In addition to the official canon, Star Trek has a robust “Beta Canon.” These stories, mostly prose, video games and comics, tell exciting stories about familiar characters. However, they are not considered “canon” like Star Trek episodes or movies. In recent years, shows like Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Picard have taken elements from Beta Canon and made them into regular canon.
Crossing the canonical divide may be cool. Nevertheless, some Star Trek beta canon stories may be too quirky for canon. For this week’s Trek Tuesday, we’re celebrating one of these tales: The Captain’s Table.
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The Captain’s Table
The concept of The Captain’s Table is by John J. Ordover and Dean Wesley Smith. Here’s the premise: The Captain’s Table is a bar outside time and space. The only people who are admitted into this bar are captains. They do not need to be Starfleet captains, either. However, the main storyline of the series’ six novels does focuses on the Federation’s finest.
Because the bar exists outside of time and space, captains from throughout history can meet one another within its walls. For this reason, the six novels focus on different characters from throughout Star Trek‘s history. Naturally, this only includes canon established when the series was published in the late 1990s.
Any captain can enter the Captain’s Table. However, the currency the bar accepts in exchange for a drink is not gold-pressed latinum. Instead, any captain who wishes to enjoy a drink at the Captain’s Table must share a story from their personal history.
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Six Captains
The original 1998 series of The Captain’s Table features six novels. Each of these focuses on a captain from a different Star Trek series. All six include an interconnected “frame story.” This frame follows the spotlighted Starfleet captain as they enter the bar known as the Captain’s Table. This entry is often thanks to being shown the establishment’s door by an already-initiated captain. These frame sections are presented in the third person.
But when the spotlighted caps tell their personal tales, the prose is first-person. This allows each captain to tell a story in their own words. For this reason, the authors of each volume are credited on the cover as having “recorded” the stories.
The first novel, Star Trek: The Captain’s Table: War Dragons is written by L.A. Graf and features Captains James T. Kirk and Hikaru Sulu from Star Trek: The Original Series. The second, Dujonian’s Hoard by Michael Jan Friedman, focuses on Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
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Next is The Mist by Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, featuring Captain Benjamin Sisko from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The fourth volume, Fire Ship by Diane Carey, features Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager.
The penultimate book, Once Burned by Peter David, features Captain Mackenzie Calhoun from the Star Trek: New Frontier prose book series. The final book, Where Sea Meets Sky by Jerry Oltion, spotlights Captain Christopher Pike. When the book was written, Pike had only appeared in the original TOS pilot, “The Cage,” and the TOS season 1 2-part episode, “The Menagerie.” However, Pike has since become a protagonist in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Nine More Tales
In 2005, the concept of the Captain’s Table was revived for a collection of nine short stories. These are collected in Star Trek: Tales from the Captain’s Table, edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido. Like the six novels that preceded them, they feature an interconnected third-person frame that holds first-person stories. Furthermore, eight of the nine stories spotlight new captains. This allows for the inclusion of Star Trek: Enterprise continuity, as well as putting a spotlight on some previously omitted captains.
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The collection spotlights Captain Jonathan Archer in a story by Louisa Swann. Captain Chakotay appears in a story by Christie Golden. Captain David Gold appears in a story by series co-creator Ordover. Captain Kira Nerys gets a story by Heather Jarman, while Captain Klag, son of M’Raq, is featured in a tale by editor DeCandido.
There is another story about Picard by series alum Friedman. There’s also a story about Captain William T. Riker by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels. Captain Elizabeth Shelby gets a story by series alum David (which is nice since her appearance in Picard season 3’s “Võx” didn’t go so well). Finally, Captain Demora Sulu stars in a story by David R. George III.
More From the Captain’s Table?
It makes sense for the original six novels to focus on Starfleet’s biggest stars, like Sulu, Picard, Sisko and Janeway. But Tales from the Captain’s Table allows for the inclusion of some unexpected protagonists. This allows the additional characters to enjoy more time in the spotlight and share stories from their own personal experiences. Furthermore, the frame story allows for an intimate and enjoyable atmosphere. You almost feel like you are enjoying a drink alongside the Star Trek captains.
All seven of these books are worth seeking out. Better yet, the six novels are not too hard to find used.
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However, with a new wave of Star Trek shows, perhaps it’s time for this series to be revived. Star Trek: Discovery features captains aplenty, including Captains Michael Burnham, Saru, and Philippa Georgiou. Lower Decks introduces Captain Carol Freeman (and reintroduces Captain Sonya Gomez, who has been promoted in the years since her appearances on TNG). Picard season 3 introduces Captain Liam Shaw (and later the promotion of Captain Seven of Nine). And, of course, Prodigy features Captain Dal R’El, who will reach Federation legal drinking age in just a few short seasons.
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Each of these characters could share some fascinating tales. Furthermore, seeing them interact with some of the other classic captains in the bar would be exciting. But in the meantime, all seven books in The Captain’s Table series are worth revisiting (or reading for the first time).
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