Popularity of Trek Literature

[Xenu Cruise]

Are the Abramsverse novels going to start replacing regular Star Trek novels? Cause that would suck as my interest in nuTrek when down the same black hole as Vulcan did.

I seriously doubt this could happen. Far too many people love the "Prime" universe characters. Plus it may be a blessing in disguise since if the movies and any potential new series just want to play with the NUniverse, then you could really open up the possibilities for the Prime universe, which it seems like they have done already with the Destiny trilogy and the rest of the post-Nemesis novels.

 

[Christopher]

Are the Abramsverse novels going to start replacing regular Star Trek novels?

Of course not. Why would they? As long as there's a market for fiction in both timelines, there will be fiction in both timelines.

 

[Kosst Amojan]

Of course not. Why would they? As long as there's a market for fiction in both timelines, there will be fiction in both timelines.

Sorry for the confusion, let me clear that up. If Pocket is only releasing say one Trek novel a month, when they start publishing nuTrek novels will that take away from the number of published regular Trek novels?

I know next years schedule has already been set but if for instance they had four nuTrek novels set would that have meant there would have been four fewer regular Trek novels?

 

[ryan123450]

That already happened (or was planned to) this year.

 

[Greg Cox]

Of course not. Why would they? As long as there's a market for fiction in both timelines, there will be fiction in both timelines.

Sorry for the confusion, let me clear that up. If Pocket is only releasing say one Trek novel a month, when they start publishing nuTrek novels will that take away from the number of published regular Trek novels?

I know next years schedule has already been set but if for instance they had four nuTrek novels set would that have meant there would have been four fewer regular Trek novels?

Of course, but there's nothing new there. The more versions of STAR TREK there are, the more diverse the line is going to be. First you just had TOS books, then you had TOS and TNG books, then you had TOS and TNG and DS9 books, and so on. Which means you get the same number of books, but scattered over more versions of STAR TREK . . . .

Now we have TOS, TNG, DS9, VOYAGER, ENTERPRISE, and (in theory) nuTREK books. Depending on what sells, we'll probably keep seeing a selection of all of the above.

 

[Thrawn]

Not to mention Titan, Vanguard, Mirror Universe, and New Frontier.

 

[kkozoriz1]

I can see NuTrek displacing some of the TOS books if the higher-ups decide to concentrate on one set of Kirk/Spock/McCoy. The others are pretty much seperate from NuTrek.

 

[JD]

Not to mention Titan, Vanguard, Mirror Universe, and New Frontier.

Don't forget Myriad Universes, and SCE (reprints).

 

[Destructor]

As long as there's a market for fiction in both timelines, there will be fiction in both timelines.

I guess the question underlying the OP is: Is there still a market for Star Trek fiction?

 

[Sci]

As long as there's a market for fiction in both timelines, there will be fiction in both timelines.

I guess the question underlying the OP is: Is there still a market for Star Trek fiction?

Considering that they haven't cancelled the line, I'd say yes.

 

[JarodRussell]

I can't see the Prime literature surviving for long when there is no current Prime Trek in the form of TV episodes or movies to support it, and when a different sorta rebooted Trek runs in the mainstream.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I can't see the Prime literature surviving for long when there is no current Prime Trek in the form of TV episodes or movies to support it, and when a different sorta rebooted Trek runs in the mainstream.

If that were true, wouldn't Pocket Books have stopped making TOS and movie era books after "Generations"?

There are also still sufficiently large enough audiences for TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT novels, and no amount of JJST tie-ins would necessarily appease those readers.

 

[Sci]

I can't see the Prime literature surviving for long when there is no current Prime Trek in the form of TV episodes or movies to support it, and when a different sorta rebooted Trek runs in the mainstream.

And you draw this conclusion because of your long and prestigious career in the publishing industry, I take it?

 

[Christopher]

I can't see the Prime literature surviving for long when there is no current Prime Trek in the form of TV episodes or movies to support it, and when a different sorta rebooted Trek runs in the mainstream.

If that were true, wouldn't Pocket Books have stopped making TOS and movie era books after "Generations"?

