The Good that Men Do (Spoiler)

S P O I L E R

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I already enjoyed "Last full Measure" very much which was also written
by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin. It can be seen as the stepping
stone into the Enterprise Relaunch books, meaning Enterprise novels that
take the TV series beyond what has been shown before, very much in the
tradition of DS9 Relaunch. Enterprise had its flaws on TV but in spite
of that, I am a big fan of the series and see so many possibilities here
to explore the earlier history of the Star Trek universe. What made me
even more to look forward to it is that my favourite Enterprise
Character, "Trip" Tucker, is part of it in spite of was shown in the
last episode.

When I read "Last full Measure" I already wrote about it in detail how
much I welcome this decision and that I am very much looking forward to
the next Enterprise book. I started reading "The Good that Men Do" with
very high expectations. After I finished it, my first reaction was
"wow". This book even managed to give me much more than I was hoping
for. My absolute favourite book ever is the New Frontier novel "Once
Burned". I have serious doubts that there will ever be a book that can
surpass that one but "The Good that Men Do" has achieved it to be nearly
on the same level. I mean this as a very high praise indeed.

I discovered very quickly that there was no need at all to worry that
the way Trip was brought back could feel forced, illogical and
constructed. The story flowed very naturally and, the contrary, it
finally made sense of what was shown in that infamous holodeck
recreation. I smiled when I read Nog mentioning some of the flaws in
that story shown in the last episode at the end of the book.

The authors made it very clear why Trip was the natural choice for this
mission. It was not only because he was a highly qualified engineer who
had some experience with Romulan technology. Trip was highly motivated
because of his personal background after the attack of the Xindi and the
loss of his sister. I loved the way the authors treated him. I could see
why Trip has always been my favourite Enterprise character: He showed a
mix of strength and sensitivity I found very appealing and I felt for
him and with him during the whole book. This was mainly the case when
Phlox declared him dead and he became much more aware of it how enormous
his personal sacrifice actually was, not only for him personally but for
his family and friends.

I smiled when I read that T`Pol had doubts that he is really dead. I
think the relationship between her and Trip was beautifully written.
T`Pol herself was written as a strong character as well with well placed
explanations why she is more emotional than the average Vulcan without
taking anything away from her. I think that what Vulcans would see as a
handicap will also be a valuable asset when T`Pol learns to handle and
understand emotions better. I am confident that she will. It was her
ability to work with Archer and his crew that played a big part in
overcoming obstacles and building bridges. I am very curious how this
character will develop in future books.

What I also like very much is that Trip actually met her and told her
the truth. I was afraid that Trip might lose his connections with all
established characters and especially T`Pol. I think it will not only
benefit Trip`s sanity and keep Archer informed about important
intelligence, it will also benefit us readers. Trip in his disguise
could even work together with them looking like a Vulcan.

I liked Phuong but from the beginning I had the gut feeling that this
character won`t survive the book. I was right but nevertheless, I will
miss him. He was an interesting character. I remember that I had another
discussion about Section 31 quite recently and some people made it clear
again that Section 31 is a terror organization and all people working
for it are criminals. At that time I said again that this is an
oversimplification and that this doesn`t apply to everybody. A lot of
what Section 31 does and especially some of the methods they use are
going further than I find acceptable, especially when it is about the
question if the end justifies the means. But on the other hand, I always
believed it that Section 31 also saved a lot of lives. Phuong was not a
terrorist. That was not the impression I was left with. He genuinely
tried his best under very dangerous circumstances to prevent a war. The
same applied to Zweller in "Rogue", it applied to Reed and, of course,
also to Trip. That Trip would become an agent working for Section 31 is
definitely not something I would have imagined when the TV series was
still running. I find this idea fascinating, also because it provides a
lot of potential for interesting stories, including insights into
Section 31.

I enjoyed the meeting of Nog and Jake very much. It adds to it that a
lot of it reminded me of the episode "The Visitor" which is one of my
favourites. I read the hints about things to come with a lot of
interest. I wonder what happened that broke up their friendship for such
a long time. I am looking forward to learn more about Nog`s colourful
private life and I like it that Jake and his wife stayed together. It
was mentioned in this framing story that Section 31 had finally been
exposed "not so long ago". To me, that is the biggest teaser so far and
this is a topic that will hopefully result in some really memorable
books.

I am not only looking forward to more stories about Trip and his
missions but also about the Romulans. The authors were very successful
to also write the Romulan side very three dimensional. I mainly liked
Doctor Ehrehin. He was a remarkable old man who was helping to save
lives in his own way. Valdore is a very promising character I also would
like to meet again.

What got my attention is that Trip`s disguise does more than altering
his appearance. It also changes his physiology even in ways that extend
his human life span. I was amazed when I read the description about how
deep the change is and am still wondering how realistic it is. But, all
right - this is one of the facts I am just accepting. I am no biologist
and can`t judge how much science and how much fantasy has been involved
here. I am just saying, the ideas behind this are very interesting
indeed.

Not only because we know from Star Trek history that there will be a war
with the Romulans very soon, I think it was appropriate not to present
Trip the super hero who was one hundred percent successful. It gives
Enterprise an amount of realism but without losing the positive feeling
Star Trek is about.

I certainly welcomed it that Archer was more determined in this book
than he was during the Xindi crisis not to abandon his human values when
faced with a strong temptation to do so. I am hoping he will stick to
that also in future because this was his only flaw in Enterprise I had
real problems with. It also gave the viewer a message I was not happy
with at all.

I enjoyed the part Shran had in this book too. Shran quickly became one
of my favourite characters in Enterprise and I am hoping he will
continue to play an important part in Enterprise Relaunch. Also in his
case, I am happy about how the authors rearranged what was shown on TV
in the last episode. They also were very successful showing the Shran I
remember: a hothead but a very likeable one with valuable qualities.
That Theras wouldn`t survive the book was obvious but I don`t see that
as a flaw. It was logical and a development I welcomed. I had some
problems with the Shran story shown in the last Enterprise episode but I
liked the idea that Shran would have a family in future. I am hoping he
will indeed have a daughter as was shown.

Shran overreacted concerning Theras. I agree with his analysis towards
the end of the book. On the other hand, I disagree with it that Theras
was such a hero. If that would have been true he would not have insisted
that the Enterprise returns, risking everything and everyone on board to
kill him. If he would really have been heroic he would simply have
manipulated another Romulan, get him to kill him without endangering
anybody else. I read about him with mixed feelings. I could understand
Theras difficulties but I couldn`t help it - he sometimes really got on
my nerves.

After having finished this remarkable book I can`t wait to read more! I
hope it won`t be too long.

Baerbel Haddrell