Do Comets Dream?

Do Comets Dream? is a Pocket TNG novel written by S.P. Somtow. Published by Pocket Books, it was first released in .
== Summary ==
;From the book jacket
:Every five thousand years, or so the people of Thanet believe, the world ends in fire and a new cycle of creation begins. Now the Last Days are once again upon them, and a fiery star draws near. This is the Death-Bringer, the Eater of the World, whose coming heralds the end of all things…
:But to Captain Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise, the Death-Bringer appears to be nothing more than a rogue comet, easily destroyed. Picard faces a difficult dilemma: how can he save the Thanetian's rich and intricate civilization without destroying the very beliefs upon which their culture is based?
:The quandary is challenge enough, yet the captain's position is even more complicated when Deanna Troi discovers that, incredibly, the comet is alive!
 
== Background information ==
* This is the first and, to date, only Star Trek novel written by S.P. Somtow.
== Characters ==
=== Regular and recurring characters ===
;Jean-Luc Picard : Starfleet captain, CO of . Picard was obligated to make first contact with the Thanetians.
;William T. Riker : Starfleet commander, first officer of Enterprise-D.
;Data : Android Starfleet lieutenant commander, operations officer of the Enterprise-D. Data was capable of interfacing with the Dailong and providing useful information about Thanets's past with Thanith.
;Beverly Crusher : Starfleet commander, CMO of Enterprise-D.
;Worf : Klingon Starfleet lieutenant who was assigned as Enterprise-D security chief.
;Deanna Troi : Half-Betazoid Starfleet commander assigned as Enterprise-D counselor. She was able to directly communicate with Artas via telepathy.
;Geordi La Forge : VISOR-sighted Starfleet lieutenant commander assigned as Enterprise-D chief engineer.
;Simon Tarses: Human/Romulan Starfleet officer who falls head-over-heels in love with Kio.
=== Other characters ===
;Artas: Child chosen to become the Thanopstru, or Death-bringer, who longs for a mother.
;Kio: Teenage daughter of Straun who rebels against her teachings and longs to explore the universe.
;Straun: Kio's father, puppet ambassador to the Federation who is conservative about his religious beliefs.
;Halliday: Human professor studying Thanet up until the days of its destruction.
;Adam Halliday: Human/Betazoid boy raised on Thanet with high intellect.
; Engvig: Norwegian ensign who is assigned to the Enterprise and eagerly awaits adventure.
;Indhoun: Artas' brother.
;Shivantak: Leader of all the people of Thanet, he interprets the Panvivlion and is of the highest caste.
== References ==
first contact; caste; prime directive; comet
;Dailong: A biological engineered machine large enough that whole cities can be built upon it.
;Panvivlion:Holy book of the Thanetians that dictates everything from what one may eat to how the world will end.
;Thanet: The setting for much of the story, Thanet is a planet with a five-thousand-year-old society with a rigid caste system.
;Thanetians:Identical to Humans except for webbing between their fingers, which they paint.
;Thanith: A planet destroyed long ago. It has a society nearly identical to that of Thanet, with which it is at war.
;Thanopstru: The Death-Bringer, a weapon deployed by Thanith to destroy Thanet.
== External link ==
* 
cs:Do Comets Dream?
de:Träumen Kometen?
Category:Novels