How long for Novels based on Lower Decks

[Greg Cox]

You must ask yourself, since Lower decks is more of a comedy like Futurama, would someone really want to sit and read a book about their adventures? Lower Decks is basically a canon parody.

Why not? Humorous novels are a thing. Satirical novels are a thing. As I've mentioned before, I was addicted to the GET SMART novels back in the sixties. And remember BORED OF THE RINGS, which was a very popular parody of Tolkien back in the day? Heck, there have even been been humorous TREK novels such as, most famously, HOW MUCH JUST THE PLANET by John M. Ford.

There's no rule that says that novels can't be comedies.

I'll refrain from completely dating myself by mentioning Thorne Smith . . . .

 

[Disposable_Ensign]

Are you really greg cox, like the guy who wrote the eugenics wars trilogy?

 

[fireproof78]

Are you really greg cox, like the guy who wrote the eugenics wars trilogy?

That's the guy, yes.

 

[Greg Cox]

Are you really greg cox, like the guy who wrote the eugenics wars trilogy?

That's me, yep! Among various other Trek books.

 

[Damian]

I like when newbies come on and our surprised that the actual authors post here (and a few other Trek celebrities, I've seen production designer Rick Sternbach here on occasion). I'll admit I was a bit 'star struck' when I first came on here and found myself in a debate with Christopher (that is, author Christopher Bennett to newbies)--I didn't realize it was actually him at the very beginning. It does seem authors are the majority among Trek royalty that post here, though.

Suffice it to say if you see a post by David Mack, James Swallow or any other author they're the real deal. A few use initials or some name you'd probably recognize (i.e. KRAD is Keith DeCandido).

Before I found TrekBBS (I'm still amazed I never found it until around 2017) I used to post a lot on Trekmovie.com. Bob Orci used to post there a lot and at first I was like, "is that really Bob Orci"--and it was. I think like here over there you could get in trouble for using a real person's name like that falsely. And I'd see a few Star Trek alumni over there as well (though I rarely go there these days).

 

[Disposable_Ensign]

Why not? Humorous novels are a thing. Satirical novels are a thing. As I've mentioned before, I was addicted to the GET SMART novels back in the sixties. And remember BORED OF THE RINGS, which was a very popular parody of Tolkien back in the day? Heck, there have even been been humorous TREK novels such as, most famously, HOW MUCH JUST THE PLANET by John M. Ford.

There's no rule that says that novels can't be comedies.

I'll refrain from completely dating myself by mentioning Thorne Smith . . . .

I, know, and i enjoy them with other shows, I just never really thought of star trek as a comedy show.

 

[Greg Cox]

I, know, and i enjoy them with other shows, I just never really thought of star trek as a comedy show.

Although, just for the sake of argument, even live-action Trek dabbles in comedy sometimes: The Trouble with Tribbles, A Piece of the Action, Our Man Bashir, Little Green Men, Bride of Chaotica, etc. Even the fourth movie is mostly a fish-out-of-water time-travel comedy.

More importantly, LOWER DECKS is basically a screwball comedy set in the ST universe, so I assume that LOWER DECKS fans would expect any tie-in novels to be as funny as the actual TV version.

They would, of necessity, be very different in approach from a more conventional Trek novel, but then again . . . so is the TV show.

 

[fireproof78]

Yeah, I always love how people treat Star Trek super seriously and then there is an episode like Trouble with Tribbles. How serious am I supposed to take this again?

 

[Greg Cox]

The way I see it, you can love stuff, and even take it seriously most of time, but still enjoy having silly fun with it sometimes.

It's like ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. You can love the original Karloff movies, and take them absolutely seriously, and still appreciate the Abbott & Costello movie, too. See also YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.

 

[The Wormhole]

Yeah, I always love how people treat Star Trek super seriously and then there is an episode like Trouble with Tribbles. How serious am I supposed to take this again?

Star Trek is a solemn and contemplative experience. The Trouble With Tribbles is meant to be the topic of a sermon in Star Trek Church.

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[dupersuper]

But if it's specifically a Captain's Table novel you're referring to, I wouldn't hold my breath on any of those ever. It's been twenty years, it would be incredibly random for a series from twenty years ago to start getting new novels added to it now. Especially since, IIRC the Captain's Table anthology mentioned above didn't do too well in sales.

Which is a shame. As much as Picard depressed me, and as up and down as Discovery has been, the new shows have given us several new captains good writers could have fun with. Georgiou, mirror Georgiou during her impersonation, Lorca, mirror Lorca during his impersonation, Saru, Burnham, Tilly, Rios, the old man, Freeman, Dayton, Durango, Ramsey, a new take on Pike, Riker on a second ship...

 

[Therin of Andor]

Yes, "Tales from The Captain's Table":

• Jonathan Archer of the Starship Enterprise NX-01, as told by Louisa Swann

• Chakotay of the USS Voyager, as told by Christie Golden

• David Gold of the USS da Vinci, as told by John J. Ordover

• Kira Nerys of Deep Space 9, as told by Heather Jarman

• Klag, son of M'Raq, of the IKS Gorkon, as told by Keith R.A. DeCandido

• Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Stargazer, as told by Michael Jan Friedman

• William T. Riker of the USS Titan, as told by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels

• Elizabeth Shelby of the USS Trident, as told by Peter David

• Demora Sulu of the USS Enterprise-B, as told by David R. George III.

Spoiler: Lower Decks sighting

Captain Shelby - and "her Number One" (human male) - spotted in the episode, "An Embarrassment of Dooplers"!

 

[F. King Daniel]

Spoiler: Lower Decks sighting

Captain Shelby - and "her Number One" (human male) - spotted in the episode, "An Embarrassment of Dooplers"!

I thought

Spoiler: lds

Her number one was the female prototype Saru alien?

 

[thribs]

If they ever do another Titan Novel, Boilmer could be in it.

 

[F. King Daniel]

If they ever do another Titan Novel, Boilmer could be in it.

At the very least (since I'm sure they'll resolve the Boimler situ this season), the other Titan crew we've seen will likely be featured.

 

[mastadge]

Yeah, it would be fun to see a new line of Titan stories paralleling Lower Decks.

 

[Serin117]

File under: Things I Would Buy In A Heartbeat.

... And so would a huge swath of the Star Trek Shitposting community.
Really anything Lower Decks related, we'll voraciously devour.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I think the perfect way to do a Lower Decks novel would be The Autobiography of Bradward Boimler (or Beckett Mariner, but I don't see them willing to give away her backstory in more than snippets). That way you have all the over-the-top silliness justified by being from their OTT POV and can factor in stuff like the POV character perhaps just bullshitting.

 

[ColdFusion180]

If you like humor, you might enjoy some of my Lower Decks stories. They aren't exactly novel length, but they are available, accessible and free!

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

More importantly, LOWER DECKS is basically a screwball comedy set in the ST universe, so I assume that LOWER DECKS fans would expect any tie-in novels to be as funny as the actual TV version.

They would, of necessity, be very different in approach from a more conventional Trek novel, . . . .

But not so different from, say, Trek to Madworld or How Much For Just the Planet.

I await LD novels "with a worm on my tongue."