I haven't yet read the novel "Engines of Destiny", but I have to ask, is it REALLY as bad as everyone has made it out to be?
What were some really bad elements?
Discuss.
What were some really bad elements?
Discuss.
Engines of Destiny: That bad?
- Thread starter WarsTrek1993
- Start date
Thanks for the insight. 
Thrawn-Somewhat relevant; that flowchart of yours has been pretty helpful lately! It's nice to see how several of the books connect.
Thrawn-Somewhat relevant; that flowchart of yours has been pretty helpful lately! It's nice to see how several of the books connect.
Seconded on the love for your flowchart, Thrawn. That and several of the threads on here have been immensely helpful for me - I've been completely out of Treklit since, oh, about the time New Frontier started, and started buying again last month, trying to start making my way up to the current stuff. I've bought about 40 books already - just bought all of Destiny today, now I just need the rest of the books leading up to it!
Engines Of Destiny being bad? I've never heard this. Everyone that I was talking to at the time it came out where really enjoying, and I enjoyed it as well.
Basically Scotty, after the events of Star Trek Generations tries to go back in time, rescue Kirk from the B, but that ends up allowing the galaxy to be overrun by the Borg.
Basically Scotty, after the events of Star Trek Generations tries to go back in time, rescue Kirk from the B, but that ends up allowing the galaxy to be overrun by the Borg.
I have quite enjoyed a few Gene DeWeese novels, but they are usually a bit techie for my liking. I've also had to grin and bear "Into the Nebula", which I recall only as tedious - and Gene himself once replied to my online post to admit that even he couldn't recall its plot either.
But "Engines of Destiny" was okay. What made it more intriguing is that it used to be listed on Steve Roby's "Lost Star Trek novels" page for several years. Someone was in a public library and noticed a reference to the rejected draft manuscript of EoD in a pile of paperwork donated to that library by Gene DeWeese. It had been one of those "upcoming novels" that managed not to get any pre-publicity, lost in an editorial reshuffle; I know, for me, who followed the paths of several other more infamous, still-lost "lost novels", seeing it on Steve's page was my first introduction to EoD.
After discussion by fans online, the book was reenergized by Marco and was finally published.
But "Engines of Destiny" was okay. What made it more intriguing is that it used to be listed on Steve Roby's "Lost Star Trek novels" page for several years. Someone was in a public library and noticed a reference to the rejected draft manuscript of EoD in a pile of paperwork donated to that library by Gene DeWeese. It had been one of those "upcoming novels" that managed not to get any pre-publicity, lost in an editorial reshuffle; I know, for me, who followed the paths of several other more infamous, still-lost "lost novels", seeing it on Steve's page was my first introduction to EoD.
After discussion by fans online, the book was reenergized by Marco and was finally published.
I quite enjoyed the first half of Into the Nebula a few years back, but then a german shepherd ate my copy, and, while I've since bought a replacement copy, I haven't yet gone back and reread it, so, I guess that tells you something.
It would have come back in a few days. (Woulda still been tedious. Sorry Gene.)
I read "Engines of Destiny" just a couple of weeks ago - and I enjoyed it. Not a masterpiece, but good fun. But, I love time travel/alternate reality stories. If you hate those...
I remember Kirk not feeling or sounding anything like Kirk is supposed to, and feeling kind of "meh" when finishing. Nevertheless, I still count it as part of my "personal continuity", as the Historian's note at the end features Scotty in the year 2422, his 200th birthday, and that means that he finds his way back from his fate at the end of Indistinguishable From Magic. 
It was okay. Not stellar, and not one I'd suggest digging around for.
Speaking of Relics, I'm always surprised at the, well, hatred many fans harbor toward that episode. Apparently it's a sin to even suggest an iconic character like Scotty may have flaws. Never understood that, IMHO it was one of TNG's best human stories and probably Doohan's best performance in the franchise.
Except for the part about Doohan's performance in "Relics" (which I thought was awful), I agree. The things I've heard from people assuming that Ron Moore hated Scotty were ridiculous. Don't they understand that stories require crisis and conflict? That they can't just be an hour of friendly reunions and reminiscing?
Besides, I think Geordi came off way worse than Scotty in that episode. Scotty's self-doubt and difficulty adjusting to the future were perfectly understandable. Geordi was downright insensitive.
If Engines of Destiny was bad I'd have a strong response to it. The same goes for it I really liked it. Since I'm not having any kind of emotional rection I probably thought it was ok but nothing spectacular.
"Old boy", etc.
I've ranted about how bad I think EoD is in threads gone by, but I will say that I like the idea of Guinan's Nexus "shadow" being responsible for her "feelings" that time isn't right in "Yesterday's Enterprise".
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