TITAN too diverse?

[Huntingdon]

I like the diversity element. What I do find difficult is trying to remember which crewmember is which species and what consequences there might be for interaction as a result.

At times it can feel like overload of new species and that can get distracting. I don't particularly like having to refer back to earlier pages just to check on the species and it's particular traits. I suppose that will be less of a problem over time as readers follow the series though.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Huntingdon said:
I don't particularly like having to refer back to earlier pages just to check on the species and it's particular traits. I suppose that will be less of a problem over time as readers follow the series though.

Maybe it's time for one of the "Titan" authors to pitch something to IDW Publishing, who do the current comics!

 

[Geoff Thorne]

I'm not sure they have the license.

 

[Therin of Andor]

^ Their current license is for TOS and TNG. Since Riker and Troi are in TNG, a story with flashbacks to TNG and some action on Titan may well be possible. IDW's editors and Paula Block could confirm this. It's worth a few well-placed enquiries.

Phlox of ENT made a cameo in one of the TOS Klingon stories for "Blood Will Tell".

 

[Maestro]

Huntingdon said:
I like the diversity element. What I do find difficult is trying to remember which crewmember is which species and what consequences there might be for interaction as a result.

At times it can feel like overload of new species and that can get distracting. I don't particularly like having to refer back to earlier pages just to check on the species and it's particular traits. I suppose that will be less of a problem over time as readers follow the series though.

I don't know that I can speak for others who are frustrated with the diversity, but this post is the best worded summation of my own frustration. If only I could have said it this well the last thread I posted in regarding this topic!

 

[Nardpuncher]

Re: TITAN to diverse?

Red Ranger said:


I also think those who are put off by diversity should think about what that says about their own characters and inability to stretch their minds and imagination, not to mention perhaps a hidden disdain for the concept of diversity itself. If so, what a, uh, surprise.

Red Ranger

Take some of your own medicine and read the first book at least. You'll understand where some of us are coming from that it's a story-telling issue and not a problem with diversity. Ugh.

 

[Multimedium]

Re: TITAN to diverse?

I'm in the camp that believes the diversity has gotten in the way of the story telling for this series--so much so that I will not be reading any more of the Titan books.

It is a shame for me because Riker was my favorite TNG character.

 

[David cgc]

I actually thought there was too little diversity in SoD. Come to think of it, this may have been in the earlier books, too, but I didn't notice it then.

What I mean is, there was a lot of the old Star Trek monolithic species syndrome. Actually, the problem was that the characters were buying into it, with a lot of a lot of talk about species-wide traits, as if