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Grudge The Cat Spills The Milk In New ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Book

This article is more than 2 years old.

Look out, The Book of Boba Fett: The Star Wars bounty hunter-turned crime lord now faces some furry competition, from the queen of the Star Trek: Discovery universe.

Beaming into bookstores and online retailers on Jan. 4, The Book of Grudge is a tome its author claims is the purr-fect way to spend the next five weeks until the Paramount+ streaming series returns with fresh episodes to complete the second half of season four. And the character telling-all certainly has a tale to tell, as well as a tail: None other than Grudge the cat herself.

Hairball alert: To those readers allergic to cat-themed puns: better raise shields, now.

"Sharper than the sharpest claw and more stunning than a phaser blast,hisses the press release, promoting the latest in Star Trek’s cat-alogue of cat-themed titles. “The Book of Grudge delivers not only Grudge’s snarky purr-sonal take on everything from space travel to the proper care and training of various alien species, but also includes Star Trek-inspired quotes, and haiku meditations on her most favorite things, including napping.”

"Grudge isn't much of a talker and hasn't had a whole lot of screen time on the show,” said New York Times bestselling author Robb Pearlman, who in this case settled for an “As Told By” credit. “I was able to glean a lot from her body language. A swish of her tail, a sigh, an eye roll. All that speaks volumes if you know how to listen."

On the show, Grudge travels with a human named Cleveland “Book” Booker of the planet Kwejian, played by David Ajala. Book calls her a “queen,” but word from the set is that in real life, people call her “very, very impatient.”

Also, in real life, “she” is a “he,” and is played by two cats: Leeu and Durban, two lookalike brothers who belong to a Palm Springs-based restaurateur named Michelle Smith, according to Space.com. They’re Maine Coons—the largest of the domesticated cat breeds as well as one of the oldest bred in North America—and take turns playing the part.

The 96-page hardcover published by Hero Collector is filled with “amazing anecdotes, points of view and awesome illustrations by Walter Newton,” according to James Hams in treksphere.com.

Grudge apparently has a lot to say, from how cats domesticated humans to dishing on her shipmates, notably Discovery Capt. Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green.

For example, Grudge confesses to being annoyed when Book invited Michael to live on his ship in season three, but “she seems to make him happy, so I allowed it,” she wrote. “And when he’s happy, I’m happy. Mostly because I get extra treats when he’s happy. Which makes me happy.”

Grudge also shares her thoughts about Star Trek’s first out nonbinary and transgender recurring characters, Adira and Gray, played respectively by Blu del Barrio and Ian Alexander. Until this season, Adira was the only person who could see Gray.

“I have no problem with this kid talking to their invisible boyfriend, Gray, all the time,” wrote Grudge, who showed respect for Adira by using their pronouns of they and them, and by treating them the same as every other human: preferring they keep their distance. “Once they start trying to talk to me, we'll have a problem.”

And for fans who want even more Grudge, Book’s feline companion is also featured in the first issue of a new Star Trek: Discovery comic book, as startrek.com reported.

The question is: Will all this fame go to Grudge’s head? Consider that she is already considered a queen by her human, and her writing reflects that.

“My needs outweigh the needs of the many,” she wrote, declawing a revered Vulcan axiom for her own purr-poses. “Or the few. Or anyone.”

Find out more about The Book of Grudge at penguinrandomhouse/books and at Amazon.com, where it will retail for $14.95 in the U.S. and $19.95 in Canada starting Jan. 4. You can also follow Grudge on Instagram by clicking here and on Twitter by clicking here.

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