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The Entropy Effect is a Star Trek: The Original Series novel by Vonda N. McIntyre, released by Pocket Books in June 1981. The Entropy Effect was one of several novels re-released with new covers in August 2006 to celebrate Star Trek's 40th anniversary.
An audiobook adaptation, narrated by Leonard Nimoy and George Takei, was released by Simon & Schuster Audioworks in August 1988.
Blurb 
Edit
- The Enterprise is summoned to transport a dangerous criminal from starbase prison to a rehabilitation center: brilliant physicist, Dr. Georges Mordreaux, accused of promising to send people back in time – then killing them instead.
- But when Mordreaux escapes, bursts onto the bridge and kills Captain Kirk, Spock must journey back in time to avert disaster – before it occurs!
- Now there's more at stake than just Kirk's life. Mordreaux's experiments have thrown the entire universe into a deadly time warp. Spock is fighting time ... and the universe is closing in on itself with the relentless squeeze of ...
- THE ENTROPY EFFECT
Background informationEdit
DevelopmentEdit
Following the release of the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture in December 1979, David Hartwell, the editor of Timescape (Pocket Books science fiction imprint), saw an opening to produce original Star Trek novels. Pocket Books were skeptical that there was a market for original novels and Hartwell had to "argue hard" for the publisher to agree.
Once he'd been given the green-light, Hartwell decided that any Star Trek line would need authors who "cared about what they were doing" and weren't just "doing it for the money". As a result, an advance of $3000 was offered, half the $6000 that was offered for an original novel. One of the first authors he reach out to was Vonda N. McIntyre as it was one of her "life dreams" to write a Star Trek novel.
While writing The Entropy Effect, McIntyre corresponded with Gene Roddenberry and George Takei about establishing a first name for Sulu, which she chose as Hikaru. They both eventually agreed to the name[1], although the name did not appear canonically until 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
ReactionEdit
The Entropy Effect was released in June 1981. Shortly after the novel's release, The National Enquirer and several other "pulp" publications ran news stories about the novel and how Vonda N. McIntyre had "killed off" Captain Kirk. Naturally, stories like this generated a lot of publicity for the Star Trek[2] line and off the back of The Entropy Effect's success, McIntyre was offered the assignment to novelize Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan[1].
Release galleryEdit
Links and referencesEdit
SourcesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Voyages of Imagination, p.36.
- ↑ Voyages of Imagination, p.38.
External linksEdit
- The Entropy Effect article at Memory Alpha.
- The Entropy Effect article at Memory Beta.
