Probe

Star Trek: The Original Series

by Margaret Wander Bonanno, Gene DeWeese (Rewrite)

Star Trek—a vision of humanity's future that has captivated audiences worldwide for over a quarter century. Those audiences made Spock's World and The Lost Years, the first two Star Trek hardcover novels, nationwide bestsellers—and flocked by the millions to see Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home the most popular of all the Star Trek motion pictures.

Here now is Probe—an epic-length novel that at last picks up the story of the USS Enterprise and her crew where Star Trek IV left off. A novel that reveals the secrets behind the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Earth—and whose reappearance sends Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and their shipmates into unparalleled danger… and unsurpassed discovery.

Genres: Star Trek, Science Fiction, Fiction, Star Trek Original Series, Science Fiction Fantasy, Media Tie In, Fantasy

344 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 30, 1991

About the author

Margaret Wander Bonanno was an American science fiction writer, ghost writer and small press publisher. She was born in New York City. She wrote seven Star Trek novels, several science fiction novels set in her own worlds, including The Others, a collaborative novel with Nichelle Nichols, a biography, and other works.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sequel to "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home"!


BEFORE ENGAGING THIS NOVEL...

This is a wonderful novel.

Probe is a direct sequel to the events portraited in the theatrical film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

So, if you haven't watched that film yet, I suggest you to watch first that movie and/or reading the novelization.

To avoid to feel a little lost in the setting of this story, and being able to enjoy to the fullest the novel.


EARTH IS SAFE AGAIN BUT...

Earth is safe again thanks to the efforts of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew.

However, there are still many questions about the powerful probe that it was in a brink to destroy all life on Earth.

A probe that for some unknown reasons looked to communicate with the species of hunchback whales.

A probe that can left without energy any starship that tries to get near of it.

Who built it?

Why?

Is it a hostile weapon or a defensive system?

There are too many questions, so Starfleet orders Captain Kirk and the newly named USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A to investigate the origin and purpose of the deadly probe.


SHOCKING REVELATIONS!

This a really entertained book and a worthy sequel to the extraordinaire film The Voyage Home.

Developing an engaging process analyzing the clues left by the probe to solve this mystery.

Spock, once again proves (pun intended) his astonishing logical mind to analyze such mystery that will take the Enterprise-A to places...

...where no one has gone before!

At least no one from Earth, for not saying any other member of the Federation neither.

The solution to this great mystery will shock you...

...more that you can imagine!

Since it will make a subtle (or maybe not so subtle) to elements of The Next Generation...

...if you know how to read between lines in the development of this wonderful novel.

The Final Frontier is out there...

...waiting for you!

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

You would think that this sequel to one of the most successful Star Trek movies ever (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), would be easy. Clearly, there were some issues that convoluted a story that really seemed straightforward. To see the writer's interpretation of events (I'm going to usually side with the writer), she was asked to do too many rewrites and in the end, Gene DeWeese wound up having to complete the novel.

In this case, both the version published and the original written by Bonanno are needlessly complicated. This novel is meant to answer questions deliberately left vague in the movie, but with Star Trek audiences and an ongoing continuity, they're going to want some answers. The hardcore fan has questions about minutia, let alone when considering an essential plot point of who are the builders of the probe, and what do they look like.

