In Star Trek, we are used to seeing mighty Federation starships exploring space and boldly going where no one has gone before. However, there is more to Federation society in the 24th century than the men and women of Starfleet: newly-elected Federation President Nan Bacco finds herself embroiled in one crisis after another as she and her administration deal with the fallout from the Tezwa affair and the surprise resignation of her predecessor. The first year of her tenure as president will be her trial by fire, and marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the United Federation of Planets.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Bruce Gibson and Dan Gunther welcome author Keith DeCandido back to the show to discuss his landmark novel, Articles of the Federation. We talk about The West Wing of the 24th century, linking this novel to the other novels in the literary universe, the huge cast of characters, various issues that the Bacco administration has to deal with, answer some questions listeners posted in The Babel Conference, and wrap up with what Keith is working on now and where you can find him online.

In the news segment, we announce the upcoming Star Trek: The Official Guide to the Animated Series co-written by Trek.fm's very own Aaron Harvey, and report on the tragic loss of a Star Trek literary legend, author Vonda McIntyre. We also respond to listener feedback from The Babel Conference about Literary Treks 263: Traveling at the Speed of Plot.

News

Star Trek: The Animated Series Book Revealed (00:02:50)

Remembering Vonda McIntyre (00:06:21)

Listener Feedback (00:08:49)

Feature: Keith DeCandido

The West Wing of the 24th Century (00:13:29)

Writing Federation Politics (00:22:36)

Links to the Wider Fiction (00:27:28)

Trinni/ek Food Fight (00:32:43)

A Huge Cast of Characters (00:34:20)

If 'Articles' Were Written Today (00:38:45)

Freedom of the Press Consequences (00:42:11)

Civilian Point of View (00:45:31)

Aligar Trade Renewal (00:49:47)

Ideological Differences (00:52:09)

Nan Bacco Character Influences (00:55:37)

Commencement Address (01:06:02)

Democracy is a Conversation (01:08:06)

Answering Listeners' Questions (01:09:23)

Other Projects (01:18:31)

Final Thoughts (01:29:48)