Are you apprehensive about the new series?

[Christopher]

What some see as "accumulated continuity baggage" others see as "a rich history".

But they're not the target audience. A new Trek series needs to appeal to a new generation, to people who aren't already fans. Nobody's saying you're wrong to enjoy Trek's rich history; I enjoy it too. But it's not just about you or me. Fandom isn't a zero-sum game. Adding something fresh to appeal to new fans doesn't take anything away from the old fans.

Besides, a reboot can certainly honor a series's history, by incorporating new versions of its iconic characters, ideas, and stories. Look at how many of the Marvel movies and DC television series use storylines adapted from classic comic tales. Or how Sherlock and Elementary both do episodes inspired by stories from the Doyle canon.

 

[Greg Cox]

Or, as I was writing in another thread this evening, look at the new SUPERGIRL tv show, which is starting fresh without feeling obliged to stick to 75 years of convoluted comic-book mythologies.

It's still recognizably SUPERGIRL: she's from Krypton, she's Superman's cousin, she has the same basic powers and costume and weaknesses, but the show is not obliged to treat Argo City or Comet the Super-Horse as "canon," and it's attracting million of viewers who may have never read a SUPERGIRL comic in their lives.

There's something to be said for that kind of approach, especially if you're trying to attract a whole new generation of viewers.

 

[rahullak]

I'd like to think that the authors are much looking forward to have the opportunity to pitch for stories set in the new series, once it matures. I know I'm looking forward to new stuff on TV as well as books.

 

[Idran]

I'd like to think that the authors are much looking forward to have the opportunity to pitch for stories set in the new series, once it matures.

Not if the "unsold episode ideas that became books" thread is any indication.

Though the way TV pitching sounds, I don't blame them.

 

[Greg Cox]

I'd like to think that the authors are much looking forward to have the opportunity to pitch for stories set in the new series, once it matures.

Not if the "unsold episode ideas that became books" thread is any indication.

Though the way TV pitching sounds, I don't blame them.

Not that I'd turn down another chance to try. The trick is simply not to get your hopes up.

 

[Christopher]

I'd like to think that the authors are much looking forward to have the opportunity to pitch for stories set in the new series, once it matures.

Not if the "unsold episode ideas that became books" thread is any indication.

Though the way TV pitching sounds, I don't blame them.

Not that I'd turn down another chance to try. The trick is simply not to get your hopes up.

Yeah. Now that I know how I screwed up pitching in the past, maybe I could do better now. And the money in TV is so much better than in print.

Although it's unlikely to happen. For one thing, I'd need to get an agent first, since it's unlikely the new series would revive Michael Piller's open-submissions policy.

 

[publiusr]

Get used to schmoozing--buying the right folks steak, name-dropping.

That never changes.

The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016.

suggests that it's NOT Abramsverse.

Personally, I'm not apprehensive; I'm disgusted by the idea that it will be offered exclusively through a subscription streaming/video-on-demand service: some of us neither HAVE nor WANT broadband Internet at home. Some of us still use landline phones, and still use cellular phones that are PHONES. Some of us, when we buy recorded music or video, still buy it on physical media. Some of us would rather spend $70 and an afternoon's work on the roof and in the attic, mounting and hooking up a Yagi antenna pointed at Mount Wilson, in order to get decent reception of KUSC, than listen to it online. Some of us still read books, instead of e-books, and find nothing but irritation when publishers issue e-book-only releases.

I'm with you. I thought that--since it was streaming--it'd be STO tales

 

[Markonian]

Even if the new series is set in the reboot or a brand-new timeline, would TPTB allow the Litverse to continue?

 

[Idran]

They let it continue when the Abramsverse happened in the first place, so I can't think why they wouldn't in that case.

 

[Greg Cox]

They let it continue when the Abramsverse happened in the first place, so I can't think why they wouldn't in that case.

And they didn't cancel the TOS books when TNG came on the scene and was the hot new thing. And the reboot movie was six years ago and yet I have three more TOS books coming out over the next year . . ..

I wouldn't sound the death-knell yet.

 

[Leto_II]

And they didn't cancel the TOS books when TNG came on the scene and was the hot new thing. And the reboot movie was six years ago and yet I have three more TOS books coming out over the next year . . ..

Is Child of Two Worlds included in that total, or are we also getting three more TOS books on top of that? (Hoping for the latter, BTW.)

 

[Greg Cox]

And they didn't cancel the TOS books when TNG came on the scene and was the hot new thing. And the reboot movie was six years ago and yet I have three more TOS books coming out over the next year . . ..

