The Captain's Oath. Captain James T. Kirk: one of the true legends of Starfleet. Awarded command of the U.S.S. Enterprise at a very young age, Kirk made his mark on the galaxy with an impressive career commanding one of Starfleet's most prestigious vessels. But what made him the captain he would become? And how did his experience commanding smaller starships prepare him for the years spent commanding the Enterprise?

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Bruce Gibson and Dan Gunther talk about Christopher L. Bennett's new TOS novel The Captain's Oath. As a special bonus, the author shared his thoughts with us about aspects of the novel which we will share with you! We discuss the different time periods covered in the novel, Kirk's early years as commander of the U.S.S. Sacagawea, the fascinating cast of original characters, the mysterious threat posed by the Agni, Kirk's first mission as commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the disparate parts of continuity referenced in The Captain's Oath, and wrap up with our final thoughts and what Christopher L. Bennett has coming soon as well as where he can be found online.

At the top of the show, we review issue #2 of Star Trek: Year Five and respond to listener feedback from The Babel Conference for Literary Treks 269: Kellogg's Spock 'n' Krisp.

News Star Trek: Year Five #2 Comic Review (00:02:51) Listener Feedback (00:12:57)

Feature: The Captain's Oath Different Time Periods (00:22:02) Kirk's Early Command (00:30:55) The First Officers (00:44:25) Dr. Sherev (00:50:31) Ensign Diaz (00:54:41) The Agni (00:56:18) The Enterprise at Karabos II (01:04:09) Dr. "Bones" McCoy (01:08:18) Continuity Nods (01:09:50) Ratings (01:12:39) The Author's Upcoming Works (01:16:28) Final Thoughts (01:18:19)

Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson

Production Bruce Gibson (Editor and Producer) Dan Gunther (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer)