Anything new about the planned third installment of the awesome Myriad Universes-series? Last time we heard anything about, it got delayed to an unspecific point in 2010 due to the changes in Pockets editorial staff. Has it been abandoned completely or has there simply been no time so far to reschedule it? (Crossing fingers for the second option....)
Myriad Universes III?
- Thread starter Kopernikus
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^No, because "myriad" means "uncountably many" and thus cannot possibly modify a singular noun. There's no such thing as "a Myriad Universe" -- only one of the Myriad Universes.
When I first got the gig to do an Abramsverse novel, I thought of it as the equivalent of a MyrU project, but then I realized it required a different approach. MyrU novels tend to be grounded pretty strongly in Trek continuity -- they show us characters, concepts, worlds, and events we know from the mainstream continuity and explore them in altered forms. They're alternate takes or deconstructions of a continuity that the readers are assumed to be familiar with. But the Abramsverse novels need to keep their continuity references to a minimum and tell self-contained stories that are accessible to readers who know little or nothing of the existing Trek continuity. Also, there's the fact that the Abramsverse books are all nominally in the same reality as one another (even if they don't directly connect to each other), whereas each MyrU novel is a separate timeline.
So yeah, in a broad sense, the Abramsverse can be counted as one of the myriad alternate "universes" (aka timelines) that coexist in the Trek multiverse, alongside the timelines seen in the MyrU novels. But in terms of storytelling, they're significantly different.
When I first got the gig to do an Abramsverse novel, I thought of it as the equivalent of a MyrU project, but then I realized it required a different approach. MyrU novels tend to be grounded pretty strongly in Trek continuity -- they show us characters, concepts, worlds, and events we know from the mainstream continuity and explore them in altered forms. They're alternate takes or deconstructions of a continuity that the readers are assumed to be familiar with. But the Abramsverse novels need to keep their continuity references to a minimum and tell self-contained stories that are accessible to readers who know little or nothing of the existing Trek continuity. Also, there's the fact that the Abramsverse books are all nominally in the same reality as one another (even if they don't directly connect to each other), whereas each MyrU novel is a separate timeline.
So yeah, in a broad sense, the Abramsverse can be counted as one of the myriad alternate "universes" (aka timelines) that coexist in the Trek multiverse, alongside the timelines seen in the MyrU novels. But in terms of storytelling, they're significantly different.
Though, perhaps if there's a fourth or fifth volume, if the sales are strong and Marco and Margaret's successors see value in the concept, a volume built around a single point-of-departure and the ramifications across the generations through three stories separated in time could be viable.
That's a cool idea.
That one story "Honor in the Night" looks interesting. A douchebag like Nilz Barris gets his own story? That oughta be fun... 
As of right now, the volume has been rescheduled for late 2010.
You get two in 2010, though! Double the word count, double the pleasure.
Great, thats good to hear, thanks for the info.
Now, lets just hope that the Editors also reconsider the fate of the Crucible-Omnibus next and then order an novel-length version of Christophers "Places of Exile"
That one story "Honor in the Night" looks interesting. A douchebag like Nilz Barris gets his own story? That oughta be fun...
Aaahhh, but from Baris's point of view, it's Kirk who's the douchebag: smartass, disrespectful, belittling . . . and dead wrong. Kirk only finds out what's really going on by accident because of the tribbles . . . and yet he still thinks he's all that! All the while Baris has been fighting the good fight to protect the grain and save Sherman's Planet to keep the Klingons from getting a foothold near the border.
Why, if something happened just a little bit differently, the whole future of Federation/Klingon relations could be changed . . .
^ Baris certainly thought *he* was "all that" as well. Look at how he acted during the episode. Typical stuffy, arrogant Federation bureaucrat. I find myself not really placing much stock in Baris' point of view, because he was clearly a "Herbert".
Sure. They're both assholes to one-another. Baris for abusing the Priority One alert system and for attempting to exceed his authority, and Kirk for not taking Baris's concerns over the possibility of Klingon sabotage seriously.
(Am I the only one who thinks it would be funny if Baris later went on to become Federation President? The image of Kirk having to salute the guy as his commander-in-chief would amuse me greatly.)
Actually I think Kirk took Baris as seriously as he deserved. What evidence was there? A few Klingons were on the station, true, but they hadn't DONE anything. (Indeed, as it turned out, none of them DID do anything...and Kirk certainly had no reason to suspect Darvin.) If Kirk were to go off on a rant and accuse them, like Baris was ready to do, war could have broken out right then and there.
Now I'm sure that you're going to write a long and articulated response to this Sci as to why I am wrong, but the Federation President is not the Commander in Chief of Starfleet. As The Undiscovered Country showed us in the briefing before Enterprise rendezvous with Qo'nos One, the CnC of Starfleet is another, although very high ranking Starfleet officer and not as you believe the Federation President.
Oh and I'm looking forward to the third Myriad Universes compilation when ever it may come out next year.
