“You devils! What have you done to me?”
Stardate 5839.7 (2269) and 8676.3 (2289)
In celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Star Trek, Greg Cox’s latest Star Trek novel Identity Theft is a wonderful, at times hilarious, page-turner: a grand adventure taking us across the galaxy. This is Cox’s twentieth Star Trek novel, not including various novellas and short stories he has written (he previously published the Legacies Series in 2016 for the fiftieth anniversary, as well). Identity Theft is a Pavel Chekov-focused novel, a rarity in the Trek litverse, and we follow as he becomes entangled in a “transference” body-swapping plot hatched by a group of rebel alien Exiles intent on revenge (the use of “transference” technology draws heavily upon the controversial final episode of TOS’s third season “Turnabout Intruder”). Greg Cox has likened this body-swapping element in Identity Theft to a dramatic Hitchcockian espionage thriller –and the comparison is apt!
The novel tells its story across two time periods (Greg Cox has sometimes been known to play with different time periods in his novels, though it’s fairly muted in Identity Theft). In 2269, during the Enterprise’s original five-year mission, a young Captain Kirk and Pavel Chekov arrive on the civil war-torn planet of Voyzr where they manage to sue for peace after a hostage crisis and a rebel clan’s failed coup-d’etat. It turns out the Voyzr have been subtly infiltrated by Klingon weaponry on both sides of the conflict. The remaining recalcitrant Exiles then flee to another planet. Twenty years later, in 2289, the Enterprise-A has been invited to return to Voyzr to celebrate two decades of peace (the ship is now the Enterprise-A since the Enterprise went down in flames in the film Star Trek Generations). Pavel Chekov is the head of security aboard the Enterprise-A and he is infatuated with a nurse named Nurse Simone Tovar (their little love sideplot was apparently the idea of Greg Cox’s editor, Margaret Clark, who passed away before the book’s publication). Chekov gently invites her on a date to walk around the botanical gardens with him.
But while en route to Voyzr for the ceremony, the Enterprise receives an urgent medical emergency: a pandemic of “Empusan Fever” has broken out on nearby Tykona, a Class M planet. While Dr. McCoy provides the necessary vaccinations to the Tykonans, Chekov receives a strange call from an old boyhood friend from Moscow named Grigori Ratikin. Grigori is now a renowned architect and designer who is currently working for a wealthy client, living in a very remote villa on Tykona (so remote, in fact, that it has its own personal transporter). When Chekov beams down, the two catch-up like old friends… but Chekov quickly realizes something is not right when Grigori doesn’t seem to remember old running jokes between them. Chekov tries to contact the Enterprise, but Grigori suddenly brandishes a disruptor and a humanoid woman in a lab coat appears. She acknowledges that this Grigori standing before Chekov is actually a duplicate, and the real Grigori is “temporarily disposed” in another room (he has switched bodies with an Exile named Vonnu).
The next thing Chekov knows he is awoken in a room –but he is not himself! In fact, he has switched bodies with a Voyzr named Ryjo, a young male ruffian low-life. The Voyzr are a fascinating race: they are humanoids with moose or deer-like features, six fingers on each hand, bony antlers on the men, snouts, and they are more akin to “Terran cervids rather than primates” with red fur and green hair. We learn that a leader of the Voyzr Exiles on Tykona named Trath has employed (or rather blackmailed with help from the Klingons) a Federation doctor named Jacqueline Morval to conduct transferences. She does this using recovered ancient technology by the Federation for life entity “transference” which temporarily swaps the consciousness of two sentient beings (this was first introduced the TOS episode “Turnabout Intruder”). Now, this type of mind-swapping has been used again and again in Star Trek, but in Identity Theft I think it’s done quite well. The same rules apply here as in “Turnabout Intruder” (using the Camusian technology from the planet Camus II). However, the catch is that the timespan of transference eventually runs out and as they get closer to the reverse, déjà vu and a flood of memories increase in frequency within the patient.
