
I absolutely hated this book and that's difficult to say because I LOVE almost ALL things Star Trek including Star Trek: Enterprise. (OK, maybe I'm exaggerating. I don't LOVE Enterprise. Almost no one loves Star Trek: Enterprise. . . Just kidding!) My problems begin with Marshak and Culbreath, the writers, don’t appear to know the characters they’re writing about. Kirk makes a flawed command decision and because he appears to be incapacitated Spock is convinced by a Vulcan Admiral that he should take control of the Enterprise. Kirk becomes bullheaded and prefers to risk the safety of his ship than to temporarily step down. Kirk is made to look like a whiny, blowhard, incapable of taking orders, and objectively recognizing the larger picture. Spock is made to appear volatile, power-hungry, and petty. The story is riffing on the Prometheus myth. Prometheus stole fire from the gods, and he received eternal punishment for it. In the current story, life forms throughout the galaxy are disappeared only to be studied/tortured by godlike aliens. This novel should be disappeared. No one should read this. It is THAT bad.
November 3, 2024
It was a refreshing change to see a different dynamic between Kirk and Spock. It’s obvious a lot of reviewers did not but it is explained in the context of Spock having sought to eliminate his human side as presented in Star Trek the Motion Picture.
January 4, 2018
I think this is one of those Star Trek books where the author wasn’t familiar with the crew, didn’t know how to write vulcans, and tried to be too different from the overall tone of the lore. This book should be a skip imo.
September 22, 2025
This story takes place after The Motion Picture and before The Wrath of Khan. It makes several references to the V'ger mission, Spock's trip to Vulcan, and the Kolinahr, so it does a pretty good job placing the time period.
Kirk and, especially Spock, are woefully out of character. Starfleet is even out of character. The representation of the command structure shown here is patently absurd. McCoy's character felt spot on, though. Scrolling through the reviews, I saw a lot of people hated this book, and I can understand why. However, it kept me interested, and I read through it quickly.
Keeping me engaged and interested is important when I read a book. In this case, I sided with Kirk and really hated Spock as he was represented in this story. I was almost aggressively reading through the book, and I covered most of it in one sitting. Proceeding from the inaccurate setup I mentioned above, the story was quite engaging. The plot resolution was a little underwhelming, but it was in keeping with a typical TV episode ending, so I'll give it a pass. The story gets a little too preachy about the issue of animal testing. This is a good message but is more effective when done subtly. An actual lecture takes you out of the story.
If you decide to read this, it's best to go in with the perspective of it being an alternate universe and just accept it for what it is. I do give the author's credit for trying their own thing and not producing an unoriginal, by the numbers story, as so many others did.
Kirk and, especially Spock, are woefully out of character. Starfleet is even out of character. The representation of the command structure shown here is patently absurd. McCoy's character felt spot on, though. Scrolling through the reviews, I saw a lot of people hated this book, and I can understand why. However, it kept me interested, and I read through it quickly.
Keeping me engaged and interested is important when I read a book. In this case, I sided with Kirk and really hated Spock as he was represented in this story. I was almost aggressively reading through the book, and I covered most of it in one sitting. Proceeding from the inaccurate setup I mentioned above, the story was quite engaging. The plot resolution was a little underwhelming, but it was in keeping with a typical TV episode ending, so I'll give it a pass. The story gets a little too preachy about the issue of animal testing. This is a good message but is more effective when done subtly. An actual lecture takes you out of the story.
If you decide to read this, it's best to go in with the perspective of it being an alternate universe and just accept it for what it is. I do give the author's credit for trying their own thing and not producing an unoriginal, by the numbers story, as so many others did.
December 6, 2014
I'd have to rate this the worst Star Trek novel I've ever read. it tried to be way way more than it could ever be, especially with so many "profound" ideas it was attempting to push over on a reader. The Prometheus design idea was believable, but oddly enough the accompanying and brusque changes to Vulcan culture were not. The characterizations were extremely horrid and the story was nearly unreadable. There may have been a good book somewhere in The Prometheus Design, but I couldn't find it anywhere.
July 17, 2016
Proof that different isn't always better.
