Continuity

[T'Girl]

I would love it if the novels became cannon.

Over in the Star Wars fan's existence, there's on screen canon like we have and then there's "expanded universe" canon which appears to include just about everything in print, novels, comics, tech manuals. I like Star Wars but am not a fan and don't really know how they make this work (if they even do).

Will the authors and publishers try to maintain the pre-2233 Star Trek established continuity in the Abrams universe novels? Or is losing that part of the re-boot?

 

[SeerSGB]

I would love it if the novels became cannon.

Over in the Star Wars fan's existence, there's on screen canon like we have and then there's "expanded universe" canon which appears to include just about everything in print, novels, comics, tech manuals. I like Star Wars but am not a fan and don't really know how they make this work (if they even do).

Will the authors and publishers try to maintain the pre-2233 Star Trek established continuity in the Abrams universe novels? Or is losing that part of the re-boot?

I don't think SW uses tiered canon anymore. I remember reading a interview last year that said something to the effect that Star Wars' approach was going to be more like 'Trek's

 

[Christopher]

I would love it if the novels became cannon.

Over in the Star Wars fan's existence, there's on screen canon like we have and then there's "expanded universe" canon which appears to include just about everything in print, novels, comics, tech manuals. I like Star Wars but am not a fan and don't really know how they make this work (if they even do).

Their use of "canon" there was always questionable. All it really means is that the Star Wars tie-ins are (or were until recently?) obligated to treat every other tie-in as though it really happened, even the ones that directly contradict other tie-ins or the movies themselves. But the movies (and now the TV series) were always free to disregard and contradict the tie-ins, just like in any other franchise, although the films did draw a lot more heavily from terms, characters, and concepts introduced in tie-in works than onscreen Trek ever has. (For instance, the name Coruscant for the Imperial capital was coined by novelist Timothy Zahn -- after the word "coruscant" which means sparkling or shimmering -- and the character of Aayla Secura was introduced in a comic book.)

Will the authors and publishers try to maintain the pre-2233 Star Trek established continuity in the Abrams universe novels? Or is losing that part of the re-boot?

In principle, ENT and everything up to 2233 is shared history of both timelines. However, as I said above, the policy of the tie-in novels we were doing was to keep continuity references of any sort to a minimum, because tie-ins to the movie are aimed at the movie audience, which includes a lot of people who are new to Star Trek. I don't know if that policy will still hold with whatever Abramsverse projects actually go forward, but I think it's reasonable to expect that it will, since it makes sense to do it that way, to let these books stand on their own and be accessible to newbies or casual readers rather than being dependent on an elaborate history.

I would imagine that the approach might be to stay consistent with the pre-2233 fiction, to avoid contradicting it, but to keep overt references to a minimum.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I hope Kirk and friends (and Robau and friends!) will have better things to do than worry about what Captain Archer was doing a hundred years ago.

While I can think of a few neat crossovers (what fan of both can't?), it's totally stupid to throw off decades of continuity just to dive backwards into the little bit remaining.

Admittedly the (hopefully) inevitable Kelvin books will have a slightly rougher time of it - they'll technically have to keep consistant with Enterprise, TOS and STXI+. But all that really means is that Robau will have a hell of a time figuring out which "Delta Vega" Starfleet just ordered him to!

 

[Rush Limborg]

Myself, as far as the "should books be canon" debate is concerned, I'd be content just to have the "true canon" make references to events in the books every now and then. Leave the implications of that to the fans....

 

[Technobuilder]

I'd love to see Denobulans show up in Star Trek II (Star Trek XII).

Of course, I'm all for using pre-established races like Tholians & Gorn, instead of creating "new" bad guys out of whole cloth.

Use the world-building elements!

 

[Rush Limborg]

The Tholians in particular would be a particularly awesome enemy.

 

[JD]

I would love it if the novels became cannon.

Over in the Star Wars fan's existence, there's on screen canon like we have and then there's "expanded universe" canon which appears to include just about everything in print, novels, comics, tech manuals. I like Star Wars but am not a fan and don't really know how they make this work (if they even do).

They have a guy who's whole job is to make sure things are consistent,.

 

[Trek Survivor]

Never understood some fans' obsession with canon.

I'd rather have a good , well-paced, exciting Trek story (a rarity these days, sadly) that is a solid adventure in its own right than some mess with lots of ret-cons and an obsession with "fitting in".

And does it make your life better or the book more enjoyable if somebody else declares "this is canon; go on, you can enjoy it now"?

 

[xortex]

^ At the moment, just the two books aimed at the "young reader" audience and set while Kirk, McCoy, and Uhura are at the Academy.

Are they seeing how they do before launching an adult line?

 

[Dayton Ward]

^ There were already four books for the regular line written, leading out from the new film, which were pulled from the schedule. Whether those books eventually will see publication remains to be seen. I suppose there could be other novels commissioned, which like the YA books are set before/during the events of the first film, but I honestly have no idea at this point if any such plans are in the offing.

Though, I have inquired.

 

[Timo]

Well, it's film canon that Riker and Troi are on Titan, so the books wouldn't be able to ignore that

I don't think the film established that Troi would be going. For all we know, Titan wouldn't venture far away from Betazed at any time, so Troi could have a career as a local politician while his husband did five-week missions to where all sorts of men have gone before.

