Tek-War series: The books, the tv mini, and the game....

[Joel_Kirk]

This series was from the 90s when virtual technology was 'the thing'...(but not handled well until 'The Matrix,' IMO)....

Tek-War had a game (which I recall owing and playing a few times), a comic series, and a television mini-series, all based on the book series....

A question I have: Is William Shatner working with other writers, similar to the Trek Shatner-verse novels, or is all the writing Shatner himself?

I believe he--Shatner--still is writing books in the series; I do know he has started another sci-fi book series, which I forget the name of.

Other questions: Do you recommend this series? What are your thoughts on the series...

I vaguely know of this series as centering around a cop who awakens in the future, and there is a drug called 'Tek'....

 

[tharpdevenport]

I can't recall the series being all that good. I seem to recall exploding people with eyes that warned them. And cool weapons. I remember more from "FX: The Series" than I do this.

 

[cylkoth]

The series is available from Netflix, though the 4 movies that preceded it are not out on dvd. Strange, as they were produced by Universal for the syndicated Action Pack block, so there shouldn't be rights issues holding them back. The show hasn't aged well at all, compared to others of the day, i.e. Hercules, the Treks, etc. The background music, synthesizer rock on steroids, is an assault on your auditory senses, and the storylines-which start out alright in the early eps, goes so over the top into cheesy low rate action hour territory nearly half way thru. It got so bad, I didn't even finish watching.

 

[RandyS]

I believe he--Shatner--still is writing books in the series;

If he is, then it's a new thing. The last Tek War book came out something like 11 years ago if I remember right.

 

[Sakrysta]

The series is available from Netflix, though the 4 movies that preceded it are not out on dvd. Strange, as they were produced by Universal for the syndicated Action Pack block, so there shouldn't be rights issues holding them back. The show hasn't aged well at all, compared to others of the day, i.e. Hercules, the Treks, etc. The background music, synthesizer rock on steroids, is an assault on your auditory senses, and the storylines-which start out alright in the early eps, goes so over the top into cheesy low rate action hour territory nearly half way thru. It got so bad, I didn't even finish watching.

This is pretty much my experience as well, thought I bought the DVD set of the TV series. It is ... bad. I remembered it fondly, but it did NOT age well. There were a couple good actors, but most of them were horrible. For trivia buffs, a young Lexa Doig plays Cowgirl, a Tek hacker that helps the main characters occasionally.

 

[cylkoth]

^^And Stargate's Torri Higginson played Jake Cardigan's love interest Beth Kittridge in the early episodes, until being written out. Can't have the male lead tied down in a steady relationship...

And it's amazing, but Torri is hotter today than she was back then..what, 15 years ago?

 

[Sakrysta]

^Ugh, she was my main memory of bad acting. I was so glad when they killed her off.

 

[Christopher]

A question I have: Is William Shatner working with other writers, similar to the Trek Shatner-verse novels, or is all the writing Shatner himself?

The Tek novels were a collaboration between Shatner and veteran SF author Ron Goulart. Shatner got sole credit, but I gather from people familiar with Goulart's other work that the Tek books clearly reflect his style, focus, and approach.

^^And Stargate's Torri Higginson played Jake Cardigan's love interest Beth Kittridge in the early episodes, until being written out. Can't have the male lead tied down in a steady relationship...

Higginson was mainly featured in the movies, which were mostly adaptations of the books and were much more faithful to them than the weekly series was. In the series, they progressively wrote out or killed off most of the book characters, probably in order to replace the actors with cheaper ones.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

I believe he--Shatner--still is writing books in the series;

If he is, then it's a new thing. The last Tek War book came out something like 11 years ago if I remember right.

I stand corrected....

A question I have: Is William Shatner working with other writers, similar to the Trek Shatner-verse novels, or is all the writing Shatner himself?

The Tek novels were a collaboration between Shatner and veteran SF author Ron Goulart. Shatner got sole credit, but I gather from people familiar with Goulart's other work that the Tek books clearly reflect his style, focus, and approach.

Interesting...

 

[OmahaStar]

Interesting...

How so? Bill Shatner has yet to write any of the books credited to him. But his name brings in the bucks, so it works well for the actual writers in higher sales.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

Interesting...

How so? Bill Shatner has yet to write any of the books credited to him. But his name brings in the bucks, so it works well for the actual writers in higher sales.

That's why it's....interesting....

 

[Christopher]

How so? Bill Shatner has yet to write any of the books credited to him.

That's simply not true. As Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens have explained about the writing process on their Trek novels with him, Shatner decides on Kirk's story arc and dialogue, the Reeves-Stevenses come up with the rest of the story, they go back and forth rewriting each other's stuff, and Shatner makes the final decision on every word. That's as valid a form of collaboration as any other, analogous to the relationship between a TV series' showrunner and its other writing staffers. I'm sure his working relationship with Goulart and his other collaborators has been much the same.

 

[OmahaStar]

And you keep proving my point.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Shatner wants to dramatize 'Tek War' as radio shows

Shatner Interview

What are you most excited about right now? A: Well, as you know, I've got a series of comic books, four all together—one is out there already, Tek War, and another is coming out now, and two more coming within the year. So I've really entered the comic book world, but for me the next thing is my plan to make them in radio shows.

A: Yes, it is. And I've done radio before, as well. It's a foreign vehicle now. These days, it's hard to find people who can even write for radio. They've all disappeared. The production of a radio show is a challenge, too. You've got to find sound people for all the effects, for instance, and that's almost a lost art. A whole tradition has been lost. We're barely able to recapture some of it, but that is exactly what I'd like to do. It's all very early on. I've got to sell the idea. This piece you're writing might be helpful.

William Shatner’s next frontier: radio

Now we all know it won't be anything like the production values of
"Star Wars: A New Hope" NPR radio serial 1981
but it is a real medium of the mind's imagination.

 

[Buck Rogers]

I have the books,and recorded the TV Movie's as well as the series yes I do recomend reading the books,then watch either the TV Movies or the series.
I love the concepts of Cryo-Prison,Tek the drug,and android policemen that made you believe you're living the future.
Signed
Buck Rogers

 

[jefferiestubes8]

scifi radio shows

check this out.

Speaking of radio productions, though, I found this site that's got all these old-timey sci-fi radio shows. http://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/sci-fi/Dimension-X/index.php Scroll down to the last episode on the page, and it's Asimov's "Nightfall" on NBC radio from 1951.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

radio shows /audio-only horror film

Shatner Interview

What are you most excited about right now? A: Well, as you know, I've got a series of comic books, four all together—one is out there already, Tek War, and another is coming out now, and two more coming within the year. So I've really entered the comic book world, but for me the next thing is my plan to make them in radio shows.

William Shatner’s next frontier: radio

Perhaps this will catch on the use of audio-only.
H.P. Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror
"The Dunwich Horror"
There is a new horror film that did this very thing in what is being dubbed the world's first "audio horror":

The horror film has no images and is sound only.
It features Still Game comedian Greg Hemphill among the cast and asks the audience to use their imagination to create the pictures.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/scotland/edinburgh_east_and_fife/10205708.stm

The audio movie trailer is being released this week and audio screenings will take place at film festivals throughout the summer and autumn of 2010.

http://uk.prweb.com/releases/2010/04/prweb3899724.htm

will premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 23rd June.