September 10, 2018
I made it through 73 pages of this book before giving up hope. After getting that far, I skipped through whole sections of the book and just read bits and pieces after that point. Here are some of the more odd pieces of this book that I wanted to share with potential readers so that they know exactly what they're getting into reading this book.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then Kirk saw Spock spread-eagled to a table no-mouths bending over him. His eyes found Kirk with incandescent fury. (p. 79) - Uhh...I was informed this was not a porno. Was I incorrect? Also, later on in the novel it's implied that Kirk is given the same treatment as Spock, soooo....like I said - is this a porno or not?
Spock snarled. "Disobedient fool-whelp." (p. 80) - Apparently yelled at Kirk, who was only trying to help Spock get free. WTH, Spock.
"Doctor...as of this moment and retroactive to my assumption of command, this ship is under Vulcan rule of command."
"WHAT Vulcan rule?" McCoy said dangerously.
"Instant, unqualified, unargued obedience." (p. 85) - Soooo...Vulcans are nothing more than dictators now?
Kirk had read that some famous dancers of past or present...seemed to leap higher and stay up longer than physics allowed. He had not seen it. Until now. Savaj seemed to reach the last inches more by levitation than anything else. (p. 127) - So Vulcans can levitate now? WTH.
Spock caught him by the fingertips. This time it was no joke for Spock to life the full Vulcan's weight. Spock's muscles rippled and knotted and Kirk leaned down to try to brace him. Then Savaj was pulling himself up and gaining the wall, helping Spock back up after him. (p. 127) - First of all, WTH just happened? Seriously, I have no clue what even went on in the scene, even after reading the full paragraph. Second of all - IS THIS A PORNO OR NOT??? I don't even know anymore.
He was not prepared for one perfectly ordinary humanoid female....She was tall, lithe, and exotic, smooth muscles shaping curves he could appreciate. She seemed to be wearing mainly an illusion that might have been silver feathers shimmering in a force field. But her ears also swept up to tips, which appeared almost winged - not Vulcan, but with an equal grace, and blending into spun silver that might have been hair, feathers, the actual metal - or all three. Kirk could not make out what was her and what was artiface - nor did he care....There was a faint sculpture of feathery silver at her wrist, but whether it was adornment or a vestige of nightingale, he could not tell...."Do you have a name?"
"You my designate me Belen."
...."You are the captor," he said.
"Why, no...You were never free."
"What ARE you, then?" he asked harshly.
"I project the forthcoming." (pp. 129-130) - So, in this section we find out that Kirk has been captured by the no-mouths and they later portray themselves to be one singular angelic being who enjoys hurting others and testing them through mind-control by giving them aggression so strong that they either wish to kill themselves or those around them. There is no good explanation given for this angel's sudden appearance that I can find. Also, Belen the angel thing is also a psychic??? WHAT THE HELL, AUTHORS OF THIS HORRIBLE BOOK??? Were you smoking something stronger than weed while writing this???
Instead of quoting the whole ordeal, on pages 156 to 159 a disturbing series of scenes are shown where two angels - Belen and Flaem - have sex with Kirk in different situations and locations. A different character called Trath watches their actions with great confusion. The scenes are completely out of nowhere and have very little leading up to said fleshly acts committed by the individuals in question.
"I am in command mode. In my estimation your logic is correct, but your premise is wrong. I declare unalterable opposition." (p. 165) - WHAT the HECKING HECK? Spock has a COMMAND MODE? What is he, a ROBOT of some kind???
"The two Vulcans stood in the tank, immobile, stripped down to asumi loincloths but both of them half again their normal size. (p. 169) - I correct my previous statement: if this is not a porno, I don't know what this mess of writing can be considered to be.
"What have you done to them?" Kirk asked.
