VOY: Children of the Storm by Kirsten Beyer Review Thread (Spoilers!)

[JD]

Christopher wrote:

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Why are we getting such a rash of story-idea posts these past couple of weeks? Weird.

Maybe it's just me, but we did seem to get another influx of new people lately.

[AuntKate]

BrotherBenny wrote:

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Because Kirsten's brilliant storytelling has made people realize that Voyager can actually be GOOD and they now want to tell stories in that series.

It's about time people figure that out.

And why is that, anyway?

[Kertrats47]

AuntKate wrote:

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It's about time people figure that out.

And why is that, anyway?

I think the implication is that the storytelling during the Voyager television series was uneven at best and poor at worst, a contention that I generally agree with. However, in the hands of a capable and talented writer such as Kirsten Beyer, these characters actually have depth and the stories are a joy to read.

[JD]

I'm with Kertrats47 here. Even though I'm a big VGR fan , even I'm willing to admit that even the best of VGR on TV wasn't as good as Full Circle and Unworthy. The only reason I didn't include Children of the Storm is because I haven't read it yet.

[chelly]

I am with both of you. And I would include that the characters are a lot more interesting to.

[Truth]

then i vote to get her to take on new frontier (Kirsten'0 cus i dont know what david is doing anymore with what was one of the best series in trek lit

[MatthiasRussell]

PD told me he would hope other authors respect NF as his domain and leave it to him even though he has no rights to it though I like the anthology and the Calhoun blurbs in other author's works.

I agree Beyer has shown a better understanding of VOY than the show's writing staff. I felt they didn't know WHAT to do with the characters most of the time. Chakotay especially was under-used and not presented like the pirate he should have been. And what was up with Chakotay/7? Beyer got their relationship right. She has found all the potential that the show missed. Too bad we can't see what she could do with Janeway. I bet she could have really made that character come alive.

[JD]

Well, she could always do some series set books or flashbacks. Trek Lit doesn't always have to be completely linear.

[Christopher]

MatthiasRussell wrote:

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Chakotay especially was under-used and not presented like the pirate he should have been.

Chakotay was anything but a pirate. He was a man of conscience who left Starfleet and joined the Maquis, not for personal gain, but because he believed it was the only way to protect his homeworld and his tribe. He embraced the ideals of Starfleet; he simply felt that Starfleet itself has fallen short of them.

[JoeZhang]

Shame that never came across on screen, where he was just a bit of a muppet.

[CaptainDonovin]

Finally got my copy. The one I ordered from amazon never arrived so the overnighted a new one. Like it so far.

I always liked Chakotay, wanted more stories with him instead of mor of the singing hologram.

[MatthiasRussell]

Christopher wrote:

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Chakotay was anything but a pirate. He was a man of conscience who left Starfleet and joined the Maquis, not for personal gain, but because he believed it was the only way to protect his homeworld and his tribe. He embraced the ideals of Starfleet; he simply felt that Starfleet itself has fallen short of them.

What I'm sying is I felt he should have been more of a free spirit. Ethical, more, and non-selfish, yes but also more willing to stand up to Janeway when he felt she was wrong. He left Starfleet because he felt starfleet had lost its moral compass and had betrayed his people. i wanted to see him stand up to Janeway more, at least in private. There could have been some excellent debates between them such as whether or not to go after the omega particle but instead he always seemed to be a yes man.

[Christopher]

MatthiasRussell wrote:

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What I'm sying is I felt he should have been more of a free spirit. Ethical, more, and non-selfish, yes but also more willing to stand up to Janeway when he felt she was wrong. He left Starfleet because he felt starfleet had lost its moral compass and had betrayed his people. i wanted to see him stand up to Janeway more, at least in private. There could have been some excellent debates between them such as whether or not to go after the omega particle but instead he always seemed to be a yes man.

Huh? That's exactly what did happen in episodes like "Scorpion" and "Equinox." Chakotay's arguments with Janeway over the right course of action, bordering on open defiance of policies he thought was wrong, were major driving factors in both those 2-parters. So he certainly didn't always defer to her.

[Ronald Held]

Just finished. It was all right, although I am uncertain if the large cast of ships crew are a benefit or detremental to the Delta Quadrant story.

[MatthiasRussell]

Christopher wrote:

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Huh? That's exactly what did happen in episodes like "Scorpion" and "Equinox." Chakotay's arguments with Janeway over the right course of action, bordering on open defiance of policies he thought was wrong, were major driving factors in both those 2-parters. So he certainly didn't always defer to her.

But I don't think he ever challenged her anymore than any starfleet officers did their captains. First season Kira challenged Sisko more. I wanted some drama on the level of Lily and Picard in FC. Chakotay wasn't enough of a free thinker to me. His personality was definitely never explored as well in the show as it is in the books. I feel like I didn't get to know Chakotay as an individual until the relaunch.