If you could change one thing...

[RoJoHen]

If I could change one thing about Trek Lit, I think I would have Peter David NOT create that retarded Phaetus character. Or, if he insists on doing it, he should spell it differently so the joke actually makes sense!

 

[Myasishchev]

It makes sense to me that Picard might think it was pretty cool that one fought in the Royal Navy at Trafalgar (as opposed to the one who was a huge slaveowner outside Atlanta, or the one who was a hobo in Guangdong). He may be the only famous guy (unlikely to actually be named Picard) in the whole generation, French or not.

...except that Captain Picard specifically says that it was a Picard at Trafalgar that he's referencing.

Well, d'oh.

 

[langdonboom]

Just because they haven't been resolved yet at that point doesn't mean they can't still be resolved after the gap, or during the jump. First off, most of what have been seeing in terms of the main issues has still been the set up, so I could easily see things continuing to develop for the next five years.

True that they could be resolved after the gap - and it seems they will have to be, so I'm hoping for the best here. But does it seem optimal to you, given a choice? The word that I disagree with personally in the above is "easily" - I don't see how the stories as I've read them will "easily" continue to develop without some major action that I would have preferred to 'see' in 'real-time' rather than 'go back to' for five years - this is just my personal reading of what's been set up, especially as regarding something like the distress call Taran'atar picks up when last we see him. And to my reading of the in-world importance of these developments, the Bajorans and the Evoq need to meet officially, and talk about (if not confront or be confronted by) the Ascendants, and not wait five years, and I'm interested in seeing that (not just 'hearing about it')! But again, I hope I'm wowed, and will be there to find out!

Even if major things do happen, there is no reason we have to see every single moment of them. Look at shows like Lost, or BSG, they both jumped ahead years, but still managed to continue the through flashbacks, and expostion. I can easily see that working for the DS9R.

There's that same word I disagree with again - easily! I loved it when it happened on BSG, I don't watch Lost so can't comment there, and I certainly am not calling for seeing 'every single moment' - just the ones I feel are major. To me the narrative situations before the jump in DS9 are different than in BSG enough that when asked, "what would I change in the relaunch?" I'd have to answer, "I'd like a novel or two to fill in the five year gap BEFORE the RBoE book comes out." That would just be my personal preference. I know its not happening, but the question was "if you could change..."

Then again, nobody has even said that the jumps is permanent. For all we know, this could just be one time thing to give us a taste of what is to come, and to show us how Destiny and the TP affected the characters, the station, and Bajor.

And this prospect of going forward and back appeals to me in the abstract even less than the idea that we'd get some kind of fast summary or suggestion that 'nothing really happened' for that time (though I do look forward to seeing the effects of Destiny on DS9! I actually wish they had been involved a little more [Ezri was great, though]) Again, granting that I'm limited by my own puny little imagination - I like to be surprised by events, and teasing me forward only to show me how it happened seems to undercut some of the room for suspense and the drama of 'what's gonna happen next' and replace it with a kind of narrative gimmick. Whereas I didn't need to see how New Capirca was built or what they were doing while living Cylon-free for a year, I would expect to see something happen with the very active DS9 story lines as written for five years.

If I got the impression that this decision to jump DS9 ahead was being made solely because an author or editor had the specific artistic vision of employing this cool narrative device that will enhance DS9 and ST storytelling (as in BSG), I would be a bit more sanguine about its prospects (as it is I'm gonna read them all anyway!) But it has seemed to me to be a decision based on other (admittedly good) reasons - to bring all novels up to the same date, to let DS9 interact better with the other titles, and possibly to address what might be perceived as a wrong-turn in the DS9 relaunch direction in general. So as it is the "jump" feels like a patch, something that's going to have to be cleverly written around, and "made due" with. And so I shall make due! And hope I am wrong about those Ascendant/Evoq/Taran'atar stories (which I was really so very invested in) getting jerked around as a result. I put my faith in DRGIII, but as of now, in full prejudice mode, I wish he didn't have to do it that way.

 

[DevilEyes]

I think the attraction to Bashir was too much of a hold-over from Jadzia (who would have chosen Bashir if Worf hadn't come around).

I'm not buying that at all and never have.

Ezri told Bashir as much.

