Christine's Decision

Star Trek TOS Fanfiction
Title:	Christine's Decision
Author(s):	Sharon Emily
Date(s):	1975
Length:
Genre:	gen
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
External Links:	Online at Kraith Collected, simegen.com
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Christine Decision is a Star Trek: TOS story by Sharon Emily (set in the Kraith universe, Kraith 5-A).

It was published in the print zine Berengaria #4.

Reactions and Reviews

While Spock takes Kirk off somewhere on Vulcan to cure his esper-shock, Christine stays with Sarek and Amanda, overhearing a conversation of theirs that convinces her she would never be a suitable mate for Spock. She determines to attempt to be a worthy friend instead. Amanda wants Sarek to make a Flame for Chris but he declares it impossible, that her mind is not suitable; Kirk and Spock need Flames to keep their creative minds from becoming unstable, but it would destroy Chris. Typical Kraith hoo-hah.

The best [story in the zine] is a Christine Chapel story by Sharon Emily set in the Kraith universe.

"Christine's Decision", KRAITH VA, by Sharon Emily is also excellent. It depicts how Spock's family helps Christine to accept the fact that nothing will ever come of her love for Spock.

May I ask if you're a Kraith fan? I've gathered as much from reading the series in Berengaria and Christine's Decision. I find the series objectionable -- after reading "Christine's Decision, I boiled over. Why doesn't Jacqueline Lichtenberg and cronies just admit that Kraith is racist literature? I'm referring to the put down of humanity which is so prevalent in Krath.

Poor Chris -- I can see no reason why she should be such a horrendous match for Spock. She's gut intelligence, guts, and can view herself objectively. But why does she get left out? Only because she doesn't pretend to be Vulcan -- take Tanya who was the most neurotic, mental dingbat I've seen in fan literature. But Tanya was acceptable, only because she pretended she was Vulcan. As a result, her subconscious subjected her to crying jags and outbursts from repressed feelings. She was unstable and totally irritating -- but that was an acceptable mate?!!?

Why don't Kraithers admit that they're pushing Vulcan supremacy at the cost of everything else, Earth, especially? Amanda -- I gave her credit for more insight and understanding, but all she did was nod, nod, "Yes, Sarek. Yes, Sarek. Chris is a real dildo, Sarek."

Sharon's Kraith story was nice — I'm glad someone's doing something with Christine in Kraith, and something good, at that. Too often in the Kraith stories, she comes off as an insensitive, selfish, somewhat dumb character and she is none of those, even as Majel Barrett played her. A little over-emotional perhaps, but remarkably controlled in view of her undoubtedly unstable emotional condition in unrequited love for Spock. About the Kraith Christine, there are contradictions in her character. Even in just one story, "Spock's Affirmation", she is at once fairly knowledgeable about Vulcan, and completely insensitive, and in that case her in sensitivity is literally unbelievable, since she had seen a previous pon farr and knew at least, that it was not a cause for rejoicing. Now I hope that someone can work things out for her within Kraith.

Berengaria #4 was my first real introduction to the Kraith series. Boy, what an introduction. "Christine's Decision" was a very beautiful story. The insights into the lives of Christine, Sarek and Amanda were brought out in such a way as you couldn't help but love each and every character, even Sarek. The warmness of his character surprised me no end. (Are you trying to tell me this is the same man who refused to talk to his own son for eighteen years!)

"Christine's Decision" is a good story, but as a reader who is not very familiar with the Kraith series of stories and who is not very interested in strictly human interest stories, I found the story to be, shall I say, disappointing.