ST:TNG Resistance (SPOILERS)

[Christopher]

Also, a Mary Sue is someone superimposed onto an existing cast and given a "star" status she hasn't earned. That doesn't apply in a situation like this, where half the original cast is gone and it's necessary and expected to introduce new central characters. I mean, you might as well say Elias Vaughn is a Marty Stu.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

You mean Elias Vaughn isn't Marco's Marty Stu? I mean, I always just sort of assumed...

 

[od0_ital]

Christopher said:
Also, a Mary Sue is someone superimposed onto an existing cast and given a "star" status she hasn't earned. That doesn't apply in a situation like this, where half the original cast is gone and it's necessary and expected to introduce new central characters. I mean, you might as well say Elias Vaughn is a Marty Stu.

Elias Vaughn was a supportin' character through the first two novels of the DS9 Relaunch, a guest star that was not quite a regular all the way to the final chapter.

I've already explained my opinion on Nave.

And if ya want to ask why I don't agree with ya on Vaughn, I'll just say that a lot can be forgiven of a story that's actually well written and a hell of a lot more interestin' than the work shown in TNG: Resistance. Nave was just one of that story's many problems, where Vaughn was actually a great addition to the DS9's group of characters, where half of 'em were also reassigned or "retired" from the central cast.

Anyway, I'm done arguin' with ya on this, Christopher. We took up most of the third page of this thread, and I think that's quite enough. What do ya think?

 

[Bryan316]

OK, I suppose I have a question or few to ask. These Borg were stranded in the Alpha Quadrant when the transwarp conduits were collapsed, right? Are there others? And why would one cube, stranded, automatically make a queen? Does that mean that all of these other cubes and spheres that were stranded around the Alpha and Beta quadrants will create new queens? Is the "Homecoming" queen counted in the death count? And if these Borg had a ship, as they undoubtedly did, why would they be building a new one? And what are they building it out of? The moon ore that they are somehow shuttling from the surface and refining instead of just building it on the moon?

I'm a big Borg fan, and really liked the book for the most part. Picard jumping into the full Locutus getup was a bit odd, though. Couldn't he have gone the Shater "The Return" direction with just the faceplate/neural interface instead of having to put on the exosuit and have his arm cut off again?

I'm actually glad B-4 isn't around anymore. Then there'd have to be yet another subplot about them trying to train him to be Data. Oh, and kill the T'Lana/Worf thing. There's already one romance to write about, and we don't really need another.

 

[od0_ital]

Bryan316 said:
I'm a big Borg fan, and really liked the book for the most part. Picard jumping into the full Locutus getup was a bit odd, though. Couldn't he have gone the Shater "The Return" direction with just the faceplate/neural interface instead of having to put on the exosuit and have his arm cut off again?

Rewatch 'The Best of Both Worlds, Part Two' - the mechanical arm was put over Picard's existin' arm. Nothin' was sliced off.

Though, when Picard did make the change in TNG: Resistance, there was a reference or two about his heart, as if it were still organic, when TNG 'The Samaritan Snare' and TNG 'Tapesty' explained that it was artificial.

 

[Christopher]

Bryan316 said:
OK, I suppose I have a question or few to ask. These Borg were stranded in the Alpha Quadrant when the transwarp conduits were collapsed, right? Are there others? And why would one cube, stranded, automatically make a queen? Does that mean that all of these other cubes and spheres that were stranded around the Alpha and Beta quadrants will create new queens?

My interpretation was that the Collective chose to "inaugurate" its new Queen in the Alpha Quadrant so that she could direct the assault against the Federation, who are now number one on the Borg hit list.

Remember, there is no "one cube" to the Borg. Every cube or sphere is an appendage to the whole, every drone a cell in the collective brain.

Is the "Homecoming" queen counted in the death count?

Doubtful. She was a pretender, you could say. She wasn't a full-fledged Queen.

And if these Borg had a ship, as they undoubtedly did, why would they be building a new one?

If you were planning to go to war with the Federation, would you want to do it with just one ship? True, the Borg were able to do a lot of damage to the UFP with a single cube in the past, twice before, but both times, the UFP ultimately won. Borg adapt to defeat; they wouldn't just repeat the same failed strategy a third time.

And what are they building it out of? The moon ore that they are somehow shuttling from the surface and refining instead of just building it on the moon?

There's no way something as large as a Borg cube could be practically built on the surface of a planet or moon. It'd collapse under its own weight, its systems would be contaminated with lunar dust, etc. Heck, even Federation starships are constructed in space, as we've seen many times.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Finished it this morning. And although I'm normally a slow reader, I burned through this one fairly quickly for me. Since this is a spoiler thread, I don't think I have to put up any spoiler tags...

Having not read Death In Winter, I wasn't aware of any continuity issues so I came to this as simply the first TNG story after Nemesis. Personally, I loved Resistance--it read like the fifth TNG movie, a worthy follow-up to both First Contact and Nemesis.

To me, the only way that Picard could go back to Locutus was if he had overcome his horror and placed the needs of others far above his own--willing to undergo that hell again for that reason to save the lives of billions. In that capacity, Picard's decision to become a Borg again was keeping in character with him.