And of course a novel could postulate that Riker turned down the Titan because of highly dramatic plot twist X. That would be character continuity of sorts.

Novels seldom take sharp left turns like that right after the end credits of a "canonical" piece have stopped rolling. But ST:NEM was the end of an era in the canon sense, with no known sequels in the offing, so a sharp left might indeed be warranted there. Destiny just gives it after a brief delay.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[F. King Daniel]

^ There were already four books for the regular line written, leading out from the new film, which were pulled from the schedule. Whether those books eventually will see publication remains to be seen. I suppose there could be other novels commissioned, which like the YA books are set before/during the events of the first film, but I honestly have no idea at this point if any such plans are in the offing.

Though, I have inquired.

Inquire harder!!

 

[Dayton Ward]

I've done my bit. Now I wait for editors to get back to me.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Are they seeing how they do before launching an adult line?

No, it's more like catering to a (possibly lucrative) niche that hasn't been served in quite a while: new, young ST fans. Some of the ST YA Academy novels and novelizations sold well enough in the past, but those loyal readers have long graduated to adult ST novels by now, or wandered off to other franchises without taking up adult ST tie-ins.

The SF media YA short (hardcover) novel has had a resurgence. They publish them for young fans of "Doctor Who" and "Primeval" to name a few. Their success will have little correlation with post-movie novels for adults.

 

[SicOne]

Certainly not. There's no "edict" beyond staying consistent with onscreen Trek. The internovel continuity was the choice of the editors and authors. We do it because it's fun and creatively useful. But those of us who have stories to tell that are incompatible with the novel continuity have also been free to do so.

Margaret Clark wasn't around as sole editor long enough to say for sure...

What happened with Margaret Clark? Is she still with Pocket? Who is running the editorial show now?

I'm sure this has probably been discussed elsewhere some time ago, but how closely do you published authors work together now, on your individual projects, in order to help improve continuity? I seem to recall some discussion that there was some kind of roundtable talk about how to clean up "Mack's Mess" post-Destiny, but not much more details than that.

 

[Christopher]

What happened with Margaret Clark? Is she still with Pocket? Who is running the editorial show now?

As stated in the other thread where you asked this, Margaret was laid off last year and Jaime Costas is now the Trek editor.

I'm sure this has probably been discussed elsewhere some time ago, but how closely do you published authors work together now, on your individual projects, in order to help improve continuity? I seem to recall some discussion that there was some kind of roundtable talk about how to clean up "Mack's Mess" post-Destiny, but not much more details than that.

It's generally the editor's job to maintain continuity, but the authors often contact each other and compare notes when they have overlapping projects.

As for "cleaning up Mack's mess," that was KRAD's nickname for the various post-Destiny novels, and it shouldn't be taken too literally. It wasn't so much a roundtable talk to figure out how to do it as a process of the authors keeping each other informed, sharing our outlines and manuscripts so we could make sure we were all on the same page.

 

[SicOne]

What happened with Margaret Clark? Is she still with Pocket? Who is running the editorial show now?

As stated in the other thread where you asked this, Margaret was laid off last year and Jaime Costas is now the Trek editor.

I'm sure this has probably been discussed elsewhere some time ago, but how closely do you published authors work together now, on your individual projects, in order to help improve continuity? I seem to recall some discussion that there was some kind of roundtable talk about how to clean up "Mack's Mess" post-Destiny, but not much more details than that.

It's generally the editor's job to maintain continuity, but the authors often contact each other and compare notes when they have overlapping projects.

As for "cleaning up Mack's mess," that was KRAD's nickname for the various post-Destiny novels, and it shouldn't be taken too literally. It wasn't so much a roundtable talk to figure out how to do it as a process of the authors keeping each other informed, sharing our outlines and manuscripts so we could make sure we were all on the same page.

I didn't take the appellation "Mack's Mess" that literally. And you guys have done a great job thus far building a shining new edifice where, pre-Destiny, a majestic and serviceable but old and crumbling building once stood.

I did see in the other thread where someone said Margaret is back on a freelance basis. I am not familiar with Jaime Costas, though; does he/she participate in the forums like the learned Margaret did? And I thought I saw Marco's name pop up here and there; is he back in some capacity?

FWIW, I think it's great that the authors discuss continuity (note I didn't use, as some people do, the other "C-word"...) and their own projects among themselves. I don't know at what point you guys started doing that (I went from reading VOY's "Homecoming" straight to "Articles Of The Federation"), but keep on keepin' on.

 

[Christopher]

I am not familiar with Jaime Costas, though; does he/she participate in the forums like the learned Margaret did? And I thought I saw Marco's name pop up here and there; is he back in some capacity?

I don't think I've seen Jaime on the BBS, at least not regularly. She's probably too busy. I think she was Marco's assistant when I first met her, but has since gone on to edit other Pocket tie-in titles before being brought in to take over Trek.

As for Marco, he's one of the writers in the upcoming Vanguard: Declassified anthology, so he's on the other side of the desk now, as it were. He also does writing and editorial work for Star Trek Magazine now.

 

[Dayton Ward]

It's worth noting that Jaime is also out on maternitiy leave at the moment, due back in the office in early August. In the meantime, the other editors in the "tie in department at Pocket" are covering her various tasks/assignments, with the aid of a couple of editorial assistants and freelance editors. I get regular e-Mails from said folks with respect to the different projects I currently have going.