Did the books ever explore romance between the crew members?

[Thrawn]

I mean, urban fantasy sells brilliantly, but that's no reason to create a Trek crew of only vampires.

Oh, sure, shoot down my new pitch before I even get to find out who to make it to!!

This is even funnier with your avatar. I'm imagining this baby in a meeting with an editor going "VAMPIWES! ON A SPACESHHHHHIP!" and it's awesome.

 

[Thrawn]

That's a great argument for publishers commissioning more sci-fi romances; it's a shit argument for Trek creating a romance-only series.

I mean, urban fantasy sells brilliantly, but that's no reason to create a Trek crew of only vampires.

I'm not sure if the argument is for that or for incorporating a bit more romance into existing Trek Lit. Brit?

If so, the books are way ahead of her already. There's more ongoing romance in TrekLit than there ever was onscreen.

 

[Paris]

Some of the romantic relationships explored in treklit that I remember are:

TOS:
Spock - Saavik

TNG:
Jean-Luc Picard - Beverly Crusher
Worf - Jasminder Choudhury
Sean Hawk - Ranul Keru (until Hawk died...explored in Rogue)

Titan:
William Riker - Deanna Troi
Melora Pazlar - Xin Ra-Havreii
Tuvok - T'Pel
Olivia & Axel Bolaji
Christine Vale - Jaza Najem (until Jaza died)

Voyager:
Tom Paris - B'Elanna Torres
Kathryn Janeway - Chakotay (was just getting going and then Janeway died)

New Frontier:
Mackenzie Calhoun - Elizabeth Shelby
Burgoyne 172 - Selar (divorce)

...and that's just off the top of my head. I'm so behind on the DS9-R, that the only one I remember is Ro Laren and Quark. I'm not even sure if they are still an item...

 

[Thestral]

Death may be a part of life, but it's escapist stories and books that are selling now. Trek Lit could and still can fill that bill beautifully. But they are going to have to listen to the fans that might just put down a few dollars for a paperback book. It doesn't take rocket science to understand that a business doesn't cut back on something that is making them money.

Well then we should all rest easy knowing Pocket's doing it right and indeed making money since they're not cutting back on production.

And FYI it isn't just "Trek" but hard Science Fiction as a whole that is suffering this down turn. Dark doesn't sell right now.

Trek as hard sci-fi.... And it's a good thing TrekLit recently has been trending in a very hopeful direction (depending on how the Typhon Pact develops).

Romance however is selling and has managed to gain a little even in these hard economic times.

Yeah... and the Jonas Brothers and Stephanie Meyer are selling really well too...

 

[David R. George III]

McCoy's relationship with Tonia Barrows is explored and expanded in my Provenance of Shadows.

 

[Brit]

Romance however is selling and has managed to gain a little even in these hard economic times.

Yeah... and the Jonas Brothers and Stephanie Meyer are selling really well too...

You know something, I don't read Stephenie Meyer, and I'm not into Vampire fic. But it's pretty hard to take you seriously when you try to laugh off her sales. Is she or her audience beneath you. I would imagine that every publisher in the world would have liked to have been the one to sign her on, just like they would have all liked to sign on J. K. Rowling. Laugh all you want, both the authors and their publishers are laughing with you all the way to the bank.

Brit

 

[JB2005]

^ Scouting for Boys sold really well too...

 

[C.E. Evans]

Some of the romantic relationships explored in treklit that I remember are:
TNG:
Jean-Luc Picard - Beverly Crusher
Worf - Jasminder Choudhury
Sean Hawk - Ranul Keru (until Hawk died...explored in Rogue)

Don't forget Geordi LaForge - an engineering PADD (the only thing he'll ever be interactive with)

 

[JB2005]

^ Actually La-Forge was set up with Chief Engineer on the Aventine (someone jump in here, her name escapes me...)

 

[C.E. Evans]

^^^
Leishman

Oh, like that's going to go anywhere. I think that's already run its course, IMO.

LaForge has better luck with engineering PADDs and EPS conduits, I tell ya...

