Larry Nemecek to announce new book
- Thread starter RAMA
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Well, hopefully, if the publisher gets a good return from this one, they'll consider doing more of them.
The cleverest fans bought extra copies of "Star Charts", judging by the current Amazon prices.
Over the years, I've managed to buy several highly discounted sets of Bantam's "Star Trek Maps" - some our club used as raffle prizes and charity auction items - and they always reaped plenty of profit @$4.00 each remaindered.
^^^^
I've managed to glom on to two set of the Star Trek Maps. The set I bought way back when it first came out, and another in much better condition that I keep stashed away someplace safe. I still prefer it's depiction of the Trek universe to the other maps that have been published since. The Star Trek Star Charts were spiffy in their own right, though, and i do plan to buy a copy of this new set when it is published.
I've managed to glom on to two set of the Star Trek Maps. The set I bought way back when it first came out, and another in much better condition that I keep stashed away someplace safe. I still prefer it's depiction of the Trek universe to the other maps that have been published since. The Star Trek Star Charts were spiffy in their own right, though, and i do plan to buy a copy of this new set when it is published.
That was a great show. I really hope I can get my hands on this. It sounds like theres going to be some really cool stuff in there.
The Star Trek Star Charts were a massive flop in 2002. What makes them think something so similar will do any better in 2013? Especially when the old maps and star charts are just a Google image search away, along with several high quality fan-made maps of Trek space.
Thanks for posting that interview. This has become one of my most anticipated books of the fall. I'll be buying it.
At the time of books like Star Charts and Starship Spotter, Pocket was reluctant to invest enough to make those books really high in quality, which limited their appeal to collectors. This sounds like it's going to be a classier, fancier work, more of a collector's item like Federation: The First 150 Years. So they're probably gambling that investing more in the work will make it more appealing and successful.
If you're just looking for information, sure, an online map could be useful. If you're looking for a collector's item or a coffee-table book or a poster for your wall, that's a different matter.
I just listened to Larry's comments on Literary Treks, and let me just say my interest in the new Stellar Cartography has skyrocketed....
Now here's why. Since the "Star Charts" books I have been rabidly drawing and redrawing those maps over the last decade. I'm a bit of an amateur astronomer and have a great interest in incorporating the real galaxy with the Trek mythos...much like Geoff Mandel and Larry did. But as Mr. Nemecek mentioned, there are errors and oversights, not to mention a lot of subsequent episodes and 3 movies which contested the content of "Star Charts". So I have been surrounding myself with literally stacks of papers and charts; looking at Okudagrams, plotting real star points (which might actually be habitable, etc) and so forth. So yes, I invested a lot of time and was practically finished when this rolled along.
Larry covered EVERY point of contention which I also had to reason out (the Dominion War fronts, the struggle with a 3-D universe, where is the Delphic Expanse, etc) and he touched on EVERYTHING, blow by blow...it was like he had read all my notes. sorta weird. So while I'm a little bit sour-grapes about him doing the exact same thing I was, on the other hand, I know presentation-wise Nemecek's work will excel over mine visually in every way.
I'm already saving money for frames. I know Larry's maps will have a place on my "Trek Room" walls.
Now here's why. Since the "Star Charts" books I have been rabidly drawing and redrawing those maps over the last decade. I'm a bit of an amateur astronomer and have a great interest in incorporating the real galaxy with the Trek mythos...much like Geoff Mandel and Larry did. But as Mr. Nemecek mentioned, there are errors and oversights, not to mention a lot of subsequent episodes and 3 movies which contested the content of "Star Charts". So I have been surrounding myself with literally stacks of papers and charts; looking at Okudagrams, plotting real star points (which might actually be habitable, etc) and so forth. So yes, I invested a lot of time and was practically finished when this rolled along.
Larry covered EVERY point of contention which I also had to reason out (the Dominion War fronts, the struggle with a 3-D universe, where is the Delphic Expanse, etc) and he touched on EVERYTHING, blow by blow...it was like he had read all my notes. sorta weird. So while I'm a little bit sour-grapes about him doing the exact same thing I was, on the other hand, I know presentation-wise Nemecek's work will excel over mine visually in every way.
I'm already saving money for frames. I know Larry's maps will have a place on my "Trek Room" walls.
Hmm... I don't think I'll be able to resist this! 
Lt. Cheka Wey
Commander
So future writers writng books have to use the map wehn writing about space travel?
Who's going to force them? (If CBS Consumer Products decides that asking all authors to use the new maps is a good idea, then yes. But can they force authors to buy a set, or must Pocket and IDW supply copies to every new writer who comes along?)
But, similarly, Pocket once asked all its authors to use the Okudas' books as definitive sources for spellings for a period - except that they contained typos (eg. Catuallan for Catullan; ShirKahr for ShiKhar) and inconsistencies!
The novelists have never been required to remain consistent with anything except canon (and, as Therin noted, the Okuda references for a time). But I'm sure this new work will be a useful source of material for authors who choose to draw on it, just as Star Charts has been.
Who cares? Star Charts is filled with mistakes, and that's not including the severe limitations of using a two dimensional page to make a map of three dimensional space.
Why don't they make a computer program that has a 3D reconstruction that you can move around instead?
I would love a holographic atlas that you can walk thru (like what was seen in Attack of the Clones). Thinking we're a ways away from this. Super excited for the book though, ordered it the day it went on sale.
Lt. Cheka Wey
Commander
we don't know how good or bad this edition is going to be.
Actually, we're slowly getting closer to that. A while back io9 had story about a 360 degree interactive 3D recreation of the martian landscape. You basically walked into this room with a wraparound screen that projected a life sized 3D video of the martian landscape. I think it might have even had motion sensors so the landscape would react realistically, but I can't remember for sure.
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