Star Trek: New Frontier--from the beginning
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I'm on Blind Man's Bluff. The last of the physical novels of the series. A very sad moment indeed.
There is a reference where Soleta mentions that she's met the Doctor. Is that in a comic or something? That would be a fun story to read.
Interesting how the story revolves around stopping a powerful AI. Little do they know that there is another AI that is even more powerful out there that even Morgan doesn't know about.
He's really messed up Kalinda. I don't get what is going on with her at all.
There is a reference where Soleta mentions that she's met the Doctor. Is that in a comic or something? That would be a fun story to read.
Interesting how the story revolves around stopping a powerful AI. Little do they know that there is another AI that is even more powerful out there that even Morgan doesn't know about.
He's really messed up Kalinda. I don't get what is going on with her at all.
I just got back from a vacation and re-read the 5th book in the New Frontier series "Martyr". Here a civilization that has been embroiled in a civil war for hundreds of years sees Calhoun as their savior who will bring peace to their world. Obviously Shelby is not thrilled with that prospect but goes along cautiously since the purpose is to bring a lasting peace to the world. We also get our first glance at the Redeemers in this novel, along with the first time we see Janos, the Mugato security officer. This is also the novel where Selar and Burgoyne, um, consummate their rocky relationship. And we also see Calhoun in his first sexual encounter, one that would produce the character of Xyon for later books.
These early New Frontier novels were always my favorite of the series. With the crew altogether on the first Excalibur and putting out various fires in the former Thallonian Empire. I admit, with reading the later books and how much of a role the D'Myurj would play esp. towards the end, I almost forgot about the Redeemers and how significant of a foe they would be in the earlier novels. My favorites of NF I would say are up to the point of the destruction of the first Excalibur, after which some of the crew would move on to other posts. In many ways that's more realistic, some characters would inevitably take on promotions and other assignments, others would stay. But it's always nice to go back and see the crew altogether and how they interacted and the stories that were created. After that my 2nd favorite period was from that point to the 'time jump' in "After the Fall". Then finally that final period (so in order of release basically). It's not that I didn't enjoy those later stories, but they weren't quite as good as the first couple in the series.
I'm not sure how far I'll go in my vacation re-reads. I go away again in August and will probably read book 6. I imagine I'll go a few more at least before moving on to something else, but we'll see.
That being said, I'd still love to see the series continue...however that seems very unlikely. I think the days of novel-only series are dead for now, and should they ever return I doubt we'd see New Frontier resurrected.
These early New Frontier novels were always my favorite of the series. With the crew altogether on the first Excalibur and putting out various fires in the former Thallonian Empire. I admit, with reading the later books and how much of a role the D'Myurj would play esp. towards the end, I almost forgot about the Redeemers and how significant of a foe they would be in the earlier novels. My favorites of NF I would say are up to the point of the destruction of the first Excalibur, after which some of the crew would move on to other posts. In many ways that's more realistic, some characters would inevitably take on promotions and other assignments, others would stay. But it's always nice to go back and see the crew altogether and how they interacted and the stories that were created. After that my 2nd favorite period was from that point to the 'time jump' in "After the Fall". Then finally that final period (so in order of release basically). It's not that I didn't enjoy those later stories, but they weren't quite as good as the first couple in the series.
I'm not sure how far I'll go in my vacation re-reads. I go away again in August and will probably read book 6. I imagine I'll go a few more at least before moving on to something else, but we'll see.
That being said, I'd still love to see the series continue...however that seems very unlikely. I think the days of novel-only series are dead for now, and should they ever return I doubt we'd see New Frontier resurrected.
I just got back from Vacay and re-read book 6, "Fire On High". This one covers quite a bit of ground. Lefler discovers her mother, Morgan Primus, is still alive and this is where they re-unite. There is also a creature gestating in the warp core of the Excalibur, apparently the offspring of the creature that destroyed the Thallonian homeworld. Also there is a strange woman cradling a weapon on a planet and she destroyed the entire population with that same weapon since they threatened to separate the two. There is a bit of a twist to it as well. Oh, also there is a race called the Prometheans who carelessly leave tech to worlds and if they destroy themselves, oh well. And Selar discovers she's pregnant with Burgoyne's baby and Burgoyne is not sure what she wants in a relationship.
