Just out of curiosity, do you know how to use multi quote or even edit, the above two posts I'm quoting were made three minutes apart!
Mmmmm. The time comes from when the post was
started, not when it was actually posted, doesn't it?
I hate multi-quote - it often totally befuddles my computer and I've had to reboot. I did the first post as normal, then found another post I wished to comment upon. I
intended to copy and paste the new post as an edited appendix to the other one. Then I got called away from the computer by the sick dog, totally forgot I was planning to cut and paste - finished the post, and hit "Submit reply". Then I saw my error. When the posts turned up
separated by a page anyway, I didn't bother trying to undo the second post.
As for editing, of course I know how to edit. Many, many of my posts give a "Reason for Editing".
Sometimes real life interrupts a morning of TrekBBS posting.
I'm not saying have no Trek characters.
It really does seem that that's what would happen if there was a any type of ban on Small Universe Syndrome. The books are not allowed to move too far beyond recognizable ST to still remain a licensed tie-in. "New Frontier", "Challenger", "Vanguard" and "Titan" have been groundbreaking book series but, even then, crossover characters were encouraged.
I'm not even saying not having a recurring character, when needed. Admiral Ross or the Bajoran kai come to mind from DS9. I'm saying don't have the main characters from the different series meet up so often.
But then you'll say, "Why is it always Admiral Ross?" Indeed, reactions by readers to "Vanguard" tended to be "Why is it always Admiral Nogura?", and yet we know very little about him anyway, so why not explore him for a few instalments instead of someone totally original.
And the example you gave earlier was Sarjenka, not even a recurring canonical character. If she can't return and work with a few familiar faces, when
can she return? A standalone Sarjenka novel is never gonna happen.
It is a
fact that a big name ST character meeting another big name ST character sells many more books, so this is what most of the ST readers want, and this is what Pocket is trying to give, as much as possible.
With a huge Starfleet, not to mention the various members of the Federation, they simply shouldn't be running into the other familiar crews as often as they do.
And TOS stories should have ended as soon as the five year mission's calendar filled up. But people still want to read new TOS stories.
I understand that you like having the obscure and background characters show up all over the place. To me, it makes the galaxy seem small. An apperance by ONE member of another hero crew should be a rare event.
Then please understand that what you are asking for takes away from most of the rest of us what we love about licensed ST novels. I guess it seems that you are asking for our fun to be diminished for the sake of your personal inability to maintain your suspension of disbelief.
Were you around in 1989, when Richard Arnold, in GR's name, was insisting that all new, fun, original continuing characters
had to be dropped from the DC comics after their single story arc had concluded? That was so frustrating to meet new characters and then see them ordered right off the page.
You're asking that the books reflect real life, but the universe is so big that no one would ever reunite with anyone. (In fact, when the characters are in a starship, traveling at warp speed, shouldn't people on planets have died of old age by the time the ship returns? If we live with that unbelievability, why not popular but disparate characters working together?)
