Desperate Hours is the first original novel for the television series Discovery, written by David Mack. It was published in September 2017.
Description[]
- Aboard the starship USS Shenzhou, Lieutenant Michael Burnham, a Human woman raised and educated among Vulcans, is promoted to acting first officer. But if she wants to keep the job, she must prove to Captain Philippa Georgiou that she deserves to have it. She gets her chance when the Shenzhou must protect a Federation colony that is under attack by an ancient alien vessel that has surfaced from the deepest fathoms of the planet's dark, uncharted sea. As the menace from this mysterious vessel grows stronger, Starfleet declares the colony expendable in the name of halting the threat. To save thousands of innocent lives, Burnham must infiltrate the alien ship. But to do so she needs to face the truth of her troubled past, and seek the aid of a man she has tried to avoid her entire life—until now.
Summary[]
With the Shenzhou's first and second officers being promoted to another ship, Lieutenant Michael Burnham is made acting first officer ahead of science officer Saru, who will serve as acting second officer. It is up to Captain Georgiou whether or not she will retain the position.
The Shenzhou then receives a distress call from the colony on Sirsa III: Drilling operations have disturbed an ancient alien spaceship, dubbed the Juggernaut, which has despatched probes to attack the colony. The Shenzhou hurries to assist them but Starfleet sends the Enterprise with orders to destroy the Juggernaut, even though doing so will destroy the colony.
Burnham proposes she and Spock enter the Juggernaut to try and find a way of disabling it. Meanwhile, Saru discovers that the colony leaders hid evidence of an extinct civilization that once inhabited the planet: They will face charges if everyone survives. Burnham and Spock pass a number of challenges, at one point having to mind meld in order to remain in contact during one test. The Juggernaut's computer announces that by passing the test they have proved themselves worthy to join the long-extinct Turanian Dynasty: Those who refuse the offer or fail the tests are wiped out, as the planet's original inhabitants were. Burnham accepts the offer but the Juggernaut continues to attack the Enterprise and Shenzhou, deeming them aggressors. The two ships manage to damage the Juggernaut enough for Spock and Burnham to overload their phasers by key systems, disabling it.
The colony will be evacuated pending an archaeological examination although some may be allowed to return later. Georgiou confirms Burnham as first officer with a promotion to lieutenant commander.
References[]
Characters[]
USS Shenzhou personnel[]
- Bloom • Michael Burnham • Coniff • Danby Connor • Keyla Detmer • Esposito • Mary Fan • Kamran Gant • Philippa Georgiou • Goldsmith • Troy Januzzi • Saladin Johar • Kressel • McShane • Anton Nambue • Jira Narwani • Frel glasch Negg • Newitsky • Belin Oliveira • Payne • Reddick • Rogers • Saru • Shull (USS Shenzhou) • Gregor Spyropoulos • Temkin • Troke • Britch Weeton • Wierzbeski
USS Enterprise personnel[]
- Caitlin Barry • Philip Boyce • Datlow • Elena Donnelly • Garison • Gupta • Number One • O'Friel • Yoshi Ohara • Christopher Pike • Nils Pitcairn • Lao Shin • Singh • Spock • José Tyler • Navah Wolfe
Other Starfleet personnel[]
- Brett Anderson (Admiral) • Itzel GarcÃa • Sonnisar ch'Theloh
Other characters[]
- Jae Barnes • Mikki Bolander • Jon Bowen • Ramayan Chandra • Kiva Cross • Eichorn • Tojiro Ishii • Gretchen Kolova • Cameron Le Fevre • Hamid Medina • Lewa Omalu • Floyd Tanzer • Roy Tassin • Thumper
- Referenced only
- Calvin Burnham • Miles Davis • Nikos Georgiou • Amanda Grayson • Egot Huln • I-Chaya • D.H. Lawrence • Ling • Sonny Rollins • Sarek • Selek • Sogobu
Starships and vehicles[]
- drone • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • Juggernaut • USS Shenzhou (Walker-class)
- Referenced only
- colony transport • USS Intrepid • USS Persepolis • USS Tereshkova
Locations[]
- Alpha Quadrant • Arcadia Explorer • Ligot IV • Milky Way • Sirsa III (Executive Complex • New Astana • New Astana Medical Center) • Sirsa system
- Referenced only
- Beta Volanis • Corratus Prime • Denobula • Doctari Alpha • Earth (Beijing • Düsseldorf • Lagos • Lisbon • London • Mumbai • Paris • Yucatán) • Giunta system • Illyria • Ishanee system • Kelpia • Marus III • penal colony • Regulus • Starbase 7 • Teratus V • Vulcan (Llangon Mountains • ShiKahr)
Races and cultures[]
- Andorian • Human (German • Polynesian) • Illyrian • Kelpien • Tellarite • Tulian • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Bolian • Choblik • Denobulan • Orion • Pahkwa-thanh • Regulan • Sirsa III native • Turanian
States and organizations[]
- Civil Air Patrol • Civil Air Patrol Command • medical team • police • Starfleet • United Federation of Planets
- Referenced only
- Andorian Imperial Drum Corps • Daystrom Institute • Federation Colonial Authority • Federation colonial court • Federation Council • Judge Advocate General • Kayo Mining Consortium • Orion Syndicate • Raxan Foundation • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Command • Starfleet Intelligence • Turanian Dynasty • Vulcan Expeditionary Group • Vulcan Science Academy
Ranks and titles[]
- admiral • ambassador • CAP leader • captain • cargo transporter operator • chief engineer • chief medical officer • chief of police • chief of staff • chief petty officer • combat medic • commander • communications officer • computer technician • coordinator • deck officer • dental hygienist • dentist • deputy chief science officer • deputy security chief • engineer • ensign • first officer • flight coordinator • foreman • forensic engineer • governor • governor's aide • governor-in-exile • guard • helm officer • junior officer • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • lieutenant junior grade • manager • mechanic • medical technician • merchant prince • navigator • nurse • operations officer • pacifist • paramedic • pilot • proctor • rig commander • rig engineer • science adviser • science officer • scientist • second officer • security officer • sentry • serf • soldier • tactical officer • transporter chief • transporter operator • vegetarian • xenoarchaeologist • wingman • yeoman