In Identity Theft, through Chekov, we are asked to walk in the shoes of a resentful, vengeance-filled young Voyzr man who is convinced that his life is worthless so he turns to violence –a topical issue for us to consider. His plan? To infiltrate the Enterprise as Chekov (a man he has been carefully studying for months) and once the ship arrives on Voyzr, he plans to assassinate the former field marshal and current planet regnant named Zavetta, thereby making it look like one of the Federation’s most decorated officers, Chekov (a hero of the peacemaking deal on Voyzr), is actually the enemy of the Voyzr. This is intended to drive a wedge between Voyzr and the Federation, and enact vengeance on behalf of Ryjo’s exiled clan. Naturally, Ryjo’s presence as Chekov aboard the Enterprise leads to all manner of sticky social situations, many of them hilarious, as the Enterprise speeds away from Tykona toward Voyzr, particularly with respect to Chekov’s good friend Sulu and his new love interest Nurse Tovar (who previously said to “call me Simone”).
Likewise, Chekov as the Voyzr “Ryjo” winds up in all manner of hilarious hijinks as he escapes from his captors on Tykona, running through the city of cosmopolitan city of Jhopash in a hospital gown, evading cycloptic police officers, and eventually befriends Ryjo’s lover, Dise (in fact, they share an implied sexual encounter one evening in an odd twist). Together, they escape Tykona and are trailed all the way to a deep space station called Oasis (is this a nod from Greg Cox to the recent reunion tour of the band Oasis?) where Chekov/Ryjo tries and fails to make contact with the Enterprise, eventually deciding he must abandon Dise and escape in a small private yacht ship called the “Xoline.” After a brief encounter with a Klingon bird of prey, Chekov/Ryjo makes haste for Voyzr, hoping he will arrive in time to stop the assassination plot.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise is waylaid when a distress call is received from the nearby Gilgio system, an uninhabitable, inhospitable system known for its lack of Class-M worlds. It “makes Vulcan’s forge look like a resort on Wrigley’s Pleasure Planet.” However, despite Ryjo’s concern for arriving at Voyzr quickly to carry out his murder plot, the Enterprise detours and tracks the distress beacon to three life signs on the volcanic moon of Wexx where the Copernicus II shuttlecraft leads a landing party wearing environmental suits down to a crashed ship called the “Whilom” that has a trio of furry bewiskered Yarfites (canine humanoids) inside. As it turns out they are treasure hunters searching for the legendary Stellar Gale, a Therbian cargo ship allegedly loaded with ancient relics from an extinct alien civilization. They have been scouring the moon for months after discovering that the Gale took a shortcut through the Jelasko Vortex, and now they believe the treasure is hidden somewhere at the bottom of the equatorial sea on Wexx, but seismic eruptions suddenly disrupt this little gathering as the shuttlecraft attempts to leave the moon but it is thrown downward into the sea in a highly tense set of chapters in which the crew must figure out a way to make contact with the Enterprise while evading giant underwater jellyfish who emit electrical “lightning” pulses.
Once reunited aboard the Enterprise, the ship speeds away toward Voyzr for the ceremony. However, after Kirk and Chekov beam down, a rogue ship suddenly charges toward Vozyr embattling an automated buoy and drones as well as a manned Voyzr ship. It turns out to be Chekov/Ryjo who is quickly intercepted by Voyzr, but in order to draw the attention of the Enterprise, he allows all his life support systems to fail and even a radiation leak so that the Enterprise will intervene and save his life. When he wakes up in sickbay on the Enterprise, he desperately tries to explain the perilous situation to a skeptical Dr. McCoy and later Spock (who is persuaded to conduct a mind-meld, which confirms the whole story). Kirk is urgently contacted by Spock, and just before Ryjo/Chekov can fire his toxic-laced hypospray at the regnant, he is stopped and his life essence begins transferring back to his own body.
The ending is dragged out for a while in this one as Ryjo becomes more of a sympathetic character, he is little more than a troubled kid with no job prospects whose father recently passed away. But he is also an isolated, angry young man in need of a vision, and despite all his bitterness, he finds the Enterprise’s mission inspiring at the end. He regrets his assassination attempt and Kirk delivers one of his trademark optimistic speeches about the need for healthy disagreement in society: “‘Dissent is a sign of healthy society,’ Kirk observed. ‘In my travels, I’ve occasionally run across cultures where everyone agreed on everything and there were no conflicting views. There was almost always a fly in the ointment; mind-warping spores, all-powerful artificial intelligences, cultural stagnation, coercive brainwashing technologies, you name it. Peaceful protests and vigorous, even heated debate are good things in my book. Sentients aren’t meant to live in total harmony with each other. That’s unnatural and, speaking from experience, more than a little dystopian’” (278). Also Jacqueline Morval rescues Grigori Ratikin, she destroys her “wall” where the transference experiments were taking place, and Dise decides to remain on Voyzr while her lover Ryjo serves out his prison time. Chekov, now squarely back in his own body, sheepishly asks her about the “intimate” evening they spent together, but she just brushes it off. Chekov then returns to his own love interest Nurse Tovar about that walk in the botanical garden, to which she reminds him to call her “Simone.”
