Spoilers VOY: To Lose The Earth by Kirsten Beyer Review Thread

[Kilana2]

Finished it and voted outstanding.

Spoiler: Impressions

Chakotay and Janeway formally got together - even with rings.
I liked Gwyn's and Nancy's personal struggles and how it was dealt with.
The solution to Nancy's disease felt a bit rushed, though. The end of her relationship with Harry wasn't a surprise. Harry left as single parent will be interesting as is the argument between B'Elanna and Tom whether it is too dangerous aboard Voyager for their children.

Nice interaction between O'Donnell and Fife.

According to Collateral Damage we know that Naomi endet with Starfleet Intelligence......

No major cliffhanger there, but still many untold stories..... I hope one day someone picks up the loose ends.

I didn't like the DTI part of it, but liked it how Admiral Akaar handled the problem. Regina Farkas and El'nor Sal are my favorit characters. They are like Kirk and McCoy in their friendship and professional behavior.

Is this just coincidence: El'nor and Elnor?

 

[Damian]

I'm down to the last episode of Picard, season 1 now and I found it interesting to see some potential ties to this novel, particularly the moving of stars and the androids believing there is some higher order of synth life, perhaps outside the galaxy (could they be the Edrehmaia?).

I hope that the books continue to explore that from the litverse perspective. We have been told there is a 'plan' and apparently Beyer has alluded to that. I mean, I see almost no ways the existing litverse and Picard could co-exist as is, esp. from Destiny-on. But it'll be real interesting to see what openings future novels might find to bring the two in sync in some fashion.

 

[Markonian]

The Federation being friends with the Edrehmaia would be very useful in the long run.

Perhaps

Spoiler: DSC season 3 spoiler

in a speculative continuation of the TrekLitverse the Federation therefore side-steps the dilithium "peak-oil" by having unlimited slipstream capacity thanks to the Edrehmaia.

In turn, the canon post-NEM timeline is created after Janeway's fixed-point-in-time death.
By resolving the universal crisis in The Eternal Tide, the death of all Janeways was no longer needed.
Therefore, the new timelines sprung up where Janeway lives.
Admiral Janeway opposed the Full Circle mission to the Delta Quadrant, continually overruling Willem Batiste. So in canon and STO Trek, the Project Full Circle expedition does not happen. The range of slipstream remains limited. The Federation doesn't meet the Edrehmaia.

Spoiler: DSC season 3 spoiler

Ergo, the Burn.

This also allows the Janeways from IDW: mirror Voyager, STO, Star Trek: Timelines and Star Trek: Fleet Command to live beyond 2380.

 

[Nyotarules]

It seemed like it was merely the title due to the quote in the front. If anything, this book should have been titled "Architects of Infinity," and the last one, I dunno, something like "Garden of the Gods" maybe, describing DK-1116?

Also, not a fan of how Beyer, seemingly in a rush to finish, suddenly at the end of the book, turned Nancy into one of the most selfish people in the world. And yes, I know she didn't want the baby and circumstances took that out of her hands, and she's free to not want to be a mother. But to string Harry along simply because she was dying, only to be cured and be all "Yeah, we're done, have fun with our kid I didn't want! Kthxbye!" That's pretty damn cold. If Hugh hadn't seen through her BS, she probably could have gotten away with the whole "memories got lost in the transfer" lie.

In the future humans will be 'so enlightened' that walking away from parenting your own offspring will be no big deal e.g Kirk, McCoy, Riker's dad, Torres dad and Nancy Conlon.

 

[Josh Kelton]

I wouldn't be surprised if part of the impetus for Voyager's new multi-year mission is that they'd be getting back to the Federation right around the novelverse "present day" so they could be involved in Crisis on Infinite Treks or whatever it's going to be.

Although Voyager should probably still be in the Delta Quadrant in 2385, since there's a reference to the Full Circle fleet in "The Light Fantastic".

 

[Josh Kelton]

And yes, I know she didn't want the baby and circumstances took that out of her hands, and she's free to not want to be a mother.

If she had unprotected sex with Kim, it was probably to be expected that this would happen. Unless it's a Kasidy Yates type of situation, where one of them forgot to take injections.

 

[F. King Daniel]

This is currently 99p as an ebook on Amazon UK!

 

[JD]

 

[Krupp]

Finished it there - sort of interesting how the Krenim thing is mentioned throughout as a giant McGuffin for the wrap of the litverse.

The great galactic barrier - I can’t remember which books precisely (some of the Q ones and some of the TOS, with different variations on the story) but wasn’t it set up that the barrier keeps out some malevolent force?

Seem’s voyagers role now will be to return in time for the grand finale, perhaps riding in at the very end like the cavalry so they don’t have to explain too much but bring some extra galactic solution to the problem.

 

[Damian]

The great galactic barrier - I can’t remember which books precisely (some of the Q ones and some of the TOS, with different variations on the story) but wasn’t it set up that the barrier keeps out some malevolent force?

Yeah, Greg Cox's Q trilogy noted the barrier was created by the Q to keep out the malevolent "O" being (and the Great Barrier to keep in the entity encountered in TFF). Since the Galactic Barrier was sort of a ridiculous concept, I think Greg was going with the idea that it was artificially created to keep something out rather than it being natural.

However, that trilogy is not really part of the relaunch continuity. Elements may have been mentioned here and there but I doubt that will play any role in any future stories. I don't recall To Lose the Earth really doing anything that 'nullified' Greg's Q trilogy, how it came to be was never really mentioned so I guess it can still 'exist' in that continuity. We'll see what happens, if the Barrier plays a role in the Coda trilogy and if so does it conflict with the Q trilogy?