Is Child of Two Worlds included in that total, or are we also getting three more TOS books on top of that? (Hoping for the latter, BTW.)

November: Child.
February: Miasma
Summer: Captain to Captain

 

[Leto_II]

Ah, that's still cool. Was really hoping it was a "calendar-year 2016"-thing, and that we'd be getting a fourth book squeezed into there somewhere too, though.

 

[Greg Cox]

Ah, that's still cool. Was really hoping it was a "calendar-year 2016"-thing, and that we'd be getting a fourth book squeezed into there somewhere too, though.

Thanks, but I'm actually hard at work on a LIBRARIANS novel at the moment, and just contracted to write a PLANET OF THE APES story as well. Not sure when I could squeeze in a fourth Star Trek as well!

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

Ah, that's still cool. Was really hoping it was a "calendar-year 2016"-thing, and that we'd be getting a fourth book squeezed into there somewhere too, though.

Thanks, but I'm actually hard at work on a LIBRARIANS novel at the moment, and just contracted to write a PLANET OF THE APES story as well. Not sure when I could squeeze in a fourth Star Trek as well!

A Librarians novel? Tie-in books for that show should be a fun read and I'm glad they're going forward with novels while the show's still on the air (as opposed to how they handled Leverage). I think your writing style will be a good fit for that world, Greg!

 

[Defcon]

Ah, that's still cool. Was really hoping it was a "calendar-year 2016"-thing, and that we'd be getting a fourth book squeezed into there somewhere too, though.

Thanks, but I'm actually hard at work on a LIBRARIANS novel at the moment, and just contracted to write a PLANET OF THE APES story as well. Not sure when I could squeeze in a fourth Star Trek as well!

A Librarians novel? Tie-in books for that show should be a fun read and I'm glad they're going forward with novels while the show's still on the air (as opposed to how they handled Leverage). I think your writing style will be a good fit for that world, Greg!

http://torforgeblog.com/2015/10/30/...and-the-lost-lamp-a-new-librarians-adventure/

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

Thanks for the link, Defcon! The separate story sections sounds really cool.

 

[garoo1980]

Or, as I was writing in another thread this evening, look at the new SUPERGIRL tv show, which is starting fresh without feeling obliged to stick to 75 years of convoluted comic-book mythologies.

It's still recognizably SUPERGIRL: she's from Krypton, she's Superman's cousin, she has the same basic powers and costume and weaknesses, but the show is not obliged to treat Argo City or Comet the Super-Horse as "canon," and it's attracting million of viewers who may have never read a SUPERGIRL comic in their lives.

There's something to be said for that kind of approach, especially if you're trying to attract a whole new generation of viewers.

That's exactly the approach. Doctor Who did the same thing. Clearly it's a continuation, it's the same man with the same TARDIS, but its totally approachable if you're new to it. That's the way to go

Star Trek I think is especially ripe for this because everyone's so familiar with it already. You don't need to explain too much, everyone kind of gets the ships, phasers, transporters, etc. Just introduce the characters and go

Oh, and super glad to hear that we don't expect the new show to affect the novels. I love the novels. Presumably we'll get a few "new series" novels eventually too

 

[Christopher]

That's exactly the approach. Doctor Who did the same thing. Clearly it's a continuation, it's the same man with the same TARDIS, but its totally approachable if you're new to it. That's the way to go

Well, no, it's not the same. Doctor Who is treated as a direct continuation of the original series' continuity, albeit without a lot of concern about the exact details. Supergirl is not a continuation of any prior comic or series; it's creating its own new universe that distills elements from prior comics and films, like most reboots and remakes do.

But that only matters from a niggly continuity standpoint. From the standpoint of creativity and marketing and building a new audience, the difference between the two approaches isn't that important.

Star Trek I think is especially ripe for this because everyone's so familiar with it already. You don't need to explain too much, everyone kind of gets the ships, phasers, transporters, etc. Just introduce the characters and go

That's not how it works. Audiences age out. They drift away. They die off. A new series cannot possibly succeed if it only targets those people who were already fans of the old version, because there just won't be enough of them left. The goal always has to be to make a series accessible to new viewers, people who had no prior interest in the franchise or were too young to be aware of it when it was last around. Yes, ideally you want it to be welcoming to the veteran fans as well, but it's the ability of a show to win a new audience that determines whether it can succeed.

 

[Idran]

I think you and garoo are talking about two different things, Christopher; I'm pretty sure he's just saying that there's no need for a Star Trek "origin story" in a new take because people will already get the basics with or without being fans already.