Trath turned to him blandly. "You would think of it as a kind of enlarging pantograph. The primitive version can enlarge or educe a drawing. Ours can enlarge a body, while making significant modifications in it, such as a species of armoring....The body still feels the blow, it can be damaged, but all bones and tissues are strengthened so that damage is usually repairable....It is a game, subject Kirk - the ultimate game for which all of your species' aggression and territorial game are poor substitute....This is a Battle to the Death - usually without actual death or prolonged disability." (p. 169) - Sooo...the angelic beings have blown up Spock and Savaj to be ten stories tall, and are planning on using them as pawns in a proverbial chess game? WTH. What. The. Hell. I'm done. At this point, I want to throw this book at the wall.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I never want this poor excuse for a book in my personal collection again. It's an absolute disgrace. With thoughtless sex scenes thrown in purely for audience amusement, awkward writing style, mundane fighting sequences, cliche lines of dialog, dis-characterization of nearly every character, odd angelic beings that do nothing to help the plot along and instead do everything to muddle the entire atmosphere of the novel, and Vulcans who don't behave like Vulcans in any stretch of the imagination, this book is a piece of garbage that doesn't deserve being called a Star Trek novel at all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then Kirk saw Spock spread-eagled to a table no-mouths bending over him. His eyes found Kirk with incandescent fury. (p. 79) - Uhh...I was informed this was not a porno. Was I incorrect? Also, later on in the novel it's implied that Kirk is given the same treatment as Spock, soooo....like I said - is this a porno or not?
Spock snarled. "Disobedient fool-whelp." (p. 80) - Apparently yelled at Kirk, who was only trying to help Spock get free. WTH, Spock.
"Doctor...as of this moment and retroactive to my assumption of command, this ship is under Vulcan rule of command."
"WHAT Vulcan rule?" McCoy said dangerously.
"Instant, unqualified, unargued obedience." (p. 85) - Soooo...Vulcans are nothing more than dictators now?
Kirk had read that some famous dancers of past or present...seemed to leap higher and stay up longer than physics allowed. He had not seen it. Until now. Savaj seemed to reach the last inches more by levitation than anything else. (p. 127) - So Vulcans can levitate now? WTH.
Spock caught him by the fingertips. This time it was no joke for Spock to life the full Vulcan's weight. Spock's muscles rippled and knotted and Kirk leaned down to try to brace him. Then Savaj was pulling himself up and gaining the wall, helping Spock back up after him. (p. 127) - First of all, WTH just happened? Seriously, I have no clue what even went on in the scene, even after reading the full paragraph. Second of all - IS THIS A PORNO OR NOT??? I don't even know anymore.
He was not prepared for one perfectly ordinary humanoid female....She was tall, lithe, and exotic, smooth muscles shaping curves he could appreciate. She seemed to be wearing mainly an illusion that might have been silver feathers shimmering in a force field. But her ears also swept up to tips, which appeared almost winged - not Vulcan, but with an equal grace, and blending into spun silver that might have been hair, feathers, the actual metal - or all three. Kirk could not make out what was her and what was artiface - nor did he care....There was a faint sculpture of feathery silver at her wrist, but whether it was adornment or a vestige of nightingale, he could not tell...."Do you have a name?"
"You my designate me Belen."
...."You are the captor," he said.
"Why, no...You were never free."
"What ARE you, then?" he asked harshly.
"I project the forthcoming." (pp. 129-130) - So, in this section we find out that Kirk has been captured by the no-mouths and they later portray themselves to be one singular angelic being who enjoys hurting others and testing them through mind-control by giving them aggression so strong that they either wish to kill themselves or those around them. There is no good explanation given for this angel's sudden appearance that I can find. Also, Belen the angel thing is also a psychic??? WHAT THE HELL, AUTHORS OF THIS HORRIBLE BOOK??? Were you smoking something stronger than weed while writing this???
Instead of quoting the whole ordeal, on pages 156 to 159 a disturbing series of scenes are shown where two angels - Belen and Flaem - have sex with Kirk in different situations and locations. A different character called Trath watches their actions with great confusion. The scenes are completely out of nowhere and have very little leading up to said fleshly acts committed by the individuals in question.
"I am in command mode. In my estimation your logic is correct, but your premise is wrong. I declare unalterable opposition." (p. 165) - WHAT the HECKING HECK? Spock has a COMMAND MODE? What is he, a ROBOT of some kind???
"The two Vulcans stood in the tank, immobile, stripped down to asumi loincloths but both of them half again their normal size. (p. 169) - I correct my previous statement: if this is not a porno, I don't know what this mess of writing can be considered to be.
