Name the Ten People Who Made the Biggest Mark on Treklit History

[ryan123450]

Forgive me if this topic has come up before (I now have a vague memory that it might have.) But who has made the biggest mark on the history of TrekLit? Both novels and comics. These are my thoughts in no particular order.

David Mack
Peter David
Diane Duane
Michael Jan Friedman
Kirsten Beyer
John Ordover
Keith RA DeCandido
Marco Palmieri
Margaret Clark
Howard Weinstein

I could write paragraphs about why for each one, but I think most people here know the track record of all these folks.

I was tempted to include John Byrne, Dayton Ward, Vonda McIntyre, James Blish, and Richard Arnold. Including both novels and comics made it tough.

On further thought…Decided to turn this into a poll. So I threw in a few more options as well.

 

[Greg Cox]

I would add Paula Block, who handled approvals for Paramount/CBS for many years after Richard Arnold, and who always tried to work with the authors instead of against them.

She was very much involved with shaping the direction of the books during John Ordover's stint as editor and beyond, and, in my opinion, is very much the gold standard when it comes to studio oversight.

 

[David Mack]

Other names to consider adding might be John Vornholt, who wrote 21 original novels for Star Trek, and Dean Wesley Smith, who edited the Strange New Worlds short-fiction contest anthologies, which helped nurture a number of writers who became prominent contributors to Star Trek tie-ins in various media.

I would add Paula Block, who handled approvals for Paramount/CBS for many years after Richard Arnold, and who always tried to work with the authors instead of against them.

She was very much involved with shaping the direction of the book during John Ordover's stint as editor and beyond, and, in my opinion, is very much the gold standard when it comes to studio oversight.

I’d definitely agree with this; Paula Block and John Van Citters both have been incredibly influential behind the scenes in helping shape modern Treklit over the past 25+ years.

 

[JD]

David Mack for writing some of the biggest game changers for the books like the Destiny trilogy, Cold Equations, Vanguard, Rise Like Lions and Disavowed.
Dayton Ward for his involvement with the SCE/Corp of Engineers, Vanguard, and all the work he did to build up the 20th and 21th century.
Peter David for his work on New Frontier, and all of the classics he wrote like Q-Squard, Imzadi, and Vendetta.
Diane Duane for her classic TOS books like the Rhiannsu series, Spock's World, and The Wounded Sky.
Keith RA DeCandido for editing the SCE series, and writing books like the IKS Gorkon/Klingon Empire series, and Articles of the Federation.
Greg Cox for the Eugenics Wars, and his numerous TOS novels.
Marco Palmieri for his time as editor of the Trek book like, when was responsible for the DS9 Relaunch, and the whole beginning of the relaunch era.
David Arnold had a big impact, but it was pretty much all negative, with his limitations he put on them.

 

[Christopher]

David Arnold had a big impact, but it was pretty much all negative, with his limitations he put on them.

You mean Richard Arnold, right? David Arnold is the composer who scored various Roland Emmerich/Dean Devlin films such as Stargate and Independence Day, as well as several James Bond movies, the Sherlock TV series, etc.

 

[JD]

Oops yeah, Richard not David.
I think I just got carried away with the D names after David, Dayton, and Diane.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I'd suggest adding Alan Dean Foster, because he demonstrated that a 22-minute animated script could be very successfully expanded to fill a third of a novel, and then an entire novel (where Blish's adaptations were usually very condensed).

And a few of the names on the list are ones I haven't heard of. Like

• Mike Johnson
• Lanzing & Kelly
• David Hartwell

 

[Greg Cox]

I'd suggest adding Alan Dean Foster, because he demonstrated that a 22-minute animated script could be very successfully expanded to fill a third of a novel, and then an entire novel (where Blish's adaptations were usually very condensed).

And a few of the names on the list are ones I haven't heard of. Like

David Hartwell was a legendary SF editor who, among other things, launched the Star Trek book line at Pocket Books back in the day. If not for David, there would be no Star Trek book line at S&S.

On a personal level, he was also a mentor of mine and the guy who persuaded me to move from Seattle (where I was doing the starving author thing, bussing tables and draining blood from winos to pay the bills) to NYC to pursue a career in publishing. The phrase, "wasting your life in Seattle," may have been used.

If not for David, I would have never moved cross-country and started working at Tor Books, where I met another young assistant editor named John Ordover, who eventually recruited me to to write Star Trek books for him . . . . .

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I'd put Blish a bit further in the front.