Star Trek: Mudd's Angels by J.A. Lawrence (1978)

[Damian]

I have read all the Bantam original Star Trek novels except for the episode adaptations by James Blish. I've been reading those off and on and haven't posted specific reviews of those. I made an exception in this case since it includes an original story.

Basically what happened is Blish passed away while working on the 12th adaptation and his wife, J.A. Lawrence finished that one. He had left the two episodes featuring Harry Mudd aside with intentions on creating a full length novel about Mudd. According to Memory Alpha the original idea was to tie "Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd" together with an original story in one novel. But then he died before doing it. Lawrence decided to adapt the idea. It was noted that she found it didn't work to try to tie all 3 stories into a continuous narrative and decided to split them up as 3 separate stories that are more loosely tied together.

In the foreward to the novel she did not that they were unable to include "Mudd's Passion" from the animated series in the story due to legal issues. So she disregarded the events of that story.

The book started with a prologue noting this was basically a mission report of their 3 contacts with Harry Mudd and what happened.

Probably because she had more space to adapt the two episodes, the adaptations of "Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd" were more thorough than the other adaptations. I always found the other adaptations to be almost after-mission reports. They covered the major points of the episodes but probably because several episodes were in each book Blish didn't cover all the various details. But in this case they seemed to cover most of the episodes with less missing.

The original story was titled "The Business, as Usual, During Altercations" and that was divided into 8 chapters. Someone is buying up all the dilithium contracts and the Enterprise is sent to investigate. They eventually end up on Mudd's Planet (now named Liticia) and Mudd has bought up the contracts and is trying to auction them off. They find Mudd had androids of himself created to throw Kirk off, but eventually they catch up to Mudd, then they end up outside the galaxy to one of the nearby smaller galaxies (the galactic barrier makes an appearance). Then after a cataclysm caused by some reaction of the crystals they were pushed back into the galaxy, but back in time before the crisis caused by Mudd started. So the Starfleet Commodore thinks Captain Kirk and his crew have gone crazy. But they are able to prove what they are saying is true and they try to return Mudd to his wife, his real wife, Stella, who doesn't want him and they threaten the landing party. So they end up back at Liticia where the android population wants to join the Federation and try Mudd for his crimes. But since they haven't technically happened Mudd tries to claim the trial is a sham and then they question whether the androids can actually legally try Mudd.

And that's all basically in around 100 or so pages. It turned out to be way too much to try to cover in half of a smaller sized book. I don't mind a quick paced book but this one jumped around so much and tried to cover so much it felt like a roller coaster.

In a bit of a nod to reality she did note that the Enterprise encountered the barrier off the elliptical plane. I always wondered what the original intent of Samuel Peeples was in "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Christopher has noted that the actual 'edge' of the galaxy is about 25,000 light years away, which we know is far beyond the ability of the Enterprise of the original series to reach in a relatively short amount of time (I believe, using Voyager as a reference that it would take them more than 25 years to get there). But at the time the episode was written I don't think they had all that hashed out yet and I wondered if they actually intended that to be the actual 'edge' of the galaxy. But Lawrence noted the Enterprise left the galaxy off the elliptic, going out 'underneath' the galaxy, for lack of a better word. And it reminded me a bit of "The Wounded Sky" by Diane Duane in that they end up near the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, over 165,000 light years away (and they note it would take them over 400 years to get home). That was a nice nod to 'real' science--though I'm not sure if the Lesser Magellanic Cloud is below the plane of the galaxy so I can't vouch for the accuracy there.

She also covers a bit of philosophical ground about the androids and whether they are sentient life forms or not. And she delves a bit into the economics of the 23rd century.

So I give her kudos for trying to cover some larger issues. I just think the story suffers a bit from trying to do too much in such a small amount of space. I'd give it an overall average rating. She does some good things but she might have had better luck if she decided to do her original story as a full sized novel, where she could have fleshed out her story more.

 

[Christopher]

The original story was titled "The Business, as Usual, During Altercations"

I always found that a very strange title, until I learned that it was an allusion to a 1958 Ralph Williams story from Astounding (now Analog) called "Business as Usual, During Alterations" (here's a review), about a replicator-like technology and how it would transform a scarcity-based economy, a very Trek-relevant topic. The story is often discussed in economics classes.

