They didn't use switches among other things.
Spoilers DSC: The Enterprise War by John Jackson Miller Review Thread
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They didn't use switches among other things.
Again, that would have defeated the intended purpose of Star Trek: Enterprise, which was to be a direct prequel, not a reboot. Production design exists to serve narrative; narrative does not exist to justify production design. The intent of the story is more important than the minutiae of art direction. They didn't explain why Saavik looked different in ST III. They didn't explain why Worf suddenly had a completely different forehead in season 2 of TNG. They only explain changes that matter to the story that is being told. And the story of ENT was "This is the history of the Star Trek you know," not "This is the history of an alternate timeline."
Although, according to Ron Moore, it was actually debated for a day or so when preparing AGT if they should use the old forehead for Farpoint-era Worf in the episode. They ultimately chose not too.
For me, I don't know why, but it was a bit of surprise. I didn't find it jarring. It was just, hmm, I know it was to explain where the Enterprise was during season 1--I just was kind of surprised it was the entire time. It wasn't a problem for me though in the sense that it took anything away. I rated the book excellent in fact so it obviously wasn't an issue for me.
The main surprise I took is the show is still in production so that increases the chances some part of the book may be rendered inconsistent with the show. The more time a novel takes, the more chance it can be overridden by canon. I mean, that's a risk no matter what...but the longer the period of time of a story the more chance it can become inconsistent. When it came to books that take place after a series, like "Greater than the Sum", or during periods not likely to be covered by canon like during the movie era, it's safer from being overwritten by canon. And certainly the relaunches already have an internal continuity.
So for me it was more surprise that JJ Miller is taking a greater chance since his novel covers over a year, then say "Drastic Measures" which is what, a few weeks (though that's no guarantee since I've heard "Desperate Hours" was impacted by season 2).
I agree with you there. I think it was clear Enterprise was a prequel in the prime timeline. I've always been sort of defensive when it comes to Enterprise. I happen to think it did a pretty good job of being a prequel and the production design was never an issue for me. I thought they actually went to great lengths to establish it as a prequel to the original series. Even though they had to take some liberties with set design for instance, it was always made clear the NX-01 was a less advanced ship than the NCC-1701, despite what you see. The transporters were much less advanced, the ship's maximum speed was warp 5 instead of warp 8, the sets were more claustrophobic, the corridors more tubular, the mess hall had a chef, etc.
Actually they did.
And I still think it'd be a good idea.
Given the way season 2 ended, I'd say that's not highly likely.
Why is that a surprise?
If we are fortunate, DSC will not return to the 23d century.
Last I heard the plan was for
.
Discovery and her crew to stay in the future
The technology might have looked more advanced, but it was pretty clear from the way it behaved that it was more primitive.
Probably for the same reason they didn't have Marina Sirtis use her original Troi accent.
Just that the book took place over an extended period of time while the show is still ongoing. Many Star Trek books that take place over extended periods are based on shows that have ended or during periods not likely to be covered in future shows. But again, it wasn't a negative for me. And calling it a surprise that the novel took place in the span of over a year is probably overstating it for me. More like, 'hmm, I didn't realize it would literally take the entire period of the first season'.
I'm actually glad they didn't do that. I like continuity, but I'm more interested in it as I would call it a macro- level. I don't worry about the little things. And using an earlier forehead mold for Worf just to be consistent with EAF would have taken it too far. And in that case it probably would be self defeating. I'm sure the idea was that Worf's later forehead was intended to be the way it always was. Changing it in "All Good Things" would have called attention to the fact it was different. In this case you don't want to call attention to that if you want people to assume it was always that way.
How does that not apply here? It's a book about what the Enterprise was doing during the Klingon War in season 1 -- an event that has ended and is not likely to be covered in any other show, because DSC already covered it.
Also, most Trek tie-in books are about the ship and crew featured in the show, so there's limited room to tell their stories between episodes. This was a book about what a totally different ship and crew did during season 1.
I'm sure you're probably right. The only problem I might see is if a character says something to make "The Enterprise War" impossible. Since the book took place over the span of a year if some character on the show says the Enterprise was on such and such a mission during some time the book take place over it could have repercussions (whereas if the novel only took place say over a few months then you could say the novel took place over a different period in that year). And with the way new shows are, I wouldn't actually be surprised if they were to go back in time or something. Past Star Trek shows moved pretty linearly in a forward direction. Nowadays that might not necessarily be true.