I have to say, without revealing spoilers, that this novel fails to answer ALL of my questions, but I freely admit that some people will be satisfied with the story beats. There are some new characters introduced. There is the Romulan element of political intrigue that enhances some of the action and suspense, but still a little bit boring for me.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a Trekkie who has watched Star Trek since it first appeared on our black-and-white TV in '66. Needless to say, I was disappointed when the series was cancelled...and then the novels began coming out. I was eager to snap them up as they came out. Through the 70s and into the 80s, I kept up with the Star Trek novels but, since the 90s, I have read them only occasionally. "Probe" is one that I've had sitting around for years and was one I definitely wanted to read at some point. Published in 1992, it is the sequel to my favorite of all the Star Trek movies--Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. We find out more about the probe that almost destroyed Earth--and we have peace talks between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Empire, the talks to be held on a planet in the Neutral Zone. Kirk & Spock & the Enterprise are there...and then the probe shows up too.
I was reading this one speedily and probably missed a lot of details--as the story turned out to be more complicated than I expected! Anyway, now I know what happened after The Voyage Home. By the way, it helps if you remember the movie. If you don't, you should review it before reading this book!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, full disclosure, I spent most of the early 90s camped out in the library reading Star Trek novels. When a few boxes of old ST paperbacks showed up at the bookstore yesterday, I told my boss to keep me away from them. He replied "Oh, I'm just going to recycle those, help yourself." Uh oh. As if I didn't have enough distraction from my to-read list, at that moment I knew I was destined to spiral downward into one of my Trekkie phases. It happens every few years.

Once I pawed through the boxes I knew this book would be my gateway drug. The author also penned Strangers From the Sky, one of my all-time favorite books, and the only trek novel I keep at hand to reread even between relapses. And best of all, this one is billed as a sequel to Star Trek IV, my favorite ST movie! (Yes, the one with the whales. See my blog.) Took it home and cracked it open immediately.

You can see from the 3 stars I was a bit disappointed. The book was entertaining enough, but a bit heavy-handed on the Romulan cold war intrigue. Bonanno usually writes deep, character driven novels, and I expected her to develop the themes of music and archeology further. Well, thank god for goodreads is all I can say. When I started to review this, I noticed a link to her website. Turns out, she didn't really write Probe at all! The victim of publishing politics, it was rewritten beyond recognition. But miracle of miracles, she has made a pdf copy of her original manuscript, Music of the Spheres, available! (Which she apprently used to auction off at cons to raise money for charity. I kind of love her.) So I got to email her and ask her for a copy! Squee!

Oh yes. I can feel that trekkie fire running through my veins again. This is bad, people.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Quickie Review

This book reminds me of my first experience with Star Trek...but that isn't a good thing. When I was in high school, I attempted to watch Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and couldn't finish it because it was quite boring. It wasn't until I saw Nemesis that I became a fan of the franchise. Probe was also rather unexciting, and is likely to turn off potential readers of other Trek novels if this is their first experience with such literature.

Content Concerns: As usual, there is a bit of language.

Score: 2/5

[Frank Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret Wander Bonano established herself as a great writer for me personally, when I read Dwellers in the Crucible. However, if I recall it correctly, the majority of that story focused on newly minted characters and that was perhaps it's only real let down.

Continuing the story of Star Trek IV's whale-loving probe in both directions (before and after the events of the film), we now get a chance to see how the author's writing holds up around our established main TOS cast. You can tell by counting my stars that I was pleased with the result.

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well it certainly makes Star Trek IV all the more enjoyable knowing more of the story of just what the Probe is aside from being a ship that speaks Whale. I quite enjoyed this story. McCoy was a great piece to inject comic relief at anytime. But I particularly liked the friendship that developed between Hiran and Kirk that was a highlight for me.

[Tor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect to be smiling/crying by the end of a Star Trek novel I picked up at random but this was surprisingly good

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ended up being a "must read" for me. It is the "sequel" to the excellent movie Star Trek IV- A Voyage Home. This tells the story of the Probe and what it has been up to since nearly destroying the Earth (as seen in the movie). The Probe left earth at the end of the movie when the whales were returned to the sea. The book starts a few months after that. It seems the Probe left the Federation sector and was last seen heading towards the Neutral Zone.
At the same time Capt. Kirk and the Enterprise have been called to Temaris IV in the NZ to have a diplomatic conference with the Romulan Empire. As the story develops we find that the Romulans have noticed the Probe coming into their territory and when it does make contact with a Romulan world it manges to destroy two warbirds and the planet. This is unknown to the Federation as it sets up this peace conference.
While this is a huge opportunity for peace, no one really trusts the Romulan Empire. It seems the old Praetor has died and a new Committee is in charge. The Committee is truly interested in putting out peace feelers, but some in the Romulan High Command do not agree. Thus all is not as it seems with the delegation sent to negotiate. In the midst of all this the Probe reappears and both the Romulan ship and the Enterprise are captured by the Probe. The rest of the story fills in the details of the Probes mission and the creators of the Probe. I shall stop here since the rest would be spoilers.
This was an excellent Star Trek book and I am glad I read it. Well written and tackling the tricky situation with the Romulan Star Empire, as well as filling in the gaps about the Probe make this a must read for a Trekkie. The interactions of the crew and of Kirk with his Romulan counterpart are well done. It is also a good look inside the machinations of the Romulans.

