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Star Trek: The Original Series
The More Things Change
A thrilling e-novella based on Star Trek: The Original Series!
Six months after the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Doctor Christine Chapel and Spock must save the life of an ailing Audrid Dax, her true nature as a Trill having remained a mystery until now. But after an unknown vessel attacks their shuttle, a risky game of cat-and-mouse may be the only way to save all their lives.
Six months after the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Doctor Christine Chapel and Spock must save the life of an ailing Audrid Dax, her true nature as a Trill having remained a mystery until now. But after an unknown vessel attacks their shuttle, a risky game of cat-and-mouse may be the only way to save all their lives.
82 pages, ebook
First published June 23, 2014
About the author
Scott Pearson
58 books24 followersScott Pearson was first published in 1987 with “The Mailbox,” a Minnesota Monthly Tamarack Award winner about an elderly farming couple. In the decades since, he has published a smattering of humor, poetry, short stories, novellas, magazine articles, and nonfiction.
A Star Trek fan since the early 1970s, Scott has had three Trek stories published by Simon & Schuster: “Full Circle” in Strange New Worlds VII, “Terra Tonight” in Strange New Worlds 9, and “Among the Clouds” in The Sky’s the Limit. His Star Trek novella Honor in the Night is in the anthology Myriad Universes: Shattered Light and his second novella is the e-book exclusive The More Things Change, a story of Doctor Chapel and Spock.
He has had poetry published in the online magazines Strange Horizons and Down in the Cellar and in the print magazine Paper Crow.
As an editor, Scott has worked on such books as Tales from a Tin Can: The USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay, which received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, and Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings, which was featured on Dominick Dunne’s Power, Privilege, and Justice series on Court TV. His freelance editorial work has included a variety of Star Trek-related projects, including novels, short stories, and role-playing games.
Scott lives in personable St. Paul, Minnesota, near the mighty Mississippi River, fabled in story and song, with his wife, Sandra, and daughter, Ella.
A Star Trek fan since the early 1970s, Scott has had three Trek stories published by Simon & Schuster: “Full Circle” in Strange New Worlds VII, “Terra Tonight” in Strange New Worlds 9, and “Among the Clouds” in The Sky’s the Limit. His Star Trek novella Honor in the Night is in the anthology Myriad Universes: Shattered Light and his second novella is the e-book exclusive The More Things Change, a story of Doctor Chapel and Spock.
He has had poetry published in the online magazines Strange Horizons and Down in the Cellar and in the print magazine Paper Crow.
As an editor, Scott has worked on such books as Tales from a Tin Can: The USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay, which received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, and Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings, which was featured on Dominick Dunne’s Power, Privilege, and Justice series on Court TV. His freelance editorial work has included a variety of Star Trek-related projects, including novels, short stories, and role-playing games.
Scott lives in personable St. Paul, Minnesota, near the mighty Mississippi River, fabled in story and song, with his wife, Sandra, and daughter, Ella.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 27, 2014
Let me just say up front: I love me (and know me) some Dr. (or Nurse or Commander) Christine Chapel. So, I'm actually both an easy sell (because she's been massively under-served in the books in my opinion) and a hard sell (because I have my own version--well, many versions of her if you consider all the fanfic I've written of her over the years--and I don't always find other people's version of her easy to swallow). Both sides of me--the easy sell and the hard sell--are ecstatic over this story. It's respectful to Chapel as both a scientist/doctor and a Starfleet officer, it has a lovely take on her relationship with Spock, and there's a freakin' Trill in it!! It's a fun, fast-moving, well-written story, with dialogue that made me grin, genuinely suspenseful moments, and a wonderful, wonderful ending (and endings can be hard to do right). I know the author and this story just could not have been in better hands! I hope he does more with her. Well played, Mr. Pearson! Well played.
August 11, 2015
I received a republication copy of this book (June 12, 2015) through NetGalley with the understanding that I would publish are review on my blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google + pages along with NetGalley, Amazon and Goodreads.
