Shar

[phrog]

So.... I got sort of invested in Shar as a character and as a prime example of the sort of things that make the Ds9 Relaunch (and really Ds9 as a whole) great, (ie: complex, well-drawn characters with interesting motivations and viewpoints) and consider him to be an important member of the senior staff, as presented.

So where the heck is he? Ever since he left for his sabbatical, there's been neither hide nor hair of him, save for his zhavey's *ahem* appearance in Destiny (which was a great, touching scene btw)

Is he pretty much on the scrap heap storywise? Being saved for an interesting return? Will he pop up ready for duty with the jump forward? For somebody who started out groaning at all the Andorian melodrama when it first appeared, I got pretty wrapped up in it and I rather miss that blue dude.

Has this been answered? Should I hit the search function with something blunt for not revealing that to me?

 

[Dayton Ward]

I can say that Shar is featured in the forthcoming Paths of Disharmony, as most of the story takes place on Andor.

Beyond that?

 

[Ferd Burfel]

The current state of the DS9R is in shambles IMO. I thought Shar was/is great as well. The DS9R went to hell when they decided it was more fun to play in the MU crap than deliver actual DS9 style stories with character development and great storylines (Mission: Gamma!). I hope he returns too, but I guess we'll see.

 

[JD]

There was an alternate version of Shar in Kira's dream in Warpath, and since that seemed to be a hint about what is to come, I'm pretty sure he'll be popping back up.

 

[phrog]

There was an alternate version of Shar in Kira's dream in Warpath, and since that seemed to be a hint about what is to come, I'm pretty sure he'll be popping back up.

True, and an EXCELLENT point that skipped my mind when I wrote my post. Thanks!

I, for one, like the Relaunch up to present, MU content included, but of course I would like to see more of it and with more regularity than the present lineup seems to afford.

And Dayton, I'm so there. (Although I was going to be anyways, Typhon Pact and all..) Thanks for the response and I've enjoyed everything I've read from you thus far. I've got Seven Deadly Sins up soon in my stack and I'm intrigued to read First Peer.

Whistle smiley has me more curious than any of that though, hah.

 

[Therin of Andor]

most of the story takes place on Andor.

What's left of it.

 

[DS9Continuing]

The DS9R went to hell when they decided it was more fun to play in the MU crap than deliver actual DS9 style stories.

Sigh. Once again, MU is as valid a storyline as any other, especially for DS9, which had more focus on the MU than any other show.

There was an alternate version of Shar in Kira's dream in Warpath, and since that seemed to be a hint about what is to come, I'm pretty sure he'll be popping back up.

Not to mention the MU version of Shar piloting the alt-Defiant in The Soul Key.

In my own ideas for DS9 season 10 he...

Spoiler: story ideas - writers don't look!

returns to DS9 earlier than he should given his family obligations, and attempts to begin a relationship with Prynn, which she rejects because he's now a married man. He also ends up on a mission filled with wacky hijinks into the Gamma Quadrant with Nog, Prynn, Jake, Rena and the Even Odds crew.

 

[Dayton Ward]

most of the story takes place on Andor.

What's left of it.

Some regions were razed, sure, but other areas were spared. That's not to say the cleanup won't take a long, long time, but Andor's definitely better off than...say...Deneva

 

[Therin of Andor]

Some regions were razed...

Yeah, rub it in.

 

[MNM]

There was an alternate version of Shar in Kira's dream in Warpath, and since that seemed to be a hint about what is to come, I'm pretty sure he'll be popping back up.

How much of thoses hints are likely to be acted upon now though? I mean, there's been what, two editoral changes since then? and the blurb for the upcoming DS9 book, time skipped quite a few years ahead as it is, has quite a few status quo changes from what was around when Warpath was written as well.

 

[JD]

I don't see why everybody assumes that just because new editors have come in and there's been a time jump automatically means that they'll dump everything that came before. The worst possible thing someone new coming into an ongoing story like the DS9R could do is totally change everything. All that would accomplish for them is alienating the existing readership.
Just look at like Smallville, it ran for 8 years with the same people in charge and lots ongoing arcs, and when the new people came in (or actually took over since they were already there) they still continued to build off of the previous showrunners stuff while still taking in their own direction. I'm really thinking that the DS9R will pretty much be the same way. Sure the new editor might make a few changes, but I find it hard to belive that they will just dump everything from Marco and Margaret's times on the books.

 

[JoeZhang]

Gawd - this is a complete turn-off for me, I know Ian and others will look forward to this book, but I find Andor based stories and Shar almost as boring as the mirror universe.

 

[JD]

It always amazes me how different two people's tastes can be, because those have been two of my absolute favorite elements of the TrekLitVerse.

 

[Thrawn]

Sure the new editor might make a few changes, but I find it hard to belive that they will just dump everything from Marco and Margaret's times on the books.

