Post Typhon-Pact

[Christopher]

If you want to touch upon the temporal cold war, you will have to go with the mutable time line established in 'Enterprise' and not the new parallel timelines established in 'Star Trek 2009'.

Or, I can show how they're two facets of the same thing. After all, there's already precedent for the ST'09 model in prior Trek: the Mirror Universe, "Parallels," "Yesteryear" ("Live long and prosper in your world, Commander Spock." "And you in yours, Commander Thelin"). Not to mention other different consequences of time travel, like the self-consistent loops of "Assignment: Earth" and The Voyage Home. We already know Trek time travel doesn't happen in just one way. It's just a matter of explaining the broader theory connecting them all.

 

[Thrawn]

^ I am SO looking forward to how you pull this off.

 

[ProtoAvatar]

If you want to touch upon the temporal cold war, you will have to go with the mutable time line established in 'Enterprise' and not the new parallel timelines established in 'Star Trek 2009'.

Or, I can show how they're two facets of the same thing. After all, there's already precedent for the ST'09 model in prior Trek: the Mirror Universe, "Parallels," "Yesteryear" ("Live long and prosper in your world, Commander Spock." "And you in yours, Commander Thelin"). Not to mention other different consequences of time travel, like the self-consistent loops of "Assignment: Earth" and The Voyage Home. We already know Trek time travel doesn't happen in just one way. It's just a matter of explaining the broader theory connecting them all.

I see.

You wish to equate the 'many-worlds' universes with time-travel created time-lines.
As I understand 'many-worlds', all time-lines that can possibly exist (while respecting the physical laws) will exist. Doesn't that mean that any such time-line created through time-travel already exists?
If so, why go the troble and try to uselessly stop it from coming into being? Unless time travel changes what's possible to exist by introducing new matter/energy/information into the past, creating an even bigger infinity of 'many-worlds' universes.

Of course, such a time-travel theory will preclude self-consistent time-loops - and changing the past - simply because each time one travels into the past, one makes a new time-line, not changing the old one.

 

[Thrawn]

^ Why don't you wait and see how he explains it before telling him he's wrong? Just a thought...

 

[F. King Daniel]

Does "Post Typhon Pact" refer to the next wave of books released after the Typhon Pact series, or the next ones involving the fallout from Destiny?

If it's the former I have to ask: Where is that inevitable USS Kelvin novel?

Someone write it now!

Now! Now! Now! Now! Now!

 

[Starbreaker]

And just a friendly reminder: Star Trek and time travel aren't real... yet.

 

[Christopher]

You wish to equate the 'many-worlds' universes with time-travel created time-lines.

No, I wish to incorporate them as aspects of a larger model.

As I understand 'many-worlds', all time-lines that can possibly exist (while respecting the physical laws) will exist. Doesn't that mean that any such time-line created through time-travel already exists?

That depends on how you define "already." Which is not an elementary question when dealing with temporal physics.

If so, why go the troble and try to uselessly stop it from coming into being?

I'll tell you -- in the book.

Of course, such a time-travel theory will preclude self-consistent time-loops - and changing the past - simply because each time one travels into the past, one makes a new time-line, not changing the old one.

Unless the timeline one makes is one's own, with no change. Loops are permitted by the laws of physics and causality, as Novikov et al. showed.

 

[TerraUnam]

Hmm, I was a bit guarded about DTI, but the more Chris Bennett talks about broad explanatory theories with compelling and dramatic outcomes, while knifing cliches left and right, the more I want to read it.

 

[Thrawn]

^ Have you read The Buried Age? I'm expecting a similarly incredible widescreen, all-encompassing approach to time travel, the way he handled galactic history in that one.

 

[TerraUnam]

Sorry, the budget has been a bit short lately.

 

[Thrawn]

Heck, with all the Trek books out these days, I was actually expecting you to say no. Just thought I'd ask on the off chance...

But yeah, if you want to get a sense of the kind of large scale worldbuilding Christopher is just amazing at, that's a hell of a novel.

 

[garoo1980]

I haven't read The Buried Age yet. What did you like about it? Do you need to have read anything else for it to make sense?

 

[Thrawn]

It's totally standalone.

And, as the amazon reviews will attest, it's not a universal favorite out there in the real world, but on this board it seems to have almost universal acclaim. It covers Picard's years between Stargazer and Enterprise, and answers the question of why we never hear anything about those years mentioned anywhere in TNG. It also explains why he chose Data, Troi, Geordi, and Yar as part of his senior staff. But that all only really happens in the last 100 pages or so.

The rest of the story is an unbelievably immense tale of mostly archaeology and not very much action; it moves slowly, and it's very very long. It's a fascinating look into Picard's character, an incredible emotional journey, a beautiful piece of continuity, and a hell of a sci-fi tale regardless; it basically makes the large-scale history of the entire galaxy going back 250 million years or so make sense. It's very, very sci-fi, and very sense-of-wonder, but it's not much like a lot of other Trek and it paints Picard in a flawed and vulnerable way, and so if you don't dig that you're not going to get much out of the book.

Personally, I love that stuff, and I loved Picard's story, and it's one of my all-time favorites. But be warned: it's not a light read.

 

[William Leisner]

^ Why don't you wait and see how he explains it before telling him he's wrong? Just a thought...

Heresy!

 

[JD]

It's totally standalone.

And, as the amazon reviews will attest, it's not a universal favorite out there in the real world, but on this board it seems to have almost universal acclaim. It covers Picard's years between Stargazer and Enterprise, and answers the question of why we never hear anything about those years mentioned anywhere in TNG. It also explains why he chose Data, Troi, Geordi, and Yar as part of his senior staff. But that all only really happens in the last 100 pages or so.

The rest of the story is an unbelievably immense tale of mostly archaeology and not very much action; it moves slowly, and it's very very long. It's a fascinating look into Picard's character, an incredible emotional journey, a beautiful piece of continuity, and a hell of a sci-fi tale regardless; it basically makes the large-scale history of the entire galaxy going back 250 million years or so make sense. It's very, very sci-fi, and very sense-of-wonder, but it's not much like a lot of other Trek and it paints Picard in a flawed and vulnerable way, and so if you don't dig that you're not going to get much out of the book.

Personally, I love that stuff, and I loved Picard's story, and it's one of my all-time favorites. But be warned: it's not a light read.

^What he said. Seriously though, if you get a chance you really should read it, it's awesome. Personally, I think it is a must read if you have any interest whatsoever in Picard.

 

[garoo1980]

Wow some good comments there, and I notice neither of you are the author! (kidding)

I'll pick it up and read it next. Thanks guys. I need something to get through until Typhon!

 

[Thrawn]

Cool. Don't forget to come back and let us know what you think

 

[Starbreaker]

I wonder how many DS9-R and Titan books I can read before these books come out...

 

[Lonemagpie]

Does "Post Typhon Pact" refer to the next wave of books released after the Typhon Pact series, or the next ones involving the fallout from Destiny?

Both - though I don't think that "involving the fallout from Destiny" is necessarily accurate - the one story so far that chronologically follows on from the TP books (i.e. mine) doesn't concern itself with such things. It's a standalone.

 

[Garm Bel Iblis]

It's definitely still shared-universe, though, with Bashir showing up in the Aventine book, Spock showing up in the DS9 book, and Shar showing up in the TNG book.

And the details about Indistinguishable From Magic that we've gotten so far definitely continue that approach. Which is awesome, in my opinion

Is Shar going to be on the Enterprise? Perhaps taking over for Miranda (please please please) god I hate Miranda, "shang-ra-la" accent that's explained to me every fourth paragraph.