Review – Cobbled Together

Cobbled Together was a fun introduction to Malcolm and his neuroses.

Background

I actually answered two prompts with this one. One was on Star Trek Logs, and it was concerning poverty. The other was on Ad Astra, and it was about the failures of technology. And so I hit upon a combination of the two, presenting it as a missing scene from the canon Catwalk episode.

Malcolm and Pineapple

My idea for this story was that Malcolm would be miserable on the catwalk. That’s actually in Star Trek: Enterprise canon. And that there would be a poker game (also canon). However, in keeping with his canon love of pineapple, I wanted him to be lusting after a pack of fake pineapple cobbler.

It’s all he wants. This is his tiny spot of normalcy amidst the chaos and stench of the place, not to mention some possible claustrophobia. As people ante up, Malcolm eyes the pineapple cobbler, which the dealer, Security Crewman Tristan Curtis, is using for his bid. Navigation Crewman Sophie Creighton and Hoshi look on as Malcolm and Tristan battle over a hand, until finally ….

Rating

The story is rated K.

Story Postings

• Cobbled Together – original posting (contains reviews)
• Cobbled Together on Fanfiction.net
• also, Cobbled Together on Fictionpad
• Cobbled Together on Wattpad
• Cobbled Together on G & T Show forums
• finally, Cobbled Together in context

Upshot

I like the idea of Reed becoming slightly unhinged during the forced stay on the catwalk. He’s tired, he’s dirty, and he loves order, but it’s all gone to hell in a handbasket. For him, winning the fake pineapple cobbler is his only tenuous connection to normal life, and he seizes upon it desperately. I think the story turned out pretty well, and I was pleased to bring in a few below decks characters early, as they also show up in the E² stories.