She was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the galaxy. Yes, she was putting herself and her ship into dark waters with betrayal to the Romulan empire, she was really upset with this information.
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Good theory on the Romulan star! #TrekBookClub

The main protagonist! Quite so. One of the interesting things about this book is that Ael more than anyone is driving the action. Kirk and company are along for the ride. I usually don’t like our heroes being side characters, but it worked here. Mostly because Ael is a good character. #TrekBookClub

10. What was Ael feeling as she left her ship for good to implement her plan and head into space and an uncertain future?
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The Romulan government was in an upheaval. Senators were kicked off their posts and the whole planet seemed in chaos. This change sure did foreshadow the issues that the galaxy would have to face head-on. The Federation had to ensure that their borders were safe.
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I think it’s because they have twin homeworlds that humans arbitrarily named Romulus and Remus after the mythical twins, and that gave the Romulans their name. #TrekBookClub

I must have liked the cover because I kept glancing at it throughout the read. I presume it’s painted by Boris. I sure like his style. Not so sure what the buildings are in the background. Kirk and Ael were never outdoors together. But hey… evoke tone, right? 🙂 #TrekBookClub

She did not think highly of Romulans or Klingons. She was being sacrificed by the Romulan leadership by starting a war with the Klingons. Seeing what is happening, coupled with having enough authority to do something about it, would edge her towards taking action against her leaders
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I think this section gave a sign that there is something going on inside the Romulan Empire's central government. While I'm not 100% sure, I thought this excerpt tied into an earlier section with Ael when she was thinking about the problems facing and caused by the senior leaders.
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They have a recs director - kinda like a cruise director. They have to do something, and so they developed a very interesting form of chess and other games. #TrekBookClub #MyEnemyMyAlly

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Like in Spock's World by the same author, she adds depth. It shows their projects such as Sunseed (did this bring about the collapse of their star?) and their relationship with the Klingons. When that went away with the accords in Star Trek VI, they lost a lot.

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Their society is massively punitive and seeks vengeance where we would seek mercy, which causes her to become embittered. But it shows her values and desires to do what she thinks is best for the galaxy.

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Connections to Roman history in the species name (exonym) but not their own name (endonym). Do we know why they came upon the name Romulan?

9. Ael came across a secret Romulan research station conducting experiments on Vulcans. She decides to take a drastic course of action which will involve the Enterprise. What were her thought processes which led to the course of action she would decide to take?
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I'm going to assume that this is in the original five-year mission based on the cover even if the evidence is otherwise. In any case, it makes sense based on the book, even though Kirk looks a little different. #TrekBookClub #MyEnemyMyAlly

Dr. McCoy is my favorite Star Trek character so I kind of enjoyed this section. We don't see this type of scene on screen which touches his more analytical side and matching wits with Spock. I think he played in a "non-logical" way so he was able to defeat Spock.
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Too much continuous work without any rest breaks lead to stress, a less productive person and a higher probability of making errors. That's why it's important to take time off from work/school.
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She's very disdainful of the current Romulan government and their alliance with the Klingons is a big part of that. She sees the Klingons as conniving and duplicitous and hates that her government is allying with them. #TrekBookClub #StarTrekMyEnemyMyAlly

I like how Diane Duane provided more details about the Romulans, with the importance of honor and the role of names. In a way, that was what TNG and DS9 did with the Klingons. On screen, the Romulans duplicitous nature was emphasized. Here we get a more complete version of them.
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Ael seemed to be a proud leader who is willing to criticize leadership, be fair and willing to do what she can to help the Romulans survive. I think she continues the trend of Romulan leaders we saw on TOS' "Balance of Terror" & "The Enterprise Incident".
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