Frank Herbert (8 October, 1920 – 11 February, 1986) was an American author known for his science-fiction masterpiece Dune, a Nebula and Hugo awards winner.

Andrew Dahl, an expert in alien religions and xenobiology gets assigned to the spaceship Intrepid along with four other new ensigns. The Intrepid is known for its unusual high rate of casualties among low ranking crew members.

Daniel Keyes was an American author best known for his novel Flowers for Algernon, a 1958 short story that won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960.