sentences:  The second half of the novel takes place during Kirk's first days in command of the Enterprise when he, Spock and other members of his crew including Gary Mitchell and Elizabeth Dehner, are accidentally transported back to the year 2045 and participate in the true first contact events.The book occasionally foreshadows and refers to the events of the original series pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before".The basic concept of this book—in which Vulcans accidentally land on Earth years before the official "First Contact"—is echoed in the "" episode "".