I requested this book because I am interested in science fiction and I read several of the early Star Trek novels and thought that I would try this one to get back into them. This is the first novel by Scott Pearson that I have read.
I will give you my overall impressions of the book without giving away too many of the details of the book. I hate it when I start to read a review that reveals the whole story line (I stop and don't go any further at that point).
I have to admit that this book did not grab me or hold my attention at the level where I could not put it down. It is a quick read due to its length and does hold to the original Star Trek theme. I did not find the characters engaging nor did the story line really come together in a satisfactory fashion.
I recommend this book for die hard trekkies, but it you are not one of them you will most likely not find this book of interest..
I requested this book because I am interested in science fiction and I read several of the early Star Trek novels and thought that I would try this one to get back into them. This is the first novel by Scott Pearson that I have read.
I will give you my overall impressions of the book without giving away too many of the details of the book. I hate it when I start to read a review that reveals the whole story line (I stop and don't go any further at that point).
I have to admit that this book did not grab me or hold my attention at the level where I could not put it down. It is a quick read due to its length and does hold to the original Star Trek theme. I did not find the characters engaging nor did the story line really come together in a satisfactory fashion.
I recommend this book for die hard trekkies, but it you are not one of them you will most likely not find this book of interest..
June 2, 2015
The set up of the story seemed interesting but the story went nowhere quickly. The dialog between Chapel and Spock feels odd and forced especially post The Motion Picture. The author does not capture the feel of the characters at all. I didn't like the story at all and it's just flat
September 2, 2018
Cheeseball distraction. Makes more of the Spock-Nurse Chapel relationship than we've ever really seen on screen. Meh.
November 11, 2015
I've recently decided to take the plunge into the Star Trek novels series having enjoyed watching 'The Original Series' and noticed that some of the range includes eBooks so thought id start with a short novella just get a taste.
Massively enjoyed 'The More Things Changed' plenty of plot stands which slightly surprised me due to the length made for an enjoyable read. As it was short it feel as if it could have been a TV episode.
Looking forward to working my way through the range...
Massively enjoyed 'The More Things Changed' plenty of plot stands which slightly surprised me due to the length made for an enjoyable read. As it was short it feel as if it could have been a TV episode.
Looking forward to working my way through the range...
June 27, 2020
It had a great premise and so it had great promise. If you've read the blurb though you've pretty much read this novella already. It seems like he got Spock's voice wrong. Spock came off as an awkward teen crushing on Chapel.
May 21, 2015
This book was a ton of fun. Can you think of another book where Nurse Chapel sits at the helm of the story?
March 4, 2023
Set a few months after the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, this novella is a standalone adventure featuring Spock and Christine Chapel. The doctor and the Vulcan must transport an ailing alien by the name of Audrid Dax to a starbase for treatment via shuttlecraft. They are attacked and then chased by persons unknown, pushing Chapel, Spock, and the shuttle to the edge of their capabilities.
Pearson starts with an interesting premise, dropping a Trill character into the middle of a TOS story. At this time in the Trek universe, no one is aware of the Trill symbiont relationship, so the nature of Audrid Dax's illness is mysterious because she will not allow Chapel to conduct a medical scan with a tricorder, creating an automatic tension in the tale. This part of the book proves somewhat entertaining, as the reader (if they've ever watched DS9), knows something the characters do not.
However, the other thing that Pearson seems intent on is getting Spock and Chapel to share their feelings. By putting them in close quarters for long periods of time, he provides a setting for them to have conversations about themselves and their relationship, including Chapel's unrequited love for Spock and Spock's gradual acceptance of his human emotions. I understand that many fans have long appreciated the Chapel and Spock subtext from TOS, some going so far as to write romantic (and even erotic) fan fiction about the two, but I didn't really expect to read that kind of material in one of the authorized books.
To me, the Chapel/Spock dynamic works primarily because of how much is communicated with very little being said. The space between the words matters. This book explodes that motif, and feels like someone trying to write out all of the subtext. I read several sections that caused me to scratch my head and think, "I don't believe they'd have to say that part out loud." So the book feels a little too on the nose, and not authentic to the characters as we experience them in the TV show and movies.