Identity Theft is an exhilarating Star Trek novel packed full of references and callbacks to the original show, films, and other books. The Voyzr are a fascinating new species, one which I greatly appreciated. But one has to wonder why would the recalcitrant Exiles plan such an elaborate plot for assassinating the regnant of their home planet? I mean, if they have the technology for mind-swapping, why not simply try to swap with another member of their own species in order to avoid the inevitable risks and calamity of being outed within the Federation amidst all its complicated layers of bureaucracy? And do we really accept that a young street urchin Voyzr (Ryjo), who has never left the planet Tykona and works primarily as a barber, would have the wherewithal to suddenly be able to navigate a massive starship like the Enterprise? The novel says he received copious training via intelligence provided by the Klingons, but this still seems like a real stretch. Another quibble is the pandemic that breaks out on Tykona. According to Ryjo: “The Empusan Fever had been just the opportunity the Exiles had needed, allowing their friends in high places to request Federation’s assistance, knowing that the Enterprise would be passing by the sector on the way to Voyzr. Truth be told, Ryjo privately suspected that the Klingons might have covertly engineered the outbreak for just that reason…” (56).
Regardless, Greg Cox’s Identity Theft is a terrific Star Trek novel. It has all the classic hallmarks of the series, from pandemics and distress calls, to strange alien creatures and complex political maneuvering, in addition to just the right amount of sci-fi technobabble mixed with quirky comedy scenes. Close readers will notice Spock’s classic eyebrow arch (as he utters “fascinating”) and another character later speaking about Bones mentions that “he’s a doctor not an ogre” – these are among a variety of other little gems for fans. I also appreciated the theme of “identity theft” as in our own age, we are called upon to find a way to empathetically find a solution to the problem of young men turning violent to solve society’s problems as they.
Assorted Notes:
- Voyzr is a “neutral world strategically located at the junction of three major interstellar trade routes, each of which was known to be the safest and quickest way past various deep-space hazards: cosmic eddies, high-intensity gamma ray fields, gravimetric distortions, a black holes and such” (9). The Klingons could easily invade Voyzr if the Cold War between the Federation and the Klingon Empire is to ever turn hot again.
- Since this novel takes place many years after the original five-year mission, Chekov wears maroon uniform – the book takes place after Star Trek V: The Final Frontier but before the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
- There are many ensigns and background characters mentioned in this novel, one of the earliest was security officer Brenda Cassidy on Voyzr (who previously distinguished herself in a rescue mission in the Mogab System). She does not return to the Enterprise-A for the later parts of the novel.
- “Why do I feel like a bouncer at a Venusian night club” says Cassidy at one point, a reference to the planet Venus.
- The Organian Treaty is of course referenced several times (first established in the episode “Errand of Mercy”).
- In the ensuing twenty years since the last visit to Voyzr, Spock had died and been reborn (the films Star Trek II and III), the Enterprise had gone down in flames (Star Trek Generations), and it was then replaced with the Enterprise-A, and Chekov transferred to the Reliant for a time during the ill-fated Genesis mission only to return to the Enterprise (Star Trek II).
- It has taken twenty years for the Voyzr to get an embassy established which as proved controversial.
- Grigori Ratikin, Chekov’s childhood friend, made a name for himself as an architect and interior designer, working pre-warp Regulan gryphs into erotic Deltan mosaics, complete with hardwood tiles from Tiburon and polished dragon scales Berengaria VII. Last Chekov had heard, Grigori was running a boutique home design studio out of Cawdor Prime.
- Pavel recalls being stunned before and being subjected to a Klingon agonizer as well as a Triskelion collar of obedience (a la “Mirror, Mirror” and “The Gamesters of Triskelion”).
- Chekov’s full name is: Pavel Andreievick Chekov. His serial number is: 656-5827B.
- The ancient consciousness swapping device discovered on Camus II more than two decades ago, known as the “Camusian life entity transfer” which creates a psychic connection, but the rules are that you cannot kill either member of the entity transfer.
