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Novelisations of the movies...

The only STAR TREK movie novelisation that's ever interested me enough to own it is TMP, as it was scribed by The Great Bird of the Galaxy, himself ... and his style's all up in it. A great read, unfortunately, I seem to have misplaced my copy of it, somehow, during my recent move to California. But that's alright ... as the blown up Enterprise in TSFS reminds: Things can be replaced!
The TMP novelisation was etched in my memory where it mentioned how Kirk got his first name - "James because it was both the name of my father's beloved brother as well as that of my mother's first love instructor".:eek:
 
Thank you Great Bird! GR was an interesting fellow at the best of times. But I can't imagine that the 70's was a helpful influence on the man. Some people need breaks more than they need axle grease.
 
The TMP novelisation was etched in my memory where it mentioned how Kirk got his first name - "James because it was both the name of my father's beloved brother as well as that of my mother's first love instructor".:eek:
Indeed! And a very convenient coincidence, to say the least, but let's hope Kirk's mum kept that to herself ...

"Oh, hubby! Yes, 'James' is the perfect name! I love it ... literally."
 
Hunt down the Futura UK or Australasian edition [of ST:TMP]. We got a great photo insert section of colourplates, plus a bit of additional text explanation about Vice Admiral Lori Ciana during the transporter accident scene!

Your flickr site has me sold! And, if you'll permit me to post it, for anyone else who might be interested in this unique novelisation of STAR TREK: The Motion Picture, here's the link to some great movie stills accompanying it:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/therinofandor/albums/72157681185517246
 
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That was me trying to be very gentle with an almost-mint edition I had on hand at the time. I often think that I'll get around to dissecting a copy for nice flat scans...

The 1979 Futura (UK and Australasia) editions of the "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" novelization had a cool colour photo insert!

Caption: "Captain James Kirk on the eve of his newest and most dangerous mission."


Captions:
"Captain Kirk approaches the nerve centre of Starfleet Headquarters."

"Malfunction in the starship's transporter room."

"Commander Decker and Navigator Ilia."



Double-page cast gathering (the day after principal photography ended; the cast was allowed to choose a favourite outfit for this next pic)...

Caption: "The crew of the refitted U.S.S. Enterprise."


Captions:
"Commander Decker in a tense moment on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise."

"Mr Spock has returned..."

"... to boldly tread once more towards the menace from outer space."

"Security Officer Chekov samples the dangers that will follow..."



Caption: "... As Kirk, Spock and Dr McCoy confront the seemingly invincible destructive power that threatens the Earth - and the human adventure is just beginning."


In newsagents, we also got an oversized poster book called the "Star Trek: The Motion Picture Novel Pin-Up Book" on the magazine stands, which had larger versions of the novelization's colour plates.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Novel Pin-Up Book
by Ian McLean, on Flickr
 
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I take a majority of the novels at face value, basically it's possible it happened but what is on-screen is canon.
I usually take the name of several characters (i.e. Jedda, Madison and March from STII's full names) and possible professions as possible but interpret most as an ellusion to what might've happened.

I also consider Saavik to be a Vulcan-Romulan hybrid. That's still a canon thing to me.
 
I I also consider Saavik to be a Vulcan-Romulan hybrid. That's still a canon thing to me.
I'm astonished that that's even an issue. Not only was it part of the original script, other novels have taken it and run with it. OTOH, it does seem to have fallen out of favor in later years. Proving that 80's fan Trek is better. ;)

(Now Valeris in TUC being half Klingon or raised by Klingons or whatever it was is obviously nonsense.)
 
I'm astonished that that's even an issue. Not only was it part of the original script, other novels have taken it and run with it. OTOH, it does seem to have fallen out of favor in later years. Proving that 80's fan Trek is better. ;)

(Now Valeris in TUC being half Klingon or raised by Klingons or whatever it was is obviously nonsense.)

According to the TUC novelisation, Valeris was raised on a border world and given a Klingon name by her Vulcan parents, who had hoped to establish good relations with the Empire despite the tensions of the 2250s thru 2280s. That failed, the border world was attacked and Valeris' parents were killed and she got sent back to Vulcan.
 
