Greater Than the Sum is a Star Trek: The Next Generation novel by Christopher L. Bennett, published by Pocket Books in 2008. The book is the fifth TNG novel set after Star Trek: Nemesis, and is a direct sequel to the preceding novel in the series, Before Dishonor; seeing the USS Enterprise-E explore the NGC 6281 star cluster to stop the Borg-assimilated USS Rhea gaining access to quantum slipstream technology. The novel features, and marks the first appearance of, the recurring Enterprise crew-member, T'Ryssa Chen, and at its close sets the stage for the Star Trek: Destiny trilogy.
Description[]
- The starship USS Rhea has discovered a cluster of carbon planets that seems to be the source of the quantum energies rippling through a section of space. A landing party finds unusual life-forms inhabiting one of the planets. One officer, Lieutenant T'Ryssa Chen—a half-Vulcan—makes a tenuous connection with them. But before any progress can be made, the Rhea comes under attack from the Einstein—a Starfleet vessel now controlled by the Borg. The landing party can only listen in horror as their comrades are assimilated. The Borg descend to the planet, and just as Chen accepts that she will be assimilated, the lieutenant is whisked two thousand light-years away.
- A quantum slipstream—instantaneous transportation—is controlled by these beings in the cluster, and in the heart of the cluster there is now a Borg ship. Cut off from the rest of the Borg collective, the Einstein cannot be allowed to rejoin it. For the sake of humanity, the Borg cannot gain access to quantum slipstream technology.
- Starfleet Command gives Captain Picard carte blanche: do whatever he must to help the beings in the cluster, and stop the Einstein no matter the cost.
Summary[]
The USS Rhea is exploring a planet in star cluster NGC 6281 when they come under attack from a Borg vessel constructed from the former USS Einstein (dubbed the Frankenstein). T'Ryssa Chen, a member of an away team that had just encountered a group of mysterious constructs, is about to be assimilated when she is transported, apparently by slipstream, to Maravel, a planet she visited in her youth.
Picard is in the process of assembling another new command crew, following the mutiny during the previous Borg crisis, when Admiral Nechayev asks him to investigate the Borg presence in NGC 6281. He is provided with a multivector agent, comprising various previous defenses against the Borg, and also transphasic torpedoes, only to be used in an emergency. He agrees to take T'Ryssa along as his new contact specialist.
The Enterprise arrives at NGC 6281 where the crew eventually realize that the star cluster is a living entity, with the constructs being extensions of it. They also discover the Rhea frozen in time, with many of the crew badly injured or partially assimilated. This was the entity's attempt to protect them, just as it sent T'Ryssa to safety.
The Frankenstein, meanwhile, was sent to a colony of former Borg drones led by Hugh, this colony refers to themselves as the Liberated. A group of them arrive in a vessel called the Liberator and offer the Enterprise their assistance, also asking for their help to be able to procreate.
The Frankenstein attempts to assimilate one of the star cluster's planets. The Enterprise engages them but the multivector agent fails to work because of a new armor. The entity refuses to allow any fighting and separates them. It is decided the multivector agent must be administered by allowing someone to be assimilated with it in their system on a suicide mission. Hugh volunteers.
The Enterprise and the Liberator track down the Frankenstein but the entity refuses to allow them to approach. However, Picard and T'Ryssa convince it through meditation and prolonged discussion that the Borg's way of life is sterile and it changes its mind. The Liberator is captured by the Borg but only Hugh is onboard. The multivector agent takes effect and the Borg cube is destroyed. The entity also delivers the Rhea to them so its crew can be saved. The Liberated depart, grateful.
With the crisis over, Picard agrees to Beverly's request to try for a baby and she becomes pregnant. However, some time afterwards, the Borg launch attacks on Barolia and Acamar, decimating them. The USS Bhutto, Leybenzon's new ship, attempts to defend Barolia but Leybenzon's attempt at a suicide mission allows them to analyze the multivector agent. The Enterprise is recalled to Earth.
