Novels as films?

[ClayinCA]

I agree that "Ex Machina" wasn't very good.

Well. in the words of President Bartlet, you can just sit there and be wrong in all your wrongness. Ex Machina was great.

Diane Carey's Final Frontier. In terms of continuity there are what I believe inconsistencies in terms of detail, but I liked her sense of setting and her take on the characters. I could do without her Jim Kirk's emotional crisis framework scenes because I don't think it's in Kirk's character and the rest of the story works well without it. And it had (at the time) what I felt was a fresh way of doing an "unofficial" first voyage for the E under Captain April.

Now, this I agree with totally. I didn't really mind the framework, but I don't think the book needs it, and I've always wanted to see this book done as a movie or mini-series.

 

[Procutus]

Well, I'm a big fan of the very early Bantam novels, and back in the day, I would've liked to have seen the following as Trek movies: Spock, Messiah! by Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr. (the second Trek novel, September, 1976); Joe Haldeman's Planet of Judgement (August, 1977) and David Gerrold's The Galactic Whirlpool (final Bantam novel, October 1980). Of the three, Haldeman's was my favorite, but The Galactic Whirlpool was probably the one best suited to be a movie.

 

[Christopher]

Of the three, Haldeman's was my favorite, but The Galactic Whirlpool was probably the one best suited to be a movie.

Which isn't surprising, since it's based on an outline Gerrold wrote for a 2-part episode of ST, which he was told was too expensive but would make a heck of a movie, so he reworked it and tried selling it as an original movie treatment for a while, before eventually giving up and writing it as a Trek novel. (And in between he tried writing it as an original novel called Yesterday's Children, but that novel went in a completely different direction. Oddly, the Yesterday's Children title was kept even though it had no connection at all to the final version of the novel; a later, expanded edition, written around the same time as The Galactic Whirlpool, was eventually reissued as Starhunt. And Yesterday's Children would've made a much better title for Gerrold's Trek novel than The Galactic Whirlpool, because the titular whirlpool plays a very minor role in the story. I love TGW, but I've always hated the title.)

 

[Therin of Andor]

Well. in the words of President Bartlet, you can just sit there and be wrong in all your wrongness. Ex Machina was great.

I'm with you. Even though CLB killed off one of my favourite characters! "Ex Machina" is the story I wanted to see at the movies, on the big screen, three weeks after seeing ST:TMP (way back in December 1979). Same uniforms, same new Starfleet aliens (but doing important things), and lots of fun and humor.

 

[Procutus]

Yesterday's Children would've made a much better title for Gerrold's Trek novel than The Galactic Whirlpool, because the titular whirlpool plays a very minor role in the story.

Good point, as I recall that the Enterprise crew comes across a 'generational ark' in space, and the Whirlpool was a minor part of the story.

Didn't know that DG had originally developed the story as a two-parter. Appreciate that bit of background info.

 

[Kaziarl]

... Speaking as a novelist, I don't really think of novels in terms of fodder for film adaptation. I think a novel works best as a novel.

Tell that to Dan Brown and John Grisham!

I liked the dan brown movies, but Christopher makes a good point. There is very little content in the movies-based-on-books category. On the other hand, I've found overwhelming content in the books-based-on-movies category too. It's like one cuts out too much, and the other overcompensates and adds too much. There are a few rare happy medium examples, but it tends to be true that books are books and movies are movies.

That said, a couple more to add to the discussion. Perhaps best as a miniseries rather then a movie though.

The Genesis Wave series.
TNG's Warped

And I'm sorry, for the life of me I cant remember the name of this one. It's been some time since I've read it, as it's been a few years since I've had access to my collection, but I think it was a TOS, possible movie era book. Could be wrong though. The think I remember most clearly was that the bad guy was using a virus. Perfecting it at ever step so that it could eventually be used to target a specific bloodline. And something to do with Prions.

