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Two teams of heroes… one astounding adventure.

Planet X is a Pocket TNG novel – a crossover with the Marvel Comics X-Men franchise – written by Michael Jan Friedman. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in May 1998.

Summary[]

From the book jacket
On the planet Xhaldia, ordinary men and women are mutating into bizarre creatures with extraordinary powers. But is this a momentous evolutionary leap or an unparalleled catastrophe? The very fabric of Xhaldian society is threatened as fear and prejudice divide the transformed from their own kin.
Dispatched to cope with the growing crisis, Captain Picard and the crew of the starship Enterprise receive some unexpected visitors from another reality – in the form of the group of mutant heroes known as the uncanny X-Men. Storm, leader of the X-Men, offers their help in resolving a situation that is agonizingly similar to the human/mutant conflicts of their own time and space.
But when hostile aliens appear in orbit around Xhaldia to try and abduct the transformed for use as a superpowered force in an attack on the Federation, even the combined forces of the crew of Starfleet and the X-Men may be unable to prevent an inferno of death and destruction.
Starfleet's finest crew and Earth's greatest mutant heroes will need all their powers and abilities to save the Xhaldian people and stop a deadly threat to the Federation.

Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.

Memorable quotes[]

"It's not where you fight, it's who."

- Wolverine, on battlefields

Background information[]

  • The novel came out of Paramount's collaboration with Marvel, Paramount Comics. After producing a crossover between the X-Men and the Original Series crew, discussions with Pocket editor John Ordover led to the suggestion of expanding the planned Next Generation follow-up into a comic and novel combination. As a result, the novel is set in the same continuity as the comic "Star Trek - X-Men II: Second Contact", and references events from that story. (Voyages of Imagination, p. 216)
  • The novel is set sometime after Star Trek: First Contact ("Second Contact" occurs immediately after that film) and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "You Are Cordially Invited" (as Worf and Jadzia Dax are recently married).
  • A mutual resemblance between Professor Xavier and Jean-Luc Picard is mentioned when Crusher creates a holographic duplicate of Xavier to help investigate the problem on Xhaldia. Although the book was written and published long before the first X-Men movie was cast, this proved to be canny foreshadowing, as Patrick Stewart would go on to play Xavier in the X-Men movies.
  • At one point, Worf, Banshee, and Archangel beam aboard an enemy ship, accompanied by three Enterprise guards named Ditko, Kirby, and Lee. These are references to Marvel writers/illustrators Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, and Stan Lee.

Characters[]

Jean-Luc Picard
In the course of their mission to help the Xhaldians, Picard and Storm develop a certain affection for each other
William T. Riker
Leading an away team on the surface, Riker helps Storm deal with some of the transformed
Data
As an android alone among others, Data easily identifies with the X-Men, as they, like him, are "different" from everyone else
Worf
Naturally, Worf develops a keen respect for Wolverine's abilities as a warrior, and fights side-by-side with Banshee and Archangel in an attack on the Draa'kon ship
Geordi La Forge
La Forge's investigations of the X-Men's abilities help him form a certain bond with them all, particularly Nightcrawler, to whom he is able to explain certain details about the mutant's teleportation abilities
Deanna Troi
During the mission, Troi helps Colossus learn a valuable lesson about not taking situations at face value
Beverly Crusher
Aided by a hologram of Professor X, Crusher is able to develop a "cure" for the transformed
Charles Xavier (seen only in a holodeck simulation)
A hologram created from information from data the Enterprise acquired during their previous visit, Xavier helps Doctor Crusher cure the "transformed"
Wolverine (Logan)
Wolverine proves vital in the final defeat of the aliens who created the transformed, and also forms a close bond with Worf in their mutual love of combat
Storm (Ororo Monroe)
The X-men field leader plays a crucial role in the conflict, defeating the leader of the transformed, who could control the earth around him (she also develops an attraction to Picard, requesting he call her Ororo)
Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner)
Nightcrawler's unique means of teleportation allows him to travel onto an attacking alien ship and disable their shields, and he and Data also convince some of the other transformed to listen to them (also, La Forge's analysis of Nightcrawler reveals that, when he teleports, he becomes covered with verteron particles)
Colossus (Piotr Rasputin)
Although he nearly attacks innocent Xhaldians thinking they threaten the transformed, Colossus proves vital in his team's escape from a damaged shuttle due to his body serving as a temporary conduit
Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde)
Fighting side-by-side with an Enterprise officer, Kitty helps to save a group of transformed
Banshee (Sean Cassidy)
Entertaining a group of officers in the bar with his singing, Banshee also proves vital in helping an away team escape a trap while trying to disable the Draa'kon ship
Archangel (Warren Worthington III)
Archangel aids Picard in disarming a bomb from the alien ship that would have destroyed the city, flying out to disarm the bomb after Picard brings them in close to it in a shuttlecraft
Sovar
Lieutenant.
Suttles
Ensign.
Sariel Rager
B.G. Robinson
Saffron
Ensign.
Guinan
Briefly traveling on the Enterprise-E, Guinan agrees to tend the bar for old times' sake, and gives Wolverine prune juice
Ben
Barclay
Detemer
Lee Wayne
Kirby Ditko
Kane
Lieutenant.
Bertaina
Wilkes
Calderon
Yeowell
Lieutenant.
Glavin
Lieutenant.
Stevenson
Lieutenant.
Q
At the conclusion, it is revealed the Q was responsible for the X-Men being sent into the Star Trek universe, although his motives for wanting to help the transformed are unclear.
Uatu
Watcher

References[]

Enterprise-E, USS

External links[]

Previous novel: Series Next novel:
Starfleet Academy: The Best and the Brightest Pocket TNG
Unnumbered novels
The Captain's Table #2: Dujonian's Hoard
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