Star Trek XI has failed... Trek Lit

[The Laughing Vulcan]

Or you can't have your cake and eat it.


This is just my observation, but I think one of the aims of the movie was to establish nu-Trek as a parallel continuity, with the original continuity continuing to exist. In fact there is a line in the film to that effect.

If the aim of that was as some sort of placation to fans of the original continuity, it worked, as I'm sure that Trek fans understand that.

If however, the aim was to sell the two continuity approach to the general public, to entice new readers to the existing literature as well as the literature that may grow up around the new film, then it has failed.

This is just my opinion, based on the comments I have read on IMDB, and a couple of other places, but it seems that the layman believes that the new film erases the original stories, I keep seeing comment after comment to that effect, saying that Trek XI has made TOS, TNG, and all the rest vanish.

I think when the layman walks into a bookshop and sees new Trek Lit being published in the original continuity, he's just going to be confused.

 

[Claudia]

^ I've read the same thing on many boards (including this one in the ST XI-section!).

But I don't think this is going to pose a problem for the later series, TNG onwards, because I doubt that the casual reader's really going to care whether or not that universe still exists or not... S/he'll just want to read a TNG/DS9 whatever novel. And of course, given the fact that practically all of the later series are now creating their own continuity with the various relaunch-projects anyway, the question of whether the Prime universe even exists still is a minor one. *g*

I do have my doubts, though, about TOS-related books. Let's see how "Troublesome Minds" fares (can't wait for that one!), but ultimately, especially if there're going to be more movies with the new crew as successful as this one, public demand for nuST-books is going to rise and there're going to be less slots open for TOS Prime... *sighs* Perhaps Pocket Books will decide to make new slots reserved for nuTrek available, leaving the 12/y books solely for the Prime-universe... (wishful thinking... *g*).

 

[LaBarre]

Have you seen the film yet? I haven't? Just wondering.

Look, as a TNG introductee, I've been coping with and adapting to things like the DS9 and Voyager and Enterprise and the Shatner Universe and the MU and the Strange New Worlds and that bizarre but very interesting X-Men-TNG crossover, and on and on.

Of course the new reader will be confused.

That's half the fun of being a newbie to the ST universe!

 

[captcalhoun]

well, if they can't even understand parallel universes, we don't want em around here any way.

GEROFF MY TREKLIT!!!

 

[DaveGalanter]

Let's see how "Troublesome Minds" fares (can't wait for that one!).

With luck, it lives up to your expectations. I wrote it as if it were an episode of the original series. Even the ends of chapters are like commercial breaks. If you're looking for a classic Trek TV episode, I hope it fits the bill.

 

[Therin of Andor]

it seems that the layman believes that the new film erases the original stories...
I think when the layman walks into a bookshop and sees new Trek Lit being published in the original continuity, he's just going to be confused.

When the layman is interested enough to scan the shelves for TrekLit to buy, hopefully he'll also see the "Countdown" graphic novel, which proves that the old timeline/parallel universe survives!

 

[Christopher]

I think it's giving readers far too little credit to think they'd be confused by the existence of more than one continuity within a totally imaginary franchise. The Marvel movies are in totally different continuities from the comics, but that hasn't created any kind of "confusion" that's hurt the sales of the comics. Same with the animated series that are in yet another continuity and yet still manage to draw an audience.

As KRAD often says, you can't assume that the comments of a few people online are representative of the audience as a whole. The people who post on BBSes are generally members of the relatively narrow subset of people who give a damn about timelines and continuity in the first place. Most people don't care about that niggly technical stuff. They don't worry so much about the details of continuity or internal consistency or whether series X is compatible with series Y. They only want entertaining stories about the characters they know and like.

And really, I think it's giving people far too little credit to think they'd care if one work of fiction "erased" another work of fiction. Oooh, so these totally unreal stories are now less real than these other totally unreal stories? Aaaah, burn them, burn them! Come on. All that matters to most people is that the stories are enjoyable. It doesn't matter whether they think of them as a viable alternate history or simply an alternative way of imagining a made-up bunch of characters.

 

[LaBarre]

it seems that the layman believes that the new film erases the original stories...
I think when the layman walks into a bookshop and sees new Trek Lit being published in the original continuity, he's just going to be confused.

When the laymen is interested enough to scan the shelves for TrekLit to buy, hopefully he'll also see the "Countdown" graphic novel, which proves that the old timeline/parallel universe survives!

Or...woman, as the case may be. I've still not seen the film - so one should hold off at this point from delving too much into this...but I hope to God that TPTB haven't again opted to render the majority of humanity into the sex/angst/sister/mother object of the main male characters.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

Let's see how "Troublesome Minds" fares (can't wait for that one!).

With luck, it lives up to your expectations. I wrote it as if it were an episode of the original series. Even the ends of chapters are like commercial breaks. If you're looking for a classic Trek TV episode, I hope it fits the bill.

does this mean the old theme song starts playing when you get past the teaser?

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

Actually, my primary source for this isn't the Internet at all, it's a Teletext page on the UK's ITV service. I've been reading the comments written there for the last week or so, and the universal opinion is that Star Trek IX has erased all the other Star Trek. I haven't seen a dissenting post yet. I mentioned IMDB as more people will have heard of that on the board, than Teletext. By the same token, more people in the UK will now about the Teletext page and it would be a better representation of the movie going public in the UK.