I'm not sure what relevance it has to the Lawrence novella in Mudd's Angels/Enterprise, unless it's what you say about the story discussing Federation economics. I found "Altercations" to be a pretty incoherent and quite badly written story, one of my all-time least favorite works of Trek Lit. So I don't remember much about it.

 

[Damian]

I always found that a very strange title, until I learned that it was an allusion to a 1958 Ralph Williams story from Astounding (now Analog) called "Business as Usual, During Alterations" (here's a review), about a replicator-like technology and how it would transform a scarcity-based economy, a very Trek-relevant topic. The story is often discussed in economics classes.

I'm not sure what relevance it has to the Lawrence novella in Mudd's Angels/Enterprise, unless it's what you say about the story discussing Federation economics. I found "Altercations" to be a pretty incoherent and quite badly written story, one of my all-time least favorite works of Trek Lit. So I don't remember much about it.

I wondered where she got the title from. All of the Mudd episodes, including the animated series, had Mudd in the title. I thought it was a bit odd the story had a different title (though the overall book had Mudd in the title).

I think the major flaw in the story was that she tried to do too much in too little space. For instance, the chapter devoted to Mudd's wife, where they try to return him to his wife and they basically reject him seemed very superfluous. I guess she wanted to introduce us to the real Stella. But it was a needless detour I thought.

Had she had a full sized novel to work with it might have been a better book. Perhaps I was a bit generous, but I did think the two episode adaptations were decent and a bit more detailed that the prior adaptations. And she tried to incorporate elements of real science and Federation economics into the story so I gave her a few points on that front.

If someone collected the Blish adaptations I would probably recommending getting this one if for no other reason to have a complete set of all 79 adaptations (or I guess technically 78--I don't believe "The Cage" pilot was adapted), since the Mudd episodes weren't previously adapted.

 

[Christopher]

I don't believe "The Cage" pilot was adapted

Other way around -- "The Cage" was adapted, but the Kirk-era frame story was not. Yes, it was under the title "The Menagerie," but that was the actual title of the first pilot by the time it was shot. It was only retroactively retitled "The Cage" (its working title) decades later in reference books and home video as a way of differentiating it from the 2-parter.

 

[Damian]

Other way around -- "The Cage" was adapted, but the Kirk-era frame story was not. Yes, it was under the title "The Menagerie," but that was the actual title of the first pilot by the time it was shot. It was only retroactively retitled "The Cage" (its working title) decades later in reference books and home video as a way of differentiating it from the 2-parter.

Hmm, very interesting. I didn't get to the adaptation of that episode yet. I only made it up to the 3rd so far.

So, using the naming we use now, "The Cage" pilot was adapted but not "The Menagerie?" I wouldn't have thought that, esp. considering when those adaptations were released the pilot was not seen in wide release. Until the VHS release of "The Cage" and those few lucky enough to see the pilot when shown at conventions, that was probably the only exposure Star Trek fans had to the original pilot.

 

[Christopher]

So, using the naming we use now, "The Cage" pilot was adapted but not "The Menagerie?" I wouldn't have thought that, esp. considering when those adaptations were released the pilot was not seen in wide release.

According to Blish, he found the frequent shifts of viewpoint and time frame to be too confusing to the reader. Of course, we've seen plenty of books pull it off since, but maybe in the tight format he was working in, it was simpler just to stick with the main story.

 

[Damian]

According to Blish, he found the frequent shifts of viewpoint and time frame to be too confusing to the reader. Of course, we've seen plenty of books pull it off since, but maybe in the tight format he was working in, it was simpler just to stick with the main story.

Probably true. I don't think any of the adaptations was more than 20 pages. Not a lot of time to cover all of "The Menagerie" and that doesn't even take into account that it was a 2 parter.

It is interesting reading some of the adaptations, esp. since many times it was apparent they were adapted from earlier drafts. I've noted a few significant differences from the actual aired episodes. But I noted before they almost felt like after-mission reports, summaries of what happened. But I guess it was still pretty significant that a show from the 1960s had any printed adaptations of that sort. Unless I'm mistaken I don't believe there are too many shows from that era that had adaptations like that.

