Spoilers Coda: Book 2: The Ashes of Tomorrow by James Swallow Review Thread

[David cgc]

Something that just occurred to me; Worf's "shadows" were his counterparts from alternate timelines who had been killed in Devidian attacks (right, not just ones that had died in general who were bleeding over because the universe was becoming permeable?), but it seems that the dominant personalities Riker is being taken over by is the "Headlong Flight" Riker, and the PIC Riker. So has the PIC timeline (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) already been harvested by the Devidians?

 

[VESATI]

Something that just occurred to me; Worf's "shadows" were his counterparts from alternate timelines who had been killed in Devidian attacks (right, not just ones that had died in general who were bleeding over because the universe was becoming permeable?), but it seems that the dominant personalities Riker is being taken over by is the "Headlong Flight" Riker, and the PIC Riker. So has the PIC timeline (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) already been harvested by the Devidians?

It could just be another timeline where Deanna never had the accelerated pregnancy from early in TNG, meaning that she didn't have a series of miscarriages, and she and Will just had multiple children at this point.

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

I think of all people it was nice to see Odo come around full circle and be back at the station. It somehow seems more fitting that after all the things he had done and seen, to have him humbly working station security again seems right. I think I recall that the Bajoran militia was absorbed into Starfleet so I was imagining them in the Greys rather than the Bajoran uniforms. I must say, Odo in Starfleet feels way weird.

I wonder what all the regular DS9 crew like Blackmer and uh... the others, were up to. It was nice to see Tenmei again, tho.

 

[Ronald Held]

I wonder if Picard will be the last one alive before the full reboot?

 

[ryan123450]

I think of all people it was nice to see Odo come around full circle and be back at the station. It somehow seems more fitting that after all the things he had done and seen, to have him humbly working station security again seems right. I think I recall that the Bajoran militia was absorbed into Starfleet so I was imagining them in the Greys rather than the Bajoran uniforms. I must say, Odo in Starfleet feels way weird.

I wonder what all the regular DS9 crew like Blackmer and uh... the others, were up to. It was nice to see Tenmei again, tho.

For some reason I never understood, there were still Bajoran militia officers on DS9 even in the most recent books.

 

[rahullak]

What If...?

The higher energy beings like the Q, the Metrons and the Organians aren't anywhere in the picture so far. This is another Q intervention (or at least Q appears in the final book to help) to tell Picard "Tie up your loose ends properly"
When our heroes are unable to (or M.A.D with the Devidians), the higher beings allow the canon Prime timeline which they have safeguarded be the only one to continue forth.

 

[F. King Daniel]

This was fantastic. Amazing sense of dread throughout.

So the novelverse is saved (minus about half it's cast members), but the threat to the rest of of the multiverse is still a thing?

 

[rahullak]

Another thing that struck me. Since the Bajoran wormhole is a single one in all of the quantum realities and it being destroyed means that it is also destroyed in the canon Prime timeline, does that mean there was some approval taken from CBS to destroy it? Like we may never see a DS9 followup TV show/movie, so it's okay to destroy the wormhole in the canon Prime timeline as well?

 

[DimesDan]

Another thing that struck me. Since the Bajoran wormhole is a single one in all of the quantum realities and it being destroyed means that it is also destroyed in the canon Prime timeline, does that mean there was some approval taken from CBS to destroy it? Like we may never see a DS9 followup TV show/movie, so it's okay to destroy the wormhole in the canon Prime timeline as well?

The Wormhole has featured in other alternative universe's, including Crossover, where it was how Bashir and Kira jumped realities that time.

Also, when did Kira become Emissary 2.0? I'm guessing in one of @David R. George III novels?

 

[David Mack]

Also, when did Kira become Emissary 2.0? I'm guessing in one of @David R. George III novels?

If you're referring to her status as “the Hand of the Prophets,” that was first established back in 2006, in my DS9 post-finale novel Warpath (done at Marco Palmieri's direction).

 

[DimesDan]

If you're referring to her status as “the Hand of the Prophets,” that was first established back in 2006, in my DS9 post-finale novel Warpath (done at Marco Palmieri's direction).

I was, I read that back when it was released and enjoyed it, clean forgot that titbit of information. Thanks for putting me right.

 

[DS9forever]

For some reason I never understood, there were still Bajoran militia officers on DS9 even in the most recent books.

The Bajoran government still has control over law and order on Bajor, so the Bajoran Militia remained. Personally I prefer Bajor not joining the Federation at all.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Another thing that struck me. Since the Bajoran wormhole is a single one in all of the quantum realities and it being destroyed means that it is also destroyed in the canon Prime timeline, does that mean there was some approval taken from CBS to destroy it? Like we may never see a DS9 followup TV show/movie, so it's okay to destroy the wormhole in the canon Prime timeline as well?

Unfortunately, I would call that something which you cannot take as an absolute in a grand scope despite what the text of the novel says. It is like how Myriad Universes - Places of Exile similarly established fluidic space as a multiversal singularity prohibitive of parallel timelines, which is irreconcilable with every other depiction, likely including any future canon take.

 

[ryan123450]

Another thing that struck me. Since the Bajoran wormhole is a single one in all of the quantum realities and it being destroyed means that it is also destroyed in the canon Prime timeline, does that mean there was some approval taken from CBS to destroy it? Like we may never see a DS9 followup TV show/movie, so it's okay to destroy the wormhole in the canon Prime timeline as well?

The story’s not over yet.

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

I kind of read it as that the wormhole and wormhole aliens are a fixed point in time and space across all quantum realities; that every wormhole is the same wormhole an hence the access point for the Devidians. With that it seems doubtful that they would go ahead and destroy the prime timeline wormhole in these books so I'm guessing something happens in the third book.

I might go out of my way and predict that a LOT of somethings may happen in book 3!

 

[ryan123450]

Oh I just realized. If Endalla created the wormhole originally…they only destroyed one Endalla.

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

Wait, is that what the thing with the moon was? I don't remember how or if the Falsework was explained. It wasn't exactly the most interesting area of the litverse for me.

 

[The Wormhole]

I think I recall that the Bajoran militia was absorbed into Starfleet so I was imagining them in the Greys rather than the Bajoran uniforms. I must say, Odo in Starfleet feels way weird.

The Bajoran Militia does still exist, and indeed in this novel Odo is described as wearing the Militia's brown security uniform.

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

I did read that but I chose to imagine it both ways thinking it might have been an oversight. Odo looked better in militia anyway haha

 

[David cgc]

Wait, is that what the thing with the moon was? I don't remember how or if the Falsework was explained. It wasn't exactly the most interesting area of the litverse for me.

That was the implication, though they never got the chance to fully tease it out.