Star Trek Explorer #11 Delivers A Difficult Encounter Between Captain Shaw and Seven of Nine

Tomorrow's release of Star Trek Explorer #11 is here to deliver on all your Star Trek news!

Within the pages of the latest issue of Star Trek Explorer, dive into a handful of exclusive fiction, interviews, and features.

Star Trek Explorer #11 celebrates the final season of Star Trek: Discovery with an exclusive interview with Sonequa Martin-Green. She teases things to come as the series draws to a close, and offers some candid comments on what she hopes the legacy of the show will be.

Elsewhere, the latest issue has an exclusive interview with the Hagemans — creators of Star Trek: Prodigy! There’s a Star Trek: Picard short story, "Confirmation Bias" by Michael Dismuke, centering on a difficult encounter between Captain Shaw and Seven of Nine aboard the U.S.S. Titan-A. And in David Mack's short story, "Dignified Transfer," it’s a sad mission for Captain Picard. All this and so much more!

Thanks to our friends at Titan Magazines, we have an exclusive excerpt of the short, "Confirmation Bias" by Michael Dismuke, below!

"Your vessel will be towed to Starbase G-6 where you'll be remanded into the custody of Starfleet Security. From there, a formal tribunal will be formed to decide your fate. If your planet has a judicial system, they have the right to provide for your legal defense. Of course, they might disavow you. I would, since you are such abject losers. If that happens, you'll be provided a replacement from our judge advocate general's office."

Liam Shaw, captain of the U.S.S. Titan-A, finished reading the two captives their rights.

The Usangi'I males sat in two separate but adjacent holding cells in the ship's brig. Blue-hued force fields prevented the duo of criminals from escaping. Shaw couldn't help but think that the portly prisoners, dressed in shiny orange uniforms, resembled tubby worms with the facial features of star-nosed moles – the kind he had caught as a kid back home in Illinois. In a universe shaped by the peculiarities of interstellar evolution, the faces of the Usangi'I captives looked as if a cosmic engineer had attached an otherworldly satellite dish to their snouts. Comprising thirty to forty fleshy, prehensile tendrils that splayed outward like a miniature constellation, their unique facial appendages were endowed with hyper-sensitive neural clusters. These clusters resembled minuscule antenna arrays, fine-tuned to intercept and interpret environmental signals.

The crew of the Titan-A would have preferred to learn about a new, sentient species in a more diplomatic manner. However, the actions of the Usangi'I had changed their status to that of prisoners in the brig rather than of guests on the bridge.

"I'll make sure my chief of security sends you a few holopics of the innards of of a Federation penal colony. I'd hate to keep you in suspense regarding your new digs." Captain Shaw punched a few more notes into the PADD, signed off on the formal charges, then handed it to his first officer. "How many hours until we arrive at G-6, Commander Hansen?"

Seven checked the PADD, added her own sign off, and handed it to one of the two stern-faced security officers that stood guard. "Twelve hours, sir," she responded, silently roiling at the fact that Captain Shaw refused to refer to her by her chosen name.

Though she had thrown off the shackles of the Borg Collective, she had spent approximately half of her life as Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One. Once liberated from the Borg, her crewmates aboard U.S.S. Voyager called her by the abbreviated moniker "Seven of Nine" — or just "Seven" — as did her associates in the Fenris Rangers. Shaw's insistence on referring to her by birth name, Annika Hansen, ran deeper than mere accuracy and formality, though the man was a model of procedural compliance. Over the course of weeks, the tonal inflections with which he uttered her name evolved from passive-aggressive jabs to more overt micro-aggressions.

"Captain," Seven asked as they exited the brig into the bustling corridor of the Neo-Constitution-class ship, "may we speak privately?"

"I don't see why not," he responded without making eye contact.

Within short order, Shaw and Seven regrouped to the starship's Observation Lounge. Shaw rounded the conference table and sat down opposite from where Seven stood. He didn't bother to offer a seat to his first officer. With a swipe of the hand, he activated the computer built into the surface of the table and tapped away without looking up. "What can I do for you, Commander Hansen?" He swiped left, making a few selections on the console.

Seven's lips pursed momentarily in a silent symphony of agitation as the captain summoned from the ship's database Vivaldi’s Concerto For Violin And Strings In F Minor. "I would like to address what transpired during our recent contact with the Usangi’I pirates, sir."

Shaw adjusted the volume of the music to his liking. "What exactly would you like me to address?" He sat back, his eyes set for the challenge. "We made first contract with a new species. We quickly determined hostile intent. We uncovered their ruse. Now they sit in the brig awaiting Starfleet justice. Not bad for this crew’s thirty-fifth mission. If you want to take the lead in writing the report, go right ahead."

"I’m not sure you want me to write that report." She offered a moment's hesitation. "Sir."

"Is that so?" The challenge had been accepted. He leaned forward, locking his hands together and resting his elbows on the table. "Pray tell."

You can read the complete short story in Star Trek Explorer #11 on sale April 9. Plus, there's an exclusive interview with Sonequa Martin-Green looking forward to Star Trek: Discovery's fifth and final season; the Hagemans discuss the importance of Star Trek: Prodigy; there’s more exclusive short fiction; your definitive guide to Star Trek: Picard Season 3 and much, much more!