Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff?

Drago-Kazov · December 11 2012, 09:11 AM

I would put my money on Bennet but i had not read that many Trek books. Anyone else who is really good at this?

Markonian · December 11 2012, 02:05 PM

Christopher L. Bennett.

Examples include sorting Trek time travel (Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations), making sense of fictional and real world Vega (ibid.), smoothing TAS into the continuity (ibid.) and explaining the absence of the aeroshuttle ("Places of Exile").

James Swallow managed to form the bits of Kriosian canon into a cohesive history (Cast No Shadow).

ryan123450 · December 11 2012, 02:15 PM

Christopher. Hands down.

Relayer1 · December 11 2012, 02:19 PM

Yup - Christopher.

Edit - there's a number of authors adept at making sense of the occasional hitch or error, but Christopher has proved very capable of untangling the whole temporal / causality / alternate timeline malarkey...

Christopher · December 11 2012, 03:56 PM

Thanks, guys, but I'm not sure "retconning" is the word. That means retroactively changing the continuity, doesn't it? I'm more about trying to clarify and reconcile it. Although I guess retconning can be reinterpreting too, revealing a different meaning or explanation for something that happened before.

And Markonian, I'm puzzled -- I only mentioned Vega in passing in Watching the Clock. Did you mean Regulus? (Although the Vega colony does make an appearance in Rise of the Federation.)

EliyahuQeoni · December 11 2012, 04:18 PM

The first author that sprung to mind was Christopher, though I do agree that what he does isn't necissarily "retconing," though that is part of what he does so well.

diankra · December 11 2012, 04:36 PM

It is a bit of a dual meaning term: we really need two terms - ret-conning (changing continuity) and rec-conning (reconciling contradictory continuity).

DS9forever · December 11 2012, 09:29 PM

Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin.

hbquikcomjamesl · December 12 2012, 12:16 AM

Have we forgotten how good Greg Cox is at retconning real world history into ST continuity?

Mr. Laser Beam · December 12 2012, 12:54 AM

Markonian wrote:

Christopher L. Bennett.
explaining the absence of the aeroshuttle ("Places of Exile").

How did he do that?

JD · December 12 2012, 02:38 AM

Another vote for Christopher L. Bennett. It's more making sense of things than changing them, but he's great at it.

RPJOB · December 12 2012, 05:53 AM

Another vote for CLB. At times it's almost like he's doing a remake of Trek, changing the things that he sees as "wrong" while still keeping it fairly close to the original. It's like watching TOS while squinting.

ryan123450 · December 12 2012, 06:00 AM

I prefer watching it while squinting then.

Turtletrekker · December 12 2012, 06:34 AM

Christopher and KRAD.

Nerys Myk · December 12 2012, 06:46 AM

hbquikcomjamesl wrote:

Have we forgotten how good Greg Cox is at retconning real world history into ST continuity?

That was a masterpiece of retconning.

December 11 2012, 09:11 AM	#1
Drago-Kazov Fleet Captain	Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? I would put my money on Bennet but i had not read that many Trek books. Anyone else who is really good at this?

December 11 2012, 02:05 PM	#2
Markonian Commander Location: Cork, Ireland	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconning stuff? Christopher L. Bennett. Examples include sorting Trek time travel (Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations), making sense of fictional and real world Vega (ibid.), smoothing TAS into the continuity (ibid.) and explaining the absence of the aeroshuttle ("Places of Exile"). James Swallow managed to form the bits of Kriosian canon into a cohesive history (Cast No Shadow). __________________ 1.000 years: University Leipzig, 1409-2409 Gorn to be wild!

December 11 2012, 02:15 PM	#3
ryan123450 Commodore Location: Woodward, OK	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? Christopher. Hands down. __________________ Lost: A Chronological Experience-http://lostchronologically.yolasite.com Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

December 11 2012, 02:19 PM	#4
Relayer1 Fleet Captain Location: The Black Country, England	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? Yup - Christopher. Edit - there's a number of authors adept at making sense of the occasional hitch or error, but Christopher has proved very capable of untangling the whole temporal / causality / alternate timeline malarkey... __________________ Soon oh soon the light, Pass within and soothe this endless night, And wait here for you, Our reason to be here... Last edited by Relayer1; December 11 2012 at 03:27 PM.

December 11 2012, 03:56 PM	#5
Christopher Writer	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? Thanks, guys, but I'm not sure "retconning" is the word. That means retroactively changing the continuity, doesn't it? I'm more about trying to clarify and reconcile it. Although I guess retconning can be reinterpreting too, revealing a different meaning or explanation for something that happened before. And Markonian, I'm puzzled -- I only mentioned Vega in passing in Watching the Clock. Did you mean Regulus? (Although the Vega colony does make an appearance in Rise of the Federation.) __________________ Christopher L. Bennett Homepage -- Includes purchasing links for Only Superhuman, on sale now! Updated 12/30/12 with annotations for the novel. Written Worlds -- My blog

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ABOUT US

December 11 2012, 04:18 PM	#6
EliyahuQeoni Commodore Location: Redmond, Oregon, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way, Universe	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? The first author that sprung to mind was Christopher, though I do agree that what he does isn't necissarily "retconing," though that is part of what he does so well. __________________ "Canon is only important to certain people because they have to cling to their knowledge of the minutiae. Open your mind! Be a Star Trek fan and open your mind and say, 'Where does Star Trek want to take me now'." - Leonard Nimoy

December 11 2012, 04:36 PM	#7
diankra Commodore Location: UK	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? It is a bit of a dual meaning term: we really need two terms - ret-conning (changing continuity) and rec-conning (reconciling contradictory continuity). __________________ "Some days are better than others. They say that where I come from." "Loudly, I imagine, on the day you left." (Blake's 7 - Rumours of Death)

December 11 2012, 09:29 PM	#8
DS9forever Captain	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin.

December 12 2012, 12:16 AM	#9
hbquikcomjamesl Lieutenant Commander Location: Orange County, CA	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? Have we forgotten how good Greg Cox is at retconning real world history into ST continuity?

December 12 2012, 02:38 AM	#11
JD Admiral Location: Arizona, USA	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? Another vote for Christopher L. Bennett. It's more making sense of things than changing them, but he's great at it. __________________ Over the course of many encounters and many years, I have successfully developed a standard operating procedure for dealing with big, nasty monsters. Run away. Me and Monty Python. Harry Dresden - Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6)

December 12 2012, 05:53 AM	#12
RPJOB Commander	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? Another vote for CLB. At times it's almost like he's doing a remake of Trek, changing the things that he sees as "wrong" while still keeping it fairly close to the original. It's like watching TOS while squinting. __________________ We can admit that we're killers ... but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill - today! - Kirk - A Taste of Armageddon

December 12 2012, 06:00 AM	#13
ryan123450 Commodore Location: Woodward, OK	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? I prefer watching it while squinting then. __________________ Lost: A Chronological Experience-http://lostchronologically.yolasite.com Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

December 12 2012, 06:34 AM	#14
Turtletrekker Vice Admiral Location: Tacoma, Washington	Re: Which Trek author is best at retconong stuff? Christopher and KRAD. __________________ Coulson lives!