#borg — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

GEORGE L THOMAS @[email protected] · 2026-08-14 · 04:04 UTC

Book Review: Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming by Christie Golden

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I’m sharing my review of Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming by Christie Golden.

Click the image to find the book!

Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming was published in June 2003 by Pocket Books and is 262 pages long.

The Plot
In the first of this Voyager sequel duology, Voyager has returned to Earth. Still, the celebrations are brief, the debriefings relentless, and the sense of relief is quickly complicated by politics, trauma, and unfinished business. Kathryn Janeway is promoted, separated from her ship, and drawn into the murky waters of post-Delta Quadrant fallout. Meanwhile, the Voyager crew—scattered, scrutinised, and uncertain—must figure out who they are without the mission that defined them for seven years.

Characters
Kathryn Janeway
Now an admiral, Janeway struggles with the loss of command and the moral weight of the choices she made to get her crew home. Golden portrays her as capable but unsettled—still a captain at heart, uneasy in a role that distances her from her people.

Chakotay
Chakotay is finally a bit more interesting than he often was on TV. The book quietly backs away from the abrupt Chakotay/Seven romance from “Endgame”, focusing instead on his role as a leader of ex-Maquis and his complicated feelings about Starfleet’s amnesty. He’s still not as central as Janeway, but he feels more textured.

Tuvok
Tuvok is now a full commander and, after reuniting with his family, is teaching at Starfleet Academy. He is absent for much of the plot, and it is very noticeable.

Tom Paris and B’Elanna Torres
Tom is reunited with his father, and they begin to repair their relationship. For much of the book, he’s left home alone with baby Miral… and the Doctor, while B’Elanna is away.
B’Elanna’s arc focuses on belonging—both culturally and emotionally as she seeks answers to her mother’s fate.

Seven of Nine
This is perhaps the most compelling thread in the book. Seven’s attempt to navigate humanity under Federation scrutiny is fraught, poignant, and often uncomfortable. The novel recognises that “home” may be more alien to her than the Delta Quadrant ever was.

Harry Kim
Finally, Harry gets his long-awaited promotion and a reunion with his overprotective parents – plus the return of Libby, now working for Starfleet Intelligence. His arc mixes personal closure with lingering tension about how much he’schanged, though it doesn’t cut especially deep.

The Doctor
The Doctor’s role spans both the personal and the political. On one hand, he’s a hologram trying to define his own rights in a society that still largely treats his kind as tools; on the other, his fame (thanks to his holonovel) has turned him into an unexpected celebrity. His involvement in the holographic rights storyline feels very organic, and Golden captures his blend of vanity, moral outrage and genuine compassion.

Icheb
As a younger former drone, Icheb becomes a test case for how the Federation treats those shaped by the Borg. His eventual detention alongside Seven underscores how quickly fear can override principles, and his continued struggle to define himself beyond his past gives the book some effective coming-of-age notes.

Guest stars and new faces
Cameos from Jean-Luc Picard, Deanna Troi, and Reginald Barclay help embed the story in the wider Trek universe, with new characters like Admiral Kenneth Montgomery, Dr Jerem Kaz and Oliver Baines representing different sides of Starfleet and Federation society—careerist, conflicted, and idealistic.

Writing Style
Christie Golden’s prose is accessible and emotionally resonant, capturing the voices of the Voyager characters with notable accuracy. Dialogue feels authentic, particularly Janeway’s moral deliberations and the Doctor’s witty defiance. Golden balances multiple storylines with clarity, and while the narrative occasionally leans toward exposition-heavy sections (a natural result of setting up the duology), the pacing is generally strong.

Golden also excels at conveying emotional nuance—grief, anxiety, hope, and healing all feel present and palpable. Fans of Voyager will appreciate her commitment to continuity, while newcomers can follow along with minimal confusion.

If there is one thing that lets the book down a little, it’s that major plotlines (especially the Borg-like crisis) are left unresolved, making this volume feel incomplete if you don’t immediately continue into the sequel, The Farther Shore.

Final Thoughts
Homecoming is a rewarding and emotionally satisfying continuation of the TV series, treating the crew as real people dealing with the messy aftermath of a miracle. It’s not flawless – some of its bigger swings don’t land cleanly, and it absolutely expects you to read the sequel – but as a character-driven “what’s next?” for the crew, it’s well worth a read.

I’m giving Star Trek: Voyager: Homecoming a 7/10.

Have you read this one? What did you think?

As ever, thanks for stopping by and reading my review!

Until next time,

George

#bookReview #Borg #Hologram #Picard #review #StarTrek #StarTrekVoyager #Voyager

#bookreview #borg #hologram #picard #review #startrek