Michael Jan Friedman's The Valiant (which depicts Picard becoming Captain of the Stargazer) also depicts the Galactic Barrier. In that case Starfleet ships have become advanced enough to go through the barrier without significant problems.

 

[Christopher]

My problem with the idea of the barrier as an impassable thing surrounding the entire galaxy is that it never affected anyone but the Enterprise and the Kelvans; it didn't keep out other extragalactic entities such as Sylvia and Korob, the Doomsday Machine, the space amoeba, the builders of Mudd's androids, the cosmic cloud from "One of Our Planets is Missing," etc. Even TAS: "Beyond the Farthest Star," by the same author who created the barrier in "Where No Man...," didn't acknowledge it as an obstacle to moving outside the galaxy. So I think it makes far more sense to treat it as only a local phenomenon at the particular part of the galactic "edge" that the Enterprise and the Kelvans attempted to cross.

 

[Damian]

My problem with the idea of the barrier as an impassable thing surrounding the entire galaxy is that it never affected anyone but the Enterprise and the Kelvans; it didn't keep out other extragalactic entities such as Sylvia and Korob, the Doomsday Machine, the space amoeba, the builders of Mudd's androids, the cosmic cloud from "One of Our Planets is Missing," etc. Even TAS: "Beyond the Farthest Star," by the same author who created the barrier in "Where No Man...," didn't acknowledge it as an obstacle to moving outside the galaxy. So I think it makes far more sense to treat it as only a local phenomenon at the particular part of the galactic "edge" that the Enterprise and the Kelvans attempted to cross.

Well, I suppose you can argue that it affects certain things and not others. In Greg's trilogy it was specifically created by the Q to keep O out, the fact that it affects some beings and ships may have been unintended. The trilogy also explains the affect it has on humans with higher ESPer ratings.

Now I realize that probably won't stand up to too much scrutiny. But I'll usually give an author credit for trying to at least provide an in universe explanation for something in a way that at least makes sense form a narrative standpoint, if not a real world standpoint.

To Lose the Earth obviously went with the story that the Barrier surrounds the entire galaxy.

The Q trilogy and The Valiant could probably co-exist, mostly. Starfleet developed ships that could breach the barrier without too much difficulty (though I don't recall if the Q trilogy mentioned anything about Starfleet ships being able to breach the barrier). But those 2 and To Lose the Earth probably couldn't because I think in TLTE ships can't breach it IIRC (though TLTE and the Q trilogy could probably co-exist since TLTE really didn't get into the reasons for the Barrier being there).

I know, probably doesn't matter since they are not really intended to be taken together, but I like to look for ways where novels could fit together. It's an annoying habit of mine. Same reason I tried to find ways My Brother's Keeper and The Captain's Oath could co-exist in some areas, particularly in Kirk's pre-Captain career featured in MBK, even when they don't in other ways. Or finding ways that the various post-TMP novels could fit into the Ex Machina continuity. Or the New Frontier novels and the relaunches (which it's loosely tied to), etc.

Allright, I'm going off the rails now.

 

[Daddy Todd]

Finally finished the audiobook today.

I voted “below average”.

 

[Lynx]

Is this really the end of the Voyager Relaunch?

Why?

How can they come up with such a stupid decision?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Is this really the end of the Voyager Relaunch?

Why?

How can they come up with such a stupid decision?

The VOY relaunch is part of the Trek novelverse as a whole. Since the novelverse, as it currently exists, has to end - because of PIC - they have to wrap things up.

 

[Csalem]

Kirsten Beyer being busy with her other job may have been a factor too.

 

[Tuskin38]

Is this really the end of the Voyager Relaunch?

Why?

How can they come up with such a stupid decision?

Because it contradicts the new 24th century shows, and tie-in authors have to follow canon.

Also as Csalem said, Kirsten is busy working on 2 of those shows.

 

[Lynx]

Because it contradicts the new 24th century shows, and tie-in authors have to follow canon.

Also as Csalem said, Kirsten is busy working on 2 of those shows.

So, the Voyager Relaunch is ending because of the new dystopian crap shows?
In that case, I've bought my last Star Trek book!

I must be honest and admit that I haven't been that happy with the direction of the Voyager books in recent years.

But at least it existed a possibility to read about the old favorites and a hope for some things to be corrected and improved in the long run.

Now it's all gone and we are stuck with the gloom-and-doom crap the masterminds of the 21th century are pestering us with.

 

[Tuskin38]

ecause of the new dystopian crap shows?

None of the shows are 'dystopian', especially not Lower Decks, plus Prodigy probably won't be either since it's a kids show.

In that case, I've bought my last Star Trek book!

There's 3 more books coming out this fall set in the old continuity that will wrap it up.

Now it's all gone

The books still exist. They're not gone.

 

[Christopher]

None of the shows are 'dystopian', especially not Lower Decks, plus Prodigy probably won't be either since it's a kids show.

Yes. To copy and paste something I just wrote on Tor.com:

The perception that the modern shows are “grim” is totally wrong. They’re just serialized. Most stories start out grim, with bad stuff happening that the heroes have to contend with, but they often end up having bright, happy endings with the heroes triumphing over the bad stuff. There were TOS episodes that began with whole planets being annihilated, yet ended with the crew laughing and joking at the end. But with serialized seasons, you only get one long story broken up over multiple episodes, so you have to wait until the end of the season for the happy ending.

All the serialized seasons of Discovery and Picard that seemed so dark and grim in their early episodes actually had quite optimistic, hopeful resolutions that reaffirmed Star Trek‘s positive values. If anything, I feel the resolutions of DSC seasons 1-2 and PIC season 1 were too optimistic and rosy, wrapping things up a little too easily and neatly.