So that's the gist. There is a lot going on in this novel and I gather the main story is supposed to be about the woman and her lover, um, I mean weapon. But it sort of takes a back seat to the volatile reunion between Lefler and Morgan. There is a foreshadowing of the coming conflict with the Redeemers as well.
But so far, I found this to be a bit weaker than the preceding books. There is so much going on that you don't have much of a chance to digest everything. But it's still a good book, and an important book in the ongoing New Frontier saga. A lot happens here that will affect future books.
Calhoun also has a bit of self reflection in the sense that he does some of the things he criticizes the Prometheans for, that is rushing in to situations based on instinct without thinking things through. However, I do think and important distinction is the Prometheans show a shocking lack of concern for how their 'interference' might affect those they 'help.' If a society destroys themselves, then so what, is their attitude. Calhoun gets lucky a lot of the times and he seems to have good instincts. He sometimes jumps into situations without thinking things through. But he DOES care about what he does and he wouldn't interfere in a situation with a carefree attitude. In fact, a lot of times it's the reverse that gets him into trouble.
So that's the gist. There is a lot going on in this novel and I gather the main story is supposed to be about the woman and her lover, um, I mean weapon. But it sort of takes a back seat to the volatile reunion between Lefler and Morgan. There is a foreshadowing of the coming conflict with the Redeemers as well.
But so far, I found this to be a bit weaker than the preceding books. There is so much going on that you don't have much of a chance to digest everything. But it's still a good book, and an important book in the ongoing New Frontier saga. A lot happens here that will affect future books.
Calhoun also has a bit of self reflection in the sense that he does some of the things he criticizes the Prometheans for, that is rushing in to situations based on instinct without thinking things through. However, I do think and important distinction is the Prometheans show a shocking lack of concern for how their 'interference' might affect those they 'help.' If a society destroys themselves, then so what, is their attitude. Calhoun gets lucky a lot of the times and he seems to have good instincts. He sometimes jumps into situations without thinking things through. But he DOES care about what he does and he wouldn't interfere in a situation with a carefree attitude. In fact, a lot of times it's the reverse that gets him into trouble.
Fire On High was one of the very first Star Trek books I tried to read. It was around the time I was properly getting back into Trek but still felt look a noobie so I had no idea what was going on nor who the characters were. I gave up after two chapters and decided it would be better if I went back to book 1. Which I am glad I did.
Yeah, NF is definitely best read from the beginning. It'd probably be difficult to jump in the middle somewhere.
I love these books and they're a major influence on my writing as well as my decision to become a writer in the first place. Peter David remains my all time favorite author and both this as well as his Supergirl comics remain things close to my heart.
1. I know that Peter David wanted to use a lot of previously used characters but I think that it probably would have been better to use original characters for Robin Lefler (fun fact: Ashley Judd was my babysitter when I was a kid), Morgan Primus/Number One, and Shelby. He made a lot of fascinating characters but I think they're a bit "off" from them and I understand that perfectly.
2. I feel like the books really did get dark as things went on with a large portion of the cast being killed. I admit, I loved getting a glimpse at Shelby's command that was such a much nicer and more "normal" ship.
3. I love the fact that it is the quirkiest and most oddball ship in the Fleet. I'm a huge fan of THE ORVILLE and LOWER DECKS so I was entirely primed to love the Excalibur. I love that it's just the quirkiest band of oddballs in the fleet. Like if Joss Whedon was the writer of the series.
4. I love that part of this is that it's in TNG's era but has the kind of crazy and overthetop adventures of the The Original Series thing.
5. I never considered Jellico to be a bad captain or leader and just assumed that he had a different style than the Enterprise. He wanted things working on precision and the crew uncomfortable with a high degree of readiness. As they say in business, "the first thing you do is make a rule and absolutely insist on following it."
