2019 Releases
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My blog post telling a bit more about The Captain's Oath:
https://christopherlbennett.wordpress.com/2019/01/13/star-trek-the-captains-oath-cover-reveal/
In fact, the depicted encounter between the Enterprise and that alien ship is something that does happen in the book. As for who's in command of the Enterprise at the time, well...
https://christopherlbennett.wordpress.com/2019/01/13/star-trek-the-captains-oath-cover-reveal/
In fact, the depicted encounter between the Enterprise and that alien ship is something that does happen in the book. As for who's in command of the Enterprise at the time, well...
It's canonical that he did. Elizabeth Dehner said in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" that Kirk asked for Gary Mitchell on his first command. It was also mentioned in The Making of Star Trek in 1968, as I mentioned in the above quote. It's always been part of his official backstory; it's just been oddly overlooked.
I don't see the problem. We know from TOS that Kirk graduated from Starfleet Academy roughly 9 years before he got command of the Enterprise (11 years before "Obsession"). That's plenty of time to earn command of a small ship a few years before he gets the E.
But that doesn't make any sense. The Constitution-class ships were the biggest, most powerful and important ships in the fleet. They were the equivalent of aircraft carriers in the Navy. You don't give a command like that to a first-time captain (never mind the Kelvin films). You give it to a seasoned officer who's worked their way up from smaller commands and proven themselves ready for the big time. The Captain's Oath is about showing how Kirk earned command of the Enterprise. (In fact, I wanted to give him two previous commands, since more experience would make it more plausible that he'd be deemed ready for a top-line capital ship. But CBS would only let me give him the one.)
So I’m hoping we’re headed for one book per month again. We have an April, May, July, and August book. If the second TNG book announced for this year falls into that June gap, then I’ll be excited that Gallery believes Treklit is healthy rnough to support 12 trades a year.
My wishlist for Sept-Jan.
Sept- DS9
Oct - The inevitable 3rd Discovery season 2 novel.
November- Picard series backstory trilogy
December- Picard series backstory trilogy
January- Picard series backstory trilogy
If done right this trilogy could tell the story of the destruction of Romulus, set up Picard’s future for the show, serve as a perfect jumping on point for new readers, but at the same time continue/conclude the Typhon Pact era storylines in a way that won’t require new readers to feel like they’ve missed anything.
My wishlist for Sept-Jan.
Sept- DS9
Oct - The inevitable 3rd Discovery season 2 novel.
November- Picard series backstory trilogy
December- Picard series backstory trilogy
January- Picard series backstory trilogy
If done right this trilogy could tell the story of the destruction of Romulus, set up Picard’s future for the show, serve as a perfect jumping on point for new readers, but at the same time continue/conclude the Typhon Pact era storylines in a way that won’t require new readers to feel like they’ve missed anything.
I think a novel detailing Kirk's first command is a great idea! Really looking forward to that!
To be fair, Dehner's line could also be interpreted as referring to the Enterprise itself... it's one of those things fans have argued about for ages!
But I've always preferred the interpretation that it's referring to an earlier command on a different ship.
To be fair, Dehner's line could also be interpreted as referring to the Enterprise itself... it's one of those things fans have argued about for ages!
But I've always preferred the interpretation that it's referring to an earlier command on a different ship.
For everyone's view:
Great. Finaly a character on a cover again. Kirk like we now him from the TOS episodes. I also like the second cover. Nice colers. I'm looking forward to reading those novels.
It's strange how tastes differ here. I like both covers. On the other hand, I'm the one who dislikes the cover of The Neverending Sacrifice, IMO one of the best Trek books I've ever read.
To be fair, Dehner's line could also be interpreted as referring to the Enterprise itself... it's one of those things fans have argued about for ages!
I don't think it's been "ages"... I think it's only been since people stopped taking The Making of Star Trek for granted. That book is full of things that were accepted as fact by fandom for decades even though they were never stated onscreen (at least not until subsequently): Kirk being the youngest captain ever; the Klingons and Romulans having an alliance; the forward dish of the Enterprise being a navigational deflector; Vulcan telepathy being called "mind-meld" (a term used only twice in TOS and never in TAS); the show being in the 23rd century (first stated by James Blish but standardized by TMoST); etc. TMoST used to be the authoritative reference work for fans, and if it said something was true, it was presumed to be true. So the idea that Kirk's first command had been a smaller, destroyer-type ship was commonly accepted as fact, which is why Mike Barr, Vonda McIntyre, Howard Weinstein, and others have all shown it as part of Kirk's pre-Enterprise backstory. But that book seems to be less well known to the current generation of fans, probably because it became just one of many reference books rather than practically the only work of its kind (other than David Gerrold's two behind-the-scenes books, which were different in focus).
Besides, it seems awkward and unlikely that Dehner would refer to the Enterprise as "your first command" when they were both standing aboard the Enterprise. Even aside from the total implausibility that a ship as big and important as the E would be given to a novice. There was never the slightest indication in TOS that Kirk was an inexperienced commander, and I don't see why anyone would find it desirable for that to be so.
