Echoes from the Past

You may be looking for Echoes of the Past, a Star Trek: TNG novel OR "Echoes from the Past," the novel by Phaedra Morgan that makes up the entirety of Matter/Antimatter #9.

Zine
Title:	Echoes from the Past
Publisher:	Rebecca Ross and M.A. Carson
Editor:
Author(s):	Rebecca Ross
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):	see article
Date(s):	1978
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

front cover by Heather Firth

back cover, Pat Bradshaw

Echoes from the Past is a 58-page (60,000 words) gen Star Trek: TOS novel by Rebecca Ross.

The art is by Heather Firth, Pat Bradshaw (back cover), and Jude Huntsberger (chapter-end illios). Proofreader: Cindy Simons.

The original print run of this zine was 400.

According to an ad in The World of Dark Shadows #27, this novel had "DS references," which is also mentioned by one of the reviewers, Paula Smith. The story also includes a werewolf named Quentin.

The novel features an original female character and Spock, and contains scenes and descriptions of rape.

Descriptions

It is a Southern Star Special Edition and is an action/adventure/romance by the author of the Carmilla and the Mariah stories in "Southern Star."

Summary from an ad in Fanfare #1:

It deals with one Aidan Little Fire McLaren, a half-Scot, half-Navajo and a werewolf named Quentin in McLaren's past. An action/adventure/romance...

Summary from an ad in Scuttlebutt #11:

An old-fashioned romance/action/adventure tale concerning Aidan Little Fire McLaren, a half-Scot, half-Navajo woman who is thrust into the Vulcan society after dragons interfere with her destiny. This books follows her attempts to adapt to a new life-style different from the one she knew previously, including her entanglements with certain well-known Vulcans, as well as humans.

The Sequel That Never Happened

1987 flyer

In 1987, the novel, "Echoes of the Mirror" was advertised but it was never published. From a 1987 flyer:

After a hiatus of several years, the Southern Star is back in business... We are now ready to publish Rebecca Ross's sequel to 'Echoes from the Past.' This new novel, entitled 'Echoes from the Mirror,' begins where 'Echoes' left off, and involves the Enterprise crew in a Federation which may be dissolving. The novel is twice the length of 'Echoes of the Past,' and will be extensively illustrated.' We hope to have both these publications available during the first part of 1988 -- certainly by the end of March, when they will be available at Magum Opus Con in Columbus, Ohio.

Editorial

Dear Reader:

It is my ferverent [sic] hope that you will enjoy ECHOS [sic] FROM THE PAST. For me, it has been a great pleasure to write and I hope that you will derive just as much pleasure from reading it.

Before I get too far along, I would like to thank some of the people who helped make ECHOS a reality: Sharon Emily, who read the manuscript in a much earlier form and made many excellent suggestions (and she, by the way, helped me keep my time tracks straight); Mac Carson, who argued and argued over certain sections, and when I refused to change those questionable passages, came up with ways to validate them; Cindy Sirmons, my proofreader. What would I do without her sharp eyes to catch all my misspellings and typos; the artists, Pat Bradshaw, Heather Firth, and Jude Huntsberger. They came through in the clinch with some really fantastic artwork. Lastly I would like to thank my husband and sons for their patience and understanding. It's hell living with a writer, ain't it?

ECHOS is not my first TREK work. Far from it. But it is my first TREK novel. It began quite a few years ago and has evolved into a far more complex idea which will probably generate sequels. The animated series gave me additional information regarding Vulcan, and Vulcan society, and I was able to expand on Aidan's desert crossing as well as her stay on Vulcan. ECHOS seems to have grown with the years until it has finally matured. Unlike this, my present novel (not an ECHOS sequel) seems to be springing full-blown to the page.

There will, of course, be many different opinions regarding ECHOS. Some will even call this a Mary Sue story. If this be the case then I can only say "thank you". Now why, you may ask do I choose to regard a derogatory term as a compliment? In the parliance [sic] of some Trekkers, a Mary Sue story is one in which the author injects herself into a self-created character. This is quite a misconception. Writing courses teach that an author must put some portion of herself into a character, otherwise it is difficult to maintain believability. If a portion of one's own personality is integrated within a character, the author can then be in touch with the character and can allow the character to act and react realistically. (As to which portions of my personality are incorporated within Aidan, that is for me to know and for you to guess). Therefore, I can only conclude that if you choose to call this a Mary Sue story, you must have enjoyed it.

