Corps of Engineers relaunch delayed

[JWolf]

^ If you want to keep the same font and size then you need to center CORPS OF. Otherwise it just looks silly with that big gap.

 

[KRAD]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that you're also dropping the numbering? Or is that just on the print volumes?

No, we're dropping the numbering, too.

(And if I'm correct, is that going to mean anything for the serialization we've seen before? For example, "Home Fires" through "Breakdowns" deal with the aftermath of "Wildfire", and there's also been the Androssi stories which build upon one another. Is there going to be a shift even further towards episodic storytelling than we've seen in the past?)

No, the editorial philosophy is still the same. The stories are standalone, but the characters are serialized, if that makes sense, and there will still be continuity of character and, where necessary, plot. Heck, one of the stories we've got for 2007 is a sequel to S.C.E. #45.

Ignoring my preference for the old title (or at least what I thought was the old title--I always thought it was officially Starfleet Corps of Engineers, not S.C.E., since that's how it is on the booklists),

How it appears on the booklists is irrelevant, it's how it appears on the cover and title page that matters to the consumer, and that was "S.C.E."

 

[ATimson]

JWolf said:
^ If you want to keep the same font and size then you need to center CORPS OF. Otherwise it just looks silly with that big gap.

It probably needs to be changed... but that was a 5-minute mockup in Paint. Hence the "I'm not a graphic designer" bit.

 

[ATimson]

KRAD said:
No, the editorial philosophy is still the same. The stories are standalone, but the characters are serialized, if that makes sense,

Perfectly. I'll leave judgment on whether that's good or bad to those more qualified

How it appears on the booklists is irrelevant, it's how it appears on the cover and title page that matters to the consumer, and that was "S.C.E."

So I'm not a consumer, then?

Seriously, though... I understand why you changed it, and I understand why you chose the new title... I just don't like it. I actually think it's less descriptive than the old one. *shrug*

 

[wombat]

I'm kinda happy about it. Whenever I read the S.C.E short, I hear a ferengi voice saying, "Brunt, F.C.A". Stupid associative memories.

 

[KRAD]

I actually think it's less descriptive than the old one. *shrug*

Okay, you're going to have to explain how "Corps of Engineers" is less descriptive than "S.C.E."

 

[ATimson]

KRAD said:
Okay, you're going to have to explain how "Corps of Engineers" is less descriptive than "S.C.E."

Regardless of the actual title, the acronym S.C.E. translates out to Starfleet Corps of Engineers. (And if I'd never run across the acronym before, I would read the back cover, which usually explains what it meant. )

"Corps of Engineers", on the other hand, could also apply to different factions, which would get ut wildly varying stories. You could get "Klingon Corps of Engineer" stories, about them blowing stuff up; "Romulan Corps of Engineer" stories, probably focused on them trying to steal or reverse-engineer other races' technology, etc.

Am I just bitching? Possibly. If so, my apologies. :thumbsup:

 

[Stevil2001]

Speaking of Klingon engineers, there really needs to be a story bringing back those guys from Orphans. Either in S.C.E.--ahem, CofE, or Gorkon.

 

[JD]

ATimson said:
[
"Corps of Engineers", on the other hand, could also apply to different factions, which would get ut wildly varying stories. You could get "Klingon Corps of Engineer" stories, about them blowing stuff up; "Romulan Corps of Engineer" stories, probably focused on them trying to steal or reverse-engineer other races' technology, etc.

Don't know about you, but I deffinitely wouldn't complain if we got to see the COEs (or their equivalents) of other races/

 

[TerriO]

KRAD said:
^ You can dive right in with Turn the Page, methinks.

Yeah, Dayton and Kevin did a nice job with that. As we see the crew through the new--and perhaps somewhat familiar--crew member's eyes, I think it's a good introduction to the da Vinci and her crew as she stands now.

 

[JD]

ATimson said:

(And if I'm correct, is that going to mean anything for the serialization we've seen before? For example, "Home Fires" through "Breakdowns" deal with the aftermath of "Wildfire", and there's also been the Androssi stories which build upon one another. Is there going to be a shift even further towards episodic storytelling than we've seen in the past?)

How many stories, other than Cold Fusion , have the Androssi appeared in? I know they were in A Time To Be Born, but I was just wondering about SCE/CoE.

 

[KRAD]

How many stories, other than Cold Fusion , have the Androssi appeared in? I know they were in A Time To Be Born, but I was just wondering about SCE/CoE.

The Androssi were mentioned in Here There Be Monsters and appeared in War Stories Books 1-2 and Collective Hindsight Book 2.

At this point, all those stories are in print: Cold Fusion in Miracle Workers, War Stories in Wildfire, and Collective Hindsight in the just-released Aftermath.

 

[Christopher]

JD said:
...I was just wondering about SCE/CoE.

I submit that we should feel free to keep using the acronym SCE -- just assume the S stands for "Star Trek" instead of "Starfleet." After all, within the stories, the organization itself is still known as the SCE; that hasn't changed just because the series title has changed. And it's easier just to say "SCE" than "SCE/CoE."

Besides, if Independence Day can be abbreviated as "ID4," I'd say the ship has kinda sailed on faithful acronyms. (Or rather, initialisms. I think technically it's only an acronym if it spells a word, or at least something pronounceable as a word.)

 

[MichaelS]

ATimson said:
"Corps of Engineers", on the other hand, could also apply to different factions, which would get ut wildly varying stories. You could get "Klingon Corps of Engineer" stories, about them blowing stuff up; "Romulan Corps of Engineer" stories, probably focused on them trying to steal or reverse-engineer other races' technology, etc.

Frankly, I'd settle for other Starfleet teams from different eras (in addition to the other one around al-Khaled). It's like that plan to change the name of Stargate SG-1 to Stargate Command - there's a way to tell other stories not necessarily about SG-1 (or was, before they dropped it). So, I'm hoping that eventually we'll see stories that delve deep into the organisation's past, just as we've seen stories that explore the main characters' various pasts.

 

[Bobatiel]

MichaelS said:
[...(in addition to the other one around al-Khaled)...

Such a cool name.