Star Trek Voyager: The Eternal Tide by Kirsten Beyer
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The Star Trek: Voyager novels set after the series basically come in two waves.
The first consists of four novels written by Christie Golden:
- Homecoming (2003)
- The Farther Shore (2003)
- Spirit Walk, Book One: Old Wounds (2004)
- Spirit Walk, Book Two: Enemy of My Enemy (2004)
After Before Dishonor, a number of VOY characters play an important supporting role in the Star Trek: Destiny David Mack. Those novels feature a massive Borg invasion of the Federation, and consist of the following books:
- Gods of Night (2008)
- Mere Mortals (2008)
- Lost Souls (2008)
- Full Circle (2009)
- Unworthy (2009)
- Children of the Storm (2011)
- The Eternal Tide (upcoming)
Weird. I have the same reaction when people talk about how Voyager isn't really Voyager without the one character.
What a silly comment to make.
Of course you may attempt to be humorous, the thing is though, and I'm sure you're one hundred percent aware of this, which makes that comment even sillier is that humour is not universal. I personally do not find randomly quoting lines and then bugger all else particularly funny.........
..........But it you had then included this little comment after, which you do have some points on, valid or otherwise I wouldn't have felt the need to comment on that "joke" and then reiterate my previous comment.
Of course she could get a new hair style, hell, she could get a brand new body or cut twenty years off her appearance, that's all beside the point as I was merely commenting on the appearance of the deceased on the front cover of a yet unpublished novel and what I felt it may mean.
And before you make another silly comment, of course you may speculate and discuss what is coming up.
http://www.startrek.com/article/first-look-beyers-eternal-tide-rolls-in-this-summer
The cover plus "one of Starfleet’s own – a respected and acclaimed officer – returns, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance", the source being startrek.com?
Plus the fact that the market for trek lit is made mostly of star trek fans, among whom Janeway is widely known (unlike trek lit only characters)?
The chances of Janeway returning are VERY high at this point.
It will be interesting to see how this subforum will react - considering the endless discussions on Janeway's death that took place here.
Nobody likes to be proven wrong - and, apparently, the 'don't bring back Janeway' crowd WILL BE proven wrong.
The cover plus "one of Starfleet’s own – a respected and acclaimed officer – returns, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance", the source being startrek.com?
Plus the fact that the market for trek lit is made mostly of star trek fans, among whom Janeway is widely known (unlike trek lit only characters)?
The chances of Janeway returning are VERY high at this point.
It will be interesting to see how this subforum will react - considering the endless discussions on Janeway's death that took place here.
Nobody likes to be proven wrong - and, apparently, the 'don't bring back Janeway' crowd WILL BE proven wrong.
At the moment I have my doubts that Janeway will really return (permanently), as it quite frankly would destroy all credibility and integrity the Star Trek novel line might have to first kill her off, stating that it is meant to be permanent and then bring her back after less than a handful of Voyager novels. And yes: I'm aware that there was more than one change of the guard in the editorial office in the interim.
Anyway, I tend to be optimistic that Kirsten will be able to make the best out of it even if Janeway really returns, even if the return of Janeway would probably be the most stupid thing to do at this point storyline wise, as the series is at its peak concerning the character dynamic at the moment IMO (and that includes both TV and books) and a return of Janeway will most probably destroy most of that, as she most likely would once again take the spot light (it would make no sense to have her return only to be a bystander) and push other (IMO more interesting) characters to the sidelines.
Anyway, I tend to be optimistic that Kirsten will be able to make the best out of it even if Janeway really returns, even if the return of Janeway would probably be the most stupid thing to do at this point storyline wise, as the series is at its peak concerning the character dynamic at the moment IMO (and that includes both TV and books) and a return of Janeway will most probably destroy most of that, as she most likely would once again take the spot light (it would make no sense to have her return only to be a bystander) and push other (IMO more interesting) characters to the sidelines.
