Mind Meld

[Capt Josh]

I just started rereading John Vornholt's book since it's been a long time and seem to recall that the girl Teska was supposed to be Sybok's daughter but was changed for editorial reasons. Can anybody who has a better memory then me tell me if I'm in the twilight zone or if this was true? What's everyone's impression of the book?

 

[Relayer1]

I posted a similar question not too long ago.

Apparently she is Syboks daughter but Paramount wouldn't let the author confirm it.

The book is OK but not great. A 5/10 job...

 

[Capt Josh]

Thanks Relayer1 thought that was the case but wasn't sure. I don't remember much about the book since its probably been ten years since I picked it up, lets see if it still holds up

 

[Therin of Andor]

I... seem to recall that the girl Teska was supposed to be Sybok's daughter but was changed for editorial reasons.

IIRC, the anecdote was related by Vornholt in "Voyages of Imagination".

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I asked Vornholt about the relationship between Teska and Sybok last year:

I've been commissioned to write an article on Sybok for Star Trek Magazine, and I wanted to ask you a question about your novel MIND MELD.

The cover copy for MIND MELD refers to Teska as Spock's Vulcan niece, but in the body of the novel Teska is referred to as Spock's distant cousin. Was Teska originally intended to be Sybok's daughter? I've long wondered if the relationship between Spock and Teska was kept nebulous in your novel because of the ambiguous canonicity of Star Trek V at the time.

Vornholt's reply:

Yeah, my editor, John Ordover, and I knew we had to keep their relationship vague, and I still think Paramount weighed in a bit and made things even more confusing. I was thinking of Sybok's daughter as a POSSIBLE explanation.

 

[Capt Josh]

I know that Star Trek V was not a popular Trek film especially on this site but do you think that making Teska Sybok's daughter or really making any of the films continuity part of this novel would have been a drag on it? or would that little nod have helped the book?

 

[Greg Cox]

I suspect any reservations had more to do with complicating Spock's family tree than with avoiding references to ST V.

As far as I know, there was no policy against using elements from ST V, which is why "God" appears prominently in my Q books . . . .

 

[JD]

^And we are in the process of getting an origin story for Nimbus III aka The Planet of Galactic Peace, in the Vanguard series.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I suspect any reservations had more to do with complicating Spock's family tree than with avoiding references to ST V.

Then there was Cousin Stephen, the blond Vulcan juggler experimenting with emotions, in "Enterprise: The First Adventure".

 

[DrBashir]

Also Spock met his human cousins in Planet of Judgement.

 

[Greg Cox]

And his human ancestors in "Ishmael."

 

[Idran]

And his human ancestors in "Ishmael."

Still waiting for that to get pulled into the TrekLit universe, by the way. :P

 

[Capt Josh]

I suspect any reservations had more to do with complicating Spock's family tree than with avoiding references to ST V.

As far as I know, there was no policy against using elements from ST V, which is why "God" appears prominently in my Q books . . . .

Yeah Spock does seem to have the 6 degrees to Kevin Bacon thing going on (although I can see why since he's my favorite character)

I love your Eugenics Wars/Khan books so much can't believe I haven't read your Q books, something soon rectified for sure

 

[Therin of Andor]

Yeah Spock does seem to have the 6 degrees to Kevin Bacon thing going on (although I can see why since he's my favorite character)

Which is why DC Fontana was cranky when Shatner and Loughery were insisting on shoehorning Sybok into ST V. When she was keeper of all things Vulcan on TOS in the 60s, DC wrote a memo urging the writers not to succumb to the yearning to give Spock siblings. She wanted him to remain as unique in the universe as possible.

Would Star Trek V have been just as strong, or stronger, if Sybok had been a revered teacher/mentor of Spock, rather than a wayward, elder, black sheep, half-brother? Certainly, it would have made Gene Roddenberry and DC happier.

 

[JoeZhang]

I doubt it - it would have been a shitty movie however you set-up that relationship. You can't polish a turd.

 

[Christopher]

Would Star Trek V have been just as strong, or stronger, if Sybok had been a revered teacher/mentor of Spock, rather than a wayward, elder, black sheep, half-brother? Certainly, it would have made Gene Roddenberry and DC happier.

Personally I felt Sybok was not one of the film's weaknesses. If anything, he's one of its greatest strengths. Having him be Spock's long-lost half-brother is maybe a greater complication than the film needs, but it works okay. Would the film have been "just as strong" had Sybok been a mentor to Spock instead? Probably, but it might've made their scenes together a bit less resonant and would've made it harder to justify Spock disobeying Kirk's orders and surrendering to Sybok.

 

[Idran]

I doubt it - it would have been a shitty movie however you set-up that relationship. You can't polish a turd.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ9fy1qSFI[/yt]

 

[JoeZhang]

Hah!

 

[Joel_Kirk]

lol...