Book's ship has been used about as much as any RunAbout in DS9. We even know many of the RunAbout's names. Yet we don't know the name of Book's Ship. in ST:TNG, the ships are as important as any living breathing character. Book's ship is no different. It's similar in level to a Hero Ship, more like "Side-kick" ship. But it's importance is very high, especially given Book's place in the story. Book's ship has a similar level of importance as the "La Sirena". This is from ST:TNG Writers Technical Manual: Even in ST: Prodigies official explanation of what a StarShip is, they're as important as a main character. They're more than just set dressing.
I couldn't care less about Book's ship or why it's being discussed in La Sirena's thread, maybe who ever is compelled to keep engaging in that, please don't reply here and take it to it's own thread. But that is a great citation^ from the tech manual/series bible, as how Trek hero ships come to be seen, if done right. That should certainly be applied to La Sirena. I do wish they would (I imagine they will as the seasons progress) expand on her "character", we've gotten some hints through Rios and some of the EH's I haven't read the Rios novel don't know how much they go into her history? I would like to see some of that established on screen. How she got her name, besides Rio' collection of sirenas, what came first), color scheme, etc If she was a hauler, in what capacity. What if any modifications Rios did. etc. If the lead characters now all have their own rooms on board, where are they, layout? maybe see some of those "personalities" reflected in the ship. Does any of that now spill over into the main dining/meeting area. Or does Rios keep it all "Starfleet" ship-shape pristine. Any quirks she may have. (most of the ships unique "character" development was done through Scotty in TOS), not sure if we'll still have the EEH (Ian) this season? Or are the EH's all decommissioned, now that he has a real crew?
For the record, the novel is worth reading. It's fun, and does delve into how Rios acquired the ship, why he chose the name, where the mermaid collection came from, etc. Of course, the show might contradict that backstory, but it seems unlikely - on-screen they seem to have other issues on their mind, I can't imagine anyone will stop in the middle of the next crisis to ask Rios why all the mermaids!
Lead hero-ships definitely come to be seen as "characters" in Trek And if handled right so should La Sirena.. Well yeah that's pretty specific, and if anything the type of stuff that comes out when things expand into 7 seasons, and if at all during a fill in elevator episode, not a hi crisis episode (I didn't imagine that, that was you) Or in ancillary material like the Novels (hence I mentioned it) I was just trowing out the idea of some nuances, about the ship. Point being(which seems to have been lost), is if done right, as things go further, and the more you learn and care about them, in Trek you do come to see and think of the main hero ships as "characters". I do want that for La Sirena.
Maybe we need to spend more time on it. Then it'll get upgraded to recurring Guest Character. Just like the "Millenium Falcon" is a "Hero Ship" in the original Star Wars trilogy. My bad, Spanish isn't my strong suit.
I really liked Rogue Elements (the Rios novel). It's a great mystery and adventure, and I I found a lot of the characterization fit very well. Just overall really enjoyable and worth a read! However, I wouldn't exactly take it as super authoritative with regards to La Sirena's layout and history. There are a whole lot of inconsistencies that you have to explain away with either a Watsonian "Rios continued to make major structural changes to all parts of the ship (like some of the walls) between the end of the novel and the beginning of the series", or a Doylian "JJMiller got access to this specific set of designs from the production crew, but after looking at them closely it's clear they represent an earlier version of the set and a few more changes were made in the building process." Both of these are perfectly decent explanations, of course, and absolutely none of these truly minor inconsistencies detract from the great quality of the novel at all! But I have decided for me personally that I won't use the novel as a guide to Sirena's history, but merely as one among a number of headcanons and possible explanations of this ships origin and history
I probably will inevitably check out the Rios novel. I do however hope more details, history, nuances, quirks etc. about La Sirena come by way of the show (obviously when appropriate)). And yeah I would take those as canon, over the Novel, or any forthcoming comics, etc. As stated the more you learn about them, inside and out, see the characters interact with them, see them in action, the ships (Enterprise, The Arcadia, SBS Yamato, Falcon, Galactica, Firefly's Serenity, Rocinante, etc. to many to list a significant part of Sci-Fi) ships (this goes back to nautical ships) you end up caring about them, and can and have become like "characters" onto themselves. Don't know if they'll ever pull that off here, yet hoping the same for La Sirena.
More like cozier settings than characters. I wish there was a better term to describe than "character" in comparison to actual human beings. That said, they do feel more realistic and accessible with more information gained about them. I did not appreciate the Enterprise Refit until I read Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise. It was an interesting read, if odd in places.
What I love about Sirena is that since they have this monumental set, she does feel much more like a real space to me than some of the other ships. (Though it might also be because I've been obsessing about her for so long ;9) There is so much detail there that makes her feel like a real place. Like the red paint on the railings that's worn from age (rather than neglect). Or the plants and myriads of props in sickbay that really give it depth and make it feel lived-in. Or the fact that the logo is plastered absolutely everywhere I'm just a little worried, because it currently seems as if pretty much all of these aspects will disappear in season 2 (which makes sense, since Sirena's function changes completely). I just hope the lovely details return for season 3. Or they add new ones, to give the ship back its old feeling.
It probably does, that's the main plot of the season. It probably doesn't get fixed until the last couple episodes.
I would imagine so. I would imagine that the first three or four episodes is just the crew getting used to their new surroundings and discovering how wrong everything is, and then taking steps to fix it. Then shenangins. Then Q lesson. Profits.
I hope the whole season is about time travel, but they're not stuck on 21st century Earth past the first couple of episodes.