I'd love that, but unfortunately that solution would most likely just alienate non-hardcore fans from the books. I mean, Trek books are already hard to sell I assume, saying "They're in an alternate timeline that you've never seen before and never will and contradicts what you know when you watched the [most recent] show" seems like a terrible marketing strategy.
Spoilers New Picard TV Series and Litverse Continuity (may contain TV show spoilers)
- Thread starter chrinFinity
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"Remove books from sale if they are inconsistent"? Why in the actual fuck would they be required to do that? First Contact didn't require the novel Federation to be pulled. Indeed, Federation, The Final Reflection and the Rihansu novels were re-printed well after on-screen material overrode them.
Hell, over in Star Wars, Splinter of the Mind's Eye was just reprinted with the new Legends banner on its cover, and that's as inconsistent with onscreen canon as they come.
Books do not get pulled from sale just because they become inconsistent with the onscreen material. That's really not how this shit works at all.
I was curious about Ward's next book, that being did they give him any feedback on his TNG novel based on the upcoming show.
You know, the more I think about it the more I think it wouldn't really be that hard to make a show that doesn't upend all the relaunch novels. The first major reason being it's at least 12 years past the most recent novel. A lot can happen in 12 years. They would just have to follow a very few ground rules that I can think of. The biggest being Picard's son Rene, who's mother is Dr Crusher. We already know in an alternate future he was married and divorced from her. She could still be his wife and be on the show, or away on assignment, or they could be divorced. But I really think Picard having a son Rene on the show at which point he'd be in his late teens could actually add a lot to the show. There area a ton of stories that can be done with a famous father and his teenage son. Another major plot point would be that the Borg are gone of course. I frankly just wouldn't have the Borg on the show, I mean I know some speculated they could come back in some form, but frankly I'd rather they didn't. I loved the Borg as a villain, and First Contact was one of my favorite Trek films. But I'd prefer they leave them in the past. I'm not sure where else they could go with that.
Other things would probably be minor. We don't know what the status of the Typhon Pact will be after the destruction of Romulus and if they are still even an alliance 12 years later. There were already signs of strain in the books with the different members pursuing their own agendas. The crew of the Enterprise (if it is still in service 12 years later) would likely have had significant changes by then, and I have a feeling Picard is going to be in the next phase of his career by then. I remember him considering an ambassador role later in life, and that'd probably be a good role for him.
The only other biggie I can think of is that Data is alive and well.
Any other changes can probably be simply the passage of time. I think if they stick to some of those basics though there's no reason to think the novels and the new TNG show can't co-exist. Perhaps once the show starts the showrunners will take a more active role in future novels a la Discovery. We'll see.
One positive of a new TNG show is it may generate interest in TNG novels that are coming out (and maybe some past novels).
Dayton: So, here's my new TNG book.
CBS: *reads and looks at plans for new series* Try again.
Let's face it - the books progress as normal for moment because there simply isn't new canon content at this point. Once they have a show bible is the point at which we will see changes.
Also like other shows there are likely going to be references to events that we never see onscreen but can form the basis of books eg. The Titan being destroyed with all hands lost fighting the borg or Worf dying under mysterious circumstances.
Also like other shows there are likely going to be references to events that we never see onscreen but can form the basis of books eg. The Titan being destroyed with all hands lost fighting the borg or Worf dying under mysterious circumstances.
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I agree they are already hard to sell. Not to say they're not accessible but someone picking up one of them at random will get a good comprehensible story about some characters who are in very, very different places to where they last saw them. I don't think Pocket's audience are non-hardcore fans anymore. They're selling to a group of people who are invested in the "extended universe" as a whole. And while I know there's a gap between the average Pocket reader and those who post on this board, I would bet there are very few readers that just pick up one novel (from the "relaunch" timeline) per year.
