Question about Hikaru Sulu in treklit

[Paris]

I've just finished DRG3's amazing Serpents Among the Ruins, and I making my way through Iron and Sacrifice and I've noticed that Demora Sulu seems to allude to the fact that her father is no longer alive as of 2311. It's never stated that Hikaru is dead, it's just heavily implied in both stories. Does anyone know why his death was alluded too? I found it odd as Margaret Wander Bonanno's Burning Dreams features Hikaru alive and well in 2320 and it was only published 2 years after SAtR and 1 year after I & S. Was there a planned story to detail Hikaru's death at some point? Was this the reason that DRG3 dropped some hints in both of his stories? If so, why was this story abandonned?

 

[JD]

I've never heard anything about Hikaru dying in a book. In fact nothing's really been said about whether or not Hikaru is dead, I think he's only main TOS character whose fate is still unknown. I've been assuming they were leaving it open so future Excelsior books don't feel like they need to be tied to any one specific outcome.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

In DRG3's books, Sulu is dead by the time of the Tomed Incident. Okay, it's just heavily implied, but that appears to be the intention. I don't know if DRG had a story for Sulu's death planned. I had an idea about Sulu's fate that would have conformed to Serpents, but it's now an orphaned idea.

In Burning Dreams, Sulu is alive in the 2320s. In Armageddon Sky, someone hinted to be Sulu is alive in the 2370s.

There's no requirement for the books to conform to one another.

 

[Christopher]

I doubt there was a particular plan being foreshadowed. It just stands to reason that some of the TOS cast would not be immortal, doesn't it? Sulu was born in the 2230s, and he led a dangerous life in Starfleet, so it's not unreasonable that he might not have survived to the 2310s. That may have been all DRGIII was thinking. But Margaret Bonanno independently decided she had reason to use Sulu in 2320 in her story, and Marco probably figured DRGIII's references were vague enough that it didn't create a problem -- or else he figured that letting Burning Dreams be the story it needed to be was more important than slavish adherence to a tiny bit of continuity trivia in another book. Continuity is nice, but the priority is telling the best stories. If that requires contradicting some subtle, passing allusion in an earlier work, so be it.

 

[Paris]

I figured that the death implications in SAtR and I & S could have meant that Hikaru and the Excelsior were really far away on an extended mission and couldn't be reached for a long time, or that maybe Hikaru and not the Excelsior was missing but not neccesarily dead.

When looking back at Burning Dreams it doesn't seem like the character that helped Spock really needed to be Hikaru Sulu. I know that it was him, but MWB could have just as easily used Uhura or even Chekov as it had been established in other stories published in the years prior that both of these characters were alive and well in the 2320's. I know that Uhura was in SI, so her commanding a ship is kind of unlikely, but according to the Vulcan's Soul trilogy, Chekov commanded at least two different ships.

Hopefully we get another Excelsior/Sulu-centric book down the line at some point. I'd love to know what prime-Sulu's ultimate fate was...

 

[Jbarney]

For what it is worth, I was comfortable with the language in Serpents Among the Ruins not indicating an ultimate fate for Sulu. I read the book about two years ago and loved it, but I can not recall the specific references. I just remember thinking there was enough of a shade of gray with the words used to not accept that he was dead.

 

[MichaelS]

Hopefully we get another Excelsior/Sulu-centric book down the line at some point.

You might want to take a look at the third volume of Myriad Universes when it comes out next year. Granted, it's not "our" Sulu, but he's at the very centre of it. And she, too.

 

[Rush Limborg]

For what it is worth, I was comfortable with the language in Serpents Among the Ruins not indicating an ultimate fate for Sulu. I read the book about two years ago and loved it, but I can not recall the specific references. I just remember thinking there was enough of a shade of gray with the words used to not accept that he was dead.

As I recall, it was something along the lines of "And her father--after he...he...", and then Demora's train of thought is interrupted.