I admit, I think Riker's anger was motivated by equal parts:
1. Jealousy that Jellico was given the Enterprise than him despite the fact he saved humanity from the Borg.
2. Concern for Picard that Jellico seemed to be ignoring.
Either way, I didn't like the interpretation of Jellico as the Chief from a stereotypical cop show that is always trying to yell at McBain.
Chief: Why do I let you run wild, McBain?
Homer: Because he gets results!
Some spoilery, thoughts:
1. I know that Peter David wanted to use a lot of previously used characters but I think that it probably would have been better to use original characters for Robin Lefler (fun fact: Ashley Judd was my babysitter when I was a kid), Morgan Primus/Number One, and Shelby. He made a lot of fascinating characters but I think they're a bit "off" from them and I understand that perfectly.
2. I feel like the books really did get dark as things went on with a large portion of the cast being killed. I admit, I loved getting a glimpse at Shelby's command that was such a much nicer and more "normal" ship.
3. I love the fact that it is the quirkiest and most oddball ship in the Fleet. I'm a huge fan of THE ORVILLE and LOWER DECKS so I was entirely primed to love the Excalibur. I love that it's just the quirkiest band of oddballs in the fleet. Like if Joss Whedon was the writer of the series.
4. I love that part of this is that it's in TNG's era but has the kind of crazy and overthetop adventures of the The Original Series thing.
5. I never considered Jellico to be a bad captain or leader and just assumed that he had a different style than the Enterprise. He wanted things working on precision and the crew uncomfortable with a high degree of readiness. As they say in business, "the first thing you do is make a rule and absolutely insist on following it."
I admit, I think Riker's anger was motivated by equal parts:
1. Jealousy that Jellico was given the Enterprise than him despite the fact he saved humanity from the Borg.
2. Concern for Picard that Jellico seemed to be ignoring.
Either way, I didn't like the interpretation of Jellico as the Chief from a stereotypical cop show that is always trying to yell at McBain.
Chief: Why do I let you run wild, McBain?
Homer: Because he gets results!
Some spoilery, thoughts:
5. I kind of regret that Xyon and Si Cwan's sister didn't get together in the end but it was actually a fairly realistic fallout from the fact Xyon kept mentally jerking around her as well as faking his death. It was his loss and the price for his dishonesty.
6. I was seriously disturbed by how genocide happy Calhoun was in the final books. I have no doubt he would want to kill them all for the destruction of his homeworld but I also think that his crew would relieve him before then.
7. I always had a ship of Soleta and Mac but that was a horrible ending there.
6. I was seriously disturbed by how genocide happy Calhoun was in the final books. I have no doubt he would want to kill them all for the destruction of his homeworld but I also think that his crew would relieve him before then.
7. I always had a ship of Soleta and Mac but that was a horrible ending there.
I liked the early NF books the best, when the crew was altogether. After the Excalibur was destroyed it just didn't feel the same anymore. I know in real life people move on and all. But there was something special about the earlier books. Then the books took another step down IMO after the time jump. I still liked them for the most part, but they lost some of that special magic from the early days. I read NF all the way to the end (so far) in The Return. I'd love to see a continuation as there is plenty left to tell stories about, but I doubt that will happen.
Jellico is an interesting character. He obviously earned his hard-ass reputation from "Chain of Command"-perhaps a bit one dimensional, but then he only appeared once so there wasn't much chance to flesh out his character more. He appeared the same way in TNG relaunches as well--which isn't really surprising considering New Frontier, at least in theory, was in the same 'universe' as the relaunches (though not in every detail). PD does throw a wrinkle in after the time jump depicting Calhoun and Jellico as friends. So he obviously decided to throw a monkey wrench into the Jellico character.
