So, by the thread title alone, it might not be worth looking at, but I had one of those 'Trek Lit' dreams last night, and it was incredibly vivid. So, I'm going to share it here on this board and get insights...and probably laughed at too, but whatever.
Anyways, the dream itself: at the DQ where I work, we decided to have a Trek literary panel. We have 4 guests: Christopher, KRAD, Kevin Dilmore (where Dayton was, I dunno) and Paula Block. There weren't too many people at the panel, but I was definitely there (got time off to participate since it was my idea). There were some kids there too, but they couldn't figure out Optimus Prime from Voyager. One of them asked Paula about this, and she honestly tried to deflect the question, but KRAD came in and saved the day for her.
I eventually got to ask my question. I said to myself before hand that I'd acknowledge her work first before probing, which I did. "Firstly, I must tip my hat off to you for sitting down and going over all the titles that come up through the Trek literary line, and kudos for keeping it all sane and whatnot before it even reaches consumer shelves." Paula smiled and said thank you. At times she referred to it as a 'thankless job', and I guess she was referring to Before Dishonour, considering she did mention something about a lot of 'hate mail' for it. Then I asked my question because she set it up so nicely. "So, with that in mind, we know that Destiny comes out in a couple of months, and there are numerous novels that set it up, ranging from the long anticipated Kobayashi Maru to Christopher's Greater Than The Sum that just came out. So, with all these multiple set-up titles, and the
Destiny narrative itself, how hard was it to keep it all together, give it your stamp of approval, and if you want to spoil something for Destiny, I'm sure I wouldn't mind too much." The writers laughed a little bit, probably because like the chorus from Little Shop Of Horrors, they knew what was going on and I didn't. Paula chuckled too, and she answered it as follows:
"Thank you very much for your question. Yes, it's hard keeping the titles in line at times, especially when there is such a talented group of people who push these characters and these stories into diverse situations, far beyond what you'd expect from television. It's interesting you mention Destiny. Yes, the folks at Pocket Books have worked hard to create such an interesting approach to the novels, binding Trek's past and future together, and I myself am looking forward to seeing the full execution of the product, and I hope that the readers like it. It was difficult at times to say yes or no to an idea before it went to printing because we at CBS have to keep the mantle of Star Trek alive and well, even if a story isn't quite what Gene Roddenberry had thought of. His ideals live on, and I had to do struggle a bit with the ideas in Destiny, because we all know David Mack's style. (this got a laugh from the writers and myself) But, specifically with the Destiny trilogy, and this is your spoiler so take it for what it's worth, David answers the question, "if your back is up against the wall, you have to wonder if you would or would not do the unthinkable to survive. Well, in these stories, David answers this question with "you would"." This drew some silence from everybody, and before things could continue, customers came into the store and essentially ended this panel. I was asked to escort the writers outside and we continued talking. I was kicking myself in the rear for not bringing any of my books with me to get signed, but I engaged in conversation with Christopher about Greater Than The Sum, because I really liked it (BTW: I finished it yesterday and LOVED it! Review forthcoming). We also talked a little bit about Destiny. I wanted to speak to Kevin and KRAD, but they were busy, and then I just woke up from my dream, and was like, "Did that ACTUALLY happen????"
Yeah, I must be a total Trek-lit geek to have these crazy dreams, but nevertheless, I had them. Anyways, enjoy it for what it's worth! (But I am afraid that if I got something right for Destiny), my life might be in danger. LOL
Anyways, the dream itself: at the DQ where I work, we decided to have a Trek literary panel. We have 4 guests: Christopher, KRAD, Kevin Dilmore (where Dayton was, I dunno) and Paula Block. There weren't too many people at the panel, but I was definitely there (got time off to participate since it was my idea). There were some kids there too, but they couldn't figure out Optimus Prime from Voyager. One of them asked Paula about this, and she honestly tried to deflect the question, but KRAD came in and saved the day for her.
I eventually got to ask my question. I said to myself before hand that I'd acknowledge her work first before probing, which I did. "Firstly, I must tip my hat off to you for sitting down and going over all the titles that come up through the Trek literary line, and kudos for keeping it all sane and whatnot before it even reaches consumer shelves." Paula smiled and said thank you. At times she referred to it as a 'thankless job', and I guess she was referring to Before Dishonour, considering she did mention something about a lot of 'hate mail' for it. Then I asked my question because she set it up so nicely. "So, with that in mind, we know that Destiny comes out in a couple of months, and there are numerous novels that set it up, ranging from the long anticipated Kobayashi Maru to Christopher's Greater Than The Sum that just came out. So, with all these multiple set-up titles, and the
Destiny narrative itself, how hard was it to keep it all together, give it your stamp of approval, and if you want to spoil something for Destiny, I'm sure I wouldn't mind too much." The writers laughed a little bit, probably because like the chorus from Little Shop Of Horrors, they knew what was going on and I didn't. Paula chuckled too, and she answered it as follows:
"Thank you very much for your question. Yes, it's hard keeping the titles in line at times, especially when there is such a talented group of people who push these characters and these stories into diverse situations, far beyond what you'd expect from television. It's interesting you mention Destiny. Yes, the folks at Pocket Books have worked hard to create such an interesting approach to the novels, binding Trek's past and future together, and I myself am looking forward to seeing the full execution of the product, and I hope that the readers like it. It was difficult at times to say yes or no to an idea before it went to printing because we at CBS have to keep the mantle of Star Trek alive and well, even if a story isn't quite what Gene Roddenberry had thought of. His ideals live on, and I had to do struggle a bit with the ideas in Destiny, because we all know David Mack's style. (this got a laugh from the writers and myself) But, specifically with the Destiny trilogy, and this is your spoiler so take it for what it's worth, David answers the question, "if your back is up against the wall, you have to wonder if you would or would not do the unthinkable to survive. Well, in these stories, David answers this question with "you would"." This drew some silence from everybody, and before things could continue, customers came into the store and essentially ended this panel. I was asked to escort the writers outside and we continued talking. I was kicking myself in the rear for not bringing any of my books with me to get signed, but I engaged in conversation with Christopher about Greater Than The Sum, because I really liked it (BTW: I finished it yesterday and LOVED it! Review forthcoming). We also talked a little bit about Destiny. I wanted to speak to Kevin and KRAD, but they were busy, and then I just woke up from my dream, and was like, "Did that ACTUALLY happen????"
Yeah, I must be a total Trek-lit geek to have these crazy dreams, but nevertheless, I had them. Anyways, enjoy it for what it's worth! (But I am afraid that if I got something right for Destiny), my life might be in danger. LOL
Anyways, I do not know how I could accurately dream a response by Paula Block. I guess this makes it something out of The X-Files. Time to call in Mulder and Scully.
The freaky part will be if it ACTUALLY happens. Someone have an Orb of Prophecy and Change I can look at?