The adventure story with the medical emergency, the Trill, and unknown attackers all works just fine. However, it's not enough to carry this slight eBook to success. And the Chapel/Spock relationship reads like fanfic, not canon.
Pearson starts with an interesting premise, dropping a Trill character into the middle of a TOS story. At this time in the Trek universe, no one is aware of the Trill symbiont relationship, so the nature of Audrid Dax's illness is mysterious because she will not allow Chapel to conduct a medical scan with a tricorder, creating an automatic tension in the tale. This part of the book proves somewhat entertaining, as the reader (if they've ever watched DS9), knows something the characters do not.
However, the other thing that Pearson seems intent on is getting Spock and Chapel to share their feelings. By putting them in close quarters for long periods of time, he provides a setting for them to have conversations about themselves and their relationship, including Chapel's unrequited love for Spock and Spock's gradual acceptance of his human emotions. I understand that many fans have long appreciated the Chapel and Spock subtext from TOS, some going so far as to write romantic (and even erotic) fan fiction about the two, but I didn't really expect to read that kind of material in one of the authorized books.
To me, the Chapel/Spock dynamic works primarily because of how much is communicated with very little being said. The space between the words matters. This book explodes that motif, and feels like someone trying to write out all of the subtext. I read several sections that caused me to scratch my head and think, "I don't believe they'd have to say that part out loud." So the book feels a little too on the nose, and not authentic to the characters as we experience them in the TV show and movies.
The adventure story with the medical emergency, the Trill, and unknown attackers all works just fine. However, it's not enough to carry this slight eBook to success. And the Chapel/Spock relationship reads like fanfic, not canon.
April 25, 2018
Ante todo me declaro un fan de Star Trek, aunque eso no signifique que acepte todo lo que publica ahi como oro. En este relato específico, que tiene como protagonista a Spock , Chapel y Dax, me gustó mucho como se retrató a los personajes en ese momento exacto de sus vidas. Este era un Spock postraumatizado digamos asi, tras su encuentro con la entidad V'ger, una Chapel ya graduada de médico, que aún busca su lugar en la Starfleet y especialmente en la Enterprise. Dax en una de sus encarnaciones, donde proteger la presencia del simbionte era de maximo secreto en su raza. Un relato muy dinámico y equilibrado, donde se lucen las relaciones entre los personajes, como toda buena historia Trek. Y esta lo es. Lo recomiendo.
June 25, 2019
A interesting tale featuring Spock and Chapel.
Taking place 6months after the events of TMP we a have a self contained story of Spock and Dr. Chapel as they try to get Troll representative, I won't say who but the name will be familiar, to a Troll shop for treatment. It's probably for the best that this was a e-book because it had just enough story without feeling padded. And it in a era I'm not exactly sure has been covered all that much as most Original series stories I have read either tale place in the original tv show or around the Wrath of Kahn era so this was a nice change of pace. Pick it up if you enjoy Spock and Chapel or the setting seen in TMP.
Taking place 6months after the events of TMP we a have a self contained story of Spock and Dr. Chapel as they try to get Troll representative, I won't say who but the name will be familiar, to a Troll shop for treatment. It's probably for the best that this was a e-book because it had just enough story without feeling padded. And it in a era I'm not exactly sure has been covered all that much as most Original series stories I have read either tale place in the original tv show or around the Wrath of Kahn era so this was a nice change of pace. Pick it up if you enjoy Spock and Chapel or the setting seen in TMP.
March 29, 2023
I’m glad I read The Lives of Dax before this, because I had the McCoy story for context when it came to his history with Dax that was alluded to here. This novella is very much a Christine Chapel story, and since she feels fully formed here, I kept imagining it was Jess Bush’s portrayal from Strange New Worlds. I really enjoyed the back-and-forth she and Spock had here. And this turns out to be the adventure right before she transfers from the Enterprise six months after The Motion Picture.