 

[Procutus]

And I'm sorry, for the life of me I cant remember the name of this one. It's been some time since I've read it, as it's been a few years since I've had access to my collection, but I think it was a TOS, possible movie era book. Could be wrong though. The think I remember most clearly was that the bad guy was using a virus. Perfecting it at ever step so that it could eventually be used to target a specific bloodline. And something to do with Prions.

Well, I could be wrong here, but I think the book you're describing might be Triangle by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath. I recall that was a post-TMP novel and I think the villian was creating a virus.

Then again, I could be confusing it with another story entirely.

 

[Kaziarl]

And I'm sorry, for the life of me I cant remember the name of this one. It's been some time since I've read it, as it's been a few years since I've had access to my collection, but I think it was a TOS, possible movie era book. Could be wrong though. The think I remember most clearly was that the bad guy was using a virus. Perfecting it at ever step so that it could eventually be used to target a specific bloodline. And something to do with Prions.

Well, I could be wrong here, but I think the book you're describing might be Triangle by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath. I recall that was a post-TMP novel and I think the villian was creating a virus.

Then again, I could be confusing it with another story entirely.

Dont think that was the one unfortunately. And the only reason I think it was one of the original crew books is because in one of them (it was actually a series of books, 6 in all i think) McCoy was imprisoned with a minor family member of the romulan ruling family. Like a distant distant distant cousin to the current empress or something like that.


EDIT:
Never mind, found it finally. It was the Double Helix series I was referring too.

 

[Procutus]

^

Ah. Didn't read that one.

 

[Kaziarl]

Yeah, I just remember that it was really well written considering it was six seperate books to the series. If they took the time to do a good job on the script, and didn't cut and hack half of it out, I think it'd make a great miniseries.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Always thought Dark Mirror would've made a great movie.

Agreed. One of the best TNG novels and a much better look at the MU than DS9 (for the most part).


For a real fan-gasm of a story turned movie/episode, the novel Federation would have been a good one. A pseudo crossover between Kirk & Picard.

Yesterday's Son would be another good one. Spock going back to Sarpeidon's past to find his son. You could add Time For Yesterday for a 2 part thing.

There was also a novel where Data is actually turned into a human. I can't remember the name of this one.

 

[Jack Bauer]

There was also a novel where Data is actually turned into a human. I can't remember the name of this one.

Metamorphosis IIRC.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Thanks. I might re-buy some of the better older novels.

It's been since whenever they came out since I read any of them.

Doctor's Order was a good TOS novel that might make a good episode, if not movie.

 

[Warped9]

There was also a novel where Data is actually turned into a human. I can't remember the name of this one.

Metamorphosis IIRC.

Yes. Good read from what I remember. It was rather like It's A Wonderful Life where getting his wish leads to all sorts of trouble.

 

[ClayinCA]

Well. in the words of President Bartlet, you can just sit there and be wrong in all your wrongness. Ex Machina was great.

I'm with you. Even though CLB killed off one of my favourite characters! "Ex Machina" is the story I wanted to see at the movies, on the big screen, three weeks after seeing ST:TMP (way back in December 1979). Same uniforms, same new Starfleet aliens (but doing important things), and lots of fun and humor.

Exactly. It continued the scale of the Motion Picture, the feeling of "bigness" about the refitted Enterprise, with the Federation looking much less a human's-only club than the TV series, and wonderful development of the main characters (especially Spock).

There was also a novel where Data is actually turned into a human. I can't remember the name of this one.

Metamorphosis IIRC.

I forgot all about that one, and it was one of my favorite early Next Generation novels! Yes, that would have made for a great movie or multi-part episode (or even story arc, had they done that type of thing on ST: TNG).

I would loved to have see Q-In-Law on the big screen as well (or even the small screen). The book-on-tape is almost as good, though.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

My vote would be for Peter David's "Q-In-Law" for its sheer comedy. For those of you who haven't read it, Q meets Lwaxana... Q dates Lwaxana... He gives her the power of the Q... Hilarity ensues when he breaks up with her.