New books - New New Frontier, New Starfleet Academy

Sorry about this, but I feel a short period of moaning-musing coming on (not aimed at you two by any means, but at the literary culture in general, as it were) .

It seems a little odd to me that the romance bit is apparently aimed at girls and the adventure bit for boys. I'm assuming that's the implication (not that I'm doubting you're right, of course)? Because the idea that boys aren't interested in romance and girls aren't interested in adventure seems quite odd to me. One would think boys weren't interested in relationships or girls weren't interested in pushing the boundaries of their experience...which makes no sense to me. I mean, of course it made some sense back when male and female roles were clearly defined and it was only natural that different forms of fiction be aimed at them to fit these different roles, but do they have any bearing on reality anymore? Just musing. I mean, yes, traditionally romance was "for women" because (oversimplifying here, sorry!) a girl needed to study relationships and show interest in relationships- because she needed to enter one in order to get anywhere (she required the financial support of a man to advance socially), whereas adventure was for men because boys needed to get out there into the world and make money dear boy, with all the risks involved, in order to support a family- and again, wouldn't get anywhere if they didn't seek to expand their horizons. But even then, I've heard plenty of accounts of a reasonable number of girls actually preferring the boy's publications for being more exciting, or men sneaking off to be titillated by romance just as women were. Because we all know relationships have just as much importance for boys and excitement/self-betterment for girls or, that is to say, some boys and girls- no matter what cultural pressures existed to pigeon-hole people. And with many of those formal and official restrictions lifted, we have even less means to see boy's and girl's fiction as separate.

Personally, when I read the Mission: Gamma books at age 13, I loved the relationships stuff- the Andorian bondmate angst, Ro and Quark's odd courtship/friendship, Dax and Bashir, Vaughn's family troubles- while my sister was more interested in the action-adventure aspect of the Defiant's mission (not to say we didn't each enjoy it all).

So I hope you're wrong and the publishers aren't seeing it in those terms (though they probably are). Or maybe I'm underestimating the strength of gender divisions in most communities? I suppose I'm asking is it indeed good business sense and nothing else, or is somewhat unfortunate?

Anyway, moving on. Sorry about that...

 

Well, of course male and female behavior follow bell curves -- the variations within either sex are wider than the difference between the averages of each. But there is apparently some scientific merit to the idea that women on the average tend to be more attuned toward social and emotional relationships, better at processing emotion, etc., and thus not as likely to be engaged by stories that don't have a strong relationship component. And aside from that, there's still plenty of social conditioning at play in the culture, regardless of whether that reinforces nature or counteracts it.

So sure, there are going to be girls who are interested in action stories and boys who are interested in relationship stories, but they're not going to represent the peak of the bell curve. If you want to bring in the widest possible audience of both sexes, it's best to include a wide range of subject matter.

 

Okay, fair enough. I know I can be a bit extreme at times (that is, I might come down too heavily on the not-different culturally-imposed side of the debate and ignore that there is evidence for actual differences too). Blame my personal biases.

 

I used to be a big believer in the idea that all gender differences were cultural rather than innate, but you gotta go with the science. The key is recognizing that a difference isn't a hierarchy -- that men and women being different doesn't mean one is better than the other, just that the two complement one another (IDIC-style -- diversity in combination is better than uniformity). Also recognizing that there's plenty of variation within either sex and not confusing an average with an absolute.

 

i'm 31 and i stil prefer more adventure than relationships in my fiction. i do like SOME relationship stuff, but i prefer it to be a side-dish and not the main course.

 

Do yourself a favour and skip Inception, then!

I quite enjoyed it myself, but in this case the relationships part isn't just the main course- it's the entire meal.

 

don't worry, it wasn't any where near my buy list

 

Should be interesting. I loved reading about everyone in their academy days before they appeared on their various series. It was kind of sad that DS9 had been left out. I'm just curious to see if this series will focus on new character or old as well.
Resolutions should hopefully move the New Frontier gang forward to post Destiny events.

