Saavik's Origin

[Jsplinis]

From what I understand, Saavik's backstory is developed in the Movie novelizations, Pandora Principle, Unspoken Truth, DC Vol.1 comics, and Marvel Comics Untold Voyages.

1. Are there any other stories that develop her back story?

2. Of these stories, which ones are consistent and which inconsistent? What details of her story are contradicted amongst them?

3. Other than those stories and the Vulcan's series, Mere Anarchy and DC Comics vol.2, are there any other stories featuring Saavik?

Thanks and have fun,
jsplinis

 

[bfollowell]

If I understand correctly, TOS 49 - The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes & Unspoken Truth by Margaret Wander Bonanno pretty much explain most of that and both are thought quite highly of. I have them both on my to read shelf but haven't gotten to them yet so I can't elaborate but those two should clear up a lot of her backstory.

- Byron Followell

 

[Christopher]

From what I understand, Saavik's backstory is developed in the Movie novelizations, Pandora Principle, Unspoken Truth, DC Vol.1 comics, and Marvel Comics Untold Voyages.

1. Are there any other stories that develop her back story?

Those are the main ones, though a couple of others allude to aspects established in those various works.

2. Of these stories, which ones are consistent and which inconsistent? What details of her story are contradicted amongst them?

Everything else is consistent with the basics of what Vonda McIntyre established in the movie novelizations, but there are some differences of detail. "The Origin of Saavik" in DC's Vol. 1 had Spock rescue Saavik before TOS (flashbacks showed him in the pilot-era turtleneck uniform), while most everything else agrees that it happened a year or two after TMP. The other major discrepancy is that The Pandora Principle says that Spock pretty much raised Saavik by himself whereas most others say that Sarek and Amanda raised her on Vulcan (with Untold Voyages saying that Spock took her from Hellguard to the Vulcan embassy on Earth before eventually taking her to be raised by Sarek and Amanda). Unspoken Truth acknowledges some elements from Pandora (Spock taking a yearlong leave to tutor Saavik after her rescue) but also uses the "raised by Sarek and Amanda" version, and it portrays Saavik's time on Hellguard somewhat differently. This is the part where you find the most divergence among different versions, I think -- the details of what Hellguard was all about and what life there was like, as well as how old Saavik was when she was found.

3. Other than those stories and the Vulcan's series, Mere Anarchy and DC Comics vol.2, are there any other stories featuring Saavik?

She's in Dwellers in the Crucible by Margaret Wander Bonanno, and in "Just Another Little Training Cruise" by A.C. Crispin in Enterprise Logs.

 

[JD]

If I understand correctly, TOS 49 - The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes & Unspoken Truth by Margaret Wander Bonanno pretty much explain most of that and both are thought quite highly of. I have them both on my to read shelf but haven't gotten to them yet so I can't elaborate but those two should clear up a lot of her backstory.

- Byron Followell

I swear I remember the majority of the reactions to Unspoken Truth being negative. I was really looking forward to reading it, but when I saw how negative the reactions on here were I ended up pushing it back in my wishlist.

 

[Markonian]

I swear I remember the majority of the reactions to Unspoken Truth being negative. I was really looking forward to reading it, but when I saw how negative the reactions on here were I ended up pushing it back in my wishlist.

That's news to me. What was the criticism about? Quality of writing or the storyline?

 

[Relayer1]

No idea, but having read it myself, I have to say its pretty good !

 

[Therin of Andor]

I swear I remember the majority of the reactions to Unspoken Truth being negative.

I don't, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Saavik was in one of the Rotsler "Star Trek II Short Stories", IIRC.

 

[Thrawn]

Unspoken Truth pulled a couple of really annoying narrative tricks that really pissed me off, nothing I could be specific about without spoiling but it made me think that the whole emotional arc of the novel was a fake, and that grated. The first half is pretty good though, it almost feels like a totally separate novel, a good strange-new-world story.

 

[Defcon]

Unspoken Truth pulled a couple of really annoying narrative tricks that really pissed me off, nothing I could be specific about without spoiling but it made me think that the whole emotional arc of the novel was a fake, and that grated. The first half is pretty good though, it almost feels like a totally separate novel, a good strange-new-world story.

That basically sums up my opinion about the novel as well, although I think overall my estimation of the novel seems to be a tad higher than yours.

 

[Thrawn]

No, I think we're pretty much on the same page.

 

[Paris]

I remember being really disappointed with Unspoken Truth, when i had really been looking forward to it. MWB is usually hit and miss with me it seems...

 

[Kertrats47]

Unspoken Truth pulled a couple of really annoying narrative tricks that really pissed me off, nothing I could be specific about without spoiling but it made me think that the whole emotional arc of the novel was a fake, and that grated. The first half is pretty good though, it almost feels like a totally separate novel, a good strange-new-world story.

Very similar to what I thought, too. That particular narrative trick really annoyed me, and the perspective the novel is written from no longer makes sense after the reveal. Although I did enjoy the story, for the most part.

 

[Jsplinis]

I've read in a few places that Saavik's origin might be presented a little different at times but that all versions are pretty much based on the Movie Novelizations. So I was wondering: what exactly is revealed in those Movie Novelizations and in how much detail?

Thanks and have fun,
jsplinis

 

[Therin of Andor]

I've read in a few places that Saavik's origin might be presented a little different at times but that all versions are pretty much based on the Movie Novelizations. So I was wondering: what exactly is revealed in those Movie Novelizations and in how much detail?

Why not read them? They are great.

Meanwhile:
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Saavik

 

[Jsplinis]

She's in Dwellers in the Crucible by Margaret Wander Bonanno, and in "Just Another Little Training Cruise" by A.C. Crispin in Enterprise Logs.

I think I read somewhere that she's also in "Infinity" in The Lives of Dax anthology. What is her level of involvement in these three stories. Is she a central character, a guest, a background character, a cameo, etc.? Thanks.

 

[Relayer1]

I thought Unspoken Truth was excellent.

I've got Pandora Principle but haven't read it yet.

 

[Christopher]

She's in Dwellers in the Crucible by Margaret Wander Bonanno, and in "Just Another Little Training Cruise" by A.C. Crispin in Enterprise Logs.

I think I read somewhere that she's also in "Infinity" in The Lives of Dax anthology. What is her level of involvement in these three stories. Is she a central character, a guest, a background character, a cameo, etc.? Thanks.

Saavik is a supporting character in Dwellers and a more prominent supporting character in "Infinity." But she's the central character in "Training Cruise."

 

[TheUsualSuspect]

She's in Dwellers in the Crucible by Margaret Wander Bonanno, and in "Just Another Little Training Cruise" by A.C. Crispin in Enterprise Logs.

I think I read somewhere that she's also in "Infinity" in The Lives of Dax anthology. What is her level of involvement in these three stories. Is she a central character, a guest, a background character, a cameo, etc.? Thanks.

She and Spock are the central characters in "Training Cruise," she's a background character serving on the Enterprise in Dwellers, and she's either a cameo or a background character in "Infinity."

FWIW, I've read all three and they're all worth reading. If you don't mind novels that are no longer consistent with current canon, Dwellers in the Crucible is a great example of the kind of diverse, sometimes off-beat, novels Pocket was putting out in the mid-80s. It's Margaret Wander Bonnano's first Trek novel.

 

[Christopher]

and she's either a cameo or a background character in "Infinity."

Nope, I just looked through the story, and she's a fairly major character in it.