Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Tough Decisions
- Author: Various Authors
- Narrator: Various Readers
- Length: 00:43:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 01/01/2011
- Publisher: Twerp Online
- Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Star Trek
- ISBN13: SABFAB9780435
As someone who’s spent more hours than I can count listening to Star Trek audio dramas while traversing everything from the Andes to the Mekong Delta, I can confidently say “Tough Decisions” offers one of the more compelling Romulan-focused narratives in recent memory. The audio medium proves particularly effective for this story of interstellar brinkmanship, where whispered conversations in dimly lit corridors carry as much weight as photon torpedo volleys.
What struck me immediately was how effectively the ensemble cast captures the distinctive cadence of Starfleet officers under pressure. There’s a particular scene where Evori debates the ethics of preemptive strikes that transported me back to watching “The Undiscovered Country” with my father at age twelve – the first time I truly understood that even in space, the line between villain and diplomat often depends on which side of the Neutral Zone you’re standing.
The production quality stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of Big Finish’s “Doctor Who” audios. When a Warbird decloaks, you’ll feel the bass rumble through your bones, and the subtle echo effects during scenes aboard the Enterprise bridge create an astonishing sense of spatial awareness. Special commendation goes to whichever voice actor portrays the Romulan subcommander – their delivery of the line “‘We do not sow distrust; we merely harvest what your Federation has planted'” deserves a Jefferies Tube full of awards.
Where the anthology format occasionally stumbles is in tonal consistency. The shift between authors becomes noticeable in the third act, where one writer’s preference for cerebral debate clashes slightly with another’s action-oriented resolution. That said, the diversity of perspectives ultimately serves the central theme – just as no single Starfleet officer holds all solutions, no single author could fully encompass the moral quagmire of Romulan relations.
For longtime Trek fans, the audio drama offers delicious continuity crumbs. Listen closely for references to both “The Next Generation’s” ‘The Defector’ and “Picard’s” Romulan refugee storyline – though newcomers won’t feel lost, as the core dilemma of sacrificing ideals for security remains universally accessible.
Having experienced my share of real-world ethical dilemmas while reporting from war zones, I found Evori’s struggle hauntingly familiar. The best Star Trek stories, like this one, remind us that ‘tough decisions’ aren’t about choosing between good and evil, but between terrible and catastrophic – with the added complication of knowing history may judge your choice by an entirely different ethical framework.
With my communicator set to record,
Marcus Rivera