 

Should be interesting. I loved reading about everyone in their academy days before they appeared on their various series. It was kind of sad that DS9 had been left out. I'm just curious to see if this series will focus on new character or old as well.
Resolutions should hopefully move the New Frontier gang forward to post Destiny events.

 

I really doubt that Resolutions will relate in anyway to Destiny. Other than the crossovers that were including all of the series, Peter David has never acknowledged the events occurring in the rest of the books. I don't think he even dealt with Memory Omega in his Mirror Universe stories, and they was in the same books that introduced the concept.

 

The MU stories aren't clear in my head right now, so I may just be misremembering, but given the NF MU stories centered on Mirror Calhoun, was there anything specific that said that he needed to become involved with Memory Omega?

 

Just while we're on this tangent, I'm glad he isn't. I think Mac would probably accidentally expose Memory Omega about three minutes after joining. Of his considerable number of strengths, subtlety and strength-through-submission aren't among them. If you want a rebel who can lead vast armies into battle, he's your man (and indeed it seems that's what he was doing, transforming the Xenexians into a "liberation army for hire") but if you want a secretive, subversive intricate form of rebellion that sees the long-term beyond "free this world and hold it", I'd keep Mac away. Not that I'm saying he isn't a very intelligent man, but it isn't his style in either reality. Let each aspect of the overall rebellion play to its strengths.

 

no, there isn't. the same as MO never came up in TWOBW.

 

The latest updates might make it more tempting for me to spend more time with Star Trek books in future. I will definitely return when the new New Frontier book is out! Hopefully “Resolutions” won`t be the last one of its kind!

I am also very happy that there will be a return of “Starfleet Academy” books! My daughter is 7 and loves reading. I can already see that our tastes are very similar and in many ways as “typical female” as mine.

I can see that both of us establish emotional connections with fictional characters much more easily than my husband and to both of us this is important. Also my husband enjoys good character stories but too much “touchy feely” stuff puts him off. Me, on the other hand, I would never get the idea to study a space battle in slow motion, looking at ship types.

Thanks to my husband I have watched a big variety of Japanese Anime too. Some of the series he watches certainly don`t have a female audience in mind whatsoever. Compared to some of the stuff I have seen, the ridiculous mini skirts TOS women were wearing also on duty are prudish. And some of the Anime hardware is so over-the-top that the infamous treknobabble is nothing against that. We are very careful what we allow our daughter to watch and only showed her more moderate sides of this kind of anime. She just giggles and finds it silly anyway when girl-women are flashing their underpants under ridiculous looking school uniforms and boys get over excited over panties and balconies.

My husband also enjoys plain adventure stories but adventure on its own is not enough for me. Nothing is more important than the characters. I want to read and see people, not action figures. My daughter is the same. Not only do we find it easier to find emotional connections with fictional characters, it is even essential for liking the story or series.

The best series are able to appeal to both, male and female. My daughter and me love the anime/manga series Bleach because it has the best balance between action and character development I have seen so far. A lot of Star Trek offers the same and when my daughter is a bit older I will show her more. So far she doesn`t dislike Star Trek but she isn`t that interested yet.

 

More New Frontier is always a good thing! I can't wait.

Is it too much to hope for a follow up on No Limits' "Redemption?"

 

Your words to Xant's divine ears.

 

Just a note that the second book now has an author - one Rick Barba. Hasn't done any Trek work before now, but seems to have been working on quite a few children's books for S&S.

 

Hah, that's random. Rick Barba also wrote a few strategy guides to games, back in the 90s, and they were so funny and cleverly written that I bought a couple for games I didn't have just to read the writing. This may be the nerdiest thing I've ever written down, but it's a fact.

 

I waited for the paperback of Treason. I've seen it in local stores but haven't picked it up yet. As a formerly huge fan of New Frontier, I have been disappointed with the series since After the Fall. ATF was weak, Missing in Action was marginally better (but still mediocre). I gave up on the new comic book series 2 issues in because I thought it was awful. Is Treason any better?