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Sulu and Chekov novels?

tim0122

Lieutenant Commander
Red Shirt
Watching TOS, I can't help but think Sulu and Chekov would've had a deeply developed friendship in a later produced show that focused more on the supporting cast. Are there any Trek novels that focus on them and as buddies dealy with a problem?
 
TOS: The Face of the Unknown.
TOS novels written in the 21st century generally give the entire cast more to do compared to the show. The Face of the Unknown is many years old and I don't recall if Sulu and Chekov spend much time in the limelight but I do remember there's one scene/sequence involving them as friends specifically.
 

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The Face of the Unknown is many years old

Whoa, there. It's not quite seven years old. It was the last book in Pocket's 50th-anniversary year for TOS, released at the end of 2016 (though dated January 2017 because the listed publication date is usually a month after the actual release date).

With regard to Sulu and Chekov, I was sort of following in the precedent of L.A. Graf's multiple TOS novels from the early '90s, which tended to focus heavily on Sulu, Uhura, and Chekov.
 
Chekov gets a good bit of business in the TOS novel Kobayashi Maru.

That's actually The Kobayashi Maru by Julia Ecklar, not to be confused with the Enterprise novel Kobayashi Maru by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels (articles matter!).

Ecklar is one of the members of L.A. Graf (along with Karen Rose Cercone, as well as Melissa Crandall on the first "L.A. Graf" novel Ice Trap), so Ecklar's TKM and Crandall's solo novel Shell Game are in much the same vein as the Graf novels, with a similar style and a similar focus on Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura, as well as usually being set post-TMP, which was uncommon in '90s novels.

Be aware, though, that most of the Graf and Graf-adjacent novels make a point of putting Chekov through the wringer. They tend to be action thrillers, and Chekov (as the security chief post-TMP) carries the brunt of the action and takes a hell of a beating in the process.
 
That's actually The Kobayashi Maru by Julia Ecklar, not to be confused with the Enterprise novel Kobayashi Maru by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels (articles matter!).

Ecklar is one of the members of L.A. Graf (along with Karen Rose Cercone, as well as Melissa Crandall on the first "L.A. Graf" novel Ice Trap), so Ecklar's TKM and Crandall's solo novel Shell Game are in much the same vein as the Graf novels, with a similar style and a similar focus on Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura, as well as usually being set post-TMP, which was uncommon in '90s novels.

Be aware, though, that most of the Graf and Graf-adjacent novels make a point of putting Chekov through the wringer. They tend to be action thrillers, and Chekov (as the security chief post-TMP) carries the brunt of the action and takes a hell of a beating in the process.
Well, I did say the TOS novel. :p

Point, though.

I didn't know Graf was a compound author, as it were. I'm curious as to what would have shaped that kind of arrangement, if you have any details you're at liberty to share!
 
I´m currently reading the Janus Gate novels, there are good Sulu/Chekov moments in it....
 
The novel 'Death Count' (yes its a LA Graf book, who'da thunk) is another of those that concentrates on the three more than the standard trinity of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

And although its not a book but a fic, I think there was a series of stories which had Chekov as Sulu's XO at some point. I'll have to see if I can find them.
 
War Dragons has Sulu and Chekov both on the Excelsior, as well, though Pavel decides to go back to the Enterprise at the end (the movie-era half of the book is set before TUC). And I think the Lost Tales books also had Chekov as Sulu's first officer (after TUC, that time). I don't remember how much their friendship factored into it, versus the professional aspect.
 
I don't remember how big a part Chekhov plays in it, but The Fearful Summons by Denny Martin Flinn has Sulu as captain of the Excelsior. I thought it was a lot of fun.
 
L.A. Graff wrote several Star trek TOS novels that had quite a few story arcs for Sulu and Chekov getting their own stories in their books in the late 1980s and early 90s.Traitor Winds, Death count Is a good story with Chekov and Sulu's storyline with Orion spies and intrigue. also the Janus gate mini series. .Past Prologue and Future tense .Present tense. Ice Trap.
 
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L.A. Graff wrote several Star trek TOS novels that had quite a few story arcs for Sulu and Chekov getting their own stories in their books in the late 1980s and early 90s.Traitor Winds, Death count Is a good story with Chekov and Sulu's storyline with Orion spies and intrigue. also the Janus gate mini series. .Past Prologue and Future tense .Present tense. Ice Trap.
Star Trek: New Earth – Rough Trails too.
 
Another Star Trek Book with Sulu as Captain of the Excelsior is Forged in Fire by Michael Martin and Andy Mangels. They had another Sulu and Chekov book I can't recall the title right now.
 
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