 

[Sci]

I'm not a fan of the idea of turning out a series of Star Trek romance novels, but I would like to see Geordi finally meet the right person and have an actual, honest-to-God relationship. The guy's been lonely for a very long time, and it would give his character a sense of direction instead of him just being the guy standing there in engineering.

 

[Thestral]

Romance however is selling and has managed to gain a little even in these hard economic times.

Yeah... and the Jonas Brothers and Stephanie Meyer are selling really well too...

You know something, I don't read Stephenie Meyer, and I'm not into Vampire fic. But it's pretty hard to take you seriously when you try to laugh off her sales. Is she or her audience beneath you. I would imagine that every publisher in the world would have liked to have been the one to sign her on, just like they would have all liked to sign on J. K. Rowling. Laugh all you want, both the authors and their publishers are laughing with you all the way to the bank.

Brit

Ehh... I have very particular reasons for disliking the Twilight "saga" which don't really belong in this forum (aside from the writing style/ability, etc). Suffice to say that J.K. Rowling and TrekLit have never implied that their main characters were helplessly useless delicate flowers without a (white, certainly not Indian) man around to put things right and that if your man leaves you you should try and kill yourself.

I'm not a fan of the idea of turning out a series of Star Trek romance novels, but I would like to see Geordi finally meet the right person and have an actual, honest-to-God relationship. The guy's been lonely for a very long time, and it would give his character a sense of direction instead of him just being the guy standing there in engineering.

Heck yeah! It never bothered me when I was 8 and Geordi was my favorite character, but looking back the writers really screwed him over good. I liked his interaction with Mikaela Leishman, and I hope they do get to have that lunch/coffee/whatever they were planning and start a good relationship.

 

[JD]

I'm another one who would really like to see Geordi in a relationship that actually lasts for more than an episode/novel. I'm really hoping that we get to see more of him Leishman, judging by their interactions it Destiny it seemed like they'd be pretty good together.

 

[ClayinCA]

What about Trip/T'Pol? Have they been able to further that storyline at all in the ENT novels, given the, er, status of things...?

And I'd like to see Geordi's relationship with Leah Brahms continue. We had a taste of it in those Genesis Wave books, but nothing since then.

 

[James Swallow]

Dark doesn't sell right now.

As someone who's been writing dark and grim SF for several years now, my royalty statements don't seem to reflect your assumption.

Perhaps it's a national thing, but SF seems to be selling okay over here in the UK.

 

[JB2005]

^ Well as a consumer in the UK, I'll agree with that statement.

 

[Reanok]

When it comes to Trip & T'Pol's relationship, I'd say yes they have dealt with their relationship in the last 2 Enterprise books.I'd also like to see Geordi have along term relationship that works out for him. He deserves to be happy.

 

[HIj'Qa]

Sulu had quite a string of romances with fellow crewmembers in the comics.

And there was Mandala Flynn in the books.

 

[snakespeare]

^^^
Leishman

Oh, like that's going to go anywhere. I think that's already run its course, IMO.

LaForge has better luck with engineering PADDs and EPS conduits, I tell ya...

He will eventually marry Leah Brahms. I am sure of it. The events discussed in the final tv episode of TNG are gradually occurring in the books. Picard and Crusher are married now. In Millenium, Picard's memory loss syndrome (eramadi?) is a fact. So, naturally, it's safe to assume that Leah will somehow get together with Geordi. She has already been widowed, and he has already told her his feelings, so it's just a matter of time.

 

[Christopher]

He will eventually marry Leah Brahms. I am sure of it. The events discussed in the final tv episode of TNG are gradually occurring in the books. Picard and Crusher are married now. In Millenium, Picard's memory loss syndrome (eramadi?) is a fact. So, naturally, it's safe to assume that Leah will somehow get together with Geordi.

Err, no. Millennium was an alternate timeline, just as "All Good Things..." was. Picard has a predisposition to Irumodic Syndrome, so it could happen in any timeline, but there's no certainty of it.

"All Good Things..." showed a number of other things that have already been decisively contradicted -- such as both Data and the Enterprise-D still existing 25 years in the future, and Deanna dying before she and Riker ever got back together. So there's no way the future it depicted can be taken as reliably predictive of what will happen in the book continuity.