Maybe it's just that modern shows have a tendency to begin with origin stories, to show characters entering their positions for the first time, so people expect the beginning of TOS to have been the beginning of Kirk's captaincy. Whereas in the '60s, the norm was to begin in medias res, the characters and status quo already established and the first episode just a routine incident like any other. Roddenberry's intent was that Kirk had already been captain of the E for at least a couple of years already when the show kicked off.
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To be fair, Dehner's line could also be interpreted as referring to the Enterprise itself... it's one of those things fans have argued about for ages!
You know, I have to be honest. I always assumed the Enterprise was Kirk's first command. I never argued it, or even gave it much thought. I never put much thought into Dehner's line, I was more focused on the Mitchell part of the quote and how important he was to Kirk's command, and not so much on the first command part of the line.
That being said, I don't have an issue with it. As Christopher noted, it probably makes some sense. One of the issues I had with Star Trek (2009) was not only the cadet-Captain instant promotion, but that such an incredibly young officer was given command of the flagship. While Kirk's progression in the original series was more traditional, it makes sense he'd have to work his way up in the Captain's ranks as well. Now perhaps he was given command of the Enterprise pretty quickly once he proved himself, but it'd make sense you'd have to prove yourself in some fashion first. And it doesn't really contradict any prior stories that I can recall. It just wasn't covered, now it is. Christopher noted a number of those stories, the only other one I can think of that I read recently is Michael Jan Friedman's My Brothers Keeper trilogy--though they mostly cover Kirks' pre-Captain missions--there was one early Enterprise mission as well, though it was a few months after he took command (I imagine he wanted to avoid getting to close to McIntyre's First Adventure book). Oh, and parts of Strangers from the Sky were from soon after the First Adventure novel. I don't recall if any of them mentioned a previous command or not.
I have to read "The Making of Star Trek" though. A few years back I managed to find a first edition copy at a used book store (the same one I actually found a few first printing Bantam novels as well--it was a gold mine of a store). But I haven't taken the time to read it yet. I'll have to make a special point of reading it now
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BTW the cover is nice too, a picture of Kirk in an early version of the uniform to set it in the proper timeframe, and the ship. I also liked the other covers as well. Since the Typhon Pact novels, the novels covers have improved. They were getting a little blah for a time during the early Typhon Pact novels but they're back to doing pretty cool covers again.
Looking at the blurb for "The Enterprise War" I'm kind of surprised it's part of the Discovery line. It sounds more like an original series novel to me (granted during the Pike era, but stories focused on him and the Enterprise have traditionally been original series novels). I mean, unless characters from Discovery and the Discovery itself feature as a plot point in some fashion. I mean, it doesn't really matter, more just an observation.
Looking at the blurb for "The Enterprise War" I'm kind of surprised it's part of the Discovery line. It sounds more like an original series novel to me (granted during the Pike era, but stories focused on him and the Enterprise have traditionally been original series novels). I mean, unless characters from Discovery and the Discovery itself feature as a plot point in some fashion. I mean, it doesn't really matter, more just an observation.
One thing to keep in mind, too, is that in the real Navy, the command of smaller ships is often given to officers below captain's rank (although they'd be called "captain" as a title nonetheless). And The Making of Star Trek doesn't actually specify Kirk's rank when he got command of the destroyer-equivalent vessel. So it may have been Roddenberry's intention that Kirk commanded the "destroyer" at commander's rank and the Enterprise was his first ship as a full two-and-a-half-stripe captain. However, Star Trek has never employed that convention (except once on DS9: "Behind the Lines"), so I didn't use it in TCO, though I was tempted. And The Commander's Oath wouldn't have worked as well as a title...
It's about what the Enterprise was doing during DSC season 1, so it's at least peripherally building on DSC continuity. And it may set up character or plot threads pertaining to Pike, Spock, Number One, etc. in season 2 (just guessing, I don't know if it will). More to the point, though, it's meant as a promotional tie-in to DSC season 2, aimed at viewers who like what they see of Pike, Spock, etc. on the show and want to see more, so it gets the DSC branding to attract their attention.
Look at it this way: By this time next month, Christopher Pike will have appeared in more Discovery episodes than TOS episodes. So that arguably makes him more of a DSC character now.
Probably TPB think it will get more sales if it’s linked to a current series.
That's a good observation about how audiences expect origin stories these days, as opposed to the way it was back in the sixties. THE AVENGERS, THE MAN FOR UNCLE, GET SMART, BATMAN, STAR TREK, etc. All those series began with the status quo already in place, no origins needed. Yet today the modern movie versions always seem to feel obliged to show Steed and Emma meeting for the first time, Napoleon and Ilya meeting the first time, an entire movie about how BATMAN BEGINS, etc.