August 19, 2023
Adventure
Although this was a pretty quick read it was an excellent story. Well worth reading for any Star Trek fan. The main story centers around Spock and Dr Chapel along with an ailing trill. You get adventure and intrigue and even pirates along the way. Of course as usual everything turns out well for our favorite characters from the Enterprise.
Although this was a pretty quick read it was an excellent story. Well worth reading for any Star Trek fan. The main story centers around Spock and Dr Chapel along with an ailing trill. You get adventure and intrigue and even pirates along the way. Of course as usual everything turns out well for our favorite characters from the Enterprise.
May 22, 2018
Good short story
Nice story with adventure diplomacy high tech futures past space flight and secret missions. A long lost love recovered and new friends fond. Enemies defeated and it's not the captain who save s the day.
Nice story with adventure diplomacy high tech futures past space flight and secret missions. A long lost love recovered and new friends fond. Enemies defeated and it's not the captain who save s the day.
June 2, 2018
My Review of The More Things Change
I give this book 4 stars due to the fact that the book has very little to do with all that can be done within the Star Trek Universe.
Even with only Dr.Chapel and Mr.Spock much more to the story could be done.
I give this book 4 stars due to the fact that the book has very little to do with all that can be done within the Star Trek Universe.
Even with only Dr.Chapel and Mr.Spock much more to the story could be done.
November 7, 2018
Short but an exciting adventure. Most certainly worth reading.
Short but an exciting adventure. Most certainly worth reading. The author did a good job keeping my attention through out the entire book.
Short but an exciting adventure. Most certainly worth reading. The author did a good job keeping my attention through out the entire book.
August 3, 2020
This is a short story or a novella about Nurse Chapel who is now Doctor Chapel. It was nice to revisit some of the old characters from the Original Star Trek and catch up. The More Things Change had some tense moments and a few humorous ones, too. It's a nice read for Star Trek fans.
December 19, 2020
It's the first Star Trek book that's bored me. Unless you REALLY enjoy medical & techno babble, there's not much to the story. The presence of a pre-Jadzia Dax isn't enough to pump interest into the plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2022
I really liked this novella. It ticked all the right boxes for a short Star Trek story. The characters built off of the originals and they felt right. It wasn't high literature for sure, but very entertaining.
October 9, 2018
Spock, Christine Chapel and Audrid Dax in a shuttle, post TMP. a good setting for some important life decisions and a nice personal story.
January 12, 2019
Fun story
Nice references to other stories
Interesting interplay of characters
Chapel and Spock together create a good balance and emphasize the importance of friendship
Nice references to other stories
Interesting interplay of characters
Chapel and Spock together create a good balance and emphasize the importance of friendship
June 19, 2020
A good, quick read with a mix of TOS / DS9 characters.
October 20, 2020
I really enjoyed this one.
February 14, 2021
A good little novella that focuses really on Chapel and her relationship with Mr. Spock, with a little added bonus of including Audrid Dax in the mix.
February 17, 2021
Doctor Chapel and Mr. Spock on an adventure with the Trill. Interesting to see their interaction in later years.
August 25, 2021
Not a great novella, but surprisingly okay. I liked the introspective nature of the story, and how it ended with Doctor Chapel making choice that felt a little sad, but possibly right for her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2023
Quick right to the point, great short story
The title says it all..
Highly recommend this mini book
It's a right to the point, and the writer did well
In presenting the story
The title says it all..
Highly recommend this mini book
It's a right to the point, and the writer did well
In presenting the story
May 28, 2023
Really enjoyed this short novel, especially in light of the Strange New Worlds show. I love any backstory about Trill so this is perfect.
March 26, 2024
A well written story about Spock and Doctor Chapel set after the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture as the two attempt to save the life of a Trill dignitary as they are pursued by pirates.
July 26, 2014
Originally published at The Book Pushers
I have been a Star Trek fan since I first watched The Original Series with my dad, during the original broadcast run. (Yes, I just dated myself.) But the show is a part of my life. So a chance to read Trek fiction is always at least the opportunity to visit with old and dear friends. Sometimes it’s more, but it is never less.