I don't think we will be proven wrong - although I am in the 'don't' crowd, my posts make it very clear that I believed they would bring her back, and I think most are the same...
I am actually quite neutral on the Janeway front. I have enjoyed the books with her, I have enjoyed the books without her.
What really concerns me, and I feel that others here share the same viewpoint, is what the returning of Janeway from the dead will mean for line. It will basically nullify the dramatic effect of any major event that happens to any major character.
So Janeway comes back from the dead... what's next? Geordi programs Borg nanites to collect the "Data" molecules and re-assembles his friend to active duty?
I have read every Star Trek book that Pocket Books has ever released. While I am not a fan of the grand story arc motif that they have taken up recently, I have continued to read and go along on the journey.
IF Pocket Books is going to carry the franchise FORWARD with the novels, then we need to do just that and let the character's Actions have lasting consequences.
Why should we care if one of our characters is threatened if we know that anything that happens to them will not be permanent or have any lasting effect.
What really concerns me, and I feel that others here share the same viewpoint, is what the returning of Janeway from the dead will mean for line. It will basically nullify the dramatic effect of any major event that happens to any major character.
So Janeway comes back from the dead... what's next? Geordi programs Borg nanites to collect the "Data" molecules and re-assembles his friend to active duty?
I have read every Star Trek book that Pocket Books has ever released. While I am not a fan of the grand story arc motif that they have taken up recently, I have continued to read and go along on the journey.
IF Pocket Books is going to carry the franchise FORWARD with the novels, then we need to do just that and let the character's Actions have lasting consequences.
Why should we care if one of our characters is threatened if we know that anything that happens to them will not be permanent or have any lasting effect.
That's a problem with any long-running franchise with no planned end.
For example, see superhero comics - how many deaths and resurrections occur there?
Also, in superhero comics parallel worlds are the trend.
Much like star trek used them - in the last film - to shed too much continuity.
Personally, I think the notion that well-known characters will stay dead is too much on the idealistic side and too little on the pragmatic side in any franchise that has to sell as many copies as possible.
When it comes to star trek, see Spock, Trip, Data in 'Countdown', Kirk in the Shatnerverse, etc
I'm pretty sure the issue of Janeway's return means a lot more to those who want her back, than those who wish for her to stay dead.
Data already returned, in "The Needs of the Many". I imagine if the Destiny/Typhon Pact continuity were to resurrect him, they'd do somehing along those lines, involving B4 and the transferred Data Matrix from Nemesis.
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PlwDbSYicM[/YT]
On the one hand, I agree that resurrection stories are overused in SF/fantasy. On the other hand, I have to dispute the assumption that death is the only thing that can have a permanent or lasting effect on a character. What about getting married or having a baby? What about getting one's own ship to command? What about changing careers? What about having an experience that profoundly changes your beliefs on a given subject? Lots of characters in Trek Lit have been permanently affected by changes that didn't kill them. So it's rather an oversimplification to treat death as the sole benchmark for significant change in fiction.
Indeed, although resurrections can too often be an excuse to reset things, I have to concede that when handled well, they can have a lasting impact on the characters in and of themselves. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when Buffy died and came back, it changed her and affected her relationships in profound ways. Granted, a lot of fans weren't crazy about the direction the story and characters went in, but at least it wasn't simply a reset button.
I think it's generally accepted that Dallas's season 8 season finale, which undid the previous season by showing Bobby's death to have been a dream, is not considered a creative high point of the series. Bobby was brought back to try to bring ratings up, and it showed.
Fun is one thing, and is compatible with good storytelling. Can Janeway be brought back from the dead in a way that's creatively satisfying? If anyone can, Kristen Beyer can.
(Do we even know that Janeway's coming back from the dead?)
No. The only thing that's actually known is that Janeway's face is on the cover of The Eternal Tide, and that a preliminary and possibly unofficial blurb mentions that some Starfleet officer is "returning," a word that could have a variety of meanings. It's understandable that one could jump to a certain conclusion based on those two things, but that's certainly not the same thing as knowing.