References[]
Characters[]
- Abby Balidemaj • Bazel • Beron • Dawn Blair • T'Ryssa Chen • Chi'iot • Jasminder Choudhury • Beverly Crusher • Derek • Dina Elfiki • Joanna Faur • Gonzales • Rebekah Grabowski • Guinan • Hegol Den • Hugh • Paul Janiss • Miranda Kadohata • Rennan Konya • Geordi La Forge • Leung • Zelik Leybenzon • Qing Long • Lorlinna • Lyton • Margark • Mimouni • Alynna Nechayev • Nina • Nuax • Jean-Luc Picard • ch'Regda • Sekmal • Seven of Nine • Thyyshev zh'Skenat • Natasha Stolovitsky • Taurik • Telos • T'Hala • T'Lana • Caithlin Tomei • Tropp • Vallasa • Vogel • Worf • cluster entity
- Referenced only
- Adam • Arjuna • Arturis • B-4 • Nanietta Bacco • Batai • Lionardo Battaglia • Gautama Buddha • Antigone Chen • Santa Claus • Zefram Cochrane • Domenica Corsi • Brenna Covington • Jack Crusher • Wesley Crusher • Damocles • Nella Daren • Data • Jadzia Dax • Devil • Dirani • The Doctor • Donatra • Aoki Farrenga • Colin Farrenga • Sylvanna Farrenga • Vicenzo Farrenga • Bart Faulwell • Sigmund Freud • Gaanth • Richard Galen • God • Gowron • Armin Grabowski • Ruth Grabowski • Haden • Laura Heimbold • Henry V • Hera • Felisa Howard • Ishmael • Kathryn Janeway • Kyeera Janyl • Kahless the Unforgettable • Kamie • Kamin • Kauravas • Jarem Kaz • K'Ehleyr • Kor • Krishna • Edward La Forge • Silva La Forge • Locutus • Lore • Bruce Maddox • Martok • Meribor • Moriarty • Sara Nave • Q • Rhea • William Riker • Ro Laren • Helena Rozhenko • Nikolai Rozhenko • Sergey Rozhenko • Sarek • William Shakespeare • Shinzon • Benjamin Sisko • Noonien Soong • Spock • Surak • Sylix • Tared • Tinman • Titans • The Traveler • Deanna Troi • Lwaxana Troi • Vallejo • Garem Valz • Karina Wozniak • Marien Zimbata • Lewis Zimmerman
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Bhutto • Einstein / Frankenstein • USS Enterprise-E • Liberator • USS Rhea
- Referenced only
- USS Aventine • USS da Vinci • USS Enterprise-D • USS Equinox • USS Hera • USS Indefatigable • USS Odyssey • USS Timur • USS Titan • USS Victory • USS Voyager
Locations[]
- Stellar
- Antares Nebula • Bajoran wormhole • Beta Columbae system • Carina Arm • Columba sector • Delta Quadrant • Eagle Nebula • Gamma Quadrant • Lagoon Nebula • NGC 6281 • Omega Nebula • Orion Arm • Sector 10 • Sol system • Trifid Nebula
- Planets, moons, and planetoids
- Acamar • Bajor • Barolia • Betazed • Cestus III • Chin'toka • Deneva • Dorvan V • Earth • Kevratas • Maravel • NGC 6281-34 III • Organia • Qo'noS • Soukara • Veridian III
- Planetary
- Amritsar • France • Golden Temple • Kurukshetra • La Barre • Land of the Lotus-Eaters • Middle East • San Francisco • Sherwood Forest • Starfleet Headquarters
- Referenced only
- Deep Space 9 • Garden of Eden • Happy Bottom Riding Club • Starbase 103 • Sto-Vo-Kor • Unimatrix Zero
Races and cultures[]
- Andorian • Benzite • Betazoid • Borg • Cosmozoan • Edoan • El-Aurian • Human • Kataan • Klingon • Kurlan • Mabrae • Noh Angel • Saurian • Vulcan
- Referenced only
- Aurelian • Barolian • Bolian • Iconian • Immortal • Jem'Hadar • Nosgoh • Q • Reman • Rhaandarite • Romulan • Species 116 • Species 8472 • Tormandar • Traveler • Vorta
States and organizations[]
- Borg Collective • Daystrom Institute • Dominion • Federation Council • Federation Judiciary Council • Klingon Empire • Liberated • Romulan Star Empire • Starfleet • Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Corps of Engineers • United Federation of Planets
Science and classification[]