At any rate, I hope you will find pleasure in ECHOS. All comments will be appreciated.

Peace and Long Life, The Force is with you.

Interior Sample

• 

  Jude Huntsberger

• 

  Heather Firth

• 

  Jude Huntsberger

• 

  Pat Bradshaw

• 

  Heather Firth

• 

  Jude Huntsverger

• 

  Heather Firth

Reactions and Reviews

1979

I enjoyed ECHOES FROM THE PAST. I thought the character of Aidan McLaren was done very well. I think you did a very good job of taking a person from this century and placing her three centuries into the future. I thought it particularly fascinating as to how she adapted to the Vulcan culture coming from a time in which the people her age (our age) were very volatile - to say the least. Will there be any sequels to the story? I hope so. I would be interested in seeing what kind of life Aidan and Spock make for themselves, and how that changes things, if at all, aboard the Enterprise. I'm sure there would be changes, but I'm just not sure how those changes would take shape. I would be interested in ideas on the subject.

By many definitions, ECHOES is a Mary Sue. Now, I don't mean that as a put-down; heaven knows, I've written one myself, and ECHOES is in general better than my ghod-awful "Rift Crossing".

I do have a few bones to pick. First off, in a lot of ways, your tale reminded me of SHOWCASE. Situations were somewhat similar (including the excuse that we who bring folk of our era forward to ST's time must find 1) the heroine cannot return, and 2) she'll die anyway. Something about that bothers me - changing history up there.) The heroine is unusual in a number of ways (that "perfect match"). The grief helped by a mindmeld - and the (in)famous "tingling sensation" (well, I used it too, so I should talk). Not to mention the "forcing" scene - the female refusing to admit the possibility that the Vulcan might even love her, forcing said Vulcan to take what might be called "drastic" measures.

I liked Aidan, however, especially in her contest of wills with Sarek.

Though the story seemed to be almost too pat (haven't I read/written this before?) it was basically well-handled. It kept my attention. A problem, though one you brought off well. You wanted to explain scenes between - and therefore had to intersperse third person scenes among the first-person of Aidan's story. This is technically a writer's no-no; if you are doing a first person story, keep it that way. For one thing (especially because ECHOES is a Mary Sue by many definitions) this makes it very easy to foreshadow, or if not actually do that, to make it too obvious which way your story line has got to go. It takes away the surprises, and therefore, some of the fun.

I noticed some awkwardness at the start; quite possibly it was simply Aidan's situation (and the fact that we don't find out the how or the why until later.). And there were a few words that glared at me - spelling and incorrect words. I can think of three immediately: Cactii, I believe is cacti. You used "anti-coagulents" when, if I was reading things correctly, what you wanted was "clotting agents". (If Aidan was bleeding that badly, you want her to stop bleeding. An anti-coagulent thins the blood, prevents clotting.) That one bugged me the most out of the few glaring errors I noticed (and I admit that a lot of this picking is the blankety-blank zine-ed in me!). The one other was "broadcasted". I'm sure it should be just "broadcast".

In spite of all this picking, if Miss Ross does write some sequels, I'd be interested in reading them. (Oh, one last gripe - but this is unavoidable almost in this kind of story. Aidan adapts too easily. That's my gripe. Other people won't think so.)

I enjoyed most of the art, although I'd love to speak with Heather about her bird's wings on the cover (the feathers are great, but the wings are a little weird. On the other hand, it is a Vulcan bird. But wings are one of my things.)

And speaking of art, Jude's work is excellent. I'm very fond of that particular brush technique. Do you think Jude might be interested in doing some art for TOSOP?

Could you tell Rebecca Ross I think her ECHOES FROM THE PAST is the best story of its kind I've ever read. I think it's better than THE MISFIT, which I love. May you and she both live long and prosper.

ECHOES arrived safely on the 20th I dived in eagerly and am glad to say I was lost till the zine was finished. Though I did not feel that Spock would react in some of the ways he did, it did not stop me from enjoying your zine. So much so, that I want to read more. You know, I really felt very sorry for Sarek sometimes. Even though he is Vulcan, it must have been a strain to have someone like Aidan about to cause all those upsets to Vulcan peace.

First of all, it has a very good title. (I'm prejudiced.) Very nice cover art; quite different from most ST zines, and quite effective.