- The Kirk-Lester incident of 2269 is a nod to the events of the episode “Turnabout Intruder.”
- Many species are mentioned in this book like the Tellarites, Arretians, Zetarians, Elasians, Caitians, Edosians, Nemars, Bolians, Ithenites, and Megarites. There is also mention of an Ersatz Gorn skull, a Felinoid public transportation gatekeeper scanner, a Saggy faced Arcturian clone, and a Tentacled bartender, among many other unique alien species.
- “Bozhe moi” is a Russian exclamation used by Chekov meaning “my god” or perhaps “oh my.”
- Stim, Breez, and Pheros drugs are briefly mentioned.
- The Kobayashi Maru referenced a couple times (a reference to the film Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan).
- Most of Tykona utilizes a monetary credit system based on chips that have been implanted in people’s left palms.
- The Enterprise bowling alley on G Deck appears in a scene this novel. The bowling alley is technically canon since it is mentioned in the episode “Charlie X.”
- The Cebboon rock hurling contest is mentioned (I am unfamiliar with this reference).
- There are a few different swears the Voyzr use from time to time, such as “Offal” and “what the flume!”
- Chekov mentions that he romanced “that Troyian” envoy years ago (is this a reference to the episode “Elaan of Troyius”?).
- At one point it is mentioned that “he’s no Orion ganglord or Harry Mudd” (references to several early TOS episodes, including the two featuring Harry Mudd).
- A con artist on Colchis V is mentioned as someone who posed as a Starfleet recruiter to run an Academy admission scam.
- Kirk says: “This is ridiculous… I’ve taken on Klingons, Romulans, the Gorn, even ‘God’ not so long ago, and I trash my ankle playing racquetball.” Kirk also mentions that he still able to climb El Capitan (references to the film Star Trek V).
- Sulu says he has landed shuttles in worse places like the glacier on Kendall IV or the hungry bog on Bellafontaine.
- A “Rigelian jumping pod” is mentioned.
- Oasis Station – a deep space station jointly operated and subsidized by a consortium of regional systems and commercial interests.
- Wuvoga III – a notorious haven for smugglers, pirates, fugitives, and dissolute expatriates fleeing scandal and/or prosecution.
- Chekov doesn’t like the idea of someone poking around in his brain; it reminds him of Khan, Gorgan, the Zetarians, the Beta XII-A entity (various references to TOS episodes and books).
- George and Gracie, the pair of friendly humpback whales, are a reference to Star Trek IV.
- The Klingon bird of prey that confronts Chekov/Ryjo is a B’rel class scout ship.
- On late 20th century earth 300 years ago, Chekov was taken in by American military where he learned more about nuclear fission (from the film Star Trek IV).
- The Enterprise needed to replace its shuttle again only a couple years ago after the Sybock Affair (Star Trek V).
- “Lost Scepter of Null-Zero” is another mystery mentioned by the treasure hunters as perhaps their next adventure. The backstory: roughly five centuries ago a notorious master thief heisted a priceless relic from the hidden burial vault of a proto-Nausicaan priest king a thief “Primrose Phantasm” was captured and executed by a royal death squad or a rival cult of interplanetary freebooters, the scepter was never recovered.
- Ceti Alpha V – the desolate planet where Khan is initially imprisoned by Kirk at the end of the episode “Space Seed.”
- Beverages like the Risan Mai Tai and the dark green Finagle’s Folly (Finagle actually born in a Russian colony on Grushenka V).
- To prove his identity, Chekov says that back on Mudd’s planet years ago there were 500 identical androids named “Alice” (as featured in the episode “I, Mudd”).
- Fleet Admiral Lance Cartwright (he appeared in two films: Star Trek IV and Star Trek VI).
- Note: Greg Cox’s longtime Star Trek editor Margaret Clark passed away during the writing of Identity Theft.
Cox, Greg. Identity Theft. Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, New York, NY (2025). Cox dedicated the book to John Ordover who invited Greg Cox to write for Star Trek twenty years earlier. John Ordover was an editor at Pocket Books from 1992 to 2003, overseeing the Star Trek franchise licensed novels. He co-wrote DS9 episodes with Peter David, and he was co-creator of popular Star Wars literary series like New Frontier (with writer Peter David), Starfleet Corps of Engineers and I.K.S. Gorkon (both with Keith R.A. DeCandido), Stargazer (with Michael Jan Friedman), and Challenger (with Diane Carey).