So if I'm Pocket Books, and I know that new TV Star Trek is a thing, and I've been watching Discovery and seeing just how close it gets to invalidating that relaunch timeline that is pretty profitable for me, I would be looking to get some reassurance that I would be able to keep producing those books. Especially if my contract didn't necessarily allow me to develop books around the new series for newer fans.
It seems unlikely yeah, but then that raises the question of where the line is drawn, surely? If I can keep selling and printing books that contradict the cannon, if they were written before, why is it suddenly a problem to print and sell books contradicting the cannon afterwards? I mean, the average reader isn't going to look at the book publication date. If the Borg turn up in the new series, your average reader is going to be just as confused/not bothered by Destiny as they are by whatever book comes out next year. But if it is just new books, what is the cut-off there? How much notice do Pocket get of changes that their new stuff has to take into account? Do they have to nix books already in development? And how big does an inconsistency have to be in order to stop stuff happening? And how does it work with the fact we have a connected, ongoing storyline?
I mean, back in the day, it was always fine to take the characters weird places if they were put back at the end, through use of some time travel mechanism or whatever. Data and Wesley could get married as long as they were unmarried by the end of the book. Is that only on a per-book basis? What if Pocket developed a way to tie-off the novelverse and reset things at the end? How long are they given to do that? How many books can they produce?
Unlike Sci, I don't have any insight here and I wasn't part of the process, and if it the case that it just took a Pocket a year or so to negotiate the exact same deal they had in the 90s then fair enough. But that seems unlikely to me. If I'm Pocket, and I know about new Trek series being potentially on the table I will have two aims:
1) to get the ability to do tie-in novels for those and;
2) to protect my currently profitable tie-in line that's mostly based around a connected, developed universe that's been spun off from the modern series.
I would certainly need some guarantees and assurances that I could keep running my business without risking it being turned on its head at any point with no notice. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth doing.
So between that, and the quote from Dayton earlier, I find it hard to believe we're "on borrowed time" or anything here. The license renewal took so long, there's no way this stuff wasn't all considered. And if Pocket didn't find a satisfactory way forwards, there's no way they jump right back in to the connected universe stuff when it's so potentially risky.
That doesn't mean things will last forever, maybe the agreement involved being given some leeway in return for tying up the novelverse in a few years. Or maybe it will just all get labelled as an alternate universe (I know that's not what happens, but also isn't that exactly what's happening with STO?)
Not sure what you mean? STO is simply another non-canon take on Star Trek - it's arguable it's actually a better known taken than the current literverse but neither is more valid than any other take.
The funny thing is that all of these conversations about "how we make it work with the litverse" are also being had by fans of STO who also claim it is obvious that it can be made to fit with *their* version.
That's a good point about Pocket's audience (although we of course can't be entirely sure). Maybe branding like "Continuing the Relaunch Novel Line" or something would sound neutral enough as to not alienate potential new readers (there have to be at least some) and the hardcore fans would understand what is meant by it. That being said, it's probably best to just wait and see what that Picard series is about anyway.
Is it possible to make a show that fits both "universes" and not limit their storytelling? I'm not into STO so I only have a passing familiarity with it. I know it accounts for some of the relaunch stories but not all.
Sure it's possible. If they don't reference anything and have Ambassador Picard that'll probably work it. FWIW I don't think that STO would have as big a problem as the Novelverse would have if it contradicts the new show. STO's references to Picard and the era the show will be set in are all backstory that isn't in the game for the most part.
The books have to be consistent with onscreen material for contractual reasons, but the onscreen material does not have to take books into consideration.
They don't nix books already in development. That would be idiotic of them to say the least, given that once an author starts writing a novel, they have to be paid for it, regardless if it's published or not. By publishing it, they at least get they opportunity to make their money back.
There is the oddity of the Kelvin timeline novels which made it as far as having covers and blurbs made available to the public and were available for pre-order when they were pulled. But that's a whole separate situation completely.
The reasons behind the "gap year" and lengthy re-negotiations have been made clear, basically a whole bunch of outside factors inconveniently creating the situation.
