One of the things everyone liked about Star Trek II was how it showed the passage
of time since the Original Series. Kirk was an Admiral, Spock was Captain of an
aging Enterprise that had been
relegated to training-ship duty, and Chekov was First Officer on another ship.
There was even a bit that didn’t make it into the finished film where Sulu was
supposed to be on the cusp of promotion to Captain and command of the USS Excelsior.
And then at the end of Star Trek IV everyone flies off into the sunset on the brand-new Enterprise-A, pleased as punch that their
careers are now right back where they were twenty years before. Sure, Kirk,
Spock, McCoy, and Scotty don’t have much reason to be upset since they’re where
they always wanted to be. But what about Sulu, Uhura, and Chekov? Their
promising careers are now stalled, and this after they helped expose the
Klingon attempt to steal Genesis and saved the planet Earth from the whale
probe! How might they feel about that?
This little vignette is from a story I’m
working on, set mere weeks after the Enterprise-A
warped off into The Voyage Home’s end
credits.
“It is punishment,” Pavel Chekov declared.
He was sitting, along with Uhura and Sulu, in the sunken crescent-shaped area
at the aft end of the Officers' Lounge of the brand-new Enterprise, watching the stars streak by outside the four large viewports
that arced overhead. The room was virtually identical to its predecessor,
except that the beige, orange, and brown of the old lounge had given way to a more
modern blue, silver, and grey palette.
“Oh, come on, Pavel,” Uhura chided. “Aren’t
you exaggerating just a little?”
“Am I? Six months ago, I am First Officer
on Reliant. Hikaru is up for
promotion and command of Excelsior, and
you are adjutant to Admiral Kirk, which everyone knows is precursor to a
command of your own. Now look at us. Back at the same posts we had twenty years
ago.”
“We have our ranks,” Sulu pointed out.
“But nothing else,” Chekov said. “It does
not matter that we save the Earth, rescue Mr. Spock, and stop the Klingons at
Genesis. We disobey orders, so Starfleet must punish us.”
“No one’s forcing you to stay, Pavel,”
Uhura said. “I know you got as many private-sector offers as Hikaru and I did
before our trial at the Federation Council.”
“Of course, but it’s no use,” Chekov
replied before taking sip of his coffee. “I want to see the galaxy, not be
board member for some dilithium company.”
Sulu and Uhura laughed just as the intercom
whistled. “Mr. Sulu, please report to the
bridge,” the voice of Lieutenant Kittay, the Beta shift communications
officer, filtered through the intercom next to the couch where Sulu and Uhura
sat.
Hikaru reached over and thumbed the
commpanel. “Sulu here, on my way.” He got up to leave.
“I bet it’s a message from Starfleet,”
Chekov said. “They are breaking you back down to Lieutenant.”
Sulu laughed at his friend’s pessimism as
he trotted up the steps and headed for the door.
Chekov looked over his coffee cup at Uhura.
“We’re probably next. I’m going to be the oldest Ensign in history.”