But perhaps the best part of the story is the Probe and what its mission was. It closes the book on the tale from ST IV. For that reason alone, I am glad I took the time to read it-though it was so well written that I managed to devour it in a day. If you like Star Trek or enjoyed the movie I'm sure you will devour it as eagerly as I.

[Kevin Wortman · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the title and time-frame, I expected this book to be a deep-dive into the "PROBE" from Star Trek IV, and why it does what it does, in the fun breezy tone of that movie. The book does not deliver on that. It feels padded out. There are about 300 pages of a low-wattage Romulan diplomacy story that feels bolted on to the 30 pages of "PROBE" exploration at the end.

The book was written around the time of Star Trek VI and TNG season 5. The story borrows some plot points from that era of TNG. The diplomacy element feels more like a focused dialogue-heavy TNG episode, than the epic scale of film-era TOS. For one thing, Romulans featured heavily in early TNG but were largely absent from the TOS films.

Other reviewers say that this was extensively rewritten without the author's involvement, and I don't doubt that.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed story, if not corny at times. Good entertainment. I certainly liked the connection with my favorite StarTrek movie of all time. The book felt like a TOS episode.

[Larry Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two authors, Two books, Both Good but I enjoyed one more.

I just finished reading “Music of the Spheres” written by Margaret Wander Monanno, then “Probe” written by Gene DeWeese. “Probe” has Ms. Monanno’s name on it because she was originally contracted to write the book, and “Music of the Spheres” is the original manuscript she submitted ( and is available by request to her via email, see http://www.margaretwanderbonanno.com/... for more info on this). After apparently endless rewrites, as detailed in Ms. Monanno’s website she left the project, and it was completed by Gene DeWeese, who is thanked for his contributions in a dedication by the publisher.

“Music of the Spheres” has complex, very well fleshed out characters and a somewhat complex plot that by mid-novel had me fully engaged. Of the two books it is overall the more cohesive and stronger story and I enjoyed reading most of it. However, the first quarter or so of the book is chaotic, with so many flashbacks and flashforwards and changes in venue that it was a bit hard to enjoy, perhaps partly because this was a first draft of the novel. Also, there is a somewhat dark theme running through the novel in places, the ending seemed a bit rushed, and while far from gloomy was still a bit darker than my tastes run to.

By contrast, “Probe” has characters that while engaging and interesting are not quite as well fleshed out as their “Music of the Spheres” counterparts, though at times this was hard to gauge since memories of the equivalent character in one book bled over in my mind at times to the other book. The plot is relatively straightforward and easy to follow, and while there are betrayals and diplomatic intrigue overall it is a more hopeful book with a more upbeat ending, which seems more consistent with the “flavor” of Star Trek novels of the time it was published.

I enjoyed reading both books and thought “Music of the Spheres” quite well written. However, “Probe” held together amazingly well for a book pulled together after so many rewrites. Between the two I enjoyed reading “Probe” more, as a bit simpler book for a relaxed read, with a more fleshed out ending and one that was more upbeat, which fits my tastes more. Others will like the “Music of the Spheres” more.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is apparently a bastardized child with many rewrites and many revisions...but I've always found it immensely satisfying, and the multiple cooks certainly don't make themselves known. There's some great Romulan politics on display (something Trek has always done exceedingly well), numerous fascinating & emotional personality conflicts, inter-galactic intrigue...and then the big old Whale Probe from "Star Trek IV" bounds onto the scene once more and throws everyone for a loop.