Heck, ST literature originally came about in a time when there was no new Trek on TV, except the ever-popular reruns. People tend to forget that. There will always be a dedicated Trek fanbase whether there's Trek on the screen or not.

And there's no reason to assume there'd be a sharp delineation based on which timeline you're in. It's only a minority of continuity-focused fans who care about stuff like that. The more general audience would just want to see Trek stories, or Kirk-Spock-McCoy stories, and wouldn't care that much about the details of history or ship design. I mean, it's not like Batman fans abandoned the original comics when the animated series came along. Batman is Batman, and while DC did publish comics in the style and (theoretically) continuity of the DC Animated Universe, they ran alongside the comics set in the original DC Universe and did not supplant or replace them.

The audience is diverse, with a wide range of different tastes. It's just good sense to provide a range of different materials to appeal to all those tastes. Yes, the Abramsverse is the big new thing. It's the future. But it's just part of the overall tapestry, and it's not like the whole fanbase will suddenly forget the original universe.

 

[JarodRussell]

I can't see the Prime literature surviving for long when there is no current Prime Trek in the form of TV episodes or movies to support it, and when a different sorta rebooted Trek runs in the mainstream.

And you draw this conclusion because of your long and prestigious career in the publishing industry, I take it?

Why, do you disagree with it based on your long and prestigious career in the publishing industry?

The more general audience would just want to see Trek stories, or Kirk-Spock-McCoy stories, and wouldn't care that much about the details of history or ship design.

And you don't think that when a publisher can now decide between telling a Kirk/Spock story in the "original" universe/style and the new, more popular universe/style they will chose the latter (assumed, of course, that those four still unreleased nuTrek novels would sell in much higher quantities than the ordinary Trek novel, which we don't know yet, but which I think is highly likely)?

I do think that nuTOS will excel TOS in that regard. And however the new rebooted Trek continues, it will probably have an effect on the TNG era novels as well. If CBS decides to do a TNG reboot, either following in Abrams' universe or as a completely new thing, I don't think original TNG novels will continue to be published.

 

[Trent Roman]

Current TNG novels are so unlike TNG the series (for better and worse) that I doubt there would be much overlap, anyway. Unless they stopped making 'Prime' 24th century novels altogether, TNG will always be part of the line. One probably wouldn't see many more in-series novels--an area in which a rebooted series would be firmly entrenched--but since no such novels are being produced now, it would make little difference.

That said, I doubt we'll ever see a TNG reboot, on film or television. The point of a reboot is to keep returning to the most familiar territory (I can assure you the upcoming Spider-Man reboot will feature Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson again), and in Trek's case, the most familiar territory is TOS--not because more people have seen it, but simply because of how it has penetrated popular culture. When the current Trek reboot gets rebooted, they'll just reboot the previously rebooted characters again.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[JD]

I'm with Christopher on this. Just look at the SW books, it's been 27 years since the last movie in the Original Trilogy era, but the books featuring the Solo/Skywalker family and co. are still regularly making the New York Times bestsellers list. Just because something new comes around doesn't mean the hardcore fans will stop caring about what came before. Doctor Who would be another example, there are still stories featuring the first 8 Doctors being released.

 

[Sci]

I can't see the Prime literature surviving for long when there is no current Prime Trek in the form of TV episodes or movies to support it, and when a different sorta rebooted Trek runs in the mainstream.

And you draw this conclusion because of your long and prestigious career in the publishing industry, I take it?

Why, do you disagree with it based on your long and prestigious career in the publishing industry?

No, I just don't think you're qualified to have an educated opinion on the matter of how long Primeverse Trek novels will continue.

 

[JarodRussell]

And you draw this conclusion because of your long and prestigious career in the publishing industry, I take it?

Why, do you disagree with it based on your long and prestigious career in the publishing industry?

No, I just don't think you're qualified to have an educated opinion on the matter of how long Primeverse Trek novels will continue.

Time will tell.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Didn't they recently release a couple of new Space: 1999 novels? How long has that been off the air?

But clearly Star Trek must be doomed forever!