Spoilers DSC: Desperate Hours by David Mack Review Thread

[Christopher]

I could be misremembering, but I feel like Margaret Clark said this was the reason at Shore Leave.

She may have suggested something along those lines, but whether she was being entirely serious was unclear. She certainly had no objection when I made it clear in A Choice of Futures that the "downgrade" project was abandoned.

Besides, like I said, it just doesn't make any sense. Why would a downgrade introduced as a defense against a Romulan weapon still be in effect a century after the Romulans were last heard from?

 

[thribs]

Please, I'm waiting for the reconciliation between Kobayashi Maru (Starfleet downgrades to primitive TOS technology to evade Romulan telepresence hacking) and Kelvin/Discovery level tech. Followed by another technological downgrade in time for TOS!

I just assumed that Starfleet liked the cosmetic style and kept with it.

 

[Stevil2001]

She may have suggested something along those lines, but whether she was being entirely serious was unclear. She certainly had no objection when I made it clear in A Choice of Futures that the "downgrade" project was abandoned.

Besides, like I said, it just doesn't make any sense. Why would a downgrade introduced as a defense against a Romulan weapon still be in effect a century after the Romulans were last heard from?

I'm not arguing with you about whether the retcon makes sense.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'm curious if David Mack imagined the Enterprise as she appeared in "The Cage" while writing this or was he aware of...

Spoiler: finale

...this all along?

 

[Christopher]

^I very much doubt the design work on that was done yet at the time Dave wrote his novel.

 

[David Mack]

^ It was not. I didn't see the DSC version of the Enterprise until she appeared on-screen in 1x15, which was written months after the final version of Desperate Hours was locked and sent to the printer.

 

[F. King Daniel]

^ It was not. I didn't see the DSC version of the Enterprise until she appeared on-screen in 1x15, which was written months after the final version of Desperate Hours was locked and sent to the printer.

Thanks!

 

[thribs]

You can think it just a refit during that time. This is the "missing link" between the Cage and TOS.

 

[Destructor]

^ It was not. I didn't see the DSC version of the Enterprise until she appeared on-screen in 1x15, which was written months after the final version of Desperate Hours was locked and sent to the printer.

David, I'll understand if you can't answer this, and I assume the answer is no, but was DH written with the understanding that Burnham would be running into Pike and Spock again in S2? Or to put it another way- did you know this was coming from the communication you had with the showrunners when you wrote the novel? Or to put it another way again: Is DH likely to be retconned out of existence by the S2 premiere? Like I really enjoyed it but I took the tight focus on Burnham/Spock in the novel to actually be a signal that the show likely wouldn't be heading in that direction itself.

 

[Christopher]

^The showrunners are being cagey about whether Spock will even show up in season 2. They say they're not casting for the role, which suggests that either he won't appear or they've secretly gotten Quinto.

 

[Leto_II]

Also, I'm wondering how they're gonna handle Sarek being in proximity, since according to "Journey to Babel," we know that Spock and Sarek only speak for the first time in 18 years aboard the Enterprise in 2267. Guessing they'll probably find some way to keep them separated (or else have Spock kidnapped or something, which is perhaps the emergency at the end of the DSC finale).

 

[Christopher]

Also, I'm wondering how they're gonna handle Sarek being in proximity, since according to "Journey to Babel," we know that Spock and Sarek only speak for the first time in 18 years aboard the Enterprise in 2267.

No, we know they haven't spoken "as father and son" for 18 years. That was Amanda's actual line. Which means they could have spoken in that interval, but not in a familial way -- just as a Vulcan ambassador and a Starfleet officer. I believe we have actually seen such conversations in various Trek novels over the years.

 

[thribs]

Hast spoken to his father in 18 years but it’s also said that Spock hadn’t been known in 4 years. Does that mean he went home only to see his mum or that he simply saw Sarek but didn’t speak to him. It’ll be interesting to see how they play it.

 

[thribs]

I get the impression that Spock has gone missing and the reason the Enterprise sent out the distress call was because Pike knew his father and sister were onboard and could help.
Unlike Kirk, Pike actually read Spock’s history and was aware who those people were.

 

[David Mack]

David, I'll understand if you can't answer this, and I assume the answer is no, but was DH written with the understanding that Burnham would be running into Pike and Spock again in S2? Or to put it another way- did you know this was coming from the communication you had with the showrunners when you wrote the novel? Or to put it another way again: Is DH likely to be retconned out of existence by the S2 premiere? Like I really enjoyed it but I took the tight focus on Burnham/Spock in the novel to actually be a signal that the show likely wouldn't be heading in that direction itself.

I have no idea. I was not briefed about the room's plans for the S1 finale. I don't know what they intend for S2.

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

^ Here's hoping that the events of the book were taken into account. I really, really enjoyed hearing about Michael's backstory with her parents and the attack in both the book and the finale. Really cemented the book's story as real backstory for me with that connection.

 

[JD]

I get the impression that Spock has gone missing and the reason the Enterprise sent out the distress call was because Pike knew his father and sister were onboard and could help.
Unlike Kirk, Pike actually read Spock’s history and was aware who those people were.

Where does that come from?

 

[nightwind1]

Where does that come from?

Sounds like it was pulled from his nether regions...

 

[The Wormhole]

I get the impression that Spock has gone missing and the reason the Enterprise sent out the distress call was because Pike knew his father and sister were onboard and could help.

Except Pike didn't send a distress call to Discovery specifically. He sent out a general distress call which Discovery was the first to respond to.

 

[Tim Thomason]

No, we know they haven't spoken "as father and son" for 18 years. That was Amanda's actual line. Which means they could have spoken in that interval, but not in a familial way -- just as a Vulcan ambassador and a Starfleet officer. I believe we have actually seen such conversations in various Trek novels over the years.

Spock is probably second officer on the Enterprise right about now. There might be some tension/discussion about him on the Discovery side, but if we see anything on the Enterprise side, it will probably be Spock being his usual business-like self, only noting that the Vulcan ambassador happened to be his father (or the Disco science officer being his sister) if it is absolutely necessary, and not volunteer the info himself.

I'm guessing that, if they get a Spock, they might even have him and Sarek purposefully avoid each other to placate canon (even though canon and them being Vulcans would be fine with them meeting).