As I said, what she told him (that Jadzia would have ended in a relationship with him if Worf hadn't come along) didn't sound convincing at all, and felt like a bad retcon.

Regardless, if Ezri didn't have any interest in Bashir beyond what Jadzia had felt for him, it would never have amounted to much. She certainly wouldn't fall in love with him, since Jadzia never did in all those years she knew of his crush on her, and she wouldn't choose him over Worf.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Although I can't really comment on the DS9 time-jump to 2382 (because I'm still at the start of the DS9 corner of the relaunch), I was suggesting ages ago that after the Typhon Pact story is 'done', TrekLit make a leap to 2387 to keep on the 'cutting edge' of canon Trek events, filling in as necassary with flashbacks and non-linear storytelling.
Admittedly, when TV Trek skipped 6 years for an episode it was a disaster (the ENT finale, brushing off the two-year Trip/T'Pol story with one line amongst other things), but I'm confident DRGIII will do a good job. Has the guy written a bad Trek novel?

 

[RonG]

I'm not sure if it's considered "one thing", but I would replace the MU arc in the DS9 Relaunch with a fully-realized Ascendant confrontation that concludes in an epic novel on the level of Unity.

 

[Christopher]

Then again, nobody has even said that the jumps is permanent. For all we know, this could just be one time thing to give us a taste of what is to come, and to show us how Desting and the TP affected the characters, the station, and Bajor.

Margaret Clark's intent was for the time jump to be permanent, but she's not the editor anymore, so her intent is not necessarily binding on future projects.

 

[JD]

Oh, I hadn't heard that before. All I remember hearing is that TROBE would take place five years after TSK. I thought I might have even remembered people using my argument in this disscussion in the past.

Just because they haven't been resolved yet at that point doesn't mean they can't still be resolved after the gap, or during the jump. First off, most of what have been seeing in terms of the main issues has still been the set up, so I could easily see things continuing to develop for the next five years.

True that they could be resolved after the gap - and it seems they will have to be, so I'm hoping for the best here. But does it seem optimal to you, given a choice? The word that I disagree with personally in the above is "easily" - I don't see how the stories as I've read them will "easily" continue to develop without some major action that I would have preferred to 'see' in 'real-time' rather than 'go back to' for five years - this is just my personal reading of what's been set up, especially as regarding something like the distress call Taran'atar picks up when last we see him. And to my reading of the in-world importance of these developments, the Bajorans and the Evoq need to meet officially, and talk about (if not confront or be confronted by) the Ascendants, and not wait five years, and I'm interested in seeing that (not just 'hearing about it')! But again, I hope I'm wowed, and will be there to find out!

And there is really no reason that we have to see those things happening in the present. IMO those are both rather minor when it comes to the big picture, all we really need to see of those is the outcome. As for the Ascendants themselves, all we know at this point is that they are starting to gather. We don't know how many of them there are, where exactly they are (at least I don't remember finding out), or how long it will take them to be ready to actually be ready to move against the other Children of the Prophets.

Even if major things do happen, there is no reason we have to see every single moment of them. Look at shows like Lost, or BSG, they both jumped ahead years, but still managed to continue the through flashbacks, and expostion. I can easily see that working for the DS9R.

There's that same word I disagree with again - easily! I loved it when it happened on BSG, I don't watch Lost so can't comment there, and I certainly am not calling for seeing 'every single moment' - just the ones I feel are major. To me the narrative situations before the jump in DS9 are different than in BSG enough that when asked, "what would I change in the relaunch?" I'd have to answer, "I'd like a novel or two to fill in the five year gap BEFORE the RBoE book comes out." That would just be my personal preference. I know its not happening, but the question was "if you could change..."

I'll admit, I can see where you're coming from, I was even somewhat frustrated myself when I found out about the jump. I just think that there are still plenty ways that this could work out, and that it is too early to be saying that we want to change it. For all we know this could end up being the best thing to happen to the series yet.

Then again, nobody has even said that the jumps is permanent. For all we know, this could just be one time thing to give us a taste of what is to come, and to show us how Destiny and the TP affected the characters, the station, and Bajor.

