Star Trek: The Original Series novel Identity Theft in Review
“Identity theft” is not only the title of the latest Star Trek novel by Greg Cox but is also a topical subject to us all in the 21st century. After all, who among us isn’t concerned about having one’s own personal identity stolen? Imagine if that was done by a technology which allowed your consciousness to swap bodies. Could there be a worse predicament?!
Log Entry
Such a scenario is exactly what happens in this novel, using Camusian technology first introduced in the TOS third season episode “Turnabout Intruder”, in which Doctor Janice Lester swaps bodies with Captain James T. Kirk and commits mayhem aboard the USS Enterprise. During the novel, it is sometimes referred to as highly classified “turnaround” technology. In this book, however, the swap takes place between two different characters and the motivation is much more nefarious.
Basically, the story starts in 2269, during the original five-year mission, where we first meet the Voyzr, a deer-like race of aliens who are fighting a civil war. The Enterprise crew helps to negotiate a peace after rescuing some hostages from a bunker-like facility, the crew members most prominent in the rescue being James Kirk, Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov.
The plot then fast forwards twenty years, to 2289, when the Voyzr have been at peace for the past two decades and are about to open a Federation embassy. Before the Enterprise can go to Voyzr, the crew is first diverted to Tykona – a planet where there is a pandemic – in order to help. The peace deal negotiated in 2269 has not been accepted by everyone and some Voyzr who don’t agree with the peace treaty have been exiled to Tykona. This is where we meet a group who call themselves “the Exiles” and want to disrupt the peace celebrations.
Those crew members not needed to attend to the medical emergency are allowed shore leave and Chekov is lured down to the planet by someone he believes is an old friend, only to find himself captured. His body is swapped with that of a young Voyzr buck called Ryjo, whose mission is to kill the Regnant of Voyzr and sour relations between Voyzr and the Federation.
Chekov escapes custody and goes in pursuit of the Enterprise to warn the crew about what has happened and that an imposter is onboard. He manages to convince a young Voyzr doe called Dise, who happens to be Ryjo’s ex-girlfriend, that he is not Ryjo. Along the way, she helps Chekov, even staying behind on a space station to make sure he can track down the Enterprise. The starship is delayed briefly by a rescue mission to an unstable moon but eventually reaches Voyzr, where Chekov begins the battle to recover his rightful body.
Eventually, the truth comes out and, on the Enterprise, it is by using the same method used in “Turnabout Intruder” that the crew learns the truth of the body swap. Chekov achieves his aim of rectifying the body swap and ensures that he does the right thing for both Nurse Simone Tovar and Dise.
Status Report
When I first began to read this book, I was not sure what to make of it. The fact that the Camusian technology is used to achieve the body swap intrigued me enough to read on. The very idea of body swapping is central to the plot and was the hook I needed to keep reading. I was intrigued as to how Chekov would get his body back. I’m glad I stayed with the plot. Otherwise, I would have missed out on a roller coaster of a story.
What stands out with this book is that the protagonist is not Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy or Scotty but Chekov, which gives both the author and the reader a change to delve deeper into his character. I loved that, throughout the body swap, Chekov remained true to himself and proactively did his best to try to rectify the swap. I also found the conclusion satisfying. Although not all loose ends are neatly tied up, it is not vital that they are.
Would I recommend this book for a fan to read? Yes, though I would first recommend that a potential reader watches the episode “Turnabout Intruder” first, in order for the book to make more sense to them. So, I would not recommend this as an entry-level Star Trek novel. For those who are familiar with both the episode and the Camusian technology which Starfleet ended up classifying, it is a very good read and a worthy sequel to that episode. The novel contains some subtle foreshadowing of the rise of Gorkon as a force in Klingon politics, which makes me consider watching Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, a film I have yet to see. I am also interested in checking out more of the work of Greg Cox, an activity I have been inspired to do thanks to reading this novel.
