GRR Reviews Imzadi (Star Trek: The Next Generation) by Peter David

Imzadi is half a romance story, and half... which I will not spoil. For it is about something that transcends space and time, into the true bond of Imzadi (roughly translated to fated mates), and how one will do ANYTHING... to change things even if it means turning one's back on former colleagues and betray the very principles one was supposed to uphold...

William T. Riker is a vice admiral on a starbase in the middle of nowhere. He was once a promising officer, with a brilliant future, but when Counselor Troi suddenly died of unexplained causes in the middle of negotiation with the Sindareen, he was broken. He served his time, but never regained his spark. Now decades later, upon death of Lwaxana Troi, he was gifted with one last remaining artifact from Troi... one that lead him down memory lane to how they first met, how he cajoled her into a date, how they had a torrid romance, how he saved her from the jungle... and how they must break things off... only to meet again on the Enterprise-D. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do. And this will lead him to betray the very principles he swore to uphold, and turn his back on friends he had served alongside for years, all in the name of Imzadi.

So to people who say this is a romance... It is! But it's only HALF of the story. For you have to see what did Riker suddenly realize he must do, and how other people would array to stop his betrayal. And let's just say the climax was as tense as any good TNG episode. I wouldn't say the characters are off, as this is early in their careers, Riker was just a young lieutenant, and Troi hadn't even joined Starfleet yet. It's a fun plot to read.

Category: Science Fiction

Primary Plot: Starfleet officer, receiving last bequested item from the mother of the woman he loved, suddenly realized there is something he must do... something that he should have done a LONG TIME ago... to save his Imzadi.

Tropes: star trek fated mate, conspiracy

Overall Rating:  5/5