As far as Nave and Lio, I didn't mind them, but I didn't want them as permanant additions to the crew anyway. In fact, it's kind of refreshing to have Trek characters that you don't know will live and die and I really didn't know what would happen to them (a good reason to avoid spoiler threads, IMO).

T'Lana and Worf? Yeeeah, baby! A Vulcan and a Klingon--talk about your odd couple. It's also great to see a member of the TNG crew who doesn't hero-worship Picard. To me, she's far more objective of Humans than Data was and is a very welcome addition to the cast of characters.

My one complaint is the Enterprise-E. My God, every time that ship goes out in comes back severely beat-up. She's not going to last very long under Picard at this rate...

 

[Magickthise]

I read the first chapter of Resistance in the store and bought it on the strength of that first chapter. A little leary about dragging out the Borg one more time, but the first chapter was so good...

Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. By the time Picard decides the best idea of all would be to become Locutus again, it becomes completely two-dimensional and predictable. The best part of the book was the sample chapter of the Peter David sequel at the end.

Yes, it was disappointing. I had high hopes based on the first chapter. Picard becomes Locutus...again. We have a new Vulcan...again. Defeat the Borg...again. Oooo, the Borg queen...again. Janeway is bitchy and unimaginative...again. Beverly is a lover and dutiful doctor...again. Minor characters we don't care about getting more time that regular characters...again. Worf learns to be a Klingon...again. The ship gets trashed...again.

I guess this could have been salvaged if Picard seemed like Picard instead of...this 2D Picard. I will probably read the Peter David book, though, if only out of morbid curiosity.

 

[Christopher]

^^When did we "have a new Vulcan" in TNG before? Aside from minor characters like Selar and Taurik. T'Lana is a central character, a bridge officer, and she's filling the role that was previously filled by the very different character of Deanna Troi.

 

[Ronald Held]

Vulcans were not main characters in TNG, so this is a nontrival role for one.

 

[Tirius]

^^^
I agree with Christopher on that one. I didn't like T'Lana much as a person, but I do agree she's the right person in the right place. When it is mentioned that Picard requested another Betazoid as counselor it felt horribly out of character for me. Deanna was much more than just another "empathic sensor array" to Picard, and the best replacement for her would be someone who does not remind Picard of her. The relationship Picard had with Troi was quite special, and I think that any relationship with a new counselor should be unique and apart from that if it's to have any meaning. A counselor with such a different approach would be a good choice.

Side note: I had planned to write a full review of the book, but this thread has grown so fast that I think most of what I'd intended to say is covered. Put me in the "disappointed" camp. There was definately some good stuff, but I too felt that some characters felt flat and made some questionable, out-of-character decisions. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Death in Winter, which I got a week later and am looking forward to the next TNG book.

 

[od0_ital]

Tirius said:
... Put me in the "disappointed" camp.

I hope ya brought snacks for the rest of the camp.

 

[Magickthise]

The "new Vulcan" I refer to is Tuvok--not TNG, no, but the book, by way of Janeway and Seven of Nine, includes VOY, so I do, too.

 

[Christopher]

Umm... okay, that's a huge reach.

 

[Newspaper Taxi]

How to tell the difference between T'lana and TuvoK: Tuvok would most likely not be making out with Worf whilist T'lana *might*.

"I seem to be undergoing the hormonal phase of pon-farr. Would you care to test your Klingon dexterity?"
"It would be my honor, T'lana."

 

[Magickthise]

Christopher said:
Umm... okay, that's a huge reach.

Not from my point of view--I see Trek as a single story. If the author can namedrop Seven of Nine, the reader could certainly infer Tuvok as well. My point is that Trek does a lot of recycling of ideas.

 

[Christopher]

I think it's extremely shallow to assert that a contentious female counselor who is Vulcan is a rehash of a wise male tactical officer who is Vulcan. Their race does not define them; indeed, it's the only thing they have remotely in common, aside from being in Starfleet.

I mean, is Sara Nave a rehash of Leonard McCoy because they're both human?

 

[JD]

Magickthise said:

Christopher said:
Umm... okay, that's a huge reach.

Not from my point of view--I see Trek as a single story. If the author can namedrop Seven of Nine, the reader could certainly infer Tuvok as well. My point is that Trek does a lot of recycling of ideas.

I really don't see how a character being the same species as another character is a rehash of ideas. I could see if T'lana were a male Vulcan who was cheif of security, and who had been friends with the captain with ages. I haven't read Resistance, but from what I've heard it sounds like she couldn't possibly be more different from Tuvok.

 

[tenmei]

I wasn't picturing Kreuk as T'Lana, as some people have said here, I took my visual cue from the mention that she was Mona Lisa-esque and imagined her as such.

If anything, my visual cue in my head for her was Audrey Tautou.

Not sure who I was visualising as Lio and Sara though. Who was anyone else picturing there - don't think I've seen anyones ideas.

 

[Christopher]

I pictured Kristen Bell (star of Veronica Mars) as Sara Nave, though that doesn't quite work with the description of Nave as taller than T'Lana.