Spoilers TOS: A Contest of Principles by Greg Cox Review Thread

[Mike Doyle]

I’m not finished but enjoying it so far.

Can anyone (@Greg Cox) tell me who the Scientist Subimore is?

“Look at Landru, Oppenheimer, or Subimore.”

I’m made to feel even more ignorant by the next line; he assumed Colc was knowledgeable enough of galactic history to grasp the references.

I’ve tried googling but the only page that comes up is the memory beta page for this novel with no further info.

 

[Christopher]

“Look at Landru, Oppenheimer, or Subimore.”

I’m made to feel even more ignorant by the next line; he assumed Colc was knowledgeable enough of galactic history to grasp the references.

I would assume it's just a reference to imply there's a bigger universe than what we've seen onscreen, like in TOS when Kirk referenced dictators like "Napoleon, Hitler, Ferris, and Maltuvis." We didn't know anything about who those last two are, but their inclusion helped sell the idea that there was an intervening history between our era and theirs.

 

[Greg Cox]

I would assume it's just a reference to imply there's a bigger universe than what we've seen onscreen, like in TOS when Kirk referenced dictators like "Napoleon, Hitler, Ferris, and Maltuvis." We didn't know anything about who those last two are, but their inclusion helped sell the idea that there was an intervening history between our era and theirs.

Bingo. I just made up the name "Subimore" to convey the impression of a larger future history. This is a fairly standard SF device, often used in STAR TREK.

"I'll go down in history, alongside Newton, Einstein, and Vortexia the Third!"

Not trying to make anyone feel ignorant. Sorry!

The first STAR WARS movie, back in 1977, did this as well, casually dropping references to "the Clone Wars" or "spice mines of Kessel" without explanation, as though these were things that everybody knew about. Just to make the universe feel more lived in.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I don't remember any canonical reference to Ferris and . . . Oh. Dialogue between Kirk and Korby in "What Are Little Girls Made Of."

 

[captainmkb]

STAR TREK has always been strangely lacking in muckraking reporters . . . .

oof - i completely missed association with Kolchak. will have to re-read. my mental picture of the character solidified pretty early as being Freddy Lounds from Manhunter and then i had to kind of soften the edges of that association when i realized he wasn't as much of a slime

 

[Greg Cox]

oof - i completely missed association with Kolchak. will have to re-read. my mental picture of the character solidified pretty early as being Freddy Lounds from Manhunter and then i had to kind of soften the edges of that association when i realized he wasn't as much of a slime

As I recall, he wasn't literally supposed to be a riff on Kolchak, but just the sort of cynical, wisecracking reporter you see in lots of the vintage movies and TV shows, dating back to the thirties and forties at least. (Of which Kolchak is a prime example.)

 

[captainmkb]

As I recall, he wasn't literally supposed to be a riff on Kolchak, but just the sort of cynical, wisecracking reporter you see in lots of the vintage movies and TV shows, dating back to the thirties and forties at least. (Of which Kolchak is a prime example.)

i guess most of my current influences aren't vintage but are in the realm of the neo-noir (like the Manhunter association that formed in my brain)

still i'm about due for a re-read, i liked the amount of worldbuilding and i wanted to give myself some time to reset and dive back in. my first readthrough was just about a year ago (i had bought it when it came out but after seeing the chaos of the Capitol insurrection i just had to put it down, i couldn't even focus on election-related drama until Biden's term solidified and lasted a few months. it was too real)

 

[Greg Cox]

i guess most of my current influences aren't vintage but are in the realm of the neo-noir (like the Manhunter association that formed in my brain)

still i'm about due for a re-read, i liked the amount of worldbuilding and i wanted to give myself some time to reset and dive back in. my first readthrough was just about a year ago (i had bought it when it came out by after seeing the chaos of the Capitol insurrection i just had to put it down, i couldn't even focus on election-related drama until Biden's term solidified and lasted a few months. it was too real)

Tell me about it. It was SO weird that this book saw print in . . . November 2020.

 

[David cgc]

I just finished the book myself (that's the trouble with eBooks, it's even easier than the physical ones for them just slip into a to-read pile; out of sight, out of mind). About ten pages in, I did have to flip back to check exactly when was it this was released, for all the reasons that have already been gone over. I did want to note that I did like the triple plot, with the three planets giving each of the three leads their own challenge. McCoy's plot was far and away my favorite, though I admit I suspected from the jump that the healer was somehow poisoning the princess to ensure her own necessity, though the last few swerves in the narrative with the metaphor about dependency and withdrawal managed the impressive feat of having me surprised by something I saw coming a mile away when we saw her thoughts and that she was intentionally exerting a negative influence, after all. And, of course, the spunky bodyguard/confidant/sculptor was totally my shit.

 

[Greg Cox]

. And, of course, the spunky bodyguard/confidant/sculptor was totally my shit.

I really enjoyed writing that character.