The Final Reflection
Only a Klingon warrior can save the Federation from total war!

The Final Reflection is a Pocket TOS novel – #16 in the numbered series, and the first in the retroactively designated Worlds Apart duology – written by John M. Ford. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in .

Summary 
From the book jacket
Klingon Captain Krenn is a ruthless war strategist. But on a mission to Earth, Krenn learns a lesson in peace. Suddenly he must fight a secret battle of his own. His empire has a covert plan to shatter the Federation. Only Krenn can prevent a war – at the risk of his own life!

Memorable quotes 
"Be sure to tell your superiors."
(beaming his crew away, with their much-better transporter) "Of course. They'll want to know why it makes that horrible noise."
 - A UFP officer and Krenn, after a UFP demonstration of "unique" transporter technology

"I wouldn't tell the lie of carrying [a weapon]."
 - Tagore, on going unarmed

"That one is worthy of the stars."
 - Krenn, speaking of the ten-year-old Spock after meeting him

"I'm gonna go change my grandson Leonard's diapers now, but I'll be thinking of you the whole time."
 - T.J. McCoy, MD, ancestor of Leonard McCoy, to the leader of the back-to-Earth movement

"Klingons do not weep, as many races do… a different set of facial nerves is stimulated by stress. The Klingon in deep emotion bares his teeth, as if to say 'stay away, until this feeling is past'."
 - Dr. Tagore, on Krenns wounds after a fight

Background information 
This book makes heavy use of the chronology and ships of the non-canon Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology.
The Final Reflection presents a rich and fully developed non-canon background for the Klingons (much of which was further used by FASA for ), which has been partially contradicted by later additions to the canon. Nevertheless, it influenced early thinking of Ronald D. Moore when he started writing about Klingons.  "It was really interesting as a kid, when I was reading it," stated Moore, "and I thought it was fascinating." ("Sins of the Father" audio commentary, TNG Season 3 Blu-ray)
The novel was one source of inspiration for the depiction of the Klingons in , including an adaptation of the game klin zha. Actor Kenneth Mitchell also read the novel as part of preparing for his role. 
The Final Reflection is mentioned on the back covers of the Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novels as inspiring the series.
In Strangers from the Sky, the in-universe novel The Final Reflection is mentioned; Kirk suffered from nightmares for weeks after he read it, and so hesitates to pick up another novel suggested by McCoy.
A limited edition hardcover version was published by Gregg Press in 1985.

Cover gallery

Characters

Framing sequence 

 Captain of the . Kirk finds the mood of the ship's crew odd after shore leave on Starbase 12 ends. In particular, Kirk notices some crewpersons have adopted Klingon hairstyles or are discussing space battles. He questions Spock and McCoy on the matter but they are reticent to answer regarding the recent historical novel, The Final Reflection.
 Enterprise CMO. Dr. McCoy recommends The Final Reflection to Kirk based on the space battle material in the book; he admonishes the captain to take a hardbound copy of the book – McCoy doesn't want to keep it.

Main story 
Krenn vestai-Rustazh  Klingon captain.

 delegate to Babel from the Planet Deneva, one of his mining companies mined dilithium
Luther Whitetree  Starfleet admiral, died two years before Krenn's second visit to Earth
Douglas Tancred Shepherd  Starfleet admiral, succeeded admiral van Diemen as chief of staff
Marcus van Diemen  Starfleet admiral and Starfleet Chief of Staff

Spock  As a young boy.
Kodon vestai-Karum Klingon squadron captain, commander of IKS Blue Fire.
Kadi  Klingon captain of IKS Death Hand.
Kian  Klingon captain of IKS Fury.
Kessum  Klingon captain of IKS Two Fingers.
 Klingon commander, executive of Blue Fire.
 Klingon helmsman of Blue Fire.
Merzhan  Klingon, youngest security officer on Blue Fire.
IKS Blue Fire weapons officer  Female Klingon officer.
Aghi  Crewmember, on long-term leave from IKV Fencer.
 Fictional character in command of the battle cruiser Vengeance.
Kethas epetai-Khemara  Klingon admiral, adopts Vrenn and sends him to the Klingon fleet, master in several tactical games.
Jael Rabinowich

