Charting the Novel-verse

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Turtletrekker, May 26, 2010.

  1. Iamnotspock

    Iamnotspock Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I'm guessing it was because Tasha had already been written out at that stage (the final chapter deals with the aftermath of her death) and they didn't anticipate visiting her homeworld and giving her a sister three years later; they probably still thought the show wouldn't last past season two, for that matter.
     
  2. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Survivors was originally proposed and outlined before the decision to write Tasha out, and it was based on the backstory established for the character in the series bible and the first season. And it's just one of many, many books written during the series that were later contradicted by the shows, since the makers of the shows never paid attention to the books. That's just an occupational hazard you accept in tie-in writing. You do the best job you can based on what you know at the time, with the full understanding that later episodes could go in a totally different direction, possibly even before your book sees print (which happened a number of times).

    Heck, it's an occupational hazard in all science fiction, because you never know when a new scientific discovery or breakthrough will render your story idea obsolete. Some stories have been rendered obsolete by breakthroughs that happened before they were even published -- like when Isaac Asimov wrote a story based on the assumption that Mercury always kept one face toward the Sun, and by the time it saw print, it had been proven that Mercury actually rotated 3 times for every 2 orbits.
     
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  3. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Does anyone know where TOS: The Weight of Worlds and TOS: Crisis of Consciousness take place in the timeline? They aren't on the Lit-Verse Reading Guide website, and their Memory Beta pages don't have a year for when they take place.
     
  4. Leto_II

    Leto_II Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    The Weight of Worlds appears to be set not long after "Turnabout Intruder" (and presumably likewise not too terribly long after Greg's own Assignment: Eternity, which took place one week after the events of that episode). Crisis of Consciousness takes place shortly prior to "Who Mourns for Adonais?", right after Carolyn Palamas first comes aboard the ship.
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2018
  5. ryan123450

    ryan123450 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I think the exact setting of Crisis of Consciousness is a bit controversial. There are conflicting details, I believe, in it and ut’s ‘sequel/prequel’ Trouublesome Minds.

    But I have it on good authority that The Weight of Worlds takes place in December 2269.
     
  6. Leto_II

    Leto_II Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Christopher's own recent The Face of the Unknown seemed to pretty much settle when Troublesome Minds was set -- in his Afterword, he mentions (paraphrased) that Ensign Louis Prescott would seen the following year (in 2270) as a Lieutenant in Dave Galanter's novel, IIRC.

    Very interesting -- with The Weight of Worlds, I was going both by what I seem to remember was a reference to the Camus II incident in the book, but also by the stardate Greg provides in the novel (which technically places it before Assignment: Eternity). Looking at my notes, it's mentioned in Eternity that it'd been "less than a week" since "Turnabout," and that Kirk was still recovering from that episode, which would make Eternity the very next mission for the crew.

    Granted, TOS stardates should never be taken strictly at face-value, but did that dating (December, 2269) come from Greg? I might have to make some tweaks to my timeline now. I think I have Weight as one of the very last stories taking place immediately prior to Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens' Prime Directive in the late spring/early summer of 2269 (and thus before the events of TAS, etc.).
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2018
  7. ryan123450

    ryan123450 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    @Leto_II a mutual friend of ours, Bill Williams, mentioned in a discussion a while back that Christmas, Chanukah, etc were mentioned in the book. I’ve not read it. I was just going off of that. If you’ve actually read it, you have better authority than me to say when it takes place.
     
  8. Leto_II

    Leto_II Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Just went back and double-checked this, and it looks like the reference is actually pretty non-specific as to when it takes place -- here's the exact quote:
    Given this (inclusively encompassing many, many major cultural holidays both Terran and extraterrestrial, with no specific indicator of an explicit December-setting), one can pretty much place the novel anywhere one wishes, it looks like.
     
  9. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Cool, thanks for the help everyone. I actually did find them on the Memory Beta after reading the posts, but I still appreciate the help.
     
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  10. ryan123450

    ryan123450 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Ok thanks for the clarification. This may be something to point out in that “previous discussion” I was talking about. ;)
     
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  11. rahullak

    rahullak Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Couldn't find the review thread for Titan: Fortune of War. Am i missing something?
     
  12. Defcon

    Defcon Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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  13. rahullak

    rahullak Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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  14. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Does the Prey trilogy tie into the post-The Fall DS9 books at all, or is it just TNG and Titan? I've been focusing on just TNG and Titan for right now, and I was wondering if I should go back and read the DS9 books before I read Prey, or if I'd be OK just holding off on them until I'm caught up on the other series?
     
  15. USS Firefly

    USS Firefly Commodore Commodore

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    I believe just the TNG books
     
  16. Damian

    Damian Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Yeah, I thought the same. They're all in the same universe and all, and there may be some off hand references to events from the DS9 books (I don't recall any but I won't say there aren't any). But if you read the prior TNG books that should be plenty.

    It's not like reading the Fall books or the Typhon Pact books which were crossovers.
     
  17. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Cool thanks.
     
  18. Devon Flyer

    Devon Flyer Cadet Newbie

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    Unimportant, I know but I enrolled a while ago and have had ill health since. I am back and plan to post a lot more!
     
  19. Tony Gaffney

    Tony Gaffney Ensign Newbie

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    Hi guys I'm new here and love trek in all it's many forms. But I have a question I have in my possession a signed dated copy of "A Stitch in Time" I even remember where I was when I met Garrak but I've be trying to see what it might be worth unfortunately I can't find any others like it anywhere. You guys got any ideas?
     
  20. Adam Hall

    Adam Hall Cadet Newbie

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    I have a question for you. Exactly when will the Star Trek: Voyager novel To Lose the Earth be available from Pocket Books?