The Romulan War dedication page

[Captain59]

I received my book today via UPS and was very excited. This was the first time I got my hands on a book before it was officially released. However, I was very much disappointed by yet another Star Trek: Enterprise book having a politically-themed, anti-Bush dedication page. It pissed me off so much I tore the page out of the book, crumpled it up, and flushed it down the toilet.

I mean...for God's sake, get over it. I like reading to lose myself in story and forget about the shit going on in the world...not be reminded of worldwide hatred. Look to our future, not our past. I believe that's a common philosophy of Star Trek, is it not?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I mean...for God's sake, get over it. I like reading to lose myself in story and forget about the shit going on in the world...not be reminded of worldwide hatred. Look to our future, not our past. I believe that's a common philosophy of Star Trek, is it not?

"Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."

 

[JB2005]

What did the page say?

 

[Count Zero]

I received my book today via UPS and was very excited. This was the first time I got my hands on a book before it was officially released. However, I was very much disappointed by yet another Star Trek: Enterprise book having a politically-themed, anti-Bush dedication page. It pissed me off so much I tore the page out of the book, crumpled it up, and flushed it down the toilet.

Ok... That's a bit of an overreaction, don't you think? Are you sure you're not reading something into the dedication? There are many books I disagree with. Some contain passages I find offensive. The world is full of these things. We have to learn to live with differences in opinion. Besides, it's just a book. One shouldn't get this upset about a book.

 

[DonIago]

What did the page say?

What they said.

 

[Thrawn]

Yeah. What an odd way to start a thread.

"I'm so outraged over this, I won't even tell you what it is! That will ensure everyone agrees with me!"

Or something.

 

[Sci]

Yeah! How dare anyone say something against a U.S. President who launched a war of aggression against a country that wasn't a threat to the United States on the basis of false pretenses and got 4,000 Americans and who knows how many Iraqis killed?!

 

[Turtletrekker]

Star Trek: Enterprise book having a politically-themed, anti-Bush dedication page.

Thanks for pointing this out. Instead of waiting for Christmas for the book, I'm going out to buy it tomorrow.

 

[ChristopherPike]

It's likely to be another few weeks before I get my copy. But I usually skim over the dedication page. It's just a note of thanks from the author, or a personal moment they've taken in memory of something or one important to them.

Writers with beliefs crossing the political spectrum have always penned for Star Trek. For every "A Private Little War", there's a "Too Short A Season". I can't say it's ever turned me off watching, listening or reading between the lines, to what they want to say through the characters.

 

[William Leisner]

It pissed me off so much I tore the page out of the book, crumpled it up, and flushed it down the toilet.

I mean...for God's sake, get over it.

Good advice.

 

[captcalhoun]

so... WHAT DOES IT SAY?!?!

 

[Therin of Andor]

I tore the page out of the book, crumpled it up, and flushed it down the toilet.

Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.

Would Spock have felt the need to rip a page out of a book because the author had a strong political belief?

Previously, Michael A Martin dedicated a ST book to the sad/angry mother of a US soldier killed in action. And people were offended by that, too. Bizarre over-reaction by those readers, in my opinion. (I hadn't even heard of the poor woman until Michael and Andy's book came out, although I made a point of Googling her immediately.)

Whether you side with Bush or not, how can you begrudge an author expressing a political view via his dedication page? I'm sure you'll find even more 21st century politics in the story itself. Better flush the rest of the book before it poisons your mind.

 

[EmperorKalan]

so... WHAT DOES IT SAY?!?!

It says:

For Majel Barrett Roddenberry (1932-2008), a grand lady who left us far too soon.

For Tim Dechristopher, an "auction hero" whose singular act of courage confounded the (thankfully defunct) Bush Administration's unconscionable eleventh-hour attempt to despoil vast tracts of Utah public land.

And for Sergeant Matthis Chiroux, a warrior of conscience who drew from the terrors of war the determination and grace to work for the ideals of peace.

Not exactly a screed worthy of tearing the page out and flushing it IMO, but to each their own.

I mean...for God's sake, get over it. I like reading to lose myself in story and forget about the shit going on in the world...not be reminded of worldwide hatred. Look to our future, not our past. I believe that's a common philosophy of Star Trek, is it not?

No, not looking at the past has never been a "common philosophy of Star Trek". That We have a future, and it can be better than what we have today, on the other hand was a powerful message back when nobody had a clear idea of how the Cold War could end except in fire. And even once reality didn't bother to wait for a "clear idea", there was still plenty crap in the world to aspire to be better than.

A statement like this brings a few other comments to mind, but they're off topic for this forum, so I won't get into it here.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Star Trek has always been about "Look at what we did in the past. Remember it and don't screw up the future!"

I see nothing wrong with the dedication page. The former president was a bumbling fool, but if you actually read between the lines, you'll see that the dedications are actually about peace and integrity on both a grand and personal level.

How is that bad?

 

[ProwlAlpha]

How is it bad? It isn't and I agree it was an overreaction. As a former soldier, I agree with the book's dedication.

 

[Count Zero]

So I guess the OP's problem was the '(thankfully defunct)' part. I really don't see how this warrants the outburst of raw emotion. You might not agree with the assessment of the Bush administration by the author, but I think he expressed it in a rather polite and unobtrusive way.
What would you do if someone had said to your face that they're happy the Bush administration ended?

 

[William Leisner]

He dedicated the book to Majel? That's going too far, man...

 

[Mike Farley]

He dedicated the book to Majel? That's going too far, man...

Yeah, I can't believe the editors let him even mention a polarizing figure like her. Next thing you know someone will mention Doohan and people will be rioting in the streets.

 

[Sci]

so... WHAT DOES IT SAY?!?!

It says:

For Majel Barrett Roddenberry (1932-2008), a grand lady who left us far too soon.

For Tim Dechristopher, an "auction hero" whose singular act of courage confounded the (thankfully defunct) Bush Administration's unconscionable eleventh-hour attempt to despoil vast tracts of Utah public land.

And for Sergeant Matthis Chiroux, a warrior of conscience who drew from the terrors of war the determination and grace to work for the ideals of peace.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that dedication page. Mr. DeChristopher did a great and moral thing by disrupting the Bush Administration's attempts to sell off public resources to private corporations when it knew the incoming administration would not have wanted it done, and Sergeant Chiroux was refusing an order to participate in a war of aggression that our current President is, thankfully, bringing to an end.

 

[Newspaper Taxi]

Think of it this way: The guy just wrote a book about aleins fighting a war out in space and the politics around it. He's bound to think about the wars we've been fighting down here on Earth.