I like Aidan's character. And only a person with her adaptability could possibly survive such a time shift without deep traumas. She's a well-realized person; someone I can believe in, for the most part. There was one exception - when Sarek forbade her to see any of her friends at the bar again, I felt she gave in far too easily. After all, these appeared to be the only persons near her age with whom she had any contact; and certainly, besides Amanda, the only humans. I feel she would have needed their companionship more than she did; and that she would not have given them up that easily.

Just to be picky (don't you hate people like that?) - it's quite a jog from the Navajo reservation to the Mexican border, just for Aidan and her friends to check out the bars. But, considering some of the people I knew, sounds like something they'd do...

Anyway. Back to the story. It is, of course, about Aidan, dominated by Aidan, and it is a credit to Miss Ross that Aidan is so well-realized. Someone else could have taken the same storyline (I'm sure they already have) and made something mediocre of it. The art ranged from average to quite good - whoever did the illoes on pages 11, 29, etc. don't let them go! Excellent style; more in the realm of "art" than "illustrating".

Finished ECHOES. I am extremely impressed. It is a fine adventure story. Aidan is a very alive personality, and has a strong grasp of multilingual Billingsgate. I would have liked to have seen more evidence of her Indian heritage. Since she was very musical, some of the beautiful Navajo songs could have been incorporated into the story. Of course, most Navajos are musical, everyone I ever knew would sing anything at the drop of a hat.

I really do not understand why Aidan was so dense about understanding Spock's intentions. For a Vulcan, he was making himself very plain. Also, I am not sure I really agree with the interpretation of Vulcan character. (But then, I am not too 'terribly happy with KRAITH Vulcans, either.) However, that does not prevent me from reading with a great deal of enjoyment. Actually, having lived with a husband for the past 19 years who is an often exasperating mixture of Latin and Oriental attitudes towards marriage and interpersonal relationships, these Vulcans are quite familiar. Not that I have exactly knuckled under, but the conflicts as they have arisen have made the years interesting. Sometimes I think I am living the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."

There was an intriguing comment, as a sort of throw-away, about T"Pring and Stonn being miserable together, which deserves a story devoted to it.

Again, I have thoroughly enjoyed ECHOES and I hope to see much more of Aidan. Will there be a series of short stories about her and Spock besides the sequel?

It was quite a surprise finding ECHOES FROM THE PAST waiting for me when I got home from holiday last week. I was, in fact, very pleasantly surprised by ECHOES - Spock romances aren't among my favorite stories; most of them are sloppy, sentimental rubbish with Spock acting as if he were completely human. This one was far more likely than most, with Spock being Vulcan and far from being either sloppy or sentimental. Though I did feel that perhaps Aidan was too strong a character to accept as gladly as she did that she would now be subordinate to Spock's wishes. I have this conviction that a strong woman doesn't want a strong man as a husband because if she's a leader type, she will want to lead; I could see Aidan going on to be a security chief somewhere with the men under her adoring her and doing anything for her because she's a leader, because she's strong and tough, more easily than I can visualize her as an obedient Vulcan wife. That's my only criticism of a story I definitely enjoyed! Aidan was too strong a character for the role in which she was cast.

I have read ECHOES FROM THE PAST and would like to take this opportunity to express my views pertaining to the story. If you have read the review of VULCAN! you will know that I am a devout, pietistic, ardent, etc. Kirk fanatic and those views which I held for VULCAN! also pertain to ECHOES. Personally, I dislike to read or write fiction written in first person. Otherwise, I felt it was a good story and I enjoyed reading it. Although I'm not a big Vulcan fan, I'm partial to Sarek and felt you did a good job with him. After reading ECHOES, I think I understand the Vulcans a little better and understand why I haven't been as enthralled by Spock and his compatriots as have many others in Fandom. Spock, Sarek, and other male Vulcans definitely have a need to dominate others, especially females, and I could not tolerate that type of domination. I was not surprised to see Spock enraged to the point of causing harm. He is a stubborn man, and very demanding. I look forward to the novel on which Miss Ross is now working.

Well, ECHOES FROM THE PAST is, indeed, a Mary Sue story, and not a very compelling one at that, but this is unimportant in the light of its very interesting structure.

The story operates on several levels. First is the obvious and somewhat out-of-character STAR TREK story.

