Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILERS)

[toughlittleship]

Having reread Rough Beasts of Empire several times now, I think I have figured out the timeline for the events up that novel from The Soul Key.

2378 - The Ascendant situation (also Iliana Ghemor's arc) is resolved, but Kira is affected by the events and leaves Starfleet to become a member of the Bajoran religion. Elias Vaughn becomes the commanding officer of Deep Space 9 and is promoted to Captain.

2379 - Vaughn decides to transfer from Deep Space 9 to a starship for an exploration mission. Ro Laren is promoted to Captain and takes command of Deep Space 9. Sisko begins to work at B'hala following the deaths of his friend Eivos Calan.

2380 - Due to her role as the "Avatar of Peace", Rebecca Sisko is kidnapped. Rough Beasts of Empire mentions an event that takes place on Endalla, a moon of Bajor, around the same time, but a connection between the two events is not stated.

2381 - Admiral Walter visits Sisko and asks him to join the battle against the Borg.

Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions? Did I forget some information?

 

[21Spike65]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Nothing major, but it seemed to be implied that Ro Laren had only been promoted to Commander when she took command of DS9. In RBoE, not long after the attack that crippled Vaughn, Sisko was going to send a message to the CO of DS9, and started it with "Commander..." before being interrupted. So I'd say she was promoted from Commander to Captain sometime between early 2381 and Zero Sum Game. Assuming I'm remembering that correctly, of course.

 

[toughlittleship]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

^ You're correct, although I suppose it could be the equivalent of Sisko being a commander for the first three years he was on DS9 before being promoted to Captain.

I've actually forgotten to add anything on Ezri.

2380 - Ezri Dax is assigned to the USS Aventine.

 

[DS9forever]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

^ Bowers, Tarses and Leishman also joined the crew of the Aventine. I think a series of books depicting these events could be the most exciting in Star Trek literature since Destiny.

Regarding Tenmei, I sort of got the impression she was no longer assigned to DS9.

 

[JD]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Really? I'm pretty sure that she was living there in ZSG, and RBoE. Or at least I don't remember anything that would indicate that she wasn't.

 

[DigificWriter]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Prynn is still aboard DS9 as of the events of ZSG, although we don't know what her current duty status is, since the only time we see her is at the beginning of the novel when she talks to Bashir about her father's deteriorating condition.

Edit: Memory Beta says that she was still assigned to DS9 as of the events of ZSG.

 

[MagGu]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Are there any plans for books to fill in the gaps? I was in love with the DS9 series, it sort of disappointed me to learn all the stuff that happened in this manner. In fact, are there any plans for the DS9 books at all?

 

[DS9forever]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

^ None have been announced.

The structure of DS9's personnel roster has really changed a lot over the past two years, despite the fact that no "true" DS9 novels have been released.

We know Ro is in command, but who is the first officer? Who is the science officer? Who is the security officer? Who is in charge of Engineering now that Nog has left?

 

[CaptainDonovin]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

^ None have been announced.

The structure of DS9's personnel roster has really changed a lot over the past two years, despite the fact that no "true" DS9 novels have been released.

We know Ro is in command, but who is the first officer? Who is the science officer? Who is the security officer? Who is in charge of Engineering now that Nog has left?

With Vanguard (maybe New Frontier as well) coming to an end I think they should fill the gap w/ new DS9. Though DS9 as a 'gap filler' is just wrong, it should still be one of Treklits big series. I would think its position is still important. The Dominion may not be a threat & the Cardassians still recovering but the Tzenkethi are still nearby. I'd imagine the Typnon Pact would love to control the wormhole.

 

[JD]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Do we know yet what series DRGIII's books coming out next year are?

 

[DeVario]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

^ Not yet.

 

[Cybersnark]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

We know Ro is in command, but who is the first officer? Who is the science officer? Who is the security officer? Who is in charge of Engineering now that Nog has left?

For a split-second, I thought that was going somewhere else.

(What is the science officer, the security chief is I Dunno, and Yesterday is the operations chief. . .)

 

[DS9Continuing]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

We know Ro is in command, but who is the first officer? Who is the science officer? Who is the security officer? Who is in charge of Engineering now that Nog has left?

The most likely answer is, "a bunch of currently unknowns."

We know that most of the deputies of the various departments (Bowers, Leishman, Tarses) transferred to the Aventine with Dax. There have been a few other junior officers mentioned from time to time (Chao, Candlewood, Cardok, Cenn... hmm, that's odd), but would they have been promoted to senior staff? Or would they transfer others in from elsewhere? If the latter, to avoid small universe syndrome it would most likely be a bunch of completely new characters.

As for Prynn, I don't know that she was ever "assigned" to DS9 per se. She was assigned to the Defiant as senior helm officer. She just lived on DS9 - she has no actual job there. Speaking of which, what exactly are the advancement prospects for a pilot? She can't exactly just sit in that same chair for thirty years until she makes Captain or something. So what else does she do? Even Tom Paris somehow ended up as First Officer.

.

 

[Mage]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Do we know yet what series DRGIII's books coming out next year are?

I read they were going to continue the Typhon Pact story line.

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Plagues_of_Night

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Raise_the_Dawn

I love all of David's work I've read sofar, and I have no doubt that these will be great novels, but like so many other DS9 fans, I would've loved to see David filling in the Gap so many DS9 fans want to see filled. Still, perhaps we'll see many DS9 characters in these two novels, perhaps some of it set on the station.

