A review by octavia_cade
Mystery of the Missing Crew by Michael Jan Friedman, Todd Cameron Hamilton, Catherine Huerta

adventurous fast-paced

2.0

I like that this quick children's tie-in novel is strongly centred in the Star Trek ethos - that alien species are beings that can be communicated with and worked with, and that no matter how threatening they may initially seem, common ground can be found. The execution, on the other hand, is a little baffling. On his way to join the Academy, Data and a handful of other would-be cadets are faced with a situation that they have to handle alone, after the disappearance of all the ship's officers. And it's basically likeable, I suppose, but it's hard to get around the fact that none of these other young people do anything. Every action, every suggestion... everything comes from Data, and so I'm left wondering what was the point of having them there? Honestly, if the other cadets had disappeared along with the rest of the crew, nothing functionally would have changed with regard to the plot. And that just seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity, really.