There's even a Borg reference...if you're paying attention. :)

It really IS the kind of Star Trek novel that sweeps you away on the kind of adventure every fan dreams of having on board the USS Enterprise...and it WILL leave a massive smile on your face upon completion.

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good sequeal the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. I like knowing what happened to the Probe and why it was sent.

[Thomas Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read Star Trek probe, the so called sequel to Star Trek four, as an afterthought, it lived in my mind for I don't know, 20 or 30 years. unread. unloved. As I was reading it, I did seem to recall, perhaps reading a Wikipedia entry, or a series of quotes from the book. And I believe the Wikipedia entry had a similar review to what I would say, a bunch of Romulan nonsense that I was not interested in and very little interaction with the probe and the probe creators themselves, which I was interested. I believe I read perhaps all the all the sections with the probe previously, in a summary document or wiki irregardless, I enjoyed getting the details about the not super whales, but perhaps super dolphins who created the probe that threatened the earth in the wonderfully humorous Star Trek for the voyage home. The probe interestingly enough, like Star Trek, The Motion Picture, Star Trek four, perhaps has a hint of the borg in there. Of course we all recall that in Star Trek one the Voyager or Voyager probe was enhanced by a mechanical species into a gigantic V juror cloud then threatened the Earth. Similarly, in probe, we learned that the probe was attacked by a small group of mechanical mites. It describes humans and other small things as mites, but it differentiated at these mechanical bites. It is presumed from this attack that the Borg locate the whole world of the super dolphins. The Super dolphins then drain all of the water from their world, taking the energy and the other dolphins to unknown worlds, leaving behind a confusing star map, mainly consisting of stars that had exploded, proving that the super dolphins knew which stars were going to explode. Or perhaps we're causing those stars to explode, perhaps leaving a trap for the Board, who it seems damage the probe to a great deal especially damaging its memory ball, the crystal ball that is exposed in the film and destroying the homeworld of the super dolphins, as Spock is able to mind meld with the probe, solving the problem and getting it back to exploring, teaching it that its voice can also damage might in their spacefaring ships and destroy planets, as we saw in Star Trek four with the oceans of the Earth, being ionized, as the probe used its voice to search for the whales, which speak the same language or a binary version of the language as the Super dolphins. So all in all, not a bad read a quick read a bunch of Romulan nonsense I don't bother telling you about but it was interesting that they attempted to use musicians, human and Romulan musicians to understand the call of the probe. All in all, I guess it was good that I read it to go back in time to a time when I was in high school and I devoured Star Trek novels by the week, maybe even by the day. This was another quick read. I wish it had been more about the probe or about the Super dolphins, less about the Romulans and their typical Romulan nonsense

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story picks up almost immediately after THE VOYAGE HOME. As such if anyone hasn't seen the movie it might help to watch and then read the book. I am glad that I picked this book up and read it. It is a fascinating story of the crew of the Enterprise trying to find a way to bring about peaceful relations with the Romulans. The Romulans, or some of them, want to sabotage the conference.

This whole thing starts with the death of the Praetor, the ruler of the Romulan people. His death leaves a vacuum that is filled by a moderate group wanting peace with the Federation. However it wouldn't be a Star Trek adventure if there wasn't a problem that could affect not just the Empire but the Federation as well. The Probe that nearly destroyed Earth is headed to the Romulan Empire. The Romulans are not listening to the Federation about the dangers of the Probe saying that it doesn't exist. There is also things happening on the planet that the conference is being held close to that could start a war at any time. Yes just another day for the Enterprise crew.

