Could a Lost Era set between 2161 and 2265 work?

[Mage]

One of the biggest things working for The Lost Era was the ability to work with events and characters we knew of for that time period, and that fans would want to read about.

But are there any stories in the period starting with the birth of the Federation and Kirk's five year mission that were hinted at in any of the series or movies? Characters we know of that lived in period and we would want to know more about?

This period could give us some great stories that I believe a lot of fans would like to read about: Starfleet's earliest exploration into the unknown, humanity's first colonization efforts, the development of the Federation, humanity's struggle to find it's place in an intergalactic society.

So, I guess what I'm saying/asking: would you read novels set in this period?

 

[F. King Daniel]

You mean like the 2220's USS Kelvin novels that keep being asked for?

 

[Mage]

You mean like the 2220's USS Kelvin novels that keep being asked for?

No, not really. Perhaps on novel set on the Kelvin would be nice, but not an entire series.

The Lost Era dealt with a period spanning nearly 70 years, telling stories about different crews, and even other species then just those in the Federation. I'd love to see a novel set 5 years after the birth of the Federation, and how this new coalition of speacies is changing things on a galactic scale, seeing how other species deal with new kid on the block. Perhaps a novel dealing with a human colony that was established a few years before the Federation started, and 20 years later doesn't want to be involved with the Federation at all. This could make for an interesting political novel: how those the Federation deal with a group of humans who want to be independant??

Things like that.

 

[Technobuilder]

The Federation has to deal with independent colonies in the "Taurus Reach" in Vanguard: Declassified (I believe the story was written by Marco)

 

[Christopher]

But are there any stories in the period starting with the birth of the Federation and Kirk's five year mission that were hinted at in any of the series or movies? Characters we know of that lived in period and we would want to know more about?

Known characters? As for TOS characters, we've already got a fair amount of stuff written that comes before 2265 -- various adventures of Pike's Enterprise (mostly clustered around "The Cage" in 2254); various "young Kirk" tales like My Brother's Keeper, Peter David's "Starfleet Academy" comics annual, and Diane Carey's YA Starfleet Academy books; Carey's George Kirk/Robert April novels; the Academy flashbacks for Kirk, Scott, and Sulu in TOS: The Kobayashi Maru by Julia Ecklar; and alternate versions of Sarek's and Spock's younger days in books like Vulcan's Forge, Sarek, and Spock's World. Some of these have been contradicted by later canon or by each other, but the pre-2265 period isn't exactly untouched.

Going from the other end, we've gotten some hints about Archer's future career that could be pursued. And maybe the future careers of T'Pol, Hoshi, etc. could be looked at. And of course there's Robau, George and Winona Kirk, and the Kelvin crew.

And as always, please avoid suggesting specific story ideas.

 

[The Wormhole]

Short answer: yes. As long as as someone can think up a storyline set between 2161 and 2265, then there's no reason why a novel set in this timeframe can't be written.

 

[Christopher]

Given how much Pike stuff and "younger days of the TOS cast" stuff there is already, maybe the cutoff date should be 2254 rather than 2265.

 

[Novae]

I would love to see more on Robert April's Enterprise or anything in that era, dealing with the building of the Constitution classes, their mandates for the 5-year missions, etc.

 

[Mage]

The Federation has to deal with independent colonies in the "Taurus Reach" in Vanguard: Declassified (I believe the story was written by Marco)

That's true. But still, there are plenty of stories to tell set in these years. Even stories about Pike's crew don't go back much further then a decade before Kirk's five year mission.

So I personally feel there's still a lot of stories to be told from the period 2161-2265.

 

[Stoek]

...Carey's George Kirk/Robert April novels;...

Even with some of the technical problems which you enumerated in another thread I personally rather enjoyed Final Frontier. So I am curious, is there more than that one novel featuring Kirk/April?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

...Carey's George Kirk/Robert April novels;...

Even with some of the technical problems which you enumerated in another thread I personally rather enjoyed Final Frontier. So I am curious, is there more than that one novel featuring Kirk/April?

Diane Carey's Best Destiny is a kinda sequel to Final Frontier. Also, the young adult novel Cadet Kirk.

 

[Christopher]

I would love to see more on Robert April's Enterprise or anything in that era, dealing with the building of the Constitution classes, their mandates for the 5-year missions, etc.