It was also interesting reading the foreward to Star Trek 3--Blish noted much like many of you guys do today how difficult it would be for someone to write a Star Trek story and get it published. He suggested aspiring writers would be much better off writing an original science fiction story--and he even noted if he or anyone with the production were to receive an unsolicited script or story they had to basically return it unread (or something to that effect). I know you've noted something similar in the past, that your best bet is to write an original sci-fi story. The only other way I guess is those few times when S&S publishes their "fan" written anthologies, but they haven't done one of those in a while, and I'm not sure if/when they may ever do that again.

 

[Christopher]

It is interesting reading some of the adaptations, esp. since many times it was apparent they were adapted from earlier drafts. I've noted a few significant differences from the actual aired episodes.

Many of the differences are due to earlier drafts, but many are Blish's own interpolations, e.g. references to concepts from his own original fiction, like the Vegan Tyranny and the Cold Peace from his Cities in Flight universe. And in some cases, he interpolates scientific clarifications, like explaining the Psi 2000 virus based on the polywater concept, or establishing Vulcan as 40 Eridani to distinguish it from the hypothetical Solar planet Vulcan that was once suspected to exist within Mercury's orbit.

But I guess it was still pretty significant that a show from the 1960s had any printed adaptations of that sort. Unless I'm mistaken I don't believe there are too many shows from that era that had adaptations like that.

No, TV show novelizations and original tie-in novels were fairly common back then -- probably more so than today, because they didn't have home video as an alternative. It's just that most of them are obscure and forgotten. I doubt very many ran long enough to adapt every single episode of their shows.

 

[marlboro]

But I guess it was still pretty significant that a show from the 1960s had any printed adaptations of that sort. Unless I'm mistaken I don't believe there are too many shows from that era that had adaptations like that.

.

 

[JD]

I'm always a little surprised when I see novels like that for sitcoms, for some reason I've always thought of tie-ins as more of an action/adventure or sci-fi/fantasy thing.

 

[marlboro]

I'm always a little surprised when I see novels like that for sitcoms, for some reason I've always thought of tie-ins as more of an action/adventure or sci-fi/fantasy thing.

Many of the old sitcoms I grew up watching seemed to have about a dozen actual jokes; they just recycled them with slight variations for the run of the show. Not that modern comedies are really any better.

Like you, I can't imagine how you would get a novel out of "Mama's Family" or "Laverne and Shirley." I have a feeling the poor writers had to take some liberties :

 

[Christopher]

I think the Hooker M*A*S*H books were based more on his original novel that the film was based on, despite the cover branding there. His version was very different, much more right-wing and sexist than the show ended up being.

 

[JD]

Yeah, the Hooker books are all sequels to the original novel that the movie and the show were based on. He wrote a whole bunch of them, and I think most of the were MASH Goes to _____.

 

[Mysterion]

Yeah, the Hooker books are all sequels to the original novel that the movie and the show were based on. He wrote a whole bunch of them, and I think most of the were MASH Goes to _____.

Read the original novel, but none of the sequels. The TV series was ok, but I find the movie to be vastly superior.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Like you, I can't imagine how you would get a novel out of "Mama's Family" or "Laverne and Shirley."

A "Laverne and Shirley" novel written by Con Steffanso, a pseudonym of science fiction author, Ron Goulart.


Teamwork by Ian McLean, on Flickr

 

[Daddy Todd]

Somewhere in my library I have tie-ins to Get Smart and The Partridge Family. So publishers did plenty of sitcom novelizations.

 

[JD]

Now that I think about it, I think I actually had a couple of Full House tie-in novels when I was a kid.
Wow, I just looked on Wikipedia and there were almost 100 Full House novels spread across 5 different series.

 

[Harvey]

Somewhere in my library I have tie-ins to Get Smart and The Partridge Family. So publishers did plenty of sitcom novelizations.

Are the Get Smart books adaptations of episodic scripts or originals?

I’ve been doing some research about the Blish books for Fact Trek, and there are certainly some television adaptations that predate Blish’s work. But, mostly I’ve found tie-ins that told new stories, at least prior to 1966. (That year is significant for tie-ins, though not because of Trek.)

 

[JD]

l found them on Amazon and all but one of the books with cover images say "An original novel about NBC Television's most hilarious super-spy, Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 of Control". One book doesn't have a cover, and I couldn't find anything like that on the cover of the last one.