I enjoyed this story and added history that it provided to the Star Trek universe. There is something about the whole universe that is uplifting and enjoyable. Yes, I know that is a much romanticized universe but I think sometimes that it would be a nice place to live. I have enjoyed all the books that I have read linked to the STAR TREK: TOS every much.

[A.L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book. It was narrated by James Doohan, the actor who played Scotty on the original series. I loved that aspect of the book. It was fun to hear him act the character again, as well as Kirk, Bones, and all of the others.

This book takes place sometime between movie IV (The Voyage Home) and movie VI (The Undiscovered Country). It involves the mysterious probe that caused all the trouble in movie IV. Fans of that film will appreciate the explanation this book offers. One of the weaknesses of that film is that the antagonist (if it can really be called that) isn't explained very well. This book fills that gap.

Unfortunately, for my tastes, it's all a little boring. :( I love the banter and the humor among the original cast in movie IV. But the actual plot line--a mysterious probe that can only speak to whales from the 20th century?--isn't as strong as most of the other films.

Anyway, recommended only for the true fans of the Star Trek films featuring the original cast. If you haven't seen those films. Or if you think movie IV is weak (like I do), then this book is one to skip.

[Andy Stjohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

TOS: Probe by Margaret Wander Bonanno

The only other Star Trek novel to have production problems besides Killing Time! I highly encourage to read about the history of this book as it’s an interesting read , but it’s been stated here many times.

This was a decent but confusing book. The Romulan stuff didn’t really add anything to the book and the book would have really benefited from just focusing on the Probe. The journey to get to the origin of the Probe was a little confusing but it was worth it in the end. There was just so many unanswered questions about the Probe after the VH, such as who created it and what the purpose of it and this book answers it, while keeping it vague enough. I very much enjoyed the part involving the Probe’s homeworld as it was really cool. Also, the tie in with the Borg was cool and a smart way to tie into the larger Trek universe. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book because of how it answers some questions about the Probe we have, but keeping it vague enough.

7.5/10

[Reesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good! I had very low hopes for this book, daunted by its 344 pages, as it was clear it was going to break the commandment that made The One with the Whales so good: Don't explain the probe! I thought for sure it was going to ruin The Voyage Home and I'd be trying to forget it the moment the cover closed.

Not so! I loved the history of the probe! It all made perfect sense to me and, if anything, enriched the memories of ST:IV for me even further.

I liked the thread of music throughout the story (it made me think of the Rachni Queen from Mass Effect, which of course came much later), despite not being a musician myself. I enjoyed the play of relationships between the various Romulan characters. I loved the complexity of the plot and the tantalizing little bits left mysterious, giving room for the imagination to wander.

I can see why some would find it too boring, plodding, or pedantic, but I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story unfolded and would happily read it again sometime.

[Chad]

I think this book shows some promise but falls a little short in terms of what ends up on the page. The beginning is a bit slow for me and I had a hard time staying engaged. There are moments I liked and when the plot picks up it definitely gets better. But overall I thought it should have been a book either about the Romulan situation or that of the probe. As it is there isn’t really enough of either. It might just be a product of when it was written but there’s an odd Cold War kind of vibe to a lot of the plot.

I was totally unaware of the issues surrounding this book and how much editing after the fact changed the final product. According to the author, what ended up being published was a far cry from what she wrote. If you look up her website you can get a pdf of her original manuscript. I have done so and will read it soon. I’m intrigued to see what her original vision for the book was.

[Jason Prugar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Trek 4 is my second favorite movie of the original cast, and I was eager to read the follow-up. There is a history with this book - the credited author did not write this, Gene DeWeese did. Ms. Bonanno wrote Music of the Spheres, of which only 7% ended up in this book. She gave away copies of that book to anyone who inquired, and I was fortunate to get one before she passed. I'd like to read that to see which is the superior version.

They frame the chase of the Probe with Romulan-Federation negotiations. Pretty engaging, the original crew was written well and I liked the Romulan characters.

