Echoes and Voices

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Star Trek TNG Fanfiction
Title: Echoes and Voices
Author(s): Djinn
Date(s): 2002
Length:
Genre:
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation
External Links: posted here

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Echoes and Voices is a Star Trek: TNG story by Djinn.

It was nominated for a 2002 ASC Award.

Reactions and Reviews

One of my initial reactions upon seeing "Nemesis" was of course this was not the first time Picard has been confronted with a distorted image of himself, the 'evil twin' Djinn refers to. I really liked all of the parallels drawn between Locutus and Picard, as well as the obvious ones between Picard and Shinzon, and then the eerie likeness between Shinzon and Locutus. The eternal conflict between good and evil--any decent man would fear learning of the existence of evil in his inner self, but Picard has actually met his, face to face. The nightmare of the Borg implants erupting not through Picard's own cheek, but through Shinzon's, is telling indeed. [1]

I love a story like this one that can get me to rethink my assumptions and make me see implications of screened Star Trek I had never thought of. Everything in this story can be plausibly drawn from what we saw in "Star Trek: Nemesis," but it was so subtle I never noticed the implications for Picard and others. The parallel Djinn draws between Shinzon and Locutus is simply brilliant and very well developed in "Echoes and Voices." Djinn digs so well into Picard, tunes into his thoughts so well, you would think she has a direct pipeline into the captain. Djinn hits his voice exactly and I think that can be difficult to do. The author writes movingly of Data and Troi as well and there is some interesting speculation on Data's actions at the end of the film. This story is pretty short, but so much is packed into it, that the energy is palpable. Yet the story never feels as if it needs to be expanded upon. This is powerful, moving wonderful writing with lots of insights to savor and haunting, vivid imagery. This is the kind of story you find yourself thinking about long after you have read it and rewards re-reading. "Echoes and Voices" in my humble opinion is one of the best TNG stories written this year and a great coda to the film "Star Trek: Nemesis." [2]

Wow. While I enjoyed Djinn's other follow-up fic to Nemesis, I have to confess this is the one that really compels me. Picard looks in the mirror and sees Shinzon, now, as well as Locutus. Can't the poor guy ever get to meet an alternate self who isn't evil? The language is haunting and also very much in character for Picard.[3]

References