One of the advantages of Trek fiction is that the author can use all sorts of shortcuts, because the readers already know these people and this setting fairly intimately. It’s also possible for the author to use a ton of in-jokes and internal referencing of past events, because the reader will probably remember everything.
It also allows for exploration of parts of the story canon that are left in the dark by the series and the movies. So it is with this book, as it illuminates an incident during the time shortly after the first TOS movie, Star Trek The Motion(less) Picture.
This story also allows one of the secondary characters from the series, Nurse (and by this point, Doctor) Christine Chapel. In the canon, she was only featured on occasion, and we don’t know why she left the Enterprise between the first movie and Wrath of Khan.
As an added bonus, we also get a glimpse into one of Jadzia Dax’ earlier incarnations, Audrid Dax, at the relatively early stages of Federation/Trill relations. Her role is small but crucial–she’s a sick patient that Dr. Chapel is not allowed to scan or medicate, because the whole Trill/symbiont biology is still a secret.
Instead, Chapel is assigned to escort Dax to a Trill ship, using a small shuttle piloted by Spock, and with no other crew. We get the chance to see Spock as he is still assimilating the overwhelming emotional turmoil he experienced in the movie. For Spock, he’s somewhat of a hot mess, trying to determine how he will integrate the more open emotional experience (for him) with the logic of his Vulcan heritage.
That Chapel and Spock have always had a somewhat strange relationship is also a big part of the story. Once upon a time, she had a huge crush on him. Once, briefly, she housed his consciousness. They know more about each other than mere friends. And yet, that is what they’ve become. He’s never had to experience the nuances involved in a relationship with someone that has so many conflicting facets.
So in this brief story, we have Spock dealing with a certain amount of emotional backlash, Chapel sifting through her options now that McCoy has returned to the Enterprise and his old position as Chief Medical Officer, and Dax, who needs medical attention but isn’t allowed to ask for it.
Oh, and Orion slave traders are chasing the small shuttle, in an attempt to capture (and sell) the lot of them.
For a relatively short story, we have a lot of plot threads. As I said, it’s easier to do this with Trek, because we already know these people and the author doesn’t have to take time to establish characters and setting.
On my other hand, I think this story only works because the readers are assumed to know everyone. Admittedly a fairly good assumption. But still, the story is only interesting because of all the things we already know.
This was a fun visit with old friends. It was terrific to see Chapel take charge, something that she doesn’t get to do in the series. I understood her conflict, that she loved her “family” on the Enterprise, but that it was time for her to take a serious look at where her career was going, and staying on the Enterprise was no longer the best thing for her.
The difficulty that she and McCoy have in figuring out how to relate to each other as more equals, and how she deals with her resentment that he has swooped back in and taken her job, were well done.
Spock is more emotionally messed up than we are used to seeing. His displays of temper and confusion are a bit jarring, but felt possible in context. He’s pretty far emotionally out there at the end of the first movie, but certainly has it all together, with a little more warmth, by the time of Wrath of Khan. He must have figured things out in between, but we don’t see it. So maybe this was how it went.
One reviewer referred to the use of the Dax symbiont and host for the patient that necessitates this whole trip as a case of “small world syndrome”. That is was just easier to use someone we sort of already knew. I think I’d agree. I kept wanting to see Jadzia Dax in the place of Audrid, but at the same time, the secrecy surrounding the Trill made this journey necessary.
On the whole, I enjoyed this trip down memory lane with my friends Chapel and Spock, and liked the story. It felt a bit like a “missing episode” and that was fun. But if you’re not already a Trek fan, I doubt it would work.
I give Star Trek: The More Things Change a B. (For a different take on this story, check out Galen’s review at Reading Reality)
I have been a Star Trek fan since I first watched The Original Series with my dad, during the original broadcast run. (Yes, I just dated myself.) But the show is a part of my life. So a chance to read Trek fiction is always at least the opportunity to visit with old and dear friends. Sometimes it’s more, but it is never less.
One of the advantages of Trek fiction is that the author can use all sorts of shortcuts, because the readers already know these people and this setting fairly intimately. It’s also possible for the author to use a ton of in-jokes and internal referencing of past events, because the reader will probably remember everything.