[Vorik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die erste Romanhälfte weiß durchaus mit einer guten Figurenzeichnung und der schönen „Flügel-Szene“ zu punkten, jedoch wird schon hier auffällig, was zum Problem des Werkes wird: die Autorin dehnt ihre Geschichte in die Länge. Es geht nur sehr gemächlich voran, und teils werden mit langen Logbucheinträgen und Perspektivwechseln bekannte Inhalte nochmals kurz wiederholt. So wird der soliden Handlungsidee jeder Spannungsaufbau genommen. Es liest sich zwar meist ganz nett und flüssig dahin, ohne aber wirklich packend zu werden. Immerhin ist es ein recht niveauvoll geschriebener Star-Trek-Roman. Fazit: kann man lesen, muss man aber nicht.

[Marc Chénier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hate giving a Star Trek novel only 2 stars but that's all I could consciously give it. The first half of the book introduced a lot of characters which don't really do much in the second half. For example we are reintroduce to Reilly from the early Star Trek tv series. In this book he's a diplomat who spends most of his time in a coma in sickbay and wakes up only after the story has reached its conclusion. It was good to finally understand (barely) what the probe was doing to Earth but the rest was just filling as far as I'm concerned. Just not to my taste.

Next hardcover: "The Postman" by David Brin (1985).

[Bookreader1972 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a twenty plus years ago. I just gave it 3 stars, because I don't fully remember it, however i read about two years ago a short article fro the "author" who claims this book, despite have her name on it is not her book. The editors made numerous major changes, & she has disowned this book, & would like it if her name was not on it.
The manuscript that she did write & submitted in 1990 was titled "Music of the Spheres".
Seven percent of "Music of the Spheres" was used in Probe by Gene DeWeese which was published in 1992.

[Peter Rydén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boken gav mersmak, även om många genvägar (bland annat i hur snabbt upplösningen plötsligt kom över en) är irriterande och oförklarliga. Jag älskar grundstoryn med att få veta vilka som stod bakom valsondens skickande till Jorden, men får man egentligen veta något reellt om skaparna av sonden? Jag anser inte att det förklaras tillräckligt tydligt, men efter att ha läst Margaret Wander Bonannos berättelse om allt som hänt får man väl vara glad över att det faktiskt ändå blev en spännande och intressant bok.

[Mario · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second half of the book is okay, which is about as far as I can go. The first half is slow and full of characters and plots that are simply annoying and serve no purpose. Those largely disappear for the second half (until the epilogue) and the story gets a little faster paced and finally develops a clear plot. The second half is interesting enough to be worth reading, but it's not worth reading the first half to get there.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started off really enjoying this book for the first two or three chapters because it brought back fond memories of the original Star Trek and its characters. However as the story continued it seemed to narrow down primarily to only Kirk with just brief interactions with the others. Of course that meant more characters that were new but that caused it to lose some of the magic. The story was reasonable enough but hardly great. So in the end I could only give it three stars.

[Joe Praska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listening to the narration of this by James Doohan was an absolute delight. From my understanding, the audiobook cuts out a decent amount from the actual novel and it sounds like that just might be for the better. There's a lot regarding Romulan politics that just didn't grip me at all, but everything with the probe is incredibly fascinating and I'd say worth the listen. I would have loved to see more follow up on it in the films.

[Dirk Wickenden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this in 1993, the year it was first published and again in 2022. I didn't recall anything about the story. I know there was the big controversy that whilst Bonanno wrote a version, DeWeese was commissioned to rewrite substantially.

Overall, it's an okay story but not really a worthwhile sequel and the nature of the Probe is talked about more in Captain's Log terms and short interludes. Those Captain's Logs ramble on! Overall, it could have been better.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only my second Star Trek book, and I enjoyed both immensely ("Spock's World" was the other one). I have been surprised by how much I enjoy them, and that both got high marks from me. In fact, I am beginning to think I might be a more deeply geek person than originally thought. Either that, or I just love a good, well-told story. ;)

Highly recommended for geeks and non-geeks alike.