To start Miasma off, Spock, McCoy, Chekov, and a few redshirts take a shuttle down to a planet shrouded in an oppressive, blinding fog. As the shuttle descends, the characters remember that they are in the movie era, and thus all wearing red shirts, so the shuttle crashes.

On the surface, they soon come under attack by terrifying creatures: essentially giant leeches with legs! After one of the non-main characters is brutally killed, the landing party realizes that they have to get off the surface as soon as possible. With the shuttle in pieces, they set out to the source of the signal that brought them there in the hopes that the Enterprise crew will start there in an attempt to locate them.

They soon discover that the mega-leeches are repelled by the smell of Spock’s green blood, and set about weaponizing it by extracting it via hypospray and using it as an aerosolized weapon, essentially turning it into a “shark repellent.” It is even copper-based like real shark repellent!

What first struck me about this story is how much it felt like an episode of the television series. I know this is an oft-repeated line here, but these eBook novellas are really great at evoking the feeling of watching an episode of Star Trek. The pacing and the length are perfect in this respect.

In this case, the story feels like a never-aired episode of a non-existent series that takes place in the late movie era. This is one of my favorite periods in Trek history, made all the more interesting by the lack of stories set there.

In many ways, Miasma is reminiscent of the classic episode “The Galileo Seven.” The characters even comment on the fact that they are in a very similar situation. Where Miasma shines, however, is in juxtaposing these adventures by showing how far these characters have come and how much they have matured since that original adventure.

Spock, rather than simply applying cold, hard logic, has come to appreciate the human perspective, making allowances for emotion and compassion. Similarly, McCoy reflects that his behavior in this instance is much more reserved and understanding of the pressures that Spock is under while commanding a difficult away mission.

One fascinating aspect of the story is the inclusion of Saavik. The DC run of Star Trek comics set during this period featured her character, and it is that situation that Greg Cox is emulating here. I loved the dynamic between her and Spock as she and Kirk search the planet for the doomed landing party.

The exploration of the link between these two characters was a compelling one, with their experience on the Genesis planet in Star Trek III coming into play in an unexpected way. I also found it interesting that Greg Cox states that he alternated between visualizing Kirstie Alley and Robin Curtis while writing Miasma; I had a similar experience while reading it.

Some parts seemed to fit Alley’s portrayal better, while I often found Curtis’s Saavik coming to the fore in other parts.

Final thoughts:

Miasma is a fascinating look at the late classic-Trek movie era with characters who have a great deal of experience under their belts. I love the “elder statesman” feel of the Original Series crew at this stage, with decades of service having tempered their dispositions and their outlooks. There are some great character moments in this novella, and the inclusion of Saavik was a welcome touch.

It’s funny, I was reading Stephen King’s The Shining for a book club I am a part of and had to pause to read Miasma. I remember thinking to myself that it would be a nice break from the terror in The Shining, which is definitely an intense story. However, the leech creatures in Miasma were nearly just as terrifying! So much for taking a break!

Thanks to the quick pacing and short length of Miasma, reading it in an afternoon is like sitting down to watch an episode of the television series. I recommend it for any fan of the movie-era of Star Trek!