But the off-characterization reflects and is explained by the second level, that of a Gothic romance. The reference to Quentin's Theme and DARK SHADOWS is the key to this, as wwell as the unsubtle asides: "ward of Sarek"; Sarek's prudishness on page 29 of insisting on clothes for a mannequin, abhorrence of "bad" language; the fireplaces allover the house; Spock's statement on page 46, "There would be a place for you on the Enterprise... if you wanted it" as if he held the entail to the ship and as if it were a piece of real estate; the Mr. Rochester - like overbearing of pages 49-51. Thus, ECHOES is not science fiction, but fancy-dress Gothicism.

But there is a third level to this, and a very strange one it is. As the ward of Sarek, McLaren is his daughter; Spock admits as much on page 49 when he calls her "sister". Page 51, Sarek says, "Long have I considered you a daughter," and she reciprocates by calling him "father". There- fore, this is a story of incest. It follows the lines of classic symbolism: Amnon and his sister; Epimetheus and Pandora; Zeus and Hera, in conflict with their father, Chronos, whom they ultimately overthrow.

In this way, the shilly-shallying about with the Klingons and Baratarians makes sense. Aidan is a virgin; in fact, she is Virgin capitalized. Through her swearing, drinking, and general roistering, she asserts her non-womanhood. Sarek disapproves, because he would initiate her into womanhood. Indeed, he does penetrate into her mind (p. 11) despite her "barriers" (!) in a bloodless droit du segneur. This, too, is incest, but Sarek does not succeed in awakening her because father-daughter sex is not allowed. Then the Klingon attacks her with a knife and attempts to pierce her; she, with her virgin strength of ten fights him off, but he succeeds, drawing virginal blood. However, he is not allowed to finish, for he is an outsider. Similarly, the Baratarian also penetrates with his poisoned phallic symbol, but may not finish; for if they did, she would die - that is, be lost to the family. The second time, the family must reclaim the daughter by ritual copulation - a mind meld - but Sarek is delayed.

The father cannot reassert the family's claim, so the son must substitute. Because in doing so, he could seem to be usurping the father's place, he asks his mother to witness. Besides, Spock has oedipal problems yet to resolve. The son takes the daughter, which is more generally allowed. Despite all this, McLaren insists upon her virginity: p. 35, "I'm going to hope it never has to happen again"; p. 36, "I'd never known what it is to love." She resumes her drinking, but finds she cannot recapture her former innocence, nor even approve of such "unladylike" innocence in another (p. 38). She can't swear in front of Sarek, for he, if anyone, knows she has lost her innocence. She is wistful about unicorns.

But the son finds himself desiring his sister. He pursues, she resists. He challenges her in a bout of fencing and demonstrates to her the futility of matching him with phalluses (the fencing foils). The father may say to the mother that he wishes the son and daughter to mate, but what he does is to interrupt at crucial points, barring them from doing so. Eventually they must go away for a while, and when they are gone, the son comes to the daughter's bedroom, find her en dishabille, locks the door, and, page 49, rapes her. "Why must I force you to co-operate?" he asks plaintively, even as he grapples her into submission, shakes her silly, and crushes her into unconsciousness. "Spock could do anything he wanted to me and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop him." His typical rapist's excuse: (p. 50) "You have been asking for something of that nature."

He took her because he has "the need of a woman". McLaren, no longer virgin, accepts her womanhood, despite the manner in which it has been opened to her, and page 51 she experiences sex as "contented joy... a new sort of communication... more honest and personal than I had realized could be achieved between two people." Despite the disclaimer of "no physical thing," this is sexual love, not only in the mental sense,for Spock's arms encircle her, his mouth closes over hers. Telling him, "Do with me what you will, my love," she takes him for her husband."

Spock confronts his father then with a fait accompli - he has taken his father's daughter as wife, and the father has no choice but to give in. He has lost command of the harem. Spock marries his sister whom he first knew in his father's stead, and then raped. "It isn't every woman," he says, "who would agree to marriage after receiving the sort of treatment I dealt to you," and this is quite true, currently. Rape, however, used to be the standard marriage proposal here on Earth, and so Miss Ross seems to feel, also on Vulcan.

