Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoilers)

[TJ Sinclair]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

But the comic series is the officially-authorized prequel to the film. A novel from Pocket, unless it's an expansion of the comic story, would be unlikely. Not to mention redundant.

Believe me, I'd want to see the Countdown story expanded, because, like everything else IDW has published (and even the film itself), it's overly-simplistic.

But I don't think it's going to happen.

 

[Silent_Bob]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Personally my feelings on the new "Star Trek" film, are pretty much meh, so whether or not i would pick up a novel set in the new universe is pretty much up in the air at the moment.

My biggest concern is whether two novel series set in different timelines will be allowed to continue. I'm dreading the announcement that the current novel series will stop because some Executive Moron at Paramount thinks that we are as dense as they are and will be confused by existance of two seperate continuities.

If Lucas can ask for the demise of Anakin Solo, because its "too confusing" to have two completely different characters with the same first name in a novel series, then my worst case scenario is not completely out of the realms of possibility.

As for the impact of the destruction of Romulus and Remus, as Christopher says there are six years until the novels catch up to that point. Plenty of time to tell stories about the Romulan homeworld before it gets blown to feth.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

My biggest concern is whether two novel series set in different timelines will be allowed to continue. I'm dreading the announcement that the current novel series will stop because some Executive Moron at Paramount thinks that we are as dense as they are and will be confused by existance of two seperate continuities.

It's never been a requirement that all ST tie-ins have to be consistent with one another. And the Mirror Universe and Myriad Universes anthologies proved successful, demonstrating that audiences are willing and able to pay attention to more than one timeline. There's no business logic in cutting off part of your audience.

Besides, I doubt an executive would care about timelines or continuity or any of that. What matters to them is the success of the brand. There is abundant precedent for works being created to tie into a film or series of films despite being in an incompatible continuity. My Spider-Man and X-Men novels were commissioned as promotional tie-ins to the third films in both series (timed to coincide with the theatrical release of one and the DVD release of the other, though I forget which was which), but they're in the comics continuity rather than the movie continuities. NickToons network recently premiered a new Wolverine and the X-Men animated series to tie into the Wolverine film and an Iron Man animated series to capitalize on the success of that film, but neither is in the same continuity as its respective film (in fact Iron Man Armored Adventures is a highly revisionist reality where the main characters are teenagers). So it has never been a requirement that a tie-in share continuity with the movie it's cross-promoting. All that matters is that it shares the name and the basic attributes.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

There's no reason why both lines won't do well- look at the post-Jedi Star Wars timeline, which has continued happily on as a shared-world lit series (like the various AD&D tie-in novels) since the prequels and prequel-era novels began. It seems to me that the arcs we've seen lately in Trek Lit are exactly that kind of series - a lit SF/action series with a brand name tied to a popular franchise. Any Abramsverse novels will sit happily along with that, but I should think would be standalone so as to cause minimal potential upset or conflict come sequel-time.

 

[Sci]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I am just really looking forward to reading the novel that tells the story of the destruction of Romulus and the other events which unfolded in ST:XI.

You realise that's covered by a comic mini-series already?: "Countdown".

I, for one, am looking forward to a novel that tells the story of the destruction of Romulus in the context of the storylines the novels already have going on, and which does not make foolish and arbitrary character decisions (Captain Data, Worf with the Klingons).

Or, to put it another way:

I'm looking forward to a novel that tells the story of the destruction of Romulus that doesn't suck.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

It's never been a requirement that all ST tie-ins have to be consistent with one another. And the Mirror Universe and Myriad Universes anthologies proved successful, demonstrating that audiences are willing and able to pay attention to more than one timeline. There's no business logic in cutting off part of your audience.

Besides, I doubt an executive would care about timelines or continuity or any of that.

Ah, but they do care about successful marketing. Things need to be accessible for newcomers. Remember, that's why the new film is what it is, and not a continuation of the original timeline.

A lot of the people that were sitting next to me in the theatre will be expecting tie-ins to make sense with the new film. And it is conceivable an executive ruling might come down limiting tie-ins to the film only, so as not to confuse newcomers to fandom.

Such an eventuality would be highly unfortunate, but it is within the realm of possibility.

 

[KRAD]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

^ There are already books under contract for through to mid-2010 or so. To abandon all those books would involve a huge loss for Pocket Books. I just don't see that happening.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I'm not talking immediately, but I can see it happening.

 

[Defcon]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Yeah, because it would be a smart decision to kill a working line in favor of books on a movie that so far is nothing more than a one hit wonder and more or less directly insult your customers' intelligence by assuming they are to stupid to differentiate between two timelines.

 

[Jbarney]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I think that's the biggest question from the movie that I'd want clarified, but not in a novel. Earth, as the capital of the Federation, is left either undefended or underdefended.