"What have you done to them?" Kirk asked.
Trath turned to him blandly. "You would think of it as a kind of enlarging pantograph. The primitive version can enlarge or educe a drawing. Ours can enlarge a body, while making significant modifications in it, such as a species of armoring....The body still feels the blow, it can be damaged, but all bones and tissues are strengthened so that damage is usually repairable....It is a game, subject Kirk - the ultimate game for which all of your species' aggression and territorial game are poor substitute....This is a Battle to the Death - usually without actual death or prolonged disability." (p. 169) - Sooo...the angelic beings have blown up Spock and Savaj to be ten stories tall, and are planning on using them as pawns in a proverbial chess game? WTH. What. The. Hell. I'm done. At this point, I want to throw this book at the wall.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I never want this poor excuse for a book in my personal collection again. It's an absolute disgrace. With thoughtless sex scenes thrown in purely for audience amusement, awkward writing style, mundane fighting sequences, cliche lines of dialog, dis-characterization of nearly every character, odd angelic beings that do nothing to help the plot along and instead do everything to muddle the entire atmosphere of the novel, and Vulcans who don't behave like Vulcans in any stretch of the imagination, this book is a piece of garbage that doesn't deserve being called a Star Trek novel at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2014
This novel has a great premise but somehow it fails horribly. Perhaps it would have made a better non-Star Trek novel? The authors clearly love Trek and know it well. There are dozens of fun little references to Star Trek episodes and books peppered throughout. Somehow they fail to understand the Kirk-Spock relationship or even the general characterization of Spock. At a mere 190 pages I expected to breeze through this novel but because it was so bad I struggled to force myself to finish it.
August 6, 2016
I couldn't finish this horrible horrible book. Like so much of Marshak and Culbreath's Star Trek product, this is badly-adapted K/S slash, and while I don't fundamentally have a problem with slash, M&C's slash also has a disturbing tendency to be badly written. Editing out the explicitly sexual parts from the original slash to make it publishable in a mass-media market just makes it that much worse.
Don't bother reading this book. It's a travesty that it was ever published.
Don't bother reading this book. It's a travesty that it was ever published.
August 4, 2012
A very strange novel. It's never less than compelling, but I think it tries to push the "Star Trek" envelope too far. Aside from postulating an overly-severe look at Vulcans, it seems to have a philosophical (almost mystical) bent that might have worked better as a stand-alone novel, outside of this genre. Odd and disturbing and fascinating...sometimes simultaneously.
March 5, 2019
i could not get into it, somehow worse than the phoenix books, another where they're completely out of character and just. no. I couldn't. oh god they've got one more book (Triangle) but I get a respite of 3 trek books before I reach that one
September 19, 2017
I hate giving any book less than three stars. I know how hard all authors work to write a book and then get it published by a national book company, however this is just way too much mumbo jumbo for me to deal with at this time. I am not sure I finished it the first time either. I am not sure what the authors were trying to achieve with this novel. There have been other stories of aliens experimenting on the crew of the Enterprise both present and past. This story seemed more like a psychology experiment gone wrong and I never enjoy seeing Spock being portrayed as cruel or mean. I guess that is one of the reasons I never enjoyed any of the mirrored universe episode that seem to populate all the series. I am sure there are those that will enjoy this story and more power to them.
October 2, 2018
After a disastrous away mission on the planet Helvan, Captain Kirk is relieved of command by Admiral Savaj, who turns the 'Enterprise' over to Spock.
Savaj is convinced that the crew are being observed and experimented upon in order to discover the Promethean conflict in all lifeforms, the schism between raising species up while simultaneously keeping them under control.
'The Prometheus Design' lacks any sense of what makes 'Star Trek' great, focussing entirely on the nebulously defined relationship between Spock and Kirk. This is definitely a novel for completists.
Savaj is convinced that the crew are being observed and experimented upon in order to discover the Promethean conflict in all lifeforms, the schism between raising species up while simultaneously keeping them under control.