In terms of STAR TREK, this started with "Encounter at Farpoint," which, unlike "Mantrap," felt obliged to show how the crew came together, folks meeting each for the first time, etc.
Yeah, not a big deal. I'd read it no matter the banner. It was just reading the blurb I sort of thought, hmm, sounds more like an original series novel. But I guess what you guys say is true, plus it apparently is part of the war that's part of Discovery, and the story may involve other elements of Discovery as well, making more sense for the Discovery banner. I'll be curious to see if and how Pike is depicted on the cover. I figure it will probably be Discovery's Pike myself. Oh, and I just realized this will be the first Discovery novel to take place concurrent to the show (outside of a few lines in Drastic Measures I think).
In a sense, The Motion Picture could almost qualify. While it's established characters, they are regrouping on the Enterprise and this is the first mission after it's refit (though that's a movie example, and not TV). And I guess since I didn't see the original series first run I always thought of Where No Man Has Gone Before as the beginning (well, not counting the Cage). I first saw them on VHS which had them in order of production date. And when I was watching them on WPIX in NY back in the day (well recording since they were only on at midnight), they aired them in production order as well. So I got used to production order in that case.
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In a way, TOS didn't really have a "first episode." There's "The Cage," which never aired except as flashbacks in "The Menagerie," there's the second pilot, which was actually the third episode aired, and "Mantrap," which was the first episode the TV audience ever saw.
I'm always kinda amused when folks insist that newcomers HAVE to start with "The Cage," because that's not how anybody actually watched the series back in the sixties and the seventies.
I'm always kinda amused when folks insist that newcomers HAVE to start with "The Cage," because that's not how anybody actually watched the series back in the sixties and the seventies.
In a way, TOS didn't really have a "first episode." There's "The Cage," which never aired except as flashbacks in "The Menagerie," there's the second pilot, which was actually the third episode aired, and "Mantrap," which was the first episode the TV audience ever saw.
I'm always kinda amused when folks insist that newcomers HAVE to start with "The Cage," because that's not how anybody actually watched the series back in the sixties and the seventies.
Ha-ha true. With the original series you could probably start anywhere you want. There's little carryover from one episode to the next so it doesn't matter. When I first started watching the TV series, the video store I was renting them from only had about 10 episodes of the 2nd season. So that's where I started. Nowadays, since I have all the episodes if I'm doing a series rewatch I'll start with the Cage and move on to WNMHGB and go in production order.
In fact, you don't even have to watch TNG in order necessarily. There's a bit more carryover, but the stories are pretty well self contained. A friend of mine asked where to start with Star Trek and I actually recommended the 3rd season of TNG. I told her that's where it really started hitting it's groove. She could always go back to the first two seasons later but I wanted to leave a good first impression
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To my surprise, even The Fugitive didn't have an origin episode in the modern sense. The pilot has a 90-second cold open introducing Richard Kimble as a falsely convicted headed for death row and showing his escape in a train crash, then goes right into a typical episode set 6 months later. The specifics of the murder and the one-armed man were filled in as the show went on.
Although there were some '60s shows that did start at the beginning. It was common for SF shows, since they had to set up the premise -- Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants, The Invaders, sitcoms like Captain Nice and My Favorite Martian. But their definition of the "beginning" of a story wasn't pushed back as far as on modern shows. Lost in Space began with the Jupiter 2 launching, with little preliminary introduction of the characters. Similarly, Land of the Giants opened with the Spindrift already in flight and passing through the space warp in the teaser, and we didn't see the events leading up to that moment until the episode that was meant to be the series finale (though it ended up being aired second-last). Gilligan's Island opened with the castaways waking up after the shipwreck (and the aired series premiere then jumps forward to after they've become established on the island, since it's cut together from bits of the first 2-3 filmed episodes). It's About Time opened with the astronauts landing in the Stone Age. Over time, starting in the '70s, it's become common to spend more time on the preliminaries before establishing the status quo for the series. For instance, the pilot to The Incredible Hulk spent its first one or two acts setting up why Dr. David Banner, physician, scientist, was searching for a way to tap into the hidden strength that all humans have, before showing the accidental overdose of gamma radiation that altered his body chemistry. On the other hand, you still had shows like Quantum Leap where the pilot starts out with Sam waking up in the past and only gradually finding out what's happened to him. These days, I think the balance has shifted primarily to long setups, although the new Lost in Space series is kind of a throwback, opening with the accident and crash and only revealing the backstory through flashbacks.
By coincidence, the first Trek episode I ever saw was the first one made after the pilots, "The Corbomite Maneuver." Although I don't think the local station was airing the reruns in production order, since I remember seeing a Chekov episode fairly soon thereafter (and protesting that "Check-off" was a ridiculous name for a character; after all, I was five years old and had no use for such childish absurdities).
Kirk's early career as a junior officer has been extensively covered elsewhere. As the title indicates, TCO is about Kirk's first few years as a captain, a part of his career that's only infrequently been touched upon -- which was why I wanted to explore it.
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