Boogeymen

See alsoBogeyman andBoogeyman.

   

Boogeymen

Description[]

Eric Baldwin is theFederation's premierexologist, aspecialist in all manner ofalienlifeforms—and one ofCaptainPicard's oldest, most trusted friends. But Baldwin's discoveries have made him enemies acrossthe galaxy, and now he wants Picard to help him by erasing all traces of his existence.

But Picard soon finds himself with littletime to worry about Baldwin's problems. For theUSSEnterprise has suddenly become a strange and dangerous place—aship whereassassins lurk in every corner, and even old trusted friends are not what they seem. Threats all masterminded by the strangest race of aliens Picard and his crew have yet encountered…

Summary[]

Wesley Crusher'spersonal log,stardate43747.3

I don't seem to be making any progress in my pre-commission course. I'm proficient inscience ormath, anything for whichlogical thinking is all that’s needed. But when it comes tocommand, I don't know if I have what in the20th century they called "the right stuff".

CommanderRiker tells me that being a good commander is at least half intuition. Generally, the more important a question is, the less data you have available to answer it. He says that the skills one uses to decide correctly are more likely to be learned playingpoker thanchess. Maybe it's too bad I’m such a good chess player.

Commander Riker assures me that evenCaptainPicard, who likes to do things by theStarfleetbook, is as successful as he is only because he knows when to ignore the book and go with his gut feelings. He expects the unexpected. When I toldData about this, he said that expecting the unexpected was, by definition, impossible. Sometimes Data is too literal to get the point.

What about Data? Beinga machine, he has no intuition. At least, that's what he tells me. But he is a very complex machine, and the vast number ofcircuits in hispositronic brain—a number that approaches the number ofsynapses in aHumanbrain—allows him to manifest behavior that sometimes looks like intuitive thinking. Are appearance and reality ever the same thing? How do you know? NotMom or Riker orGeordi or even Data can give me a satisfactory answer.

Therefore I have to believe it's possible to learn to be intuitive. Or, if I can’t do that, maybe I can gain so much experience that it will look like intuition. But how can I get experience running astarship? I had a hard time convincing Captain Picard that I belong on thebridge. What are my chances of convincing him that I should sit inthe center seat? I have two chances—slim and none. (That's kind of ajoke. I'll have to see if Data understands it. He always appreciates an opportunity to understandhumor, even when he fails.)

Leaving theEnterprise and going toStarfleet Academy is out of the question. I'll have to go eventually, but right now—

References[]

Characters[]

Eric Baldwin •Mont •Captain Pilgrim •Shubunkin •d'Ort'd

Referenced only

Sandra Borders •James Thomson •Chuang Tzu

Enterprise personnel[]

Birnberg •Beverly Crusher •Wesley Crusher •Data •Guinan •Hiller •Geordi LaForge •Miles O'Brien •Perry •Jean-Luc Picard •William T. Riker •Deanna Troi •Ward •Barbara Winston-Smyth •Worf

Holograms[]

C. Arvak •Effie •Rhonda Rowe •Rowe •Tasha Yar

Referenced only

Chung-Tzu •Dixon Hill •Sherlock Holmes •Pinocchio •Ravel

Starships and vehicles[]

USSEnterprise-D (Galaxy-classexplorer)

Locations[]

the galaxy •Omega Triangulae •Tantamon IV (Tantamonstarsystem)

Referenced only

Axer •Grand Canyon •Memory Alpha •North America •Shim •Starbase 123

Shipboard locales[]

USSEnterprise-D

bridge •holodeck •quarters (Wesley's)

Races and cultures[]

android •Axerii •Betazoid •Boogeyman •d'Ort'd •Human •Klingon •Romulan •Tantamon IV native

Referenced only

Borg •Benzite •Ferengi •Iconian •Orma •Trilg •Vulcan •Yahk Shimash

States and organizations[]

Federation •Starfleet

Referenced only

Starfleet Academy

Science and technology[]

alien •animal •atmosphere •brain •circuit •combadge •command chair •communications •computer •deflector shield •ear •energy •exology •galaxy •hailing frequency •hologram •humanoid •hyperspace •intercom •isolinear optical chip •kilometer •lifeform •light •light speed •mathematics •measurement •meter •navigational deflector •PADD •phaser •photon torpedo •positronic brain •sensor •space •star •star system •starship •subspace •subspace radio •synapse •time •tooth •torpedo •turbolift •universal translator •universe •viewscreen •warp drive

Ranks and titles[]

cadet •captain •chief engineer •chief medical officer •commander •commanding officer •commissioned officer •counselor •doctor •ensign •first officer •flight controller •lieutenant •lieutenant commander •officer •operations manager •science officer •security chief •specialist •tactical officer •yeoman

Other references[]

assassination •away team •Borders Scale •cat •chess •empathy •first contact •government •humor •hypnotism •insect •joke •kitten •Kobayashi Maru scenario •log entry •logic •mission operations •music •musical instrument •nation-state •personal log •planet •poker •psychology •randy yeoman •rank •recreation •science •senior staff •stardate •Starfleet regulations •Starfleet uniform •Starfleet uniform (2366-2373) •technology •telepathy •title •uniform •weapon •year

Chronology[]

19th century

Poet James Thomson lives.

20th century

The term "the right stuff" is in common use.

2366

Enterprise explores Omega Triangulae.

Appendices[]

Images[]

Cover image.

Teardrop ship.

Connections[]

Timeline[]

Translations[]

1993

German :Baldwins Entdeckungen, translated by Andreas Brandhorst. (Heyne)

External link[]

• Boogeymen article atMemory Alpha, the wiki for canonStar Trek.