'The Prometheus Design' lacks any sense of what makes 'Star Trek' great, focussing entirely on the nebulously defined relationship between Spock and Kirk. This is definitely a novel for completists.
March 30, 2013
I find this author duo have awesome ideas in their heads, but have trouble transferring it to print. The book itself was interesting & I never got bored, but what the heck they were trying to convey (& what exactly happened) is still a bit of a mystery to me. It lacks understanding. Hard to explain, but I tried. :)
July 22, 2016
only read this if you're willing to read "hell's kitchen" and "rapport" 700,000 times. but actually - really fun read. about what you'd expect from a star trek novel. probably 3.5 stars, but i'm going to give it 4. for star trek's sake. also for the homoerotic subtext.
October 17, 2014
I couldn't finish. This book was just too awful and it seems these two authors just don't grasp what Star Trek is about. This is my second attempt to read a book by these two and the first "Triangle" was more of a soap opera than Star Trek.
June 15, 2024
I felt like I was reading Captain Kirk's bad dream as Spock is entirely off the rails. I get that they were trying to tie in Spock's character arc from The Motion Picture, and I understand how the writers only had the original cut of the film to work with. But, even in its original form, Spock had come to terms with failing Kolinahr in TMP. As V'Ger searches for human qualities to evolve, Spock also learns to re-discover his human side to achieve a similar goal. He is his old self by the end of the film. So why would he regress to his previous demeanour? It makes no sense, and I cringed every time he said Mr. Kirk after taking command of the Enterprise.
The plot is similar to that of the TNG episode "Where Silence Has Lease," in which a superior being uses humans as test subjects, aka "Lab Rats." The book has some good ideas, but the writing is awkward and disjointed enough to make it, at times, hard to follow. I recommend a skip unless you are crazy enough like me to wish to read them all.
The plot is similar to that of the TNG episode "Where Silence Has Lease," in which a superior being uses humans as test subjects, aka "Lab Rats." The book has some good ideas, but the writing is awkward and disjointed enough to make it, at times, hard to follow. I recommend a skip unless you are crazy enough like me to wish to read them all.
May 17, 2025
just finished this book and honestly, i cannot remember a single thing about it other than Spock is mean, there’s some Vulcan Gary Stu appearing and Kirk is (again) a damsel in distress.
my soul weeps for having put myself through the misery of reading this book.
my soul weeps for having put myself through the misery of reading this book.
June 10, 2022
Currently my only source of earthly joy
July 31, 2025
at least spock kept getting naked
May 19, 2015
The galaxy is in danger of being destroyed and the crew of the Enterprise is trying to prevent it. A race of beings is performing scientific experiments on humans and other creatures and James Kirk is one of their prime subjects. He is still under their influence, so his command judgment is suspect.
Savaj is an elderly Vulcan who is an Admiral in Star Fleet, a legend for many other accomplishments and also aboard the Enterprise. Kirk is relieved of his command with Spock taking over. There is a great deal of philosophical debate between Spock, Savaj and Kirk over whether the superior intellect of Vulcans means that they should never be subservient in the chain of command. To further demonstrate the inferiority of humans, Spock and Savaj engage in a series of Vulcan combat calisthenics and Kirk understands that his level of accomplishment is that of a mere child. A demonstration with Kirk is done in front of several of the crew, further humiliating Kirk.
Even though he has been relieved of his command and must obey Spock, Kirk sometimes fails to follow those orders, sometimes for benefit and other times with negative consequences. In the end, they learn that the danger to the galaxy is due to the callous way in which experiments have been carried out on living creatures. For centuries, humans have been torturing small animals in the name of medical research, but without regard to how much they have suffered.
Of course the solution is found and Kirk is restored to command of the Enterprise. Spock even concedes that Kirk is the superior commander. I found the book often dull, it moves much slower than almost all of the other Star Trek novels that I have read. While the philosophical arguments are interesting, they go on so long that my interest waned.
