new TNG/DS9/VOY novels - post-CODA

[mastadge]

Just curious, assuming they continue with new TNG/DS9/VOY novels set during the shows -- what would you prefer to see done or explored? (No specific story ideas)

Would you prefer the book-as-lost-episode type of standalone adventures? Are there particular eras or areas you'd like to see fleshed out? Are there any gaps in the shows that the novels can bridge now that the shows are over? Would you like TNG/DS9 crossover novels or series? Would you be interested in seeing Ordover-style event miniseries that played a common theme or threat through both the Berman-era and Kurtzman-era titles?

 

[DGCatAniSiri]

Personally, I'm hoping to see some novels set in the early periods of the shows, especially TNG - I think TNG season one could do with some "rehab work," where information established well after it can be explored in the earlier setting. The closest we've seen to that to date is the season one entry in the Sky's the Limit anthology from 2007. I'd like to see more of that kind of story. But even early DS9 and early Voyager had elements of this - there are stories in the days when the characters barely knew each other that haven't really been explored, because both the shows and the novels kept progressing in the timeline.

In hindsight, because the novels had to stay current with the shows as they aired, and because many of the initially contracted books would push through the early seasons, so that, even in staying roughly a chronological year behind the show airing, they were still further and further away from those early days, those periods in the novels of the first two seasons at least end up being some of the least explored. Now that we're not locked in to following the progression of the shows, jumping around the timeline to tell stories across whichever series in the timeline, I feel, should be embraced.

That said, I wouldn't mind an occasional arcing multi-series connection story, in the vein of Invasion or Day of Honor. I'm not sure if that would be quite the "full franchise crossover" it was before, if only because there are fewer books per month and more series since those days, where the crossover would take up about two months of the schedule, while in the current publishing model, it would take roughly a year to just do one crossover "event," but even if it's just something smaller, like a two/three book event across two/three series... I'd be on board.

 

[USS Firefly]

I am not interested in books set during the shows, because I have seen the shows and am not curious what new things they can put in the books.

I hope we get more "Lost Era" books if that is possible

 

[dupersuper]

The lost era books are fun, but I'm fine with stand alone "episode" books.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'd like a bunch of OC's introduced to the books, akin to those in the 80's novel continuity and DC's first movie-era Trek run. While Pike, Spock and Una (for example) won't ever change from what the episodes establish, these guys and girls can. Give them the same "character continuity" they're aiming for in Strange New Worlds. Lasting effects throughout the books.

 

[MorbidGorn]

I am not interested in books set during the shows, because I have seen the shows and am not curious what new things they can put in the books.

I hope we get more "Lost Era" books if that is possible

I agree if it’s just another story during the series. However, if it ties closely to other great episodes (eg Tales of the Dominion War novels) then yeah I’m in. Or if they help tie up some loose end from a previous episode.

and yeah Lost Era books are AWESOME. I wonder if there’s any chance of seeing books dealing the centuries between Picard and the Burn. That’s one lengthy Lost Era!

 

[DGCatAniSiri]

Honestly, I doubt we’re going to see the novels tackle the time gap between the 24th to the 32nd century until AT LEAST there’s some kind of production gap like the one that followed Enterprise, when there’s no longer any on screen Trek in production. That’s just too wide a field, with no characters we the audience know and are familiar with. Plus it’s a wide open playing field for more series of Trek on screen - yes, there’s lots of room to explore, but since the novels are, first and foremost, tie-ins to screen Trek, the ability TO explore is limited, at least as long as there is screen Trek being produced to tie in to.

 

[Christopher]

Honestly, I doubt we’re going to see the novels tackle the time gap between the 24th to the 32nd century until AT LEAST there’s some kind of production gap like the one that followed Enterprise, when there’s no longer any on screen Trek in production. That’s just too wide a field, with no characters we the audience know and are familiar with. Plus it’s a wide open playing field for more series of Trek on screen - yes, there’s lots of room to explore, but since the novels are, first and foremost, tie-ins to screen Trek, the ability TO explore is limited, at least as long as there is screen Trek being produced to tie in to.

I'm not sure that logic holds up. After all, the whole rationale for series like New Frontier and S.C.E., which came out while the shows were still in production, was to have the opportunity to tell stories that could have ongoing continuity without conflicting with canon, because they focused on original casts. And similar things have been done in other tie-in lines, like the novel tie-ins to V: The Series and the comic-book tie-ins to Alien Nation, which focused on original characters in those shows' universes rather than the TV characters. If anything, there's more incentive to create original spinoff characters while the shows are still in production. It's when the show ends production that you're freer to pick up the main casts' stories and move them forward.

I agree we're unlikely to see much exploration of the time gap, but the reason is much simpler: There just aren't as many books being done now, so there isn't room to develop side series alongside the tie-ins to the main shows.

 

[Bryan Levy]

I just don’t understand people who don’t want to see a modern style Children of Hamlin or Gulliver’s Fugitives type book starring Pulaski. I love the Litverse, but I’m also heading into serialization overload. Just give me an adventure.

 

[Reanok]

I don't mind stand alone novels for Tos,TNG,Ds9 and Enterprise or the Picard books. Like Bryan said give us an adventure Star Trek story please.

 

[Starbreaker]

I like "fill in the gap books", but I'm not really interested in books that are treated as an episode anymore. There's only so many warring twin planet books with a plague I can take.

 

[Elias Vaughn]

I just want more novelizations of existing episodes.

Give me a novel-length extrapolation of season one episode four of Lower Decks.

 

[captainmkb]

I just want more novelizations of existing episodes.

Give me a novel-length extrapolation of season one episode four of Lower Decks.

in the spirit of James Blish (or maybe in the vein of Alan Dean Foster), do a novel length adaptation of one episode and then follow up with a 5 page adaptation of the following episode

 

[mastadge]

Yeah and I think we need an in-universe explanation for why the stardates in Lower Decks make no sense.

 

[Jinn]

Yeah and I think we need an in-universe explanation for why the stardates in Lower Decks make no sense.

If the people who work on it are to be believed we need an in-unvierse explanation for why the word "year" makes no sense

 

[Christopher]

The stardates in LD season 1 worked pretty well, but in season 2 they're way too low, given the months that passed between seasons.

Similarly, the stardates used in Discovery seasons 3-4 fit the TNG-era scheme extended to 3188, except they're in 3189 (and Memory Alpha claims season 4 is 3190, though there's been no onscreen confirmation that I know of).

 

[mastadge]

though there's been no onscreen confirmation that I know of).

Possibly extrapolation from the number of months that have passed between seasons?

 

[Christopher]

Possibly extrapolation from the number of months that have passed between seasons?

Only five months -- inconclusive. In my chronology, I estimate that season 3 (aside from the first episode) covered less than two months. So season 4 would only be in 3190 if episode 3x2 began later than May 3189.

I think they're just assuming that the traditional pattern of each season being a new calendar year still applies. But either way, it's inconclusive unless there's hard onscreen data.