Please understand that when I speak of certain species being maintained as antagonists, I mean that for example, everytime there is threat of a coup of Qo'noS (like in the Trek games too, which are part of the beta canon like Pocket Books), it seems to lead to xenophobes being in a position to take power, or some anti-Federation polemicist finding mass support in the Empire. In the new Trek MMO, which is tying itself into the Pocket Books canon, the Klingons have once again had a breakdown in relations with the Federation.
There's no such thing as "beta canon" here. That's a term from
Star Wars tie-in fiction and reflects the arcane and convoluted policies that Lucasfilm has developed for categorizing its tie-ins. It's completely erroneous to assume the same set of policies applies to Trek tie-in fiction. In Trek, there is the canon (onscreen material) and everything else. Period. Tie-in works are obligated to remain consistent with screen canon, but are not obligated to be consistent with one another. Often, continuity does exist within tie-in material as a matter of authorial and editorial choice, but it is not the default position. The continuity that currently exists within the literature is purely a function of the literature. Other tie-ins, such as the comics and the MMORPG, are independent projects, and their creative choices cannot be assumed to reflect upon the choices of the novel authors and editors.
So you're misinformed about the relationship between
Star Trek Online and Trek Lit. It's true that ST:O has borrowed
some ideas from Trek Lit (primarily with regard to Romulan politics) as part of its backstory, but it's also blatantly contradicted the Trek Lit continuity in a number of ways (particularly where DS9 continuity is concerned), and it's completely incompatible with the events of
Destiny and subsequent books. ST:O and Trek Lit represent two extremely different continuities.
To borrow an argument I heard Dave Mack make at the NY Comic-Con a while back, the novels and the
ST Online game have different sets of storytelling needs which lead them in different directions. ST:O is reverting to a state of enmity between the UFP and the Klingons because as a game, it will tend to be driven by action, combat, and fairly straightforward us-vs.-them scenarios. The storytelling needs of prose fiction are entirely different, and there's more room there for a more involved exploration of subtler political dynamics. If anything, straightforward combat doesn't work as well in prose as it does in visual media, so it's in the best interest of the books to embrace more nuanced political situations.
As far as the UFP-Klingon relationship stands in the novels, it's stronger than ever in the wake of
Destiny. You really need to stop making uninformed assumptions and just read the books.
I am not suggesting that the Federation gobble up everything - rather I am suggesting that perhaps some cultures in Star Trek be less adamantly against it. Maybe this has changed in recent novels - but the amount of potential xenophobic coups in the past, doesnt show the Klingons in a very good light.
Again -- you need to read the books.
Yeah, human(oid) trafficing. In the 21st century, the European Union and United States, cannot control the flow of people sold into slavery, as sex workers, etc. Films like 'Sancho the Bailiff' are as relevent today as they would have been to Haien period Japan. Abstract metaphors like the borg are okay, but they don't show the emotional side of being a slave very well, since drones have no emotion.
A number of Trek books over the decades have dealt with slavery, and I'm sure others will in the future.
I quite liked J Michael Stratzynski's proposed new Trek series, where he suggested bringing in current science fiction authors to write episodes, but I dont see it happening.
In the final season of
Enterprise, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, wo have written a number of
original science fiction works as well as Trek novels and comics, were brought aboard as story editors.
However, the Reeves-Stevenses also had extensive experience as television producers. Writing prose and writing television are very different disciplines, and not many people are skilled at both. That's why you don't see a lot of novelists -- SF or otherwise -- working in television. (There's a lot more crossover between comics writers and TV writers these days, because they're more similar disciplines, both of them more visual and less internalized than prose.)
As for Straczynski, he tried to get prose authors to contribute to
Babylon 5, and he had some limited success (David Gerrold, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman), but overall he ended up writing virtually the entire series by himself. So it's questionable whether he really lived up to his own stated goals.
