Spoilers DSC: Somewhere to Belong by Dayton Ward Review Thread

[Markonian]

Dayton Ward's new DSC novel Somewhere to Belong is out!

Blurb
Captain Michael Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery are finding that each day is a critical adjustment to their new lives and new missions in an Alpha Quadrant more than nine hundred years in the future. It’s here that Discovery is reconnecting with various worlds where the cataclysmic event known as "the Burn" has decimated Starfleet and, with it, the United Federation of Planets. There’s been precious little time for the crew to truly come to terms with their present reality, as their devotion to duty hides the emotional stress that could impact their effectiveness, and even threaten themselves or others.
After a successful journey to yet another planet cut off from the Federation, Discovery picks up a distress signal located in a nearby star system—a plea that harbors roots from their past lives in the 23rd century, and which may now lead to an entirely new crisis, plunging them all into mortal danger…

 

[Markonian]

Non-spoiler tidbits:
The swap from the Starfleet Grays to the colorful uniform of season 4 is covered.
The events of Season 3, minus Burnham's time as courier, took place over 2 months.
So far, we still don't know the class name for the USS Dresselhaus-type.
Gen Rhys is first officer.

 

[Ronald Held]

I was about to create this thread. Just started, but seems a lot of rehashing.

 

[Markonian]

I don't mind the summaries/recalls - we have seen this stuff on screen but this is the first time somebody puts the events into written words.

 

[tenmei]

Gen Rhys is first officer.

I honestly thought this was stated in the show?

 

[Markonian]

I honestly thought this was stated in the show?

I didn't know, I thought it was Lieutenant Tilly because she wore command red in the original filming of the season 3 finale.

 

[Markonian]

Tidbits:
The crew is watching Galaxy Quest. Yes, that movie!
There’s a space habitat and it is basically the same design, down to layout and appearance, as Starbase Yorktown from BEY.

 

[The Ghoul Next Door]

Dayton Ward's new DSC novel Somewhere to Belong is out!

Thank you for setting up the review thread! I just made one small tweak to the poll, to allow people to view the results without voting. If people want to use the poll results to decide whether or not to get/read the book, it helps if they can view it.

The crew is watching Galaxy Quest. Yes, that movie!

That's interesting, though... Galaxy Quest is a loving send-up of Star Trek, so I wonder how it comes about in a universe with no Star Trek?

 

[Markonian]

That's interesting, though... Galaxy Quest is a loving send-up of Star Trek, so I wonder how it comes about in a universe with no Star Trek?

I think there was an SNW (contest, not Pike) story that explains Kirk & co travelled into the past and spoke with Gene Roddenberry, leading to Star Trek to exist but also being real.

 

[Christopher]

That's interesting, though... Galaxy Quest is a loving send-up of Star Trek, so I wonder how it comes about in a universe with no Star Trek?

What most people don't realize is that Galaxy Quest is not exclusively a send-up of Star Trek, but of 1960s-80s TV in general. In particular, the show within the show is uncannily similar to season 2 of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which featured a macho male lead played by a spotlight-hogging lead actor; his alien best friend who was the last survivor of a slaughtered warrior race and had a skullcap-based makeup; and a female lead who had a vaguely defined shipboard role and was mainly just eye candy. The in-universe Galaxy Quest series also premiered in the same year as Buck Rogers, and its child-genius character Laredo resembled Gary Coleman's character Hieronymous Fox from season 1 of Buck.

Granted, Buck season 2 was only set on a starship because its incoming producers retooled the show to be more like Star Trek. But there's a good deal of other classic SFTV in GQ's DNA (IMHO FWIW PDQ). The cheesy wire-work special effects are more reminiscent of Irwin Allen's shows, and the child-genius character also owes something to Lost in Space and Galactica 1980. Alexander Dane's personality is very similar to Space: 1999's Barry Morse, a distinguished British actor who was embarrassed by his association with a cheesy sci-fi show. Tawny Madison's role as a crew member whose job is mainly to repeat what the computer says is similar to the Space: 1999 character David Kano (although he was at least reading from printout tape). And then there are things like the corridor of gratuitous deathtraps, the casting of a non-East Asian actor as an East Asian character, and the countdown stopping on 1 second that are just generic TV tropes not specific to any one show.

But the thing is, Star Trek is the only one of these shows that most people remember, so they mistakenly assume it's the only thing GQ is sending up, when really it's just the central part of a more eclectic mix of pop-culture references. The Buck Rogers parallels in particular are so strong that I can't believe they were coincidental.