Strangely, McLaren loses her independent existence with her virginity (perhaps why she fought for it so strenuously before) and becomes subservient to her brother/husband, "accepting his will instead of her own." This is an old interpretation for womanliness - existing only in terms of man, as daughter, sister, mother, or "a help meet for him", but it continues the classic symbolism. As a last independent act, she chooses a dress of "white...another symbolism", which seems out of place, but perhaps she feels a need to observe convention. Being totally absorbed into her husband's at this point, the life of Aidan McLaren quite fittingly ends here.

This unconscious level has more plot, is more consistent, and works better, than the more obvious ones of ST and Gothos. Was this intentional? This often happens, I find, with stories that take a long time to write - the unconscious level has to sustain the story, and so it is the best developed, though least precise. By hooking into a classic myth, Miss Ross has captured enough power to keep the story going.

1981

Rebecca Ross says she will be complimented if ECHOES FROM THE PAST is called a "Mary Sue" story. Trekkers have used this term, she says, for stories where the "author injects herself into a self-created character." Well, if this is the definition of "Mary Sue", then I have read some really great stories that fit this description. ECHOES FROM THE PAST is not one of them. The most glaring problem with ECHOES is that the character of Aidan McLaren is not well developed. Instead of seeing a three dimensional person evolve, we get a grocery list of of this women's strengths and weaknesses. I have always preferred strong women characters, but Aidan comes across as a spoiled brat. She plays a practical joke on an ambassador's son(; she has to be restrained from killing a Klingon and she swears at Sarek. She is unsympathetic and a bore. It is always very difficult to write an interesting first person narrative. ECHOES suffers from bad dialogue. "If you ask me, Spock," says Aidan, "your captain's getting himself lit. If he doesn't watch out, he's going to outshine that Christmas tree." Or this excerpt, "I have a sixth sense which usually tells me at least two seconds before the shit hits the fan. I rarely ever get hit with any of the fallout. Not so in this case, for my sixth sense was taking a nap." The development of the other characters is almost non-existent. There is no reason I can see for Spock to "love" Aidan, and yet, after two meetings, he wants to marry her. The dialogue between Spock and Aidan is not believable. "I opened my eyes slowly and saw Spock standing there watching me, his features hawkish and cold. 'So,' he remarked, 'now you know Aidan.' For all your observations of us, you never realized exactly what can happen when you draw a Vulcan's deep interest. Perhaps it is best you found out now.'" The illustrations are distracting. In one, Aidan looks a lot like a Halloween witch. In another, Spock is scowling and threatening an alien. Don't spend your money on ECHOES (FROM THE PAST. However, if you want to buy my copy ....

Another large group of stories presents what might be termed an unconsciously negative description of marriage. In these stories the author presents what is apparently intended to be a positive picture of marriage but it is one that contains elements that can only be seen as negative by the skeptical reader. Frequently these stories operate on the underlying assumption that marriage is the normal and desirable condition of mature individuals. They also assume that physical attraction, rather than intellectual or psycho logical compatibility, is the surest foundation for a lasting relationship.

Two examples of this type of story are Echoes of the Past by Rebecca Ross and Castaways by Mary Louise Dodge. Ross' main character is a time-displaced twentieth century woman who becomes attached to Spock and his family in this "old-fashioned love story." The final denouement hinges on the definitely old-fashioned idea that a woman will respond better to a man who uses physical violence as a means of expressing his opinions or wishes.

"Castaways" by Mary Louise Dodge presents an even less enticing view of marriage. The protagonists are Spock and a famous diva, Fiamma Corretti, with whom he falls in love while they are awaiting rescue after the crash of a shuttlecraft. Corretti is married already to a man who had manipulated and debased the relationship, apparently with her agreement and cooperation. She refuses to divorce her husband and marry Spock, however, on the grounds that she "won't do anything to hurt Alberto or bring him to ridicule" though she has already admitted that "ours is not a marriage fidelity has a place in . . . I provide a shield against any permanent commitment." When she and Spock finally part after much soul-searching and breast-beating on the part of all involved, the reader is told that though she refuses to participate in an active relationship, Fiamma will be able to maintain a constant awareness of all of Spock's emotional activities in the future-- a kind of mental "Watch and Ward Society."

In both of these stories the authors believe that their women characters have made reasonable and logical adjustments to the reality of their lives. Neither Ross nor Dodge, however, seems to be in the least concerned about the sexist and coercive attitudes of the societies they have created. The only reasonable explanation I can think of is that neither woman recognizes the essential nature of her creation, but instead believes that such situations are not only inevitable but right.