- ablative hull armor • anethezine gas • Borg drone • Emergency Medical Hologram • environmental suit • fembot • magnetopause • multivector agent • nanoprobe • phaser • quantum slipstream • quantum torpedo • transphasic torpedo
Occupations and titles[]
Other references[]
- angel • Artha Shastra • Asian • Axanar crystal topiary • bar mitzvah • Bhagavad Gita • The Boomer Diaries • bow • Bible • Buddhism • Bularian canapé • cat • Chinese • coffee • colony • credit • diamond • Dominion War • Dracula • dragon • Earl Grey tea • eggnog • elf • Four Noble Truths • French • graphite • Greek • horse • IDIC • imp • Japanese • Jewish • kahs-wan • lake dragon • Lyentha faith • mek'leth • milkshake • Moby Dick • Odyssey • open cluster • Othello • pencil • pierogi • planet • poker • Project Endgame • Punjabi • Qur'an • Royal Protocol • Russian • Starfleet brat • strawberry ice cream • Surak's Analects • tea • tiger • Toward a Prehistory of the Milky Way • Transformational Relativity and Continuum Distortion Propulsion • Trojan horse • tube grub • Vulcan lyre • watercress sandwich • The Wolfman • The Wizard of Oz • yoga
Appendices[]
Related media[]
- TNG novel: Before Dishonor - Preceeding story
- TNG episode: "All Good Things..." - Picard references his and Crusher's divorce in this alternate future.
| Star Trek: The Next Generation novels set after Star Trek Nemesis |
|---|
| Death in Winter • Resistance • Q & A • Before Dishonor • Greater Than the Sum • Losing the Peace • Indistinguishable from Magic • Cold Equations (The Persistence of Memory • Silent Weapons • The Body Electric) • The Stuff of Dreams • The Light Fantastic • Takedown • Armageddon's Arrow • Headlong Flight • Hearts and Minds • Available Light • Collateral Damage |
Background[]
- This novel was announced at Shore Leave 2007.
Continuity[]
As a novel in the post-Nemesis TNG continuity, Before Dishonor is one of a sequence of stories that do not reconcile well with the events established in Star Trek: Picard. In particular, the evolution of the Borg might not match details of the new canon series.
Non-english editions[]
German cover
- In May 2010 the German publisher Cross Cult published a German translation of this book. The translation, titled Mehr als die Summe, was translated by Bernd Perplies, and featured the same cover art as the original English edition; but with different title placement.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous novel: Before Dishonor |
TNG novels (Post-Nemesis) |
Next novel: Gods of Night |
| Previous story: Places of Exile |
Stories by: Christopher L. Bennett |
Next story: Empathy |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Articles of the Federation Chapters 22-24 |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Articles of the Federation Chapters 25-28 |
| The above chronology placements are based on the primary placement in October-November 2380. The Memory Beta Chronology places events from this story in 3 other timeframe(s): | ||
| Previous adventure: Articles of the Federation Chapters 18-21 |
September 2380 Chapter 1-2 |
Next adventure: Revenant |
| Previous adventure: Articles of the Federation Chapters 25-28 |
December 25, 2380 Chapter 12 |
Next adventure: Mere Mortals Chapter 18, section 4 |
Translations[]
- 2010
- German language: Mehr als die Summe, translated by Bernd Perplies. (Cross Cult)
External links[]
- Greater Than the Sum article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Christopher L. Bennett's annotations for the novel