The Battle of Betazed.

At the height of the Dominion War, the peaceful world of Betazed was invaded by the Jem'Hadar and the Cardassians in pursuit of their goal of control over the Alpha Quadrant. With Starfleet stretched thin, the Betazoid Resistance comes up with a desperate plan to turn their power of telepathy against the occupying forces. However, the use of their talents in the goal of killing may change the face of the peace-loving Betazoid culture forever...

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson are joined by Earl Grey's Amy Nelson to discuss the TNG novel The Battle of Betazed by Charlotte Douglas & Susan Kearney. We talk about the criminal Hent Tevren, killing with telepathy, Dr. Crell Moset, DS9's contributions to the mission, Troi's command abilities, the fateful choice facing the people of Betazed, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

In the news segment, we report on four new upcoming novels from Simon & Schuster. We also review the Star Trek: Year 5 Valentine's Day special issue and respond to feedback from The Babel Conference for Literary Treks 294: Walls Behind Walls Behind Walls.

News
Agents of Influence Blurb (00:03:07)
Other New Releases (00:05:08)
ST: Year Five Valentine's Special (00:08:12)
Listener Feedback (00:22:18)

Feature: The Battle of Betazed
Initial Thoughts (00:24:47)
Hent Tevren (00:33:06)
Killing Me Softly (00:40:32)
Crell Moset (00:51:02)
Lemec and Luaran (00:57:50)
DS9 Representation (01:00:27)
Deanna Troi's Mission (01:07:50)
Violations on Troi (01:12:56)
Amy's Math Moment (01:20:00)
Ratings (01:23:49)
Final Thoughts (01:34:44)

Hosts
Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson

Guest
Amy Nelson

Production
Bruce Gibson (Editor and Producer) Dan Gunther (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)

Mike Johnson: Picard: Countdown.

With an unspeakable tragedy about to strike the homeworld of the Romulan Empire, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard undertakes a daring mission: leading a rescue armada to evacuate millions of Romulan citizens. However, not everyone is supportive of this mission, and the admiral faces some unexpected resistance when he tries to save everyone in danger, not just the Romulans.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Bruce Gibson and Dan Gunther welcome Mike Johnson, co-writer of Star Trek: Picard: Countdown, back to the show. We discuss how the comic trilogy came about, the inclusion of characters from TNG, Picard's new first officer, Tal Shiar operatives Laris and Zhaban, Admiral Picard during this time, the natives of Yuyat Beta, Romulan diversity, the machinations of the Tal Shiar, and wrap up with what Mike is working on now and where he can be found online.

At the top of the show we review Star Trek: Year Five #9 and respond to listener feedback from The Babel Conference for Literary Treks 294: Pulling the Strings.

News
Star Trek Year Five #9 Comic Review (00:02:25)
Listener Feedback (00:14:24)

Feature: Mike Johnson
Getting Started (00:20:11)
TNG Characters (00:27:21)
Commander Raffi Musiker (00:32:12)
Laris and Zhaban (00:35:36)
Who is Admiral Picard? (00:38:01)
Yuyat Beta Natives (00:41:58)
Making It All Fit (00:46:00)
Romulan Diversity (00:51:33)
The Tal Shiar (00:55:42)
More To Come (01:01:18)
Final Thoughts (01:07:17)

Hosts
Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson

Guest
Mike Johnson

Production
Bruce Gibson (Editor and Producer) Dan Gunther (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)