But I'm sure I'm probably overthinking it at this point. Really it was just mild surprise for me that the book took place over such a long period of time. At the time I read the novel that's all it was. I really hadn't put that much thought into it initially. I'm just presenting possible pitfalls they could run into after thinking it over a bit.
In many ways though, I'm glad I read the novel before seeing season 2. I considered waiting until I saw season 2 before reading the book, but JJ Miller indicated their were no significant spoilers in his novel so I decided to dive in. And at least judging from some of the storylines in the novel and the somewhat cryptic note (well, for someone that hasn't seen season 2 anyway) that stated their adventures would continue in season 2, I actually get the idea that there are some plot lines in season 2 that were previewed in the novel in some fashion. I get the sense there are some issues with Spock and maybe Captain Pike (and maybe even Number One) presented in season 2 that the book deals with. And I've read comments that some elements of "Desperate Hours" were perhaps nullified by season 2 and it seemed like Miller was trying to either remedy or salvage some of that. I have to admit I'm intrigued at seeing what season 2 brings after reading the novel.
The risk of contradiction is always there no matter what story you tell. That's an occupational hazard not just of tie-ins, but of all science fiction, since you never know when a new discovery or world event will invalidate what you wrote. (Look at all the pre-1989 SF, Star Trek included, that assumed the Soviet Union would still exist centuries in the future.) So you can't let that worry you too much, or you'll never get anything done.
After all, a book can be contradicted by something that doesn't overlap it chronologically at all. For instance, I had a passing line in Ex Machina about how Starfleet didn't know for sure what the origin of the different Klingon subspecies was, since "Trials and Tribble-ations" had treated it as something Starfleet characters were unaware of. But then ENT came along and showed that Starfleet was involved in the origins of the change a century earlier. Oops! (Although the ExM lines could be reinterpreted to refer to the various subtypes of ridged Klingon we've seen since, including the DSC variety.)
Well, you can re-interpret your line to mean something different from the original intent. But even still, that's a pretty minor point in Ex Machina so it's probably best not to dwell on it too much
.But when you think about it even the showrunners themselves are not immune to that sort of thing. In Enterprise you're right, Starfleet was very much involved with the augment virus (though I suppose that could have been classified at some point). Then in "Trials and Tribbleations" no one other than Worf seemed to be aware there were ever smooth headed Klingons. Worf said they don't talk about it. Yet they have to have seen log entries or video depicting smooth headed Klingons in history logs. But I know the 'real' reason was to have a bit of a joke on the show. It was kind of amusing when O'Brien, Bashir and Odo were gawking and saying "THOSE are Klingons" and them all turning to Worf at the same time. For me partly because that was my exact reaction when seeing my first TV series Klingon on "Friday's Child". I could sympathize :P .
Who know? It might happen, it might not. I guess I'd say worry about it only when the time comes and enjoy the ride until then. (Besides, stuff can be worked out; DSC Season 2 kicked the Desperate Hours novel out of continuity, but The Enterprise War put it back again.)
But I'm sure I'm probably overthinking it at this point. Really it was just mild surprise for me that the book took place over such a long period of time. At the time I read the novel that's all it was. I really hadn't put that much thought into it initially. I'm just presenting possible pitfalls they could run into after thinking it over a bit.
Yeah, the parts where Pike and Spock think back to the events of that novel were meant to reconcile things.
IMHO, I don't think I'd kick something out of continuity for just a little detail like that (e.g. the differences between Kessel as seen for a split second in Star Wars: Rebels plot vs. Solo the movie).
Well, that was just the example I could think of. The point is that a show or movie doesn't have to be contemporaneous with a book to contradict it, because it can contradict an element of worldbuilding or backstory. After all, when TNG came along, it massively contradicted what TOS novels had established about the Klingons and Romulans, and eventually about the history of the UFP. The fact that the novels were set a century before TNG didn't exempt them from being contradicted by it, because what was contradicted was basic worldbuilding, underlying constants of the universe, rather than just events "local" to a specific time frame.
Yeah, that's true enough. And one of the risks I know you and your novel writers have said you take when writing tie-in fiction, really for any franchise. And I think you even noted you've done that on occasion in your own original works. So in a way you're not even safe from yourself
And like a lot of people say, it's just fiction. I'm sure JJ Miller isn't lying awake at nights worried that one of his books may someday be contradicted by some future show. And of course with the new Picard show coming along there is a good chance large swaths of the relaunches may become "nullified".
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