And this prospect of going forward and back appeals to me in the abstract even less than the idea that we'd get some kind of fast summary or suggestion that 'nothing really happened' for that time (though I do look forward to seeing the effects of Destiny on DS9! I actually wish they had been involved a little more [Ezri was great, though]) Again, granting that I'm limited by my own puny little imagination - I like to be surprised by events, and teasing me forward only to show me how it happened seems to undercut some of the room for suspense and the drama of 'what's gonna happen next' and replace it with a kind of narrative gimmick. Whereas I didn't need to see how New Capirca was built or what they were doing while living Cylon-free for a year, I would expect to see something happen with the very active DS9 story lines as written for five years.

If I got the impression that this decision to jump DS9 ahead was being made solely because an author or editor had the specific artistic vision of employing this cool narrative device that will enhance DS9 and ST storytelling (as in BSG), I would be a bit more sanguine about its prospects (as it is I'm gonna read them all anyway!) But it has seemed to me to be a decision based on other (admittedly good) reasons - to bring all novels up to the same date, to let DS9 interact better with the other titles, and possibly to address what might be perceived as a wrong-turn in the DS9 relaunch direction in general. So as it is the "jump" feels like a patch, something that's going to have to be cleverly written around, and "made due" with. And so I shall make due! And hope I am wrong about those Ascendant/Evoq/Taran'atar stories (which I was really so very invested in) getting jerked around as a result. I put my faith in DRGIII, but as of now, in full prejudice mode, I wish he didn't have to do it that way.

Ok, here I am more than willing to admit that I am wrong.

 

[Rush Limborg]

I'm not buying that at all and never have.

Ezri told Bashir as much.

As I said, what she told him (that Jadzia would have ended in a relationship with him if Worf hadn't come along) didn't sound convincing at all, and felt like a bad retcon.

Regardless, if Ezri didn't have any interest in Bashir beyond what Jadzia had felt for him, it would never have amounted to much. She certainly wouldn't fall in love with him, since Jadzia never did in all those years she knew of his crush on her, and she wouldn't choose him over Worf.

And there's also the way she found out she was in love with Julian. Ezri was very astonished when Worf revealed that, when the Breen probes brought out her innermost feelings, she confessed her love for Julian....

Somehow...the way Ezri comes to accept that her heart belongs to Julian, and not Worf, kinda rules out the idea that "it was the Jadzia in her".

So...I think when she "worried" that it was Jadzia Julian loved, and vice-versa, Ezri was subconciously just looking for an excuse to dump him, out of that "rugged super-individualist" personality change the relaunch authors insisted on forcing upon her.

I could easily see, and welcome, Ezri growing into command--without all that "cold shoulder" nonsense!

 

[DeVario]

If I could change one thing about Trek Lit?

The CRUCIBLE hardcover would be released!

 

[JD]

Oh, yeah that's another good one.

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

If I could change one thing about Trek Lit?

The CRUCIBLE hardcover would be released!

Amen!

 

[Steve Roby]

That reminds me of another thing I'd change. In my imaginary universe, Gene Roddenberry's unpublished novel The God Thing would be published. And it would be really good. Okay, so that could be two things I'd have to change...

 

[F. King Daniel]

Okay, since several of you have had more then 1 go, I'll add:
They'd be releasing the STXI novels as originally scheduled.

 

[Penta]

I'd force someone to finally explain how stardates work. With an explanation besides "Very well, thank you."

 

[F. King Daniel]

^Well, the new film kinda did that. Year-point-1-to-365. Nice, simple but now without that "ohhh" mysterious magic.

I think the DS9 Millenium trilogy had a technobabble-heavy bit about how (TNG) Stardates work.

 

[JD]

I don't know how it works, but there are several sites like this one that can calculate a stardate for you. The odd thing is, when I've used that on Stardates from the books, they always end up off by couple months. I think it was that one, I've used a couple different sites in the past.
Here's the Memory Alpha page, with the explantions for all three types of Stardates.

 

[Steve Roby]

Okay, since several of you have had more then 1 go, I'll add:
They'd be releasing the STXI novels as originally scheduled.

Oh, yeah.

I'd force someone to finally explain how stardates work.

They don't.

 

[Captain Robert April]

I'd force someone to finally explain how stardates work. With an explanation besides "Very well, thank you."

I happen to like that explanation.

 

[elaithin]

Eh, the TNG era system worked fine, except if you tried to apply it to the 23rd century. The new system will be less confusing over all.