This review also appears on Amazon
Savaj is an elderly Vulcan who is an Admiral in Star Fleet, a legend for many other accomplishments and also aboard the Enterprise. Kirk is relieved of his command with Spock taking over. There is a great deal of philosophical debate between Spock, Savaj and Kirk over whether the superior intellect of Vulcans means that they should never be subservient in the chain of command. To further demonstrate the inferiority of humans, Spock and Savaj engage in a series of Vulcan combat calisthenics and Kirk understands that his level of accomplishment is that of a mere child. A demonstration with Kirk is done in front of several of the crew, further humiliating Kirk.
Even though he has been relieved of his command and must obey Spock, Kirk sometimes fails to follow those orders, sometimes for benefit and other times with negative consequences. In the end, they learn that the danger to the galaxy is due to the callous way in which experiments have been carried out on living creatures. For centuries, humans have been torturing small animals in the name of medical research, but without regard to how much they have suffered.
Of course the solution is found and Kirk is restored to command of the Enterprise. Spock even concedes that Kirk is the superior commander. I found the book often dull, it moves much slower than almost all of the other Star Trek novels that I have read. While the philosophical arguments are interesting, they go on so long that my interest waned.
This review also appears on Amazon
May 5, 2018
So I'm trawling my way through the early Star Trek books, and my goodness are the writers obsessed with Mr. Spock and Vulcans in general. They're clearly presented as superior beings here, while Kirk goes through an inferiority crisis after being relieved of command and being made to answer to Spock - the relationship between them is drawn quite well I thought. The story itself is based on that hoary old sci-fi staple of realising you're in an experiment conducted by aliens, and the authors actually do it fairly reasonably, although it's a bit heavy-handed and the phrase "Hell's Kitchen" is repeated ad nauseam. The book gets points for its determined stand against animal abuse, though, and it's genuinely disturbing when it describes (modern day, and by Kirk's time historical) experiments on such.
June 4, 2021
Bit of a mixed bag here. The story is interesting enough although could have maybe been tightened up a bit. There are some cool references to various episodes of the show and I appreciated that.
Mostly I felt like the continuity of the book was confusing. The author sets this following the events of The Motion Picture. But if that's the case, it wasn't clear why Kirk would still be commanding the Enterprise. There are references to his leaving command for several years and to his elbowing Decker out in order to command the V'Ger encounter but most of the crew here still refers to him as Captain, not Admiral.
It's a minor point but it did tug at me a bit as I was reading.
Mostly I felt like the continuity of the book was confusing. The author sets this following the events of The Motion Picture. But if that's the case, it wasn't clear why Kirk would still be commanding the Enterprise. There are references to his leaving command for several years and to his elbowing Decker out in order to command the V'Ger encounter but most of the crew here still refers to him as Captain, not Admiral.
It's a minor point but it did tug at me a bit as I was reading.
July 8, 2023
There’s some interesting philosophical questions in this book but the moment to moment plot is weak. If you like it when Star Trek gets philosophical you’ll probably like this but if you are looking for a science fiction adventure this is not it.
Read
July 28, 2011This was a pretty cerebral ST book....not nearly the action and adventure you might expect. Interesting take on the Vulcan state of being, and interesting for Spock to be the captain for a while.
March 21, 2017
Footnotes in a novel. Footnotes that refer to your own short stories.
February 12, 2019
More weird shipping, torture, implied rape, humiliation, fake philosophizing and distasteful weirdness. Thanks for ruining fandom.
June 20, 2019
The Vulcans seem to be an entirely new species in this story
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April 19, 2020Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath played large roles in the initial stages of officially published Star Trek fiction. Together they edited both New Voyages collections (one of which contained one of their stories) and they produced four of the first dozen or so novels, among the few authors who put out work in both the initial Bantam Books and the later Pocket Books groups. They were prominent members of the initial fan communities that began to produce the first fan conventions.
And they offer solid proof that bad Star Trek fiction wasn't limited to the later glut years, as all four of their books have a text-to-subtext ratio that resembles an iceberg and depend heavily on characters who may share names with those we saw on the screen but resemble them little otherwise. It's hard to say which of their four books is the least successful, but 1982's The Prometheus Design makes a strong case for itself out of the four.
