Destiny trilogy - speculations

[Christopher]

JeremyW wrote:

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You know what's funny? I just re-read the beginning of these posts, and almost have to laugh at some of the absurd comments, and yet realize one hint of irony: Amazon got it right! Their description for Gods of Night was spot-on.

Well, yes and no. It didn't contain any factual inaccuracies, but its emphasis was misleading. And yeah, it was amazing to me how many erroneous assumptions people made on the basis of that description. Although people make just as many erroneous assumptions based on accurate blurbs.

[JeremyW]

^ True that... when you read it after you've been awake for awhile, the words do make sense... I see where you're coming from. And it must have been hard for the beta-readers (yourself among them, right?), and Dave not to say anything even when people were going off the deep end in making these erroneous assumptions? Well, prophetic statements ring true. Kirsten said to us that she'd be surprised if we didn't go totally nuts when the book came out, and with the generally positive acclaim, I guess all us readers are enjoying crow while you guys enjoy...well, whatever it is you choose to enjoy.

[Dayton Ward]

Christopher wrote:

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And yeah, it was amazing to me how many erroneous assumptions people made on the basis of that description. Although people make just as many erroneous assumptions based on accurate blurbs.

All of which is always entertaining

[HappyDayRiot]

captcalhoun wrote:

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hm.... Eve Myles and Charlotte Church vs Edith Bowman, Ashley Jensen, Gail Porter and Carol Krkwood ...

You really should have put thought into your choice of Scottish fillies...

[Stephen!]

Xeris wrote:

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All British chain book stores, Borders, Books Etc, Waterstones (incorporating Ottakars) and WHSmith, have about a shelf and a half of Star Trek books, and most of the independents carry none. The only place with a large collection, ie more than a shelf and a half, is Forbidden Planet.

For me WH Smiths or Borders is more of a last resort. I prefer to get them cheaper from eBay UK if they happen to be available.

[HappyDayRiot]

The WH Smiths around here have no Star Trek at all, and haven't done for several years now. Borders and Waterstones have a modest amount.

[BrotherBenny]

I get mine from Amazon UK or the Amazon Marketplace depending on how long I'm willing to wait.

Only go into the book stores to browse and jog my memory.

[Lonemagpie]

HappyDayRiot wrote:

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The WH Smiths around here have no Star Trek at all, and haven't done for several years now. Borders and Waterstones have a modest amount.

Waterstones here in Leeds had loads of them yesterday - all the way up to the newest ones. Didn't look in Borders, but it's usually well stocked.

[BrotherBenny]

Lonemagpie wrote:

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Waterstones here in Leeds had loads of them yesterday - all the way up to the newest ones. Didn't look in Borders, but it's usually well stocked.

Must be a lot of trekkies up there. My part of London has almost nothing, and the West End has slightly more

[nx1701g]

Bat Boy wrote:

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Interesting conundrum. Because Worf saved Jadiza, Ezri gets a command but he couldn't. If he didn't, Jadzia still would have died, it'd just be a lot sooner, but he'd get a command. No wonder he's snippy.

It did raise a good point. I think Worf shouldn't worry though. After Destiny I have a feeling Starfleet's going to need good Commanders.

[DWMarch]

I loved this bit in the excerpt:

"rich with the charnel perfume of scorched flesh and spilled blood"

Gory scene in sickbay or Dr. Ree's favorite restaurant?

[captcalhoun]

HappyDayRiot wrote:

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You really should have put thought into your choice of Scottish fillies...

i did. i like all 4 of those. hush yur mouth

[Thespeckledkiwi]

DWMarch wrote:

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I loved this bit in the excerpt:

"rich with the charnel perfume of scorched flesh and spilled blood"

Gory scene in sickbay or Dr. Ree's favorite restaurant?

Why can't it be both?

[Trent Roman]

Creditorly yours, the Rent Woman

[LaBarre]

I'm a newbie at posting, though a lurker for many years. Big fan of the TNG relaunch and very much interested in what the authors have been doing with Jean-Luc Picard since Death In Winter.

First off, I want to thank the authors - Bennett, Mack, and Beyer – come to mind, who continually post in the face of sometimes withering reactions from some readers. I know of no other forum that enables such a wonderful give-and-take between writers and readers as this one. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity to actually discuss an author’s work with the author. If I was a writer I doubt that I would be so brave. So hats off to you all. I suppose that the common denominator is that we are all fans of Startrek (in its various guises).

So, having got the congratulations out of the way, here’s the reason for my post: I’ve now read Destiny: Gods of Night, but while waiting for it I re-read all the other TNG relaunch books and I see a common theme re: Picard and the Borg and how that appears to be playing out in the trilogy, so far.

In BD, we’ve got several scenes that seem to prefigure the trilogy: “destiny” being one of them, with Picard thinking: Why? Why was he still here when so many others who were just as worthy as he had passed on before him?
Well, maybe it just hadn’t been his time yet.
"Destiny.” The word floated back to him, unbidden. If “his time” was something that could generally be pinpointed, then he’d been wrong. No matter what he did, he really was part of some grand game, a mere piece to be played rather than a player.

And the scene earlier where Janeway states in her log:
"…I have to see it for myself. Have to see the cube that so daunting, so commanding, so…formidable that Jean-Luc Picard was willing to throw away his entire Starfleet career. See with my own eyes the site of the final battle where Picard risked his ship, his life, his very soull.

Do the Borg have souls?

What an odd question….

Still if there is a soul, what becomes of it once one is assimilated? Is it transmuted, polluted? Is it stolen away, never to return? Doubtful. Seven of Nine and Picard have been there and returned. Although perhaps – she looked thoughtful – perhaps that’s the question that follows them, although I doubt they’d ever articulate it.”

Then there’s Janeway considering whether to bring J-LP to a court-martial hearing: Then we come to the question of state of mind. Picard insisted that he was connected to the Borg hive mind and simply ‘knew’ that the Borg were active and in the process of creating a new queen. The argument could be made that his ‘compulsion’ to get to the Borg as quickly as possible was biologically based, and thus he was functioning under diminished responsibility. Or maybe…

Once again she lapsed into silence, but before the computer could prompt her, she said so softly that it was almost inaudible,…maybe he was just trying to save his soul.”

And of course there’s THAT strange moment in BD on Vulcan with - Lady Q? – Soco, Perrin’s friend – “This one,” she said [meaning Picard], “has the aura of doom upon him. … I am saying that there is an event of doom that is impending, and he will not be able to stave it off, try as he might. Nothing he does can change that.” Almost as an afterthought, she turned her gaze to Picard and sounded slightly apologetic as she said: “I am sorry for your loss. For what you have suffered and what will be coming.”

And the final page of the GTTS: “For a moment, Picard had dared to hope. He and Beverly had started their family. And less than a month later, the Borg began their blitzkrieg into Federation space.

You should’ve known. You’ve always known.”

So, here’s my question: to what degree did David Mack’s outline for the Destiny trilogy impact upon the writing of Christopher Bennett and Peter David?