I'm astonished that that's even an issue. Not only was it part of the original script, other novels have taken it and run with it. OTOH, it does seem to have fallen out of favor in later years. Proving that 80's fan Trek is better. ;)

(Now Valeris in TUC being half Klingon or raised by Klingons or whatever it was is obviously nonsense.)
There was even a scene filmed for TWOK that described Saavik as half Romulan.
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Kor
 
I re-read The Motion Picture novelization recently. I found it added a lot to the movie (did it make it more exciting? No.). Oh, Decker went THERE with the Ilia probe?! It also better explained that Enterprise actually shot past V'ger and then approached it at warp speed from behind as both traveled to Earth. The woman in the transporter accident with Commander Sonak was actually Kirk's love interest (perhaps his ex-wife, I've forgotten exact details).
I found it interesting and amusing Sulu was the only one not to show any reaction to Ilia being Deltan. Maybe there was some insight some of the rest of us didn't get till later.

I read the original crew movie novels many years ago. I'd like to revisit them sometime. I never read the Next Generation novels or the Kelvin universe novels. If I find them, maybe I'll pick them up sometime.
 
According to the TUC novelisation, Valeris was raised on a border world and given a Klingon name by her Vulcan parents, who had hoped to establish good relations with the Empire despite the tensions of the 2250s thru 2280s. That failed, the border world was attacked and Valeris' parents were killed and she got sent back to Vulcan.
Yep. That's the one. Thanks!

I re-read The Motion Picture novelization recently. I found it added a lot to the movie (did it make it more exciting? No.). Oh, Decker went THERE with the Ilia probe?! It also better explained that Enterprise actually shot past V'ger and then approached it at warp speed from behind as both traveled to Earth. The woman in the transporter accident with Commander Sonak was actually Kirk's love interest (perhaps his ex-wife, I've forgotten exact details).
I found it interesting and amusing Sulu was the only one not to show any reaction to Ilia being Deltan. Maybe there was some insight some of the rest of us didn't get till later.
One of us is misremembering Sulu's reaction. They even filmed the scene where Sulu is a flustered mess and Ilia has to reassure him that she's "safe".

In the novel Kirk and Sulu both have a *ahem* physical reaction to the navigator. Kirk decides he'll stay sitting to maintain his dignity as Captain. An option he notices that Sulu doesn't have.

Kirk's former wife was Vice Admiral Lori Ciana. They had a "standard contract marriage" that ran until both parties decide not to renew. Again, an idea that I could see having some appeal to GR.
 
Page 78. Uhura has announced, "She's a Deltan."
... "only Sulu did not react, apparently attaching no special significance to Uhura's comment."

In the pages that follow, he does indeed fumble and embarrass himself just as in the movie.
I remembered the above quote, but not in context. In context, it's just that her being Deltan doesn't seem to have any special conotation to him.
 
Page 78. Uhura has announced, "She's a Deltan."
... "only Sulu did not react, apparently attaching no special significance to Uhura's comment."

In the pages that follow, he does indeed fumble and embarrass himself just as in the movie.
I remembered the above quote, but not in context. In context, it's just that her being Deltan doesn't seem to have any special conotation to him.
"Why? What's tequila?"
 
I have to say: Vonda N. McIntyre put her OWN characters from "THE ENTROPY EFFECT" into TWOK, in a conversation between Kirk & Sulu! Say What !?!?

McIntrye's not alone. J.M. Dillard put references to The Lost Years in her novelization for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. The backstory she developed for the Vulcan mystics of Gol in The Lost Years she worked into the backstory she developed for Sybok. You're right, it wouldn't happen today, the studios are more protective about novelizations, but reading the books at the time I thought it was great to see the works linked together like this.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but The Lost Years was after TFF. Certainly by publication date.
 
By publication date, yes, by about five months.

Novelizations are written on a very tight timeline. The initial meetings for The Lost Years (the series) were in 1987, and Dillard would have finished (or been very close to finishing) The Lost Years by the time she started work on the film novelization.
 
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