No, it wasn't. The whole reason Nero abducted and tortured Pike was to get the codes for shutting down Earth's defense grid. If that grid had been engaged, Earth could've defended itself without needing starships. This is the first film since TMP to even acknowledge that Earth would have a planetary defense grid, which is a major plus.

Another thing would be why the destruction of 47 Klingon starships is met with essentially a "Sucks to be them" response. Even Uhura, as the person who received and translated the message (and since when are cadets just allowed access to information like that?), didn't think it was particularly pressing, since she only tells her roommate (and unintentionally, Kirk) at first.

How could she be allowed or denied access when she was the first one to detect it? None of her superior officers would've even known about it until after she'd told them, so allowing her access would not even be an issue.

Uhura was a cadet at the end of her final year, having already earned lieutenant's rank (like Saavik). According to her dossier on the film site, she was the top of her class in her field and was a teaching aide in Spock's Advanced Phonology course. She had earned responsibility and respect within the Academy.

And who says she only told her roommate? She naturally would've notified her superiors before leaving her post. Just because Pike didn't have access to the information the next day doesn't mean she'd kept it secret from everyone.

Actually, I took this a little further, and when I went to see it the second time, there is nothing that indicates that Pike didn't know about it in the first place. Pike hadn't connected the dots as Kirk did, but it is possible he already knew about the destruction of the Klingon ships. He doesn't need to discuss it with his fill in bridge crew. Their mission is to Vulcan. This is speculation on my part. Pike, not far from being promoted to admiral, would have known about the destruction of those ships.

 

[Ronald Held]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I thought Pike meant general test scores analogous to those children take now.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Jeez, guys. I'm not advocating the end of printed Trek as we know it!

I hate the idea, and think it's stupid myself. But I have enough experience dealing with media executives to know it's a possibility that cannot, as yet, be completely discounted. Many media execs do not give their audience enough credit for intelligence.

Which, as you may have heard, is why NBC nixed "The Cage" in the first place.

 

[David cgc]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

If a person can jump from Cadet to Captain of the flagship after a week in space, there must be one hell of a shortage of senior officers around.

Considering that the home fleet was entirely destroyed and was so understaffed so they had to bring up cadets to actually fly the ships, that's pretty much the impression I got. Kirk got the captain's billet, at least in part, because there was no one else available.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Of course, in real world terms, it's just another example of time-compressed over-simplification in order to keep the pace of the film. Makes it hell for nitpickers like us, but we just gotta go with it.

 

[addendum]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I'd be really intrigued to see a book that delves into the history of Starfleet following the destruction of the Kelvin and prior to the new film. This could give us the backstory on the development, alternate design and delay in building the Enterprise. I know that in the scheme of things, the changes to the Enterprise are not seriously important to the story... But as she is a major character in any Trek timeline, I want to know her backstory.

Of course, the backstory on the Enterprise might not hold a whole novel together. It would have to be carefully interwoven into a story that would appeal to more than just the 'starship porn addicts' like myself. It would be good to somehow see it combined with a Pike story... perhaps his involvement in a Kelvin investigation.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

The thirteen year delay in the Enterprise's launch is the most significant change between 2233 and 2258. No Robert April captaincy, no Talos IV... things are drastically different right there.

 

[DimesDan]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

The thirteen year delay in the Enterprise's launch is the most significant change between 2233 and 2258. No Robert April captaincy, no Talos IV... things are drastically different right there.

I know he showed up on the Animated Series and the "canon" of that is suspect, so does the fact April did not appear in Star Trek matter?

Also, the loss of Vulcan and the death of George Kirk and the Kelvin pretty much cements the Star Trek reality in a different timeline from the Original Series.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I know he showed up on the Animated Series and the "canon" of that is suspect, so does the fact April did not appear in Star Trek matter?

Apparently CBS Paramount has declared TAS part of canon again, according to references on Startrek.com and elsewhere. But no, April's exclusion doesn't matter. I wasn't complaining about it, just noting that whatever he might have accomplished during his captaincy of the Enterprise either did not happen, or else, happened very differently.

Also, the loss of Vulcan and the death of George Kirk and the Kelvin pretty much cements the Star Trek reality in a different timeline from the Original Series.

Uh, again, not disputing that. I don't see your point here. I was referring to differences between Nero's first incursion (2233) and the attack on Vulcan (2258). The delay of the Enterprise's launch, and everything that branches off from that, is probably the biggest difference between the two timelines during that 25 year period. Of course, the destruction of Vulcan is ultimately the biggest difference in the timelines (as we've seen so far).

 

[DimesDan]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Fair enough.

Also it would be reasonable to infer that in the 25 year gap in the film, something happened that meant the Federation knew what Romulans looked like and were related to Vulcans.

Maybe this was a result of Neros Temporal incursion and thus cause the events of Balance of Terror moot as well.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Yup.

Oooooooh, on the plus side, that means that Mark Lenard's Romulan Commander might survive! :-D

Now, if only Ben Cross could play a double role...