Trekipedia

House of Cards

A new ship, a new crew, a new mission!

• Stardate Unknown
• Released July 1997

Sector 221-G: For the whole of Federation history, this large area of space has been controlled by the Thallonians, a cruel, militaristic race of which little is known except that they rule the other races in their sector with a vicious iron hand.

Now the Thallonian Empire has collapsed and the systems it once ruled are in chaos. Old hatreds are surfacing. Petty tyrants control deadly weapons. World after world is descending into disorder and self-destruction. The Federation must send a starship to help where it can and report what it finds.

That ship is the U.S.S. Excalibur, a newly refit Ambassador-class starship commanded by Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and manned by Starfleet‘s best and brightest, including some old friends from Star Trek: The Next Generation and some of the most dynamic new characters ever to crew a Federation starship.

Join Captain Calhoun and the crew of the U.S.S. Excalibur as they explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before!

Written by: Peter David

Cast:

• Captain Mackenzie Calhoun
• Commander Elizabeth Shelby
• Lieutenant Commander Burgoyne-172
• Lieutenant Zak Kebron
• Lieutenant Soleta
• Dr. Selar
• Lieutenant Mark McHenry
• Lieutenant Robin Lefler
• Si Cwan

Guest Cast:

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• Admiral Edward Jellico
• Ambassador Spock

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Excerpt

“Calhoun?!”

In Captain Picard’s office, Admiral Jellico was making no attempt to hide his astonishment. He said again, “Calhoun? You don’t mean Mackenzie Calhoun?”

“I most certainly do,” said Picard, unflappably sipping his tea. “He was simply a damned fine officer. One of the best we ever turned out. And he’s right for this command.” He began to tick off reasons on his fingers. “He knows that region of space. His home world, Xenex, is right up against the Thallonian frontier. If the Thallonian Empire is falling apart, you’re talking about planets at war with each other. Angry factions at every turn. We need someone who can pull worlds together. We need Calhoun’s strength and skill now more than ever before.”

“He’s unpredictable,” Jellico said.

“So are the circumstances. They’d be well suited.”

“He’s a maverick. He’s a troublemaker. He’s—”

“In this unique situation, the challenges it presents . . . Calhoun is the best candidate.”

“You’re trying to put a cowboy in the captain’s chair,” Admiral Jellico said.

“Absolutely,” Captain Picard replied. “After all, this is a new frontier.”