Star Trek Prodigy Escape Route, original sci-fi fare that sets phasers to good

It would be easy to say that Star Trek Prodigy: Escape Route can only be enjoyed by Trekkies. While they will certainly latch on the book the easiest of those who could enjoy it, Escape Route will also entertain upper-elementary through middle school readers who want a straightforward science-fiction tale. You don’t need to know the Star Trek Prodigy characters in order to enjoy the book. If anything, the fact that it can be enjoyed by anyone, and not just fans of the legacy characters, exemplifies that space is a huge area that can enjoyed by anyone. It’s also that point that frustrates fans of other intellectual properties who seem to think that only one family has the ability to produce stories that people want to see.

To Star Trek’s credit, they have been able to turn out different shows in different formats that can go in different directions. They may not produce the same buzz as others or boil at the same degree, but they also don’t disappoint audiences with big headlines either. So is it better to continually have a niche, dependable fan base or to hit lofty highs and then fall from grace so precipitously? 

Star Trek Prodigy Escape Route is entertaining mglit that will keep those science-fiction-loving upper elementary kids and daydream readers in middle school satiated. It’s not too important to know the full background of what’s happened in outer space in order to fully enjoy Escape Route. I have no idea of how many Star Trek stories exist now, but I know that it’s more than one and it’s here where the story needs to jump into the essence of Star Trek, rather than the legacy characters.

Escape Route is new. When the setup of the fact that the Protostar is gone it might as well be the new Taylor Swift release for all you know, and that’s ok. For those of us in that camp, it was a Starfleet ship that was apparently a weapon that was going to be used against Starfleet. Our crew realized this and destroyed the ship, but is now on a slow trip back to Earth in an undersized shuttle.

It’s a misfit crew that in no way resembles your father’s Star Trek, but those characters relative to the interest level of today’s young readers have gone the way of the dodo. In Escape Route Murf, Rok-Tahk, Zero, Gwyn, and Jankom are very early on into their month-long journey to Earth when their shuttle encounters a problem. They see that there’s a nearby moon that is capable of sustaining life, so they land to do the repairs in hopes of making their trip home shorter.

Once there they encounter a new species, and the dance that Captain Kirk, Janeway or Picard did to so well ensues for a new generation. The new species seems nice, but as any fan or reader in fifth grade or higher knows, there will be a problem. And sure enough, the problem on this far-away moon is that the alien species has a legitimate need for one of their crew members who is capable of destroying toxic materials without any adverse effects to them. If the alien species showers them with praise it might sway them to stay with them forever. The alien species could also try the more aggressive route and imprison everyone.

Escape Route is comfort food reading for the science fiction middle school soul. Those middle-school, age-appropriate Trekkies will also flock to the book and enjoy the machinations of the crew that they’re most likely already familiar with. If you’re in high school or older then Escape Route will be too simple and predictable for your palette. However, this is where the Star Trek universe has done a great job in diversifying their stories and their target demographic. While Escape Route is the middle porridge for ages 11-14, there’s one that will be just the right temperature for high school science-fiction or Star Trek people who want to get their reading on.

Star Trek Prodigy Escape Route is by Cassandra Rose Clarke and is available on Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

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