In a universe without Star Trek, we would still have had Irwin Allen's shows and might still have had Space: 1999. We might have had Star Wars (although Lucas named it in reference to Star Trek and used ST's syndication success to convince studios there was an audience for it), and that would've led to Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers, though it would've been a rather different Buck Rogers without the attempts to make it like Star Trek. Granted, a large part of what GQ draws on is the fan/convention culture that grew out of Trek, which might not have become as big a thing without Trek fandom. Still, it's possible that an alternate version of GQ could've existed, sending up the SFTV that would've existed in Trek's absence.

 

[Richard S. TaaAGH! *thud*]

although Lucas named it in reference to Star Trek and used ST's syndication success to convince studios there was an audience for it

I never heard that before? Is that right?

 

[Christopher]

I never heard that before? Is that right?

IIRC, Lucas said so in a documentary about Trek -- probably the 2011 Trek Nation, since that's the only Trek-titled thing in Lucas's "Self" filmography on IMDb.

Plus, it's obvious, isn't it? Star Trek was a huge hit in SF fandom in the mid-70s. It would be absurd to think that someone making an American sci-fi film in the mid-70s and naming it Star [4-letter word] was oblivious to the similarity. Of course he was trying to ride on its coattails. It's just that SW has eclipsed ST so much in the public mind these days that people have forgotten that ST used to be the dominant franchise. (Lucas also got the Expanded Universe started in the '80s-'90s because he was trying to replicate the success of the Trek novel line.)

 

[Richard S. TaaAGH! *thud*]

IIRC, Lucas said so in a documentary about Trek -- probably the 2011 Trek Nation, since that's the only Trek-titled thing in Lucas's "Self" filmography on IMDb.

Plus, it's obvious, isn't it? Star Trek was a huge hit in SF fandom in the mid-70s. It would be absurd to think that someone making an American sci-fi film in the mid-70s and naming it Star [4-letter word] was oblivious to the similarity. Of course he was trying to ride on its coattails. It's just that SW has eclipsed ST so much in the public mind these days that people have forgotten that ST used to be the dominant franchise. (Lucas also got the Expanded Universe started in the '80s-'90s because he was trying to replicate the success of the Trek novel line.)

I didn't mean you were wrong, I was just curious. I don't think it's obvious at all, but thanks regardless. I think I do recall watching Trek Nation years ago and seeing that. Citation needed on the EU though, I call bull on that one.

 

[F. King Daniel]

The big issue with Galaxy Quest existing in Trek, is that each and every scenario would have someone say, "hey, this is just like an episode of Galaxy Quest!" and they'd solve the situation just by watching the end of the episode.

That's why the classic Trekkish sci-fi of our world cannot exist in Trek, because Trek itself is just as ridiculous and hokey. It's like The Walking Dead, where zombies never existed, were never thought of before they became real in that show. Because otherwise everyone would already know what you're supposed to do.

 

[Markonian]

The big issue with Galaxy Quest existing in Trek, is that each and every scenario would have someone say, "hey, this is just like an episode of Galaxy Quest!" and they'd solve the situation just by watching the end of the episode.

Logically, you are right.
Especially when the Federation has grown to include 150 worlds - there’s bound to be Star Trek-equivalent shows from countless cultures. Presumably, when issues/anomalies are encountered, Starfleet doesn’t readily access its cultural database to find solutions.

Funnily enough, Somewhere to Belong ends with the crew deliberately watching a movie that reflects their experience in the latest adventure!
The movie in question is Alien Nation.

 

[Christopher]

The big issue with Galaxy Quest existing in Trek, is that each and every scenario would have someone say, "hey, this is just like an episode of Galaxy Quest!" and they'd solve the situation just by watching the end of the episode.

Except, again, the in-universe Galaxy Quest was closer to Buck Rogers, and more generally the Glen Larson SFTV of the '70s and early '80s, than Star Trek. Yeah, there's a lot of Trek in it, but in-universe it ran from 1979-82, the era of Buck Rogers and Galactica 1980, and it's of a piece with the shows of that era, albeit with special effects owing more to Irwin Allen's 1960s shows. Yes, there are Trek references in the mix as well, but the show was clearly much more lowbrow and schlocky than Trek, precisely in line with the dumbed-down SFTV of the late '70s and early '80s. (Or rather, SFTV that often strove to be intelligent but was pressured to dumb itself down by networks that assumed sci-fi was for children only.)

 

[The Ghoul Next Door]

I think there was an SNW (contest, not Pike) story that explains Kirk & co travelled into the past and spoke with Gene Roddenberry, leading to Star Trek to exist but also being real.

I personally feel that having the Star Trek TV show exist in the Star Trek universe strains credulity way too much, so I wouldn't really be on-board with that. To paraphrase something I read somewhere (probably in one of those Best of Trek collections), "no one is going to base their interstellar government directly off a 200-year old TV show!"

