The collection of novels generally referred to as the Deep Space Nine Relaunch marked a bold experiment for Trek literature. Here were novels that didn’t only flesh out an existing storyline, but actively continued it. The run from Avatar to Unity essentially created an eighth season of the show. Avatar was a traditional two-part opener, and Rising Son gave Jake Sisko a starring role, The opening stages of this eighth season were a little jumbled, however. Abyss was part of the loosely tied Section 31 series, while demons of Air and Darkness fell in the middle of the Gateways epic. It was only with the Mission Gamma series that DS9 properly took centre stage once again.

Published in 2002, this four-part series serves two roles, achieved through a split narrative. Primarily, it continues the political intrigue of Bajor joining the Federation, and weaving in new characters to fit life on the station in the wake of the Dominion War At the same time, the Defiant heads into the Gamma Quadrant to fulfil Starfleet’s mission of discovery. The timeline between the two doesn’t always sync properly (especially when we remember that Rising Son takes place at the same time as all these novels), but forming the bulk of the relaunch storyline, Mission Gamma features all the narrative thrust and character development you’d expect.

Each book in the series has a different author, the first of whom is David R. George III, who would later become the primary author for DS9 novels. His first DS9 outing sets the tone for future books, and unfortunately his is a style that I don’t get along with at all. To give him credit, George has a lot of work on his plate when it comes to setting up the rest of the series. There is nothing wrong in the premise of Twilight, I simply find the delivery flat.

Moving on to This Gray Spirit brings us to Heather Jarman, whose only other Trek work I’ve read comes from Voyager‘s String Theory trilogy. Again, I find this novel rather soporific, but that is less due to style, and more to the split in narrative. In the Gamma Quadrant we find some classic Trek exploration, but on each return to DS9 the novel grinds to a halt. So much of this narrative feels like wheel-spinning, with stubbornness and frustration preventing any action, but not driving any real drama in its place. I’ll also go on the record as finding the romance between Quark and Ro Laren unconvincing on just about every level.

Thankfully, things pick up with Cathedral, by the ever reliable partnership of Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin. Not only does the DS9 plotline finally gain some traction, but it offers one of the most interesting ideas to come out of the Gamma Quadrant to date. There’s a mysterious structure in space (always a tick for me), that leads to some harrowing character experiences. Ezri and Dax are separated, Bashir begins regressing to his pre-gene-engineered self, and most curiously of all, Nog regrows his missing leg. The dilemma of undoing all or none of these changes, as well as investigating how they came about, is classic Trek.

Mission Gamma saves the best for last, however. Lesser Evil is not only Robert Simpson’s only Trek novel, but also seems to be his only novel overall, and I can only conclude that this state of affairs is a tragic loss to literature. This book is barely half the length of Twilight, yet provides a satisfying climax to the entire saga, all while still managing to set things up for Unity. Simpson perfectly captures the voice of the characters, even bringing in a few who have been overlooked in the relaunch so far. It’s a breathless race to the finish, but it never feels rushed, and the big plot beats are perfectly balanced by some great character moments.

Overall, Mission Gamma is the embodiment of the relaunch novels. There’s a bit too much going on, and sometimes it slows to a crawl, but when it gets going, it fires on all cylinders. If this were an eighth season, then these four books would feature some of my favourite episodes.