We don't know if 5-year missions were standard or "mandated" in any way. We know that one ship had one five-year mission, and that's it. A single example doesn't prove a pattern. In fact, if we discount the opening narration of TOS, the only in-story references are "my five years out there" from ST:TMP and "Kirk completed his historic five-year mission" from VGR: "Q2." Those prove that the mission was five years in duration, but there's no canonical proof that it was assigned to be five years. It could've been an open-ended mission that just happened to be brought to a close after five years.

However, in the novel I'm writing now, Forgotten History, I am touching on why the mission lasted five years, and the explanation I've chosen does suggest that it might be a fairly standard maximum duration for Constitution-class starships' tours of duty, though not necessarily for other classes. But there's still room for variation. In Ex Machina (which FH is following up on and consistent with), I established that the mission was scheduled to end at five years but Kirk made an effort to extend it further.

 

[F. King Daniel]

...Carey's George Kirk/Robert April novels;...

Even with some of the technical problems which you enumerated in another thread I personally rather enjoyed Final Frontier. So I am curious, is there more than that one novel featuring Kirk/April?

Diane Carey's Best Destiny is a kinda sequel to Final Frontier. Also, the young adult novel Cadet Kirk.

George Kirk is also in the Janus Gate trilogy.

 

[JD]

You mean like the 2220's USS Kelvin novels that keep being asked for?

No, not really. Perhaps on novel set on the Kelvin would be nice, but not an entire series.

The Lost Era dealt with a period spanning nearly 70 years, telling stories about different crews, and even other species then just those in the Federation. I'd love to see a novel set 5 years after the birth of the Federation, and how this new coalition of speacies is changing things on a galactic scale, seeing how other species deal with new kid on the block. Perhaps a novel dealing with a human colony that was established a few years before the Federation started, and 20 years later doesn't want to be involved with the Federation at all. This could make for an interesting political novel: how those the Federation deal with a group of humans who want to be independant??

Things like that.

While I would love to see some of this stuff, I think it might be best to at least get a few post RW Enterprise books before anything is attempted. That really seems to me like the best place to establish some of the early Federation stuff.

 

[Turtletrekker]

As I said in the Robau thread, I would love to read stories set in post-NX01/pre-1701 era.

Given how much Pike stuff and "younger days of the TOS cast" stuff there is already, maybe the cutoff date should be 2254 rather than 2265.

And I was actually going to disagree with this, but the more I think about this, the more I think Christopher is right. While I'm sure that there are many untold tales of the Enterprise under Pike with Spock that have not been told, it seems that all the major "moments" have been mined by the likes of Burning Dreams, Vulcan's Glory, Legacy, The Rift, the Early Voyages comic, ect. Other than fantasies of wrapping up unresolved hanging plot threads from Early Voyages, there doesn't seem that there is a lot left to mine.

 

[Christopher]

^Besides, a "Lost Era" designation implies something more standalone and unconventional than "more Pike stuff," something that doesn't really fit into any pre-existing series.

 

[DarKush]

I would be jazzed to see Trek Lit. cover this period. There is so much material to mine, perhaps most important is the creation of the Federation. We got a little of that in Starfleet Year One, but that was invalidated from a canon standpoint due to Enterprise. I would like to see a series set within the current Trek Lit. continuity. Not only could we get more of Archer, April, Pike, Prime Universe Robau, but other captains, ships, and characters as well. This area is definitely ripe for exploration.

 

[Sci]

I would be jazzed to see Trek Lit. cover this period. There is so much material to mine, perhaps most important is the creation of the Federation.

Not just its creation, but its growth and evolution!

 

[MatthiasRussell]

I would love to see some story on the XCV-330 Ent. It was mentioned in Indistinguishable From Magic if I remember correctly. Perhaps Diane Carey could use her knack for sailing ship writing to give it a retro and rugid feel. I would love to see such a book written like a Tony Horwitz novel: follow the voyage, then review its impact on the modern UFP.

 

[Christopher]

I would love to see some story on the XCV-330 Ent. It was mentioned in Indistinguishable From Magic if I remember correctly.

It was mentioned in Watching the Clock. I'm not sure if it got mentioned in IFM too.