Ex Machina


 * The Human Adventure Continues.

Ex Machina is a stand-alone TOS novel written by Christopher L. Bennett. It was published by Pocket Books in late 2005. The novel is a sequel to both and.

Summary

 * From the book jacket:
 * In the aftermath of the astonishing events of, the captain and officers of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) remain haunted by their encounter with the vast artificial intelligence of V'Ger... And by the sacrifice and ascension of their friend and shipmate, Willard Decker.


 * As James T. Kirk, Spock and Leonard McCoy attempt to cope with the personal fallout of that ordeal, a chapter from their mutual past is reopened, raising troubling new questions about the relationship among God, Man, and AI. On the recently settled world of Daran IV, the former refugees of the Fabrini worldship Yonada are being divided by conflicting ideologies, as those clinging to their theocratic past vie with visionaries of a future governed by reason alone.


 * Now, echoes of the V'Ger encounter reverberate among the Enterprise officers who years ago overthrew the Oracle, the machine-god that controlled Yonada. Confronting the consequences of those actions, Kirk, Spock and McCoy also face choices that will decide the fate of a civilization, and which may change them forever.

Characters

 * James T. Kirk
 * Spock
 * Leonard McCoy
 * Uhura
 * Pavel Chekov : Chief of Security.
 * Montgomery Scott
 * Marcella DiFalco : Chief petty officer who takes Ilia's place as navigator.
 * Enrique Mercado : Ensign assigned as a bridge engineer.
 * Mosi Nizhoni : Ensign assigned as assistant chief of security.
 * Lindstrom
 * Reiko Onami : Petty officer second class assigned as a ship's xenopsychologist.
 * Joaquin Perez : Security ensign.
 * Natira

Memorable Quotes
"Explain to me why the designers felt it necessary to install a - a splatter guard in front of the console!"
 * - Leonard McCoy, expressing his reservations about the upgraded transporter system

"Do I sound like the computer to you?"
 * - Christine Chapel to McCoy, who had just mistaken Chapel's voice for the computer's

"Yes, Mother."

"Honestly, Leonard. Do I look like somebody's mother?"
 * - Leonard McCoy and Christine Chapel