Star Trek II and III Young Adult Books

[ryan123450]

Does anyone have the young adult books published around Star Trek II and Star Trek III. I'm trying to find out if they share any references with other novels. In particular, I'm wondering if any of them might make reference to Saavik's half Romulan heritage? The ones I'm thinking of are Star Trek II Short Stories, Star Trek III Short Stories, Distress Call!, and The Vulcan Treasure. Trying to find any links between them and other books.

 

[Extrocomp]

According to Memory Beta, only the story The Azphari Enigma features Saavik. There is no mention of Saavik being half-Romulan anywhere in the story.

By the way, Star Trek II Short Stories, Star Trek III Short Stories and Distress Call! are available to borrow at the Internet Archive online library. I'm assuming it's legal.

 

[publiusr]

Book’s Unlimited in Center Point AL (long since defunct) had scores of those.

 

[ryan123450]

According to Memory Beta, only the story The Azphari Enigma features Saavik. There is no mention of Saavik being half-Romulan anywhere in the story.

By the way, Star Trek II Short Stories, Star Trek III Short Stories and Distress Call! are available to borrow at the Internet Archive online library. I'm assuming it's legal.

Thanks! I always forget that site exists!

 

[Therin of Andor]

The Vulcan Treasure.

This one's storyline reminded me a lot of "Vulcan's Glory" by DC Fontana, ie. the search for a fabled Vulcan artefact. And perhaps TNG's two-parter episode, "Gambit".

"ST II Biographies", of course, gave the novels the first name Nyota for Uhura.

 

[Extrocomp]

"ST II Biographies", of course, gave the novels the first name Nyota for Uhura.

That's just about the only thing from Star Trek II Biographies that made it into later novels. Everything else was contradicted.

 

[F. King Daniel]

"ST II Biographies", of course, gave the novels the first name Nyota for Uhura

I've been trying to get hold of that one for years without success, I'm very curious how the character backstories differ from what was since established on TV and in other books.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I've been trying to get hold of that one for years without success, I'm very curious how the character backstories differ from what was since established on TV and in other books.

Maybe the weirdest assumptions, IIRC, was that the Genesis Planet was created out of the destruction of Ceti Alpha V (not just the Mutara Nebula) and was to be now known as "Spock". Which would also suggest that Kyle and Beach were dead.

 

[Christopher]

I've been trying to get hold of that one for years without success, I'm very curious how the character backstories differ from what was since established on TV and in other books.

I remember it making some bizarre assertions. For instance, it implied that warp drive had been invented in Scotty's lifetime. I think Chekov was a native of Luna, and I'm not sure, but it may have said he was raised in low gravity, which would've made it difficult for him to function in normal gravity (plus he'd probably have been really tall and skinny). Khan knew Chekov's face despite never meeting him because he'd memorized the entire duty roster of Starfleet, which Kirk had for some reason allowed him access to while he was recuperating in sickbay. Oh, and Pavel Andreievich Chekov's father was named Alexei rather than Andrei, proving that Rotsler didn't understand how Russian patronymics work.

The Uhura chapter is online here: http://www.williamcharlesrotsler.com/2015/02/limited-time-only-read-official.html I drew on bits of it for building Uhura's backstory in Living Memory, though its portrayal of Africa is a bit problematical (but then, so was Alan Dean Foster's in Star Trek Log Ten).

 

[Leto_II]

I've been trying to get hold of that one for years without success, I'm very curious how the character backstories differ from what was since established on TV and in other books.

I remember when my local public library had a copy, and I must've checked it out probably close to a dozen times or so back in the mid-'80s when I was in grade school.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I've been trying to get hold of that one for years without success, I'm very curious how the character backstories differ from what was since established on TV and in other books.

There are about a half-dozen copies on eBay now. From about US $11 to $20.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Thanks everyone, this just makes me want to read the whole thing even more!

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Khan knew Chekov's face despite never meeting him because he'd memorized the entire duty roster of Starfleet, which Kirk had for some reason allowed him access to while he was recuperating in sickbay.

Which is pretty funny, since Khan recognizing Chekov comes right after he takes a long look at Captain Terrell and says, "I don't know you."

But to be be fair to William Rotsler, there was no home video release for STII yet, and he was most likely operating from memory.

 

[Steve Roby]

By the way, Star Trek II Short Stories, Star Trek III Short Stories and Distress Call! are available to borrow at the Internet Archive online library. I'm assuming it's legal.

It isn't. They didn't bother getting permission from copyright holders.

Rotsler did several Trek books, fiction, choose your own adventure, and trivia. I liked the Short Stories and Biographies, though they aren't consistent with much of anything else. Images are my cover scans from the Internet Archive saved version of my old Trek books site.

 

[Extrocomp]

It isn't. They didn't bother getting permission from copyright holders.

Odd that such a well known website would be openly engaging in piracy. How do they get away with it?

 

[Steve Roby]

They have a complaint-driven content removal system, I think. Some publishers sued them when Internet Archve started publicizing the Open Library as an option for people who couldn't visit public libraries during the pandemic. Here's an article from a few months ago. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw...r-communcations-in-book-scanning-lawsuit.html

 

[Therin of Andor]

I liked the Short Stories and Biographies, though they aren't consistent with much of anything else.

Sparrow Books (UK) released William Rotsler's "Star Trek II" book of short stories for Young Readers in both hardcover and paperback, but seemingly deemphasising its connection to "The Wrath of Khan" by making the "II" incredibly small on the cover. (The US edition, nine months earlier, had the Enterprise upside down on the front cover.)


"Star Trek II Short Stories" UK edition by Ian McLean, on Flickr

 

[Avro Arrow]

Sparrow Books (UK) released William Rotsler's "Star Trek II" book of short stories for Young Readers in both hardcover and paperback, but seemingly deemphasising its connection to "The Wrath of Khan" by making the "II" incredibly small on the cover. (The US edition, nine months earlier, had the Enterprise upside down on the front cover.)


"Star Trek II Short Stories" UK edition by Ian McLean, on Flickr

TBH, the "II" in the North American version (shown by @Steve Roby above) doesn't really look that well-integrated either. Could both be an effect of the fact that the "II" wasn't added to the title until later in production? I don't actually know at what point the "II" was added, but I believe I recall reading that there was some tie-in merchandise released without it, so I'm assuming it was fairly late in the process?

 

[Therin of Andor]

TBH, the "II" in the North American version (shown by @Steve Roby above) doesn't really look that well-integrated either. Could both be an effect of the fact that the "II" wasn't added to the title until later in production? I don't actually know at what point the "II" was added, but I believe I recall reading that there was some tie-in merchandise released without it, so I'm assuming it was fairly late in the process?

The first prints of "The Wrath of Khan" that premiered in the US had no "II". They were then sent off for various international premieres (including here in Sydney) and the new prints had the "II". The novelisation has no "II".

The UK diecast Enterprise and Klingon models came out with the title "The Vengeance of Khan" at the header of the packaging.

 

[publiusr]

Not familiar with those