Yeah. TV shows really do this all the time, and it often works pretty seamlessly. Angel, for instance, went through three different showrunners while it was going (Greenwalt > Whedon > Bell > back to Whedon) and there were some pretty sharp stylistic differences but it all worked as a whole pretty well.

 

[JoeZhang]

It always amazes me how different two people's tastes can be, because those have been two of my absolute favorite elements of the TrekLitVerse.

Oh for sure, I know that a lot of people will get a kick out of this book and that's great. It just means there is nothing coming up that I'm interested in.

 

[Thrawn]

You're not interested in any of the Typhon Pact books? They aren't all about Andor.

 

[LightningStorm]

Gawd - this is a complete turn-off for me, I know Ian and others will look forward to this book, but I find Andor based stories and Shar almost as boring as the mirror universe.

It always amazes me how different two people's tastes can be, because those have been two of my absolute favorite elements of the TrekLitVerse.

Indeed. I also tend to think Andorian stories mostly suck, but I LOVE the Mirror Universe. Though, honestly I don't think that's because they are Andorian or Mirror Universe but just the way they're written or the direction taken. I think the stuff setup in the DS9R was interesting for Andor and that species but what came of it so far has been (to quote an old boss of mine from way back when) "consistently mediocre and boring at best". While the MU has been interesting to me but I can point to one story in particular that I didn't like really at all: "The Worst of Both Worlds" in Glass Empires -- and that had both Borg and MU (two things I generally go for in Trek).

 

[The Super Brando]

The current state of the DS9R is in shambles IMO. I thought Shar was/is great as well. The DS9R went to hell when they decided it was more fun to play in the MU crap than deliver actual DS9 style stories with character development and great storylines (Mission: Gamma!). I hope he returns too, but I guess we'll see.

This to the 10th power.

The MU has nothing to do with the "real" Trek universe. Those stories have no impact on the "real" universe, make no changes, and don't further us along into the future of the "real" universe.

Incidentally, I'm currently reading A Time to Kill, and this kind of story that involves the "real" universe and moves that universe into the future is exactly what DS9 needed.

In all these years that DS9 has been off the air what new has happened to the Dominion and Founders? One book tells us the Founders took off. That's all? What about the Jem'Hadar, the Vorta, and Dominion subject worlds? What new has happened with Bajor? It joined the Federation. . . and? How has that effected the Bajoran society? Have they changed at all since last we saw them on the tv show? What about the Gamma Quadrant? Mission Gamma was great, but it's a whole quadrant. Is there nothing more than just 4 small-time planets? There's no other major powers or interesting long-lasting civilizations to be introduced to? What about the power vacuum caused by the Founders leaving? Was there a power vacuum?

I don't know, DS9 is my favorite of all Trek, and so much incredibly cool things happened on that show. I guess I just want more from the DS9 relaunch. Bringing in Ro, making Kira captain, and introducing the new characters like Shar was great, but it's been years now. I guess I just think there should be more at this point. Instead we got the MU.

Oh wow, this turned into a rant.

 

[DS9Continuing]

The MU has nothing to do with the "real" Trek universe. Those stories have no impact on the "real" universe, make no changes, and don't further us along into the future of the "real" universe.

I genuinely don't understand how anybody who has actually read the stories in question can think that.

The DS9 MU arc was very explicitly tied in with EVERY ongoing arc in the current DS9 books. Cardassia, Bajor, the Dominion, the Ascendants. The events depicted also had profound effects on Kira, Sisko, Vaughn, Dax and Taran'atar at the least.

It is only because of what happened in those stories that the Ascendant arc has finally kicked into action.

In all these years that DS9 has been off the air what new has happened to the Dominion and Founders? One book tells us the Founders took off. That's all? What about the Jem'Hadar, the Vorta, and Dominion subject worlds? What new has happened with Bajor? It joined the Federation. . . and? How has that effected the Bajoran society? Have they changed at all since last we saw them on the tv show? What about the Gamma Quadrant? Mission Gamma was great, but it's a whole quadrant. Is there nothing more than just 4 small-time planets? There's no other major powers or interesting long-lasting civilizations to be introduced to? What about the power vacuum caused by the Founders leaving? Was there a power vacuum?

It's been barely a year in story time. A crapload of stuff has happened in that time - too much in my opinion. That's why I prefer to think of it as actually stretching stuff out over two seasons.

And it's been less than a month since the departure of the Founders in Olympus Descending. Exactly what do you think could have happened in that time?

Your lack of satisfaction with the pace of the stories is nothing to do with the quality of the stories themselves. It's purely the "fault" (if it can be called such, which I say it can't) of the speed with which they can be written and the ongoing drama at Pocket.

Besides, look at the amount of world shattering stuff that happened in any one season of the show that you want the books to hew to so closely. At the most there was one or two major galactic events per season. You tend to forget that it took seven years for those stories to fold out, and lots of stuff not all connected happened in the meantime.

 

[MNM]

It is only because of what happened in those stories that the Ascendant arc has finally kicked into action.

One epiloge doesnt equal kicking into action in my opinion.