Wagon Train to the Stars

Synopsis

Guarding a colony expedition becomes much more difficult when an ancient feud between two alien races threatens everyone.

Inspiration

The title, Wagon Train to the Stars is taken from the original title envisioned for Star Trek: The Original Series. In Voyages of Imagination, Carey remarks: "One of the interesting parts of that book is that the ships' manifests and organizational work Kirk had to do was essentially what a real commodore in a mismatched fleet would have to do. Each of the Star Trek officers had to take on new assignments to make sure they could usher this regatta of vessels, pioneers, and supplies all the way out to their destination, in good order. I put my knowledge of boson's work and ship organization to good use, basically figuring out what Kirk would have to do to make such a project happen. Ship's business and organization has always been an underlying element of Star Trek, and it gave us a chance to see our favorite characters actually doing the nitty gritty of their real jobs. 'It's not all phasers and pretty girls, y'know.'"

Plot

Set directly after the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the Enterprise is assigned to lead a massive caravan of several thousand colonists to their new home six months away.