What most people don't realize is that Galaxy Quest is not exclusively a send-up of Star Trek, but of 1960s-80s TV in general. In particular, the show within the show is uncannily similar to season 2 of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which featured a macho male lead played by a spotlight-hogging lead actor; his alien best friend who was the last survivor of a slaughtered warrior race and had a skullcap-based makeup; and a female lead who had a vaguely defined shipboard role and was mainly just eye candy. The in-universe Galaxy Quest series also premiered in the same year as Buck Rogers, and its child-genius character Laredo resembled Gary Coleman's character Hieronymous Fox from season 1 of Buck.

Thank you for the insight. I only quoted a bit of it, but the whole post was quite interesting.

In a universe without Star Trek, we would still have had Irwin Allen's shows and might still have had Space: 1999. We might have had Star Wars

I could certainly see that they could've still had Star Wars (under whatever name). Hasn't it been said that Lucas's inspiration was the old Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials? So if those existed, I could see Star Wars still being made. Granted, I guess I'm not aware of any definitive proof those existed, but we do know that at least Captain Proton existed, so even if the others didn't, Star Wars could have been inspired by that!

The big issue with Galaxy Quest existing in Trek, is that each and every scenario would have someone say, "hey, this is just like an episode of Galaxy Quest!" and they'd solve the situation just by watching the end of the episode.

I think the question "was the fictional Galaxy Quest TV show a real show in Star Trek's history" is an entirely different question from "did the 1999 movie Galaxy Quest exist in Star Trek's history". And I think that the two are mutually exclusive: any universe where GQ is a real TV show is unlikely to produce the exact movie that was released in 1999 (although they could have a follow-up GQ movie set within the GQ universe).

I seem to have a vague recollection of some novel somewhere hinting that GQ was a TV show in ST's history? Does anyone remember that, or am I making it up? Or maybe I'm just confusing it with a GQ reference in a book somewhere? I seem to recall at least one book referenced Captain Taggert as a historical ship captain.

Especially when the Federation has grown to include 150 worlds - there’s bound to be Star Trek-equivalent shows from countless cultures.

"Hey, this is just like an episode of Battlecruiser Vengeance!"

Since I like alternate history stories, I'm finding this an interesting subject... but maybe I shouldn't have responded at all? Are we off-topic? I feel we're off-topic...

(I don't even have Somewhere to Belong yet. I shouldn't even be in this thread! )

 

[Anson Mount Seleya]

It's like The Walking Dead, where zombies never existed, were never thought of before they became real in that show. Because otherwise everyone would already know what you're supposed to do.

The show, yes, which is why the word "zombie" is never spoken in the show or any of its spinoffs. However, zombie culture did exist in the Walking Dead's comic continuity, with the word "zombie" being spoken quite often in early issues and one character even commenting "so weird to live in a world where zombies are real."

What most people don't realize is that Galaxy Quest is not exclusively a send-up of Star Trek, but of 1960s-80s TV in general.

Although, this novel specifically dwells on Galaxy Quest's Trek parallels, with a new character introduced in this novel who is from the 32nd century even commenting while watching the movie "these characters are awfully similar to Starfleet officers from the old days."

 

[Christopher]

I could certainly see that they could've still had Star Wars (under whatever name). Hasn't it been said that Lucas's inspiration was the old Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials? So if those existed, I could see Star Wars still being made.

Yes, of course, but if what I recall Lucas saying in Trek Nation was true, he cited ST's success in syndication to persuade movie executives that it was worth the risk of investing in his space-opera movie. I'm not saying he wouldn't have gotten the idea without Trek, but that he might not have been able to get it made without Trek as a precedent, or at least he might have had to settle for a much lower budget.

The show, yes, which is why the word "zombie" is never spoken in the show or any of its spinoffs. However, zombie culture did exist in the Walking Dead's comic continuity, with the word "zombie" being spoken quite often in early issues and one character even commenting "so weird to live in a world where zombies are real."

Then again, the meaning of the word "zombie" has transformed radically in the past half-century or so. It used to mean a mind-controlled slave of a vodoun priest, ritually killed or nearly killed and revived to serve a master. Romero's Night of the Living Dead creatures -- which he called ghouls rather than zombies -- were inspired by the vampires of Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend, in which the dead people reanimated by the vampire plague were more shambling and mindless than the ones turned while still alive. The word "zombie" somehow got attached to that kind of undead creature, and then the idea of zombies hungering for brains was added in the '80s.

So what they could've done in TWD was to say that the word "zombie" existed, but only in the original vodoun sense, because NotLD was never made and the "Romero zombie" mythos never emerged.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Any bartender knows the proper weapon for disposing of a zombie:

A tall glass.