 

[Paris]

In Iron and Sacrifice Demora says that it's impossible for Hikaru to help his mother in her time of need. The "impossible" part could mean many things, but when I read the passage, I took it to mean that he was probably dead. But as it never says that he is in fact dead, we're still in the clear

 

[JD]

Personally, I kind of hope that he is dead by at leas the 2370s. It just seems a little far fetched for all of the TOS characters to still be alive and well that far into the TNG era.

 

[Rush Limborg]

Well, let's see...

Uhura's alive and well--we know that as per Catalyst of Sorrows and Vulcan's Soul.

Bones is alive as of 2376--as per Tales of the Dominion War.

Scotty, as SCE/COE fans know, is still alive....

Kirk's dead--except in the Shatnerverse.

Spock's alive--and will live on to go back in time, and all that.

Chekov's alive, as per Vulcan's Soul.

That leaves Sulu, Rand, and Chapel. Hmm....

 

[Julio Angel Ortiz]

Well, let's see...

Uhura's alive and well--we know that as per Catalyst of Sorrows and Vulcan's Soul.

Bones is alive as of 2376--as per Tales of the Dominion War.

Scotty, as SCE/COE fans know, is still alive....

Kirk's dead--except in the Shatnerverse.

Spock's alive--and will live on to go back in time, and all that.

Chekov's alive, as per Vulcan's Soul.

That leaves Sulu, Rand, and Chapel. Hmm....

Bones is alive as of A Singular Destiny, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[nx1701g]

There is a novel that suggests Scotty will live until, at least, 2422 when an engineering building is named in his honor at Starfleet Academy (he cuts the ribbon).

 

[Kopernikus]

There is a novel that suggests Scotty will live until, at least, 2422 when an engineering building is named in his honor at Starfleet Academy (he cuts the ribbon).

Which one is that? I really can't remember a novel taking place that far in the future.
On the subject: I agree, it's time for the immortal TOS-Gang to finally at least retire. Even given the long lifespans of the 24th century it's becoming ridiculous that for example McCoy who was definetly really fragile in Encounter at Farpoint is still working as a physican in the aftermath of Destiny. I for myself prefer his fate as described in Crucible, much more realisitc and a very touching written scene.

 

[Deranged Nasat]

There is a novel that suggests Scotty will live until, at least, 2422 when an engineering building is named in his honor at Starfleet Academy (he cuts the ribbon).

Which one is that? I really can't remember a novel taking place that far in the future.

"Engines of Destiny".

 

[LutherSloan]

There is a novel that suggests Scotty will live until, at least, 2422 when an engineering building is named in his honor at Starfleet Academy (he cuts the ribbon).

Which one is that? I really can't remember a novel taking place that far in the future.

"Engines of Destiny".

That's an alternate universe book, though.

 

[Christopher]

^Only part of Engines of Destiny is in an alternate timeline. The 2422 event is mentioned in a Historian's Note at the end as something that occurs in the main timeline long after the events of the book. (Thank you, Google Book Search!)

 

[BrotherBenny]

It is a little ridiculous that Bones is still alive in 2381, though according to Memory Alpha he would be 154 by then. The fact that he looked about that in Encounter at Farpoint notwithstanding.

If Uhura didn't die before Destiny, and survived the attacks, then she would be 142 (according to Memory Beta's birth year of 2239)

According to MB, Chekov would be 136; Chapel would be 144; Sulu would also be 144; and Rand would be 149, provided they're all alive. It would appear from this that 150 is kind of standard then unless you die in the line of duty.

 

[Christopher]

Actually those birthdates for Sulu and Uhura (taken from conjectures in the Okudachron based on the actors' ages as of TOS) are probably a bit late, given what we now know about them from the new movie. They'd be only 21 and 19 at the time of the movie, respectively. Maybe that could barely work for Sulu, but Uhura would have to be older, which is presumably why Memory Alpha has redacted the birth year from its Uhura article.

 

[Rush Limborg]

It is a little ridiculous that Bones is still alive in 2381, though according to Memory Alpha he would be 154 by then. The fact that he looked about that in Encounter at Farpoint notwithstanding.

The Shat addressed this in The Return. Kirk asks Bones, upon hearing his age, "What's the record?"

To which Bones replies, "You're lookin' at it!"