Surprised by "Triangle" (TOS)

[RonG]

On a quiet Friday morning, I found myself in a dusty old bookstore, and on a whim bought 4 older Trek novels (for about 50 cents each): Planet X (TNG), Crossroad (TOS), Battlestations! (TOS) and Triangle (TOS)- which I'd decided to read first.

I heard a great deal of criticism about Marshak and Culbreath's novels. and I'd bought The Prometheus Design way back when.. and never finished it. Still, the premise of the novel, as described in the back cover text, drew me in.

I half-expected to put the book away and have it sit in the (albeit small) unread trek novels pile, but somehow I was really taken with the story - it had a certain flow to it, an ease with which the words came alive, and an engaging, though somewhat cliched, plot.

Two things I especially liked, being a Trek novel continuity buff:

Spoiler: Spoiler! (even though it's been 27 years :) )

1. The "New Humans" plotline - when I first came across it, in the forward to the TMP novelization, I didn't give it too much attention. But this may have been, AFAIK, the first use of a multi-novel subplot in Trek Lit..

Does anyone know if this plotline was revisited again (in other novels or comics)?

Spoiler: Yet another spoiler

2. The Totality - was this the same "force" used in Shatner's Captain's Blood / Captain's Glory?

I find the choice to re-use this particular element quite innovative, yet dated a bit - did many readers of the newer books recall Triangle?

Overall, while Triangle is not a Trek Masterpiece in any way IMO, I did find it very enjoyable and now I wonder - did I miss anything by not finishing The Prometheus Design?

 

[Therin of Andor]

I heard a great deal of criticism about Marshak and Culbreath's novels. and I'd bought The Prometheus Design way back when.. and never finished it. Still, the premise of the novel, as described in the back cover text, drew me in.

There are certainly some fun elements of "Triangle". My disappointment at the time of publication was that the aliens in this novel, the Zaranites, were quite humanoid - and yet the alien race designated as Zaranites in TMP were the chitinous, fluorine-gas-breathing buttheads and, while Marshak & Culbreath made a point of looping numerous TMP references in both "The Prometheus Design" (ie the spray 'n' wear clothing function of sonic showers) and "Triangle", it was a shame they didn't chose differently here. A lost opportunity.

Mind you, humanoids were seen wearing turbans and TMP Zaranite suede outfits in ST IV, while the fluorine-gas-breathing Zaranites in ST IV got new outfits.

Spoiler: Spoiler! (even though it's been 27 years :) )

1. The "New Humans" plotline - when I first came across it, in the forward to the TMP novelization, I didn't give it too much attention. But this may have been, AFAIK, the first use of a multi-novel subplot in Trek Lit..

Does anyone know if this plotline was revisited again (in other novels or comics)?

Yeah, I think there are a few mentions in "The Lost Years Saga" (maybe?) and "Ex Machina"?

Spoiler: Yet another spoiler

2. The Totality - was this the same "force" used in Shatner's Captain's Blood / Captain's Glory?

Mmmm, forgot about that. Not sure.

 

[RonG]

There are certainly some fun elements of "Triangle". My disappointment at the time of publication was that the aliens in this novel, the Zaranites, were quite humanoid - and yet the alien race designated as Zaranites in TMP were the chitinous, fluorine-gas-breathing buttheads and, while Marshak & Culbreath made a point of looping numerous TMP references in both "The Prometheus Design" (ie the spray 'n' wear clothing function of sonic showers) and "Triangle", it was a shame they didn't chose differently here. A lost opportunity.

Mind you, humanoids were seen wearing turbans and TMP Zaranite suede outfits in ST IV, while the fluorine-gas-breathing Zaranites in ST IV got new outfits.

Spoiler: Spoiler! (even though it's been 27 years :) )

1. The "New Humans" plotline - when I first came across it, in the forward to the TMP novelization, I didn't give it too much attention. But this may have been, AFAIK, the first use of a multi-novel subplot in Trek Lit..

Does anyone know if this plotline was revisited again (in other novels or comics)?

Yeah, I think there are a few mentions in "The Lost Years Saga" (?) and "Ex Machina".

I'll have to reread those novels to find these references, but I think using Triangle to bring this plot point to a head worked quite well. Seems even in the "old days" of Trek Lit, ongoing subplots and inter connection between novels was not unheard of..

Spoiler: Yet another spoiler

2. The Totality - was this the same "force" used in Shatner's Captain's Blood / Captain's Glory?

Mmmm, forgot about that. Not sure.

Though the later books seem to change the origins of this "force", if in fact it is supposed to be the same...

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'll have to reread those novels to find these references

From CLB's annotations on "Ex Machina":

p. 358
The description of Decker’s backstory and hidden spiritual side is based on character material developed for TMP (and alluded to in the novelization) but left out of the final film.

Not quite the reference I was thinking of.


Mind you, I'm sure David R George III mentions Decker's Mom in his "Crucible" trilogy.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Err...didn't anyone notice the K/S vibe in this book? Spock bangs Sola. He's thinking of Kirk. Later Kirk bangs Sola, and he's worried about Spock. There's all that talk of Kirk feeling safe in Spock's strong hands. Kirk and Spock would appear to be bond-mates, sharing the same sort of mental bond as Trip and T'Pol did on Enterprise (admittedly other novels did this too)
There's all that talk of Kirk working years to 'free' Spock of his Vulcan chains. "The two who are one"?

I thought the novel was utterly terrible, and would have been even if the above wasn't in it.

The reasom I picked it up in the first place was the New Human idea, which was mentioned in (i think) Strangers From the Sky.

Also the baddies, the Totality, share there name with the baddies in the last Shatnerverse trilogy.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Err...didn't anyone notice the K/S vibe in this book?

It's a Marshak & Culbreath. Goes without saying.

 

[RonG]

I tried to look at it as a (very) strong friendship \ male bonding

 

[Christopher]

There's no connection between the Totality in Triangle and the one in the Shatner novels.

And the New Human idea hasn't been revisited in the books or comics.

 

[RonG]

seems a bit strange, as both "Totalities" are quite similar IMO, by nature and even "aspiration"...

as for the New Humans, I think Triangle was as good a conclusion to that plotline as could be told, considering it's the 1980's.

today it probably would have been a crossover miniseries

 

[Christopher]

"Totality" is a pretty common word. It's not that surprising that two books a quarter-century apart would coincidentally use it as the name of an organization, especially given the pervasive theme in American culture of individuality as a good thing, leading to the frequent portrayal of collective consciousnesses as bad guys.