Imzadi

Plot

Seventy-three-year-old Admiral William Riker is a bitter, lonely man in a slow downward spiral following the death forty years earlier of Deanna Troi, who died of undetermined causes during a peacekeeping conference with the Sindareen. Riker, now commander of an unimportant starbase, is summoned to Betazed as Lwaxana Troi lies dying. After her death, while going through her possessions, Riker is reminded of how he and Deanna originally met. In a lengthy flashback, Will and Deanna met when Will was stationed on Betazed between assignments and attended a wedding where Deanna was maid of honor.

Will pursued her, though she initially rebuffed him, feeling he was only interested in her physical attributes. Over time, they grew closer as Will encouraged Deanna to embrace impulsive feelings and she encouraged him to explore his spiritual side. Deanna was kidnapped by a Sindareen raiding party, and Riker tracked them down, killing the only surviving captor.

In the jungle, they consummated their relationship, and Deanna told Will they are Imzadi. However, Lwaxana's violent objections and Deanna's seeming compliance led Riker to drunkenly fall into bed with another woman. Deanna discovered them together, and they decided not to pursue a relationship. Riker left the planet, not meeting Deanna again until they were both assigned to the Enterprise-D.

Other versions

Both Imzadi novels were re-released in 2003 as the omnibus collection Imzadi Forever. Abridged audiobook versions were released: Imzadi was read by Jonathan Frakes, and Imzadi II by Robert O'Reilly. Extracts from both books were included in Star Trek: Adventures in Time and Space.

Did You Know?

• The sequel Imzadi II: Triangle addresses Worf's romantic interest in Troi, William Riker's renewed interest, and Thomas Riker's resentment.
• Imzadi is rated 4 out of 5 on Google books.
• A TrekMovie.com reviewer in 2010 noted Imzadi remained his favorite Star Trek book of all time.