It also allows for exploration of parts of the story canon that are left in the dark by the series and the movies. So it is with this book, as it illuminates an incident during the time shortly after the first TOS movie, Star Trek The Motion(less) Picture.
This story also allows one of the secondary characters from the series, Nurse (and by this point, Doctor) Christine Chapel. In the canon, she was only featured on occasion, and we don’t know why she left the Enterprise between the first movie and Wrath of Khan.
As an added bonus, we also get a glimpse into one of Jadzia Dax’ earlier incarnations, Audrid Dax, at the relatively early stages of Federation/Trill relations. Her role is small but crucial–she’s a sick patient that Dr. Chapel is not allowed to scan or medicate, because the whole Trill/symbiont biology is still a secret.
Instead, Chapel is assigned to escort Dax to a Trill ship, using a small shuttle piloted by Spock, and with no other crew. We get the chance to see Spock as he is still assimilating the overwhelming emotional turmoil he experienced in the movie. For Spock, he’s somewhat of a hot mess, trying to determine how he will integrate the more open emotional experience (for him) with the logic of his Vulcan heritage.
That Chapel and Spock have always had a somewhat strange relationship is also a big part of the story. Once upon a time, she had a huge crush on him. Once, briefly, she housed his consciousness. They know more about each other than mere friends. And yet, that is what they’ve become. He’s never had to experience the nuances involved in a relationship with someone that has so many conflicting facets.
So in this brief story, we have Spock dealing with a certain amount of emotional backlash, Chapel sifting through her options now that McCoy has returned to the Enterprise and his old position as Chief Medical Officer, and Dax, who needs medical attention but isn’t allowed to ask for it.
Oh, and Orion slave traders are chasing the small shuttle, in an attempt to capture (and sell) the lot of them.
For a relatively short story, we have a lot of plot threads. As I said, it’s easier to do this with Trek, because we already know these people and the author doesn’t have to take time to establish characters and setting.
On my other hand, I think this story only works because the readers are assumed to know everyone. Admittedly a fairly good assumption. But still, the story is only interesting because of all the things we already know.
This was a fun visit with old friends. It was terrific to see Chapel take charge, something that she doesn’t get to do in the series. I understood her conflict, that she loved her “family” on the Enterprise, but that it was time for her to take a serious look at where her career was going, and staying on the Enterprise was no longer the best thing for her.
The difficulty that she and McCoy have in figuring out how to relate to each other as more equals, and how she deals with her resentment that he has swooped back in and taken her job, were well done.
Spock is more emotionally messed up than we are used to seeing. His displays of temper and confusion are a bit jarring, but felt possible in context. He’s pretty far emotionally out there at the end of the first movie, but certainly has it all together, with a little more warmth, by the time of Wrath of Khan. He must have figured things out in between, but we don’t see it. So maybe this was how it went.
One reviewer referred to the use of the Dax symbiont and host for the patient that necessitates this whole trip as a case of “small world syndrome”. That is was just easier to use someone we sort of already knew. I think I’d agree. I kept wanting to see Jadzia Dax in the place of Audrid, but at the same time, the secrecy surrounding the Trill made this journey necessary.
On the whole, I enjoyed this trip down memory lane with my friends Chapel and Spock, and liked the story. It felt a bit like a “missing episode” and that was fun. But if you’re not already a Trek fan, I doubt it would work.
I give Star Trek: The More Things Change a B. (For a different take on this story, check out Galen’s review at Reading Reality)
February 19, 2023
3.5 stars-this novella gets a base rating of 3 stars because we have so little content starring Nurse/Dr. Chapel and we do love to see it! The actual story is okay; a bit of a weird setup and the Trill situation isn't quite as mysterious if the reader knows anything about the Trill (although it makes sense in the context of the story based on the time period). Not a whole lot of substance (and I wasn't entirely sure about the Spock characterization to be honest) but a fun, quick little read, and any story featuring Chapel is worth it in my book (no pun intended)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews