Despite being an inexperienced Starfleet cadet, Sylvia Tilly became essential to the U.S.S. Discovery finding its way back home from the Mirror Universe.
But how did she find that courage? From where did she get that steel? Who nurtured that spark of brilliance? ‘The Way to the Stars’ recounts for fans everywhere the untold story of Tilly’s past.
It’s not easy being sixteen, especially when everyone expects great things from Tilly. It’s even harder when her mother and father are Federation luminaries, not to mention pressing her to attend one of the best schools that the Federation has to offer.
Tilly wants to achieve great things—even though she hasn’t quite worked out how to do that or what it is she wants to do. But this year, everything will change for Tilly, as she about to embark upon the adventure of a lifetime—an adventure that will take her ever closer to the stars….
Simon & Schuster have given Star Trek fans a New Year gift, with the release of Una McCormack’s Star Trek: Discovery novel The Way to the Stars. The fourth Discovery novel focuses on the fan favorite character of Tilly.
Una McCormack gives us a smashing coming of age story that provides a lot of character depth to Tilly and gives us a view into corners of the Star Trek universe that we have only previously peeked into.
I can’t think of a better author that I would have wanted to tackle Tilly’s story than Una McCormack. Una, in her previous works, is so good with character pieces. Her previous novel, Enigma Tales, a Deep Space Nine story starring Garak, was the same way. Both books are introspective looks at fan favorite characters that tell non-traditional Star Trek stories.
As Alex Kurtzman mentioned in a recent interview, Star Trek doesn’t have a lot of coming of age stories. The main ones we have – Wesley Crusher and Jake Sisko – both take place in the familiar setting of aboard a starship/space station surrounded by Starfleet officers. But what about all those children who didn’t grow up on starships? That is the story that Una McCormack tells about Tilly, and it opens up the Star Trek universe well beyond the traditional Starfleet tropes.
Though we know she ends up in Starfleet, Tilly does not begin this story knowing that she wants to be a Starfleet officer. Like most kids, she finds that path in an extremely relatable fashion – going through the motions of doing what her parents (in this case, mother) want for her, discovering her true passion, screwing up along the way, and then finding a way to follow that passion.
Tilly has always felt like the most “real” character we have had in Star Trek for a while – the one we could easily imagine being a part of our own daily lives. And so, to see her go through many of the same pains of growing up and dealing with family drama only intensifies the strong connection that the audience has with this character.
The Way to the Stars also shows us something we haven’t seen before in Star Trek – a school that isn’t Starfleet Academy. Seeing more of how students who are not on the Starfleet track live in the Star Trek universe is fascinating. And while by the 23rd century humanity may be more enlightened and the economics entirely different, the Federation still has an elite, which we get exposed to a lot of in this novel.
Tilly’s mother, who we got a glimpse of in the Short Trek episode “Runaway,” is a high-profile Federation diplomat, and as a result Tilly moves in circles with other diplomats’ kids. These children, many of whom aspire to the same profession, help us continue to expand our understanding of what the culture of the 23rd century is like.
Another element of this book that I particularly enjoyed is that many of the interpersonal struggles of the book are not resolved by the end. Tilly and her mother butt heads constantly throughout the book, and by the end have reached a frosty détente. But as with any child dealing with a demanding parent, you know that the battle is never fully over. And so it is with The Way to the Stars, and I hope that Tilly’s relationship with her mother will continue to be explored on Discovery or in other tie-in materials.
The Way to the Stars posits that, even in the 23rd century, life is messy and hard, even if there are not the same economic hardships for Federation citizens that we experience today. Can there be anything more relatable than that?
I think The Way to the Stars is essential reading paired with watching “Runaway.” It adds another layer of depth to the story of Tilly and Po. By the end of that episode, Tilly convinces the runaway Po to return to her life and face her responsibilities, but to express that through her own desires and joys. It is more meaningful now because we know that is exactly what Tilly has done too.
She also ran from her responsibilities and was forced to recognize that and return to her life and figure out a path forward that worked for her. For anyone who had issues with the truncated character story of “Runaway,” I would recommend going back and re-watching after reading The Way to the Stars. The two really stand alongside each other as important companions in deepening the character of Tilly.
If you like Tilly and you want to learn more about the origins of the plucky young ensign, you will love The Way to the Stars. I sure did.
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If you liked The Way to the Stars, you should check out:
- The Never-Ending Sacrifice by Una McCormack: A rich study of Cardassian history and culture, as the Cardassian perspective of the events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is told through the experiences of Rugal, from the DS9 second season episode “Cardassians.”
- The Fall: The Crimson Shadow by Una McCormack: Did you ever want to see Captain Picard and Garak team up? Well now you have the opportunity!
- Enigma Tales by Una McCormack: A follow up to Crimson Shadow and a wonderful character exploration of Garak, in the Deep Space Nine relaunch storyline in which Garak has ascended to become the leader of the Cardassian Union.
 Novel #4:"The Way to the Stars"     |  Novel #5:"The Enterprise War" |  Novel #6:"Dead Endless" |