The Stranger (Star Trek: TOS story)

Fanfiction
Title:	The Stranger
Author(s):	Patricia Laurie Stephens
Date(s):	1990
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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The Stranger is a Kirk/Spock story by Patricia Laurie Stephens.

It was published in the print zine Twilight Trek #2.

Summary

"While on a covert mission, Spockʼs memory is erased after he stumbles on a groupʼs plan to take over the Federation, leaving Kirk to believe his lover is dead."

Reactions and Reviews

1991

This is a 100-page a/u novel (it probably would have been long enough to be a zine by itself had there been double-spacing between paragraphs) where, as in most of the author's stories, Spock is put through a seemingly endless series of mental, emotional, and physical turmoils. At no point in the story is he the Spock we know from the series or movies, as his various trials and tribulations changes him dramatically. As the title dictates, he is indeed a stranger -- to the reader and, more importantly, to himself.

The writing in this novel, especially the first half or so, is amazing. From the opening sentence, the reader is drawn into the murky world of a being 'waking up' from years of amnesia. This 'waking' process continues throughout most of the story, and it is told with such a delicate mixture of intensity and distance, of slow process mixed with sudden flashes of insight, that I was convinced of its realism. From that aspect alone, I would recommend this story to anyone who wants to read good writing. Another thing that strongly impressed me was the sense of setting. The descriptions of the planet — the terrain, the weather, the people -- was depicted with a consistency that never lets the reader forget where the characters are.

Yet, these descriptions are such a natural part of the narration that they don't ever bog the story down. I felt like I was there. The characters, too, were presented in a very consistent manner, the main ones rich and true-to-life. I was a bit thrown at first by the 'hillbilly' accents, but then I thought "Why not?" on a distant planet like Dunro. I don't think I'll easily forget the Franklin brothers, JoAnna McCoy, or even Captain Bader. They, and most of the other characters, were presented as well-meaning people with realistic flaws. The one characterization I did have trouble with was that of Kirk. In addition to the fact that he didn't seem to have much to do or say in the story, when he was involved in conversation or action he came across as rather whimpy. Granted, it's made clear early on that he'd been through a lot himself, but to be honest, I'll not sure what Spock saw in him. He simply didn't seem to possess much inner strength, and weak dialogue... he didn't sound like a man who had once commanded a starship. (I was glad that, at the end, his occupation was Dean of Starfleet Academy instead of that of a more responsible, in-the-thick-of-it position, for he certainly wasn't the man for the latter.)

The plot of this story does not rank among my favorites, but I was having such a good time enjoying the superior writing that I really didn't mind for most of the novel. However, beginning with page 123, the pace of the story slowed considerably and I started getting restless. The whole section where Spock crawls around the cave could have been shortened a great deal. Also, it seemed that every time Spock cleared a mental/emotional obstacle another was presented, and toward the end the reading started to get a bit frustrating. I think Spock may have been put through a bit too many angst-producing episodes for one novel.

By the time it all ended, I found myself simply relieved that the ending was a fairly happy one (relatively-speaking). Overall, a superiorly-written novel. And, I think, a must-read for fans of "poor Spock" stories.

1992

The premise of this novella is that evil triumphs over good unless good has a great deal of help. Help arrives in the form of two women — T'Pau and T'Lar. This balances the portrayal of Amanda and Joanna McCoy as victims. I was glad to see this balance.

I also loved the cleaned gun being viewed as a death and resurrection image.

"The Stranger" is full of death and resurrection. This is always a powerful theme. There was wonderful background development and some of the characterizations were superb -- particularly Spock's characterization.

I don't particularly care for this novella's evil and power-obsessed Sarek, but I have no quarrel with the characterization. It was believable and consistent.

On the other hand, the idea that nobody is grading Kirk's or Spock's performance is false to fact. McCoy proposed it, but both Kirk and Spock seize on it as if it were manna from heaven, and they should know better. Kirk and Spock have lived through an entire career of being graded by superiors and/or by their crew, and the grading doesn't stop for Kirk when he's an Admiral. Fleet Command will constantly be watching him for signs of weakness, and making certain that he's still capable of command.