Does anyone here have the novel yet?

[Defcon]

Alan Dean Foster was the very first Trek novel writer. waaaay back in the 60s.

Ehm, no? His TAS adaptions (he didn't do any original Trek stuff) started to be published in 1974. There were two writers before him:

James Blish: TOS adaptions from 1967 onwards, Spock must Die (1970)
Mack Reynolds: Mission to Horatius (1968)

ETA: gh4chiefs beat me to it. Had to find my copy of Voyages of the Imagination first to verify the dates.

 

[indranee]

Alan Dean Foster was the very first Trek novel writer. waaaay back in the 60s. more TOS fans should know about him than do.

I think you may be confusing him with James Blish who did the novelizations of the TV episodes. Foster did the novelizations of the TAS.

oh no. yes, that's right!

*shamefaced* sorry

 

[CommanderRaytas]

I got the book but haven't got past the Kelvin bit yet. Did you notice Robau's first name? This is yet another alternative reality where Robau is French!

Yes, I did notice, too: Captain Pierre Robau. So, "Pete," for short.

This is the sort of thing I don't mind, but after all this "waahh, alternate timeline, nuReality" riot we've been having here, going over this subject a gazillion times, this Pierre instead of Richard mistake made me smile.

 

[Greg Cox]

I think the author (Alan Dean Foster) may have worked with an earlier version of the script.

That's pretty much always the case where novelizations are concerned.

 

[Thrawn]

Actually, oddly enough, this time it wasn't - the movie was actually 100% completed before Foster got the job, because of the release being pushed from December to May. So not only did he have the final script, he had the final movie. All changes are his own, to better tell the story in print form.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

Actually, oddly enough, this time it wasn't - the movie was actually 100% completed before Foster got the job, because of the release being pushed from December to May. So not only did he have the final script, he had the final movie. All changes are his own, to better tell the story in print form.

As far as what I read, that seems to be the case. When Foster was brought in to do the novelization, he wrote somewhere online that he had, in fact, seen the completed movie.

 

[Greg Cox]

Wow. I stand corrected.

He actually got to see the completed movie before the book went to press? I'm impressed and jealous. That almost never happens . . . .

 

[Jeri]

This is the sort of thing I don't mind, but after all this "waahh, alternate timeline, nuReality" riot we've been having here, going over this subject a gazillion times, this Pierre instead of Richard mistake made me smile.

Wha? Where did it say Richard?

 

[Jeri]

Wow. I stand corrected.

He actually got to see the completed movie before the book went to press? I'm impressed and jealous. That almost never happens . . . .

Well, usually they don't decide to postpone the release 6 months, I guess.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

IIRC, he did not have a lot of time to write the novelization. I think it was via trekmovie.com that mentions when he was brought on to write it, and it was not long ago.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

This is the sort of thing I don't mind, but after all this "waahh, alternate timeline, nuReality" riot we've been having here, going over this subject a gazillion times, this Pierre instead of Richard mistake made me smile.

Wha? Where did it say Richard?

On screen. I didn't dream this.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

Maybe that's why Robau got to be so badass - someone once called him Pierre.

 

[Jeri]

On screen. I didn't dream this.

Maybe that's why Robau got to be so badass - someone once called him Pierre.

Well, if it's on screen, it'll have to be "Ric," then. Maybe they can change it to "Roc." Roc Robau has a nice ring, don't you think?

 

[CommanderRaytas]

Sounds great, Roc Robau. I like names that can be alliterated. R&R.

 

[Lythia]

Actually, oddly enough, this time it wasn't - the movie was actually 100% completed before Foster got the job, because of the release being pushed from December to May. So not only did he have the final script, he had the final movie. All changes are his own, to better tell the story in print form.

If that's true, then I'm even less impressed with it than I was before.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

Tell that to Roc.

 

[nx1701g]

The name Richard came from the website I believe.

If you think the changes to the beginning are interesting, wait until you read the names of the ships going to Vulcan.

 

[skep155]

Which reminds me, do we have any names for the new aliens yet in the novel?