Regardless, Pocket is not in a position to say "promise you keep our continuity or we walk." If such a demand were made, CBS would let them walk. Pocket or any publisher holding the Trek license dances to CBS's tune. If CBS wants the continuity wiped clean, it gets wiped clean. Nature of the beast. Star Trek is a property with worldwide appeal, and indeed there have been rumours of other publishers trying to get a hold of the license. CBS can turn to anyone to get Star Trek books published, but Pocket needs CBS's approval to publish Trek novels. Therefore CBS calls the shots, and Pocket keeps them happy.
Besides, the one thing everyone seems to be overlooking is what is so special about novel continuity that CBS should uphold it as opposed to continuity from other mediums like STO or comics?
Because novels are better, duh.
Ok just kidding.But it's true. There's no reason CBS has to give a crap to what is admittedly a small percentage of hardcore fans like us. They could have Picard fighting the Borg with his 15 year old daughter on board the Enterprise-E with his right hand man Geordi LaForge for the last 15 years with their longtime allies, the Breen and they could have their base of operations on the original Deep Space Nine. And there's not a thing we could do about it.
Frankly my guess is if the showrunners decide to disregard the novels and do their own thing the relaunch novel series affected (esp. TNG) would quietly stop. I'd guess they'd be replaced by a new book series based on the new show, but the old ones I doubt would continue at that point.
But that's just speculation. I still think it's possible they do a new TNG show that is Picard centric to the point that it doesn't affect any of the prior continuities. It could be more forward looking and less worried about what has happened since Nemesis. It may very well be possible for future novels to correct any discrepancies and bring the relaunches in line with the new show while preserving the existing line.
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No one says they are. WE'RE the ones bothered by it (well some of us at least).
Pocketbooks would end the relaunch novels tomorrow if it helped their bottom lines, all of us here be damned.
You are the only person in this thread posting sense.
I hope we see some inane retcons like the Star Wars expanded universe used to do.
Like, if Picard says, "I quit Starfleet a year after Data sacrificed himself to stop the Remans destroying Earth," someone has to write a book where Data dies again stopping the Remans from destroying Earth, and then Picard quits Starfleet.
Well this got a good hard chuckle out of me!
Just like when the DC Comics where between Star Trek 3 and 4 they made Spock captain of the USS Surak and they needed him to be the character we see in 4... so they blew it up and he lost his memory...again...
I'm one of the most loyal customers they have, by definition, because I buy every Trek book. Except where I haven't gotten into Discovery as I'm waiting to see how continuity plays out in the series. If they kill the line and start publishing one-and-done nuPicard schlock, I'm going to stop buying. Sure they'll get some "new" customers, but does it justify fucking over the existing base?
Isn't it preferable to achieve both goals (pleasing new customers and continuing) if they can get just a tiny bit of cooperation from the show, tweak the new series just a little so as not to subvert the books? You don't need to explain every little thing, just avoid writing lines that do catastrophic damage for little payoff.
Isn't it preferable to achieve both goals (pleasing new customers and continuing) if they can get just a tiny bit of cooperation from the show, tweak the new series just a little so as not to subvert the books? You don't need to explain every little thing, just avoid writing lines that do catastrophic damage for little payoff.
That's sort of my hope, and I think it's pretty easy to do. I think there are ways to write the story that doesn't obliterate the relaunch novels AND allow writers of the new show a great amount of freedom, it taking place 12 years later still opens things up significantly for them.
And I too have bought every book they put out since the relaunches began (and most before that even). I love the relaunches and would hate to see it all go poof, up in smoke.
Because if the new TNG show does decide to blow up the entire novelverse then the relaunch novels will end. That's my prediction. They are not going to continue writing continuing stories that won't jive with current canon. Like you said they may release future TNG books based on the new show but they are not going to release what they will see as pointless books continuing story threads that can no longer exist based on the canon on screen show.
Yes.
