NOVEL WEB Forward and Dramatis Personae
Forward: The Edge of Midnight
Link: https://edgeofmidnight.weebly.com/
The Edge of Midnight, a Star Trek fan project delving into the history of the Klingon cold war is the whole reason this story exists. It is best described in the words of its author John Concagh, or @badsocialism on Twitter.
“What is The Edge of Midnight? It is best described as a History of the Federation Cold War, written from the perspective of a 24th-century historian. It is an attempt to weave together 55+ years of Star Trek Canon, Fanon, RPG guide content and personal ramblings into a coherent narrative. The Federation-Klingon Cold War forms the backdrop to the events of Star Trek, from The Original Series to Strange New Worlds, with all six original movies and dozens of over events referenced across Trek tying into it. It has, however, not been discussed or speculated on in much detail. Edge of Midnight is a fan project that aims to change that.”
I make many references to events that occur within the canon of his series within my book, and I encourage anyone who's interested to check out the Edge of Midnight for additional context and even for some fun easter eggs. This book was specifically inspired by chapters six through nine of book one. The Suliban crisis and Caleb IV deserve special mention as they are referenced heavily throughout the book so if you’re looking for additional context starting there isn't a bad idea.
To say I adore this work is an understatement. I am a huge sucker for the concept of in-universe historical documents and I rank the Edge of Midnight up there with some of the best I have ever read. It is always a treat to read when it updates, to reread when I'm searching for inspiration or to share it with others. I love its dedication to showing Star Trek not as Fully Automated Luxury Space Communism but as the New Deal in Space, a core component of especially early Trek. As well I love the sci-fi twists on real events, and the usage of things from our current world (the Greenjackets, Cunard Lines etc.) to show a very real feeling of continuity between us today and the 22nd century. Additionally, I love the commitment to casual diversity showing in the future that we would be able to move past many of the issues faced by queer people today. That influenced many of my own choices in the development of my book and I am grateful to follow his example.
To describe all of my feelings would fill a volume as long as this book, but to put it succinctly, his work rekindled my love of writing. To John I say, thank you for inspiring me and for all of your effort, I hope that you read this story one day and enjoy it even a fraction of how much I enjoy the Edge of Midnight.
Dramatis Personae
The Resolute
Captain: Captain Niah Zh'kaarrin [Andorian, She/Her]
First Officer: Commander Marcus Fane [Human, He/Him]
Operations Officer: Lieutenant Sally Whitman [Human, She/Her]
Tactical Officer: Lieutenant Risi [Saurian, He/Him]
Navigation Officer: Lieutenant Jr Grade ND Phillips [Human, They/Them]
Chief Engineer: Lieutenant Commander Bray Glov Gronnahk [Tellarite, He/Him]
Chief Medical Officer: Lieutenant Commander Allan Truong [Human, He/Him]
Communications Officer: Lieutenant Grolik [Denobulan, He/Him]
Chief Science Officer: Lieutenant Commander Yamia Foro [Bolian, She/Her]
Security Officer: Chief Petty Officer Phenna [Coridanite, She/They]
Science Officer: Lieutenant Kohl [Arcadian, She/Her]
Shuttle Pilot: Ensign Grant [Human, He/Him]
Shuttle Pilot: Ensign Yukimura [Human, She/Her]
The Aurora
Captain: Captain Cserr Aleya [Caitian She/Her]
New Jerusalem Colony
Administrator Tet Rator [Bolian, They/Them]
Pastor Kiera Stone [Human, She/Her]
Sala [Suliban, She/Her]
Vaanek [Suliban, He/Him]
Klingons
Captain Klaugh [Klingon, He/Him]