A review by octavia_cade
Star Trek Into Darkness by Alan Dean Foster

adventurous fast-paced

3.0

This isn't a patch on The Wrath of Khan, but it's still enjoyable - I think I liked it more than the movie, to be honest. Although I've forgotten most of the movie, so it can't have been that great. The strength of the adaptation is how well it portrays Kirk as simply not being entirely ready to be captain. He's immature, hotheaded, and thinks he's kind of above the rules that the rest of Starfleet has to play by. In all fairness, sometimes that pays off, but it's unsustainable and frankly dangerous over the long run. The Captain Kirk of that original five year mission could be impulsive, but he was more often calculating and measured. He was a good captain - and Kirk, here, is not so much. He redeems himself with the big sacrifice at the end, but Foster's characterisation is almost too successful. Spock ends up looking like the more competent option for captain, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Extra points for Scotty, though, who is willing to resign - and does - because he's not willing to cut corners in a way that would endanger the ship and his crewmates. It's thoroughly admirable of him, and it's nice to see him highlighted in this way.