Reading the Buried age
- Thread starter BXsainttj
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Yep!
'Starfleet Command looked so favorably on Picard's actions they appointed him as the vessel's new commanding officer, a post he held for 22 years. Picard's crew included Jack Crusher and a weapons officer named Vigo. (TNG: "The Battle")'
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/USS_Stargazer
The 22-year figure was never actually stated onscreen; it comes from the TNG writers' bible. Actually what the bible said, verbatim, was that Picard "served on an incredible 22 year voyage as mission commander and ship captain on the legendary deep space charting vessel U.S.S. Stargazer." I always figured that "mission commander" was a different job from "ship captain," that it meant he started out with a lower rank (like the guy who led away teams) and worked his way up to captain, so that he wasn't captain for the full 22 years. But other novelists have always assumed he was captain the whole time, and I suppose the passage could also be interpreted in that way ("mission commander" meaning the person in charge of the ship's overall mission, which isn't necessarily the same person as the captain but can be). And since that's the established precedent in the novel continuity, that's what I went with.
The Buried Age is one of my all time favorite Trek books, you did a really incredible job with it Christopher and I have fond memories of constantly asking about the previously unnamed 'Picard Lost Era' book and being told by Marco that it is still a work in progress. I think what was most interesting to me was how you used Data and Troi in the book and how they came to Picard's attention. I believe that you filled the gaps in really nicely.
I'm in the final (?) battle scene now ( I don't think that's a spoiler...) and while it wasn't what I was expecting, it's certainly been an interesting read. The early cameos of some of the later Enterprise crew are actually pretty good and don't feel hamfisted.
I've always thought those cameos made a lot of sense. Picard is the type to be more impressed by the actions someone takes rather than words on a person's record. So he sees them in action here and when he's assembling his own crew, he requests them because he has a good idea of what they're capable of.
Interesting perspective. But I was thinking more in terms of the fact that Picard seemed to have prior relationships with both Data and Troi. As for Data, Picard trusted and accepted him from the start of the series even though many others in Starfleet dismissed him as a piece of equipment. As for Troi, he confided in her from the start of the series, and we know he's not the sort who'd open up to just anyone.
As for his prior meetings with La Forge and Yar, those were established in canon. So we know he did hand-pick some of his crew based on prior familiarity.
Me too. I'd given up a little later, around 2002 I think, but I had exactly the same experience.
Finished.
Very much enjoyed the selecting of the Ent-D crew. That can come off as fanwankish, but the author pulled it off nicely here. Really liked the explanation of the multiple chief engineers of the first season and why they seemed kinda "stiff".
Again, not what I was expecting: was thinking it would be several unconnected vignettes over the several year period, but this was a nice way of showing Picard healing and growing and why he was the way he was in season 1 of TNG.
Very much enjoyed the selecting of the Ent-D crew. That can come off as fanwankish, but the author pulled it off nicely here. Really liked the explanation of the multiple chief engineers of the first season and why they seemed kinda "stiff".
Again, not what I was expecting: was thinking it would be several unconnected vignettes over the several year period, but this was a nice way of showing Picard healing and growing and why he was the way he was in season 1 of TNG.
Actually I was expecting the same thing as you, several unconnected vignettes told over the "Lost Era" but what Christopher managed was far more interesting and fits in really nicely with "Encounter at Farpoint". I too really dug the explanation for the slew of Chief Engineers during season one. The Buried Age really is a brilliant book.
Good book, I liked it.
The Court Marshal was the only bit that really seemed OFF, but I dunno if it's the author's fault, since he was following canon
The Court Marshal was the only bit that really seemed OFF, but I dunno if it's the author's fault, since he was following canon
Still one of my favourite Trek reads of the last ten years. It would have made a *brilliant* TNG mini series.
We know from "Violations" that the TNG-style uniform was in use at the time of Jack Crusher's death in 2354, a year before The Buried Age begins. However, we know from "Family" that the movie-style uniform was still in use shortly after Wesley was born, which would be 2348. So it was sometime in that six-year interval.
I don't understand what you're asking. It's not like you can see the uniforms in the novels anyway.
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