Literature / Star Trek: Union

""If logic and reason fail, application of force is not only permissible but a moral necessity.""

—Union of Planets unofficial motto

Star Trek: Union is a work posted on AlternateHistory.com by Jack Hawksmoor. It features a detailed Star Trek Universe in which instead of United Federation of Planets Union of Planets formed, a cynical polity that has a different Prime Directive.

It is notable for being Darker and Edgier take on the universe, subverting several tropes and having Shown Their Work.

Can be seen here for AH.com members.

---

Contains examples of:

• And I Must Scream: See Fate Worse than Death.
• Bad Future: Arguably, given the Point of Divergence and the nature of conventional Star Trek universe.
• Bizarre Alien Biology: Andorians whose biology has been taken from novels and supplemental materials.
• Break the Cutie: Bolian homeworld is turned into a charred wasteland and the surviving Bolians become grizzled mercenaries.
  • Caitian homesystem has been strip mined by Tholians.
• Broad Strokes: Author admitted using elements of shows, movies, novels which suit the story leading to Adaptation Distillation or Adaptation Expansion.
• Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": A number of technologies and objects are given different names. Teleporters are teleassemblers, dilithium is kotanium and so on.
  • Native names are used for alien species, Cardassians are Kardasi, Klingons are Thlinganpu, humans are Terans, Romulans are Rihannsu, Ferengi are Frengyi...
• Cosmic Horror Story: Borg.
• Fate Worse than Death: What happens to the enemies of the Union - after Body Horror torture they are turned into Brain in a Jar and locked down in a basement, forced to helplessly watch other heads for decades and contemplate their fate for centuries.
• Fix Fic: Confusion about Star Trek warp speeds is resolved.
• In Spite of a Nail: A United Federation of Planets still forms even without Earth, Vulcan or Andor. The chapter covering that is even called this way!
• Mad Scientist: Tolian Soran is helping Union against the Borg, although there are hints about agenda of his own.
• Mirror Universe: One of theories about the nature of this universe, deemed 'essentialy correct' by the author.
• Numbered Homeworld: Averted.
• Planet Terra: Earth is Tera (not Terra). Reasons for it are unknown.
• Prime Directive: Averted. Both Union of Planets and other powers interfere with prewarp civilizations. It seem to be the normal way of expansion for the Union.
• Ramming Always Works: Mentioned as a tactic of Union of Planets.
  • The Romulans do this against the Borg.
• Shout-Out: So many, notable examples are chapter titles.
  • Chapter covering Borg is titled Don't Fear the Reaper (you should).
  • Chapter where United Federation of Planets forms without 75% of its founding members is named In Spiteof A Nail.
  • Surviving Bolians and Andorians form their own mercenary syndicate, 'Cobalt Suns'.
  • Chapter dealing with the fate of Andorians is called "Not So Different".
  • Chapter describing the fate of state enemies is called Basement Beneath Room 101.
• Shown Their Work:
  • When explaining discrepancies about fictional warp travel speed brane cosmology is invoked to explain subspace.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: It remains to be seen if we are dealing with Grey-and-Gray Morality, Black-and-Gray Morality, Crapsack World or a full blown Dystopia.
• Take a Third Option: So many.
  • Instead of allying with Union of Planets or Romulans, Tellarites and a host of other races choose to form their own polity United Federation of Planets.
  • The Trill
• Title Drop: Star Trek is the name of spaceroute between founding worlds of the Union.
• Translation Convention: Both played and averted. Star Trek races have names derived from their own languages while names of institutions are translated (Watchers of Shadows instead of Tal'Shiar).
• Two of Your Earth Minutes: Averted - Romulans use their own time units.
• Villain Episode: Seventh chapter is written about Romulans.
• Villain Pedigree: Borg are back and are implied to be cosmic horrors with no hope of defeat.
• Wham Episode:
  • Chapter 10 breaks with traditional format of updates, quashes any Epileptic Trees about Earth not being a part of Union of Planets, hints at Earth being allied with or occupied by the Dominion, Vulcan being conquered by Romulans, Betazed uninhabitable, very bad things happening to other races, and something terrifying happening to all other races.
    • Earth is called Tera, uses altered spelling and celebrates conquerors.
    • Visions hint at upcoming threats species 8472, the Vaadwaur, Borg, Grigari.
    • To top it off, the intelligence agent experiencing visions is Troi.