Science and technology[]
- ablative hull • afterburner • airlock • amputation • analgesic • annular confinement beam • anoxia • anti-inflammatory • antiseptic • antitoxin • artificial gravity • artificial singularity • asphyxiation • astringent • astrophysics • atmosphere • atom • audio sensor • autonomous robotic attack system • battery • biomechanics • biometric pad • blaster • blood • brain (occipital lobe) • broad spectrum antibiotic • C-band • cargo crane • Celsius • chronometer • cipher pattern • collimating lens • color subcarrier data • command-and-control system • command-confirmation subchannel • communications • communicator • concave pod • concussion • constellation • data card • data core • data slate • decryption matrix • deep space probe • deflector geometry • depth of field • DNA • duotronic chip • earthquake • ecosystem • electricity • electromagnetic pulse • electron microscope • energizer array • energy dampener • exogeology • Fibonacci sequence • flight recorder • forensics • fractal matrix • frequency • FTL array • fuel pod • fusion reactor • g-force • goggles • gravity • gravity well • gravity-based con-deep rig • half-life decay • haptic interface • headset • hologram • holographic orb • holographic presentation system • holographic projector • holographic targeting helmet • holovid • hypospray • impulse drive • inertial damper • infrasonic pulse • interplex circuit • jamming signal • K class star • kinetic bomb • Ko-Mog subspace amplifier • laser • legacy cipher • lung • main sequence star • master system display • materials analysis • matter-antimatter reactor • mechanical oil • memory core • molecular structure • monochrome • noise-cancelling wave • optronic cable • oral surgery • parallax • oxygen • parental lockout • periodic table • phaser • phaser bank • phaser battery • phonetic language • photon grenade • photon torpedo • plasma • plasma cannon • plasma drill • poison • power relay • prime number • probe • pulsar • quantum resonance frequency • root canal • scattering field • selective focus • sensor array • shock gun • sonic pulse • sonic receiver • structural integrity field • stun baton • stun pistol • subspace antenna • subspace communications • subspace transceiver • subsurface imaging • supernova • symbolic language • synthetic skin • tectonics • telepathy • telescope • temperature • threat ganglia • throat spiracles • tractor beam • traffic-control system • transparent aluminum • transporter • transporter scrambler • tricorder • type-x phaser • Van Muren transceiver • vanadium • VR helmet • warp core breach • warp drive • warp-impulse cross-patch • waste processor
Other references[]
- apex-predator • artifact • bailiwick • bass • bell • bronze age • bug • bunker • bureaucracy • cave • cave painting • champagne • chess • chum • clarinet • classical music • Class M • coffee • colonial charter • colony • cutlery • day • distress call • dog • duranium • duty shift • evasive maneuvers • eyeglasses • Federation colonial law • Federation Galactic Catalog • fish • force majure • garlic • geode • General Order 24 • girder • glass • graphical narrative • green tea • gurney • hazmat protocol • helmet • hegemony • iceberg • illustration • jazz • katra • katric echo • Kobayashi Maru scenario • kraken • le-matya • maelstrom • manganese • map • marble • medkit • mind meld • mining • mosaic • mural • nondisclosure contract • officer's lounge • operations level • pay grade • pebble • permit • piano • pincer attack • plomeek soup • Prime Directive • psychology • ready room • reptile • reservoir • rocket jockey • sailing • salt water • sap • satchel • saxophone • sculpture • sehlat • sequential art • Self-Pity • sewage • shark • Sibellian hunting tree • snail • Starfleet Charter • Starfleet Code of Military Justice • Starfleet dress uniform • Starfleet uniform (2240s-2265) • stone • stone age • stretcher • subpoena • surface-to-air defense • symbals • telepathy • thermoconcrete • three-dimensional chess • tritanium • trumpet • turntable • triage • tyranny • vampire • vegetation casserole • vinyl record • Vulcan Learning Center • waiver • water • water main • wire-brush percussion • xenoanthropology • year
Appendices[]
Related media[]
Background[]
David Mack has written about the novel's relationship to the production of Star Trek Discovery, saying of the Shenzhou's characters:
"Most of them I developed on my own, along with detailed character bios, backstories, quirks, interests, etc. Those were then submitted to the show via Kirsten Beyer for approval. Some, such as Gant, Detmer, and Jannuzzi [sic], ended up being used on the show. (A few, like Connor and Britch Weeton, were established by the show's writers.) Also, Kirsten tells me that the Shenzhou bridge crew actors were given my bios of their characters to provide a foundation for their performances." [1]
The novel features Burnham encountering her adopted brother Spock and Christopher Pike for the first time in the franchise, predating their on-screen introductions in Season 2 by more than a year.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: first in the series |
Discovery unnumbered novels | Next novel: Drastic Measures |
| Previous novel: Control |
Novels by: David Mack |
Next novel: Fortune of War |
| chronological order | ||
Translations[]
- 2017
- German : Gegen die Zeit, translated by Helga Parmiter. (Cross Cult)
External link[]
- Desperate Hours article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Desperate Hours announcement at David Mack's website.