 

[Idran]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Speaking of which, what exactly are the advancement prospects for a pilot? She can't exactly just sit in that same chair for thirty years until she makes Captain or something. So what else does she do? Even Tom Paris somehow ended up as First Officer.

.

Well, Sulu went command track, and Geordi went engineering; it seems like helmsman doesn't have its own advancement prospects, but you can move into other fields from it fairly readily.

 

[JD]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Do we know yet what series DRGIII's books coming out next year are?

I read they were going to continue the Typhon Pact story line.

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Plagues_of_Night

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Raise_the_Dawn

I love all of David's work I've read sofar, and I have no doubt that these will be great novels, but like so many other DS9 fans, I would've loved to see David filling in the Gap so many DS9 fans want to see filled. Still, perhaps we'll see many DS9 characters in these two novels, perhaps some of it set on the station.

Agreed. I'm one of the few people who really liked RBoE, so I'm really looking forward to seeing where these two books take things. Especially if they involve the DS9 characters.

 

[Mage]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Do we know yet what series DRGIII's books coming out next year are?

I read they were going to continue the Typhon Pact story line.

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Plagues_of_Night

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Raise_the_Dawn

I love all of David's work I've read sofar, and I have no doubt that these will be great novels, but like so many other DS9 fans, I would've loved to see David filling in the Gap so many DS9 fans want to see filled. Still, perhaps we'll see many DS9 characters in these two novels, perhaps some of it set on the station.

Agreed. I'm one of the few people who really liked RBoE, so I'm really looking forward to seeing where these two books take things. Especially if they involve the DS9 characters.

RBoE is a great novel, and perhaps my favorite of the Typhon Pact novels. But I'm afraid going into to much now will only create another bashing topic for it.

 

[DigificWriter]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Speaking of which, what exactly are the advancement prospects for a pilot? She can't exactly just sit in that same chair for thirty years until she makes Captain or something. So what else does she do? Even Tom Paris somehow ended up as First Officer.

.

Well, Sulu went command track, and Geordi went engineering; it seems like helmsman doesn't have its own advancement prospects, but you can move into other fields from it fairly readily.

Sulu didn't 'go' command track; he was already there. The same thing applies to Tom Paris (Flight Control Officer, which was the original position he held on Voyager) is also a command track position, and was the evolution of the position of Helmsman. Geordi and Worf did switch back and forth between 'duty tracks', though, with Worf going from command (Enterprise-D flight control officer to Chief Security/Tactical Officer to DS9's Strategic Operations Officer to XO of the Enterprise-E), and Geordi following a similar path (Enterprise-D flight control officer to Chief Engineering Officer to Captain).

It's not inconceivable that, although Prynn was assigned directly to the Defiant, she couldn't have eventually been transferred to a position aboard the station directly, nor is it inconceivable that, as other characters (Geordi, Worf, Dax, Bowers) have done before her, she could have transferred to a completely different duty track as she advanced in rank.

 

[DS9Continuing]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Sulu didn't 'go' command track; he was already there. The same thing applies to Tom Paris (Flight Control Officer, which was the original position he held on Voyager) is also a command track position, and was the evolution of the position of Helmsman.

I realise that that's been established on the show. But in a way that's the part that makes the least sense. A major part of command is the ability to manage and lead your crew, and the Pilot position is the one role that has absolutely no experience in that area.

Every other senior staff member is the head of a department - sciences, medical, engineering, security - and has at least some command experience in their management of junior staff. The pilot has no such experience. Why on Earth would you give a command position to someone who has only ever sat in a chair pushing buttons and has never had to actually, you know, command anyone?

(apologies for the thread derailment.)

It's not inconceivable that, although Prynn was assigned directly to the Defiant, she couldn't have eventually been transferred to a position aboard the station directly, nor is it inconceivable that, as other characters (Geordi, Worf, Dax, Bowers) have done before her, she could have transferred to a completely different duty track as she advanced in rank.

Prynn has shown some engineering aptitude - rebuilding a smashed transporter in Twilight for example - so yes, it's possible she could transfer. But I maintain that, once you've reached Alpha Shift Conn Officer, there's really nowhere else to go in that position without transferring.

.

 

[MvComedy]

Re: Timeline between "The Soul Key" & "Rough Beasts of Empire" (SPOILE

Do we know yet what series DRGIII's books coming out next year are?

I read they were going to continue the Typhon Pact story line.

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Plagues_of_Night

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Raise_the_Dawn

I love all of David's work I've read sofar, and I have no doubt that these will be great novels, but like so many other DS9 fans, I would've loved to see David filling in the Gap so many DS9 fans want to see filled. Still, perhaps we'll see many DS9 characters in these two novels, perhaps some of it set on the station.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the continuing story of the Typhon Pact could be told under the DS9 banner. The Typhon Pact is all about galactic intrigue, something that the DS9 crew is very familiar with. So I think that DS9 would be a natural setting for the continuation of the TP storyline, much more so than any other series. Also, Sisko's present storyline leaves him open to be involved in the ongoing TP saga, and he is a more natural fit than Picard or Riker, IMO.

As for wrapping up the Ascendant arc - no idea. I think it would be interesting to try and tie it together with the TP story, sort of like how RBoE switched perspectives for Sisko between post-Borg invasion and his experiences with the Tzenkethi. Although given the potential scope of the Ascendant story, that would certainly be ambitious.