References 
 Sector of space, bordering Klingon and Federation territory. The worlds along the Alshanai Rift were subject to Klingon-purchased Orion pirate attacks, in the interest of having them abandon their allegiance to the Federation.
  Alcoholic drink originating with (or named for) the Argelians.
 Federation survey vessel.
Blockader  A klin zha game piece. The live player wears studded hide armor. "Clouded Game" version of klin zha is hardest on a Blockader.
 Long running Klingon episodic space opera entertainment program, featuring the adventures of Captain Koth of the Vengeance. All episodes end with the same line: Humans, Romulans, Kinshaya, and other races who manage to enter space all ask their conqueror who he was, and the answer is always, "I am Captain Koth. Koth of the Vengeance. And this ship is my prize."  Half the ships Koth of the Vengeance captures have an Orion female aboard, always green, and always beautiful past imagining. Battlecruiser Vengeance remained in production throughout the 23rd century. Taped episodes of Battlecruiser Vengeance are popularly traded among Klingon Defense Force crews.
 Klingon D4 class cruiser, under command of Squadron Leader Kodon.
Blue lights  Klingon Defense Force slang. "Blue lights" = that's right, similar to the Human expression "greenlighted". 
Other novels attribute this to Klingons seeing a different visual spectrum to Humans, with different reactions to color.
Clouded Game  A klin zha variation. The Clouded Game is hardest on a Blockader. 
 Klingon D4-class cruiser of Captain Kadi.
 Klingon warship, first to make contact with a Federation vessel.

 Klingon cruiser of Captain Krenn.
The Final Reflection  Book read by Kirk and crew.
 Federation Rickenbacker-class maximum security transport destroyed by Klingons.
 Klingon cruiser of Captain Kian.
 Federation Baton Rouge-class starship of Admiral Luther Whitetree.
 Federation Baton Rouge-class starship.
 Klingon  cruiser.
 Federation Baton Rouge-class vessel.
 Federation vessel, commanded by Admiral Shepherd.
 Federation starship, made first contact with the Klingons.
 Klingon D4-class cruiser of Captain Kessum.

Timeline 
Note The author makes extensive use of dates given in the FASA manuals, which follow the timeline as laid out by the Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology. For this reason, dates are given in the FASA scheme C/YYMM followed by an approximate setting relative to the original five year mission (2/07-2/12, which means 58 years need to be added to the FASA date). If the date is just given in the format C/YY, it is an estimate derived through hints in the novel. Reconciling this timeline with the now accepted one is an exercise left to the reader.
The author describes the present time as ten years after "Pax Organia" (2276) and forty years after the events of Part Three, indicating a date after ;  ignored much of the presented timeline and set the main story in 2233, 2237 (acknowledging Spock's age as 7), and 2244, with the framing story just before the end of the five-year mission in 2269. (The reasoning for this not given, as both the "Pax Organia" reference and time since Part Three seem to be ignored)

0/8706 (2145) The Articles of the Federation are signed.
0/98 (2156) Tagore is born.
 79 years before the last events of part three
1/40 (2198) Around this time Klingons capture the first vessels from the Federation.
Only known to Klingons, this happened some ten Klingon years before the "official" first contact.
1/5105 (2209) The IKS Devisor exchanges some hostilities with the USS Sentry. 
Described as the first contact in the FASA universe; twenty-two years before Krenn's first visit to Earth.
1/56 (2214) Vrenn is born.
Vrenn's age is nine in the first part of the novel.
1/6003 (2218) The USS Flying Fortress is attacked by Klingons; Admiral Whitetree's son dies on the ship.
1/66 (2224) Vrenn serves aboard the Blue Fire; Klingon Admiral Kethas epetai-Khemara is assassinated; Vrenn changes his name to Krenn and (re-)founds the House Rustazh.
1/72 (2230) Krenn is in command of the IKV Fencer for some years; ordered to the homeworld to receive special assignment.
Said to be six years after first part of the novel.
1/73 (2231) Krenn's first visit on Earth; he plays chess with Spock; first demonstration of the transporter, the Federation learns Klingons own this technology for several years.
The transporter was invented in 1/7407 (2232) according to FASA, however twenty-two years have passed since the Devisor-Sentry incident; Spock's age is estimated by Krenn as being 7 or 8, this is problematic with McCoy being in diapers at the same time, because their age is usually accepted as revised (even by FASA material).
1/75 (2233) Admiral Whitetree dies.
Two years before Krenn's second visit to Earth.
1/7603 (2234) The Federation starts to mine dilithium.
1/7701 (2235) Great Babel conference on Earth on which dissolving the Federation is discussed
1/78 (2236) Tagore is dismissed as ambassador to the Klingon Empire.
Last event of the main story, forty years before the framing story.
2/0801 (2266) The Organians force a peace on the Klingon Empire and the Federation.
2/1702 (2275) The Vejur crisis; in this year Tagore dies at the age of 120.
2/18 (2276) The novel "The Final Reflection" is published.
''Present time. Forty years after part three, ten years after "Pax Organia".

External links 
 
 

de:Der letzte Schachzug
Final Reflection, The