A rising tide of senseless violence seems to be gripping the known galaxy, with formerly peaceful people and stable diplomatic relationships deteriorating across the Federation. The Enterprise is investigating the way these phenomena have been seen on the planet Helvan but the survey team itself falls victim. James Kirk is separated from the team and only recovered after being exposed as an alien by the Helvans; his recovery is incomplete as he has significant memory loss that leads to irrational outbursts. Starfleet Admiral Savaj boards the Enterprise to examine the situation and continue the mission, and he demotes Kirk in order to replace him with Spock as captain. Spock tries to deal with the deteriorating situation by invoking "Vulcan code of command," a codicil that Vulcans demanded in return for Starfleet participation. A Vulcan who invokes this code demands instant and unquestioning obedience to every order given. A later return to Helvan with both Spock and Savaj as part of a survey team puts them in danger as the truth behind the mystery and its actors is finally revealed.
As with all Marshak-Culbreath Trek stories, the key plot point turns on weakening, even feminizing Kirk in the face of the true alpha male of the crew, Spock. At one point Kirk is even something of a prize fought over by the two Vulcans, who have been mysteriously enlarged by the antagonists so that the Marshak and Culbreath Kirk is even smaller and weaker than usual compared to Spock. The "Vulcan code of command" device is, no pun intended, illogical and the pair's vision of what Vulcans are like is never seen again in the history of Trek fiction.
Prometheus winds up in a tangle of discussions and monologues meant to either obliquely or directly explore ideas that the two authors consider important, such as objectivism, libertarian philosophy, sociobiology and genetic determinism. It's pretty heady stuff for a show that once had its lead fight a man in a lizard suit amongst a set of papier-mâché rocks, and it is done with little effort at making it a vital part of the narrative. Marshak and Culbreath may have had something to say, and it might even have been something worth saying and good to hear -- but it's been stuck in such a lumpy, clumsy and bizarre novel that it never gets the chance to be properly introduced and judged on its own merits.
Original available here.
And they offer solid proof that bad Star Trek fiction wasn't limited to the later glut years, as all four of their books have a text-to-subtext ratio that resembles an iceberg and depend heavily on characters who may share names with those we saw on the screen but resemble them little otherwise. It's hard to say which of their four books is the least successful, but 1982's The Prometheus Design makes a strong case for itself out of the four.
A rising tide of senseless violence seems to be gripping the known galaxy, with formerly peaceful people and stable diplomatic relationships deteriorating across the Federation. The Enterprise is investigating the way these phenomena have been seen on the planet Helvan but the survey team itself falls victim. James Kirk is separated from the team and only recovered after being exposed as an alien by the Helvans; his recovery is incomplete as he has significant memory loss that leads to irrational outbursts. Starfleet Admiral Savaj boards the Enterprise to examine the situation and continue the mission, and he demotes Kirk in order to replace him with Spock as captain. Spock tries to deal with the deteriorating situation by invoking "Vulcan code of command," a codicil that Vulcans demanded in return for Starfleet participation. A Vulcan who invokes this code demands instant and unquestioning obedience to every order given. A later return to Helvan with both Spock and Savaj as part of a survey team puts them in danger as the truth behind the mystery and its actors is finally revealed.
As with all Marshak-Culbreath Trek stories, the key plot point turns on weakening, even feminizing Kirk in the face of the true alpha male of the crew, Spock. At one point Kirk is even something of a prize fought over by the two Vulcans, who have been mysteriously enlarged by the antagonists so that the Marshak and Culbreath Kirk is even smaller and weaker than usual compared to Spock. The "Vulcan code of command" device is, no pun intended, illogical and the pair's vision of what Vulcans are like is never seen again in the history of Trek fiction.
Prometheus winds up in a tangle of discussions and monologues meant to either obliquely or directly explore ideas that the two authors consider important, such as objectivism, libertarian philosophy, sociobiology and genetic determinism. It's pretty heady stuff for a show that once had its lead fight a man in a lizard suit amongst a set of papier-mâché rocks, and it is done with little effort at making it a vital part of the narrative. Marshak and Culbreath may have had something to say, and it might even have been something worth saying and good to hear -- but it's been stuck in such a lumpy, clumsy and bizarre novel that it never gets the chance to be properly introduced and judged on its own merits.
Original available here.
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