Re: Riker--I kind of thought some of his anger was justified. Jellico comes on and basically upends everything top to bottom and when Riker brings up his concerns he's told to suck it up basically. Part of Riker's job as First Officer is to make sure things run smoothly and Jellico basically said to screw off. I actually didn't get the impression Riker was upset about not being given command--though he was obviously concerned about the loss of Picard as Captain.
And I imagine Starfleet is like any organization--it has some great captains and some not so great captains. They can't all be like Picard or Kirk.
Having rewatched it recently, there's a brief moment where Riker assumes he's going to be given command and then Nechayev shuts him down. Mind you, I think this isn't as petty as it sounds as Riker has already done a mission where he rescued Captain Picard from impossible odds.
I actually think Jellico is probably one of the best. He's achieved everything he's set out to do. He's just not a captain who wants or needs to be liked by his crew. I think it's a valid interpretation he's irritating them with needless orders just to get them used to obeying someone other than Picard.
Oddly, that's why I don't have a problem with Calhoun and Jellico being friends because I actually think they're more similar than different in that. One of the moments I remember best from NEW FRONTIER is the "Kobayashi Maru" for Calhoun where he blows up the titular ship.
I actually buy Starfleet's reaction because it's probably been ages since the board of review has seen anyone try anything new. Shelby, being too close to Calhoun, misses the military discipline and obedience that Calhoun is used to as a warlord and flunks out of the test.
Once Calhoun demonstrates he's a results orientated sort of guy and not the maverick people thinks (he's actually not, it's just he's unconventionally challenged by weird and impossible things on a regular basis) then I think they'd get along fine as their command styles are more similar than different. He's not there to be their friend.
Of course, "Is Jellico a good captain" is one of the great debates of TNG fandom.
I imagine the same for Mac.
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I think it’s more to do with the actor who played Jellico. He always plays assholes.
I agree with the early books being better as it has them all together. I get his reasoning of breaking them apart to keep it fresh but if you really look at it, he only did less than 10 stories before the break up. He could have done way more with the original status quo.
I was also upset Xyon didn’t get his love but who know what the future holds.
I agree with the early books being better as it has them all together. I get his reasoning of breaking them apart to keep it fresh but if you really look at it, he only did less than 10 stories before the break up. He could have done way more with the original status quo.
I was also upset Xyon didn’t get his love but who know what the future holds.
I think it’s more to do with the actor who played Jellico. He always plays assholes.
There's prescient science fiction and PRESCIENT science fiction.
I still ship Robin and Wesley!
She's a widow now!
I love adult Wesley and squeed when they included him in Cold Equations. Wesley (and Will Wheaton himself) got a lot of undeserved flak from behind the scenes, let alone in front of it. I was just the right age to appreciate him as the naive newcomer and "The First Duty" showed just what Will could do. Even if it didn't, like Grant Morrison, I don't believe there's many bad ideas in genre fiction--just bad execution.
I thought Nimbus III showing up in Picard and Star Trek: Online (where it was effectively Tatooine crossed with New Vegas) was awesome.
So it's a shame we never saw Peter David's take on Wesley.
I thought Nimbus III showing up in Picard and Star Trek: Online (where it was effectively Tatooine crossed with New Vegas) was awesome.
So it's a shame we never saw Peter David's take on Wesley.
I preferred the middle books - Excalibur: Restoration and Once Burned in particular.
The characterisation was rough in the early ones (Burgoyne in particular was grating), but it really clicked after a while. I didn't mind the jump in time so much, but was more turned off by the bleakness. The Returned in particular went way too far.
The characterisation was rough in the early ones (Burgoyne in particular was grating), but it really clicked after a while. I didn't mind the jump in time so much, but was more turned off by the bleakness. The Returned in particular went way too far.
I prefer the earlier books too when the issues were confined to one sector of space and were not universe-ending events that came later. Stone and Anvil would have been a good place to end the series.
The cgi Excalibur on the cover of Dark Allies also made me laugh. Covers back then could be just as bad as some now.
The cgi Excalibur on the cover of Dark Allies also made me laugh. Covers back then could be just as bad as some now.
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