Also, I'm trying not to look at this from the point of view of a Trek fan, rather a complete newbie to the property, enticed to look for tie in material by the new movie. Judging by the numbers, there are a whole lot of people interested by Star Trek now, who simply weren't twelve months ago.

It's obvious that Trek Lit won't be harmed or hindered by this, the existing fanbase is robust enough for that. I'm just considering whether the new film will help Trek Lit in the way that was originally hoped.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'm just considering whether the new film will help Trek Lit in the way that was originally hoped.

Considering that many people have been definite - for several years - that the new film won't cause ripples in the sales of ST tie-in novels, nor increase the presence of ST books in bricks 'n' mortar stores, and that Paramount, CBS and Pocket know that less than 1% of audiences regularly buy ST novels, why worry?

 

[Bri]

Let's see how "Troublesome Minds" fares (can't wait for that one!).

With luck, it lives up to your expectations. I wrote it as if it were an episode of the original series. Even the ends of chapters are like commercial breaks. If you're looking for a classic Trek TV episode, I hope it fits the bill.

Well, I just read the first few pages on Amazon. Consider it sold! The dialogue is wonderful. I'll pick it up later today.

Bri

 

[trevanian]

Have they done any novels in the YESTERDAY'S E universe? I didn't think so, probably because its existence was erased by 'real' history. And yet I'd be more interested in those stories than 'real' TNG ones, just as my interest in TOS in going to be limited to 'prime' or 'real' as opposed to abramsverse.

 

[Bri]

Have they done any novels in the YESTERDAY'S E universe? I didn't think so, probably because its existence was erased by 'real' history. And yet I'd be more interested in those stories than 'real' TNG ones, just as my interest in TOS in going to be limited to 'prime' or 'real' as opposed to abramsverse.

Well, in Q Squared it was sure alive and kicking!

Bri

 

[Christopher]

Have they done any novels in the YESTERDAY'S E universe? I didn't think so, probably because its existence was erased by 'real' history.

Actually Peter David's Q Squared took place largely in an alternate timeline that was extremely similar to that one. And The Chimes of Midnight in Myriad Universes: Echoes and Refractions took place in the timeline of TAS: "Yesteryear," even though that timeline was supposedly "erased" at the end of the episode. And roughly half of Crucible: McCoy: Provenance of Shadows took place in the timeline where McCoy saved Edith Keeler's life, even though it was supposedly "erased" at the end of the episode. And people were happy to see the conclusion of Diane Duane's Rihannsu novel series even though it was clearly in a different continuity from TNG-era Trek.

Most readers don't base their reading decisions on whether a story "really happened," because none of them happened! It's ridiculous to say that a story isn't worth telling or reading because it's less real than a story that wasn't even slightly real to begin with. If a timeline interests people, if they're curious about what did or could've happened in it, then they will read stories about that timeline without worrying about whether it "actually exists" or not, because they understand that it's all imaginary anyway.

 

[Bri]

Most readers don't base their reading decisions on whether a story "really happened," because none of them happened!

One can dream, considering the state of much of the canon!!!

Christopher, I have to admit it, I only recently got back into this stuff. I just looked at your homepage, you have quite a few things out!

I also have to admit I have yet to read one!

Have any recommendations? I'm going out to the store later to pick up at least one newer novel, and would love to try one of yours as well.

Bri

 

[William Leisner]

If however, the aim was to sell the two continuity approach to the general public, to entice new readers to the existing literature as well as the literature that may grow up around the new film, then it has failed.

I think it's safe to say their aim had absolutely nothing to do with the publishing line. In fact, I think it's safe to say they couldn't give an airborne intercourse what happened to book sales, except for how it affected their shares of CBS stock.

 

[seigezunt]

We all started out as "general public."

I don't think we have a special gene that makes ST intelligible to us. Just repeated viewing and reading.

The great unwashed will be just fine.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Considering that many people have been definite - for several years - that the new film won't cause ripples in the sales of ST tie-in novels, nor increase the presence of ST books in bricks 'n' mortar stores, and that Paramount, CBS and Pocket know that less than 1% of audiences regularly buy ST novels, why worry?

You know what, Ian? That's a complete misrepresentation of what I have been saying for about a year now. (And don't thinK I can't recognize that's aimed at me.)

I wanted Pocket to benefit from the film. BBC Books saw the sales on Doctor Who novels jump when the new series debuted in 2005. (Also, Virgin Books saw a sales spike in '96 to coincide with the Paul McGann telefilm.)

So, yes, Pocket could have seen "ripples," bookstores could "increase the presence." It's not outside the realm of possibility that these things could have happened.

The fact is, Ian, they didn't.

I don't know where the ball was dropped. Was it the bookstores? Was it Pocket? I don't know. But dropped it was.

The fact that the novelization is doing so well is a cause of cheer. The fact that Pocket has little on the shelves to take advantage of that is a cause for alarm.

It's clear that Pocket and the bookstores weren't prepared for a December film launch. But they were gifted five months by the studio. And they couldn't come up with anything to put Star Trek front and center in bookstores?

So, yes, in one regard, the film has failed Treklit, but in the sense that Treklit missed the rising tide.

 

[seigezunt]

Pocket has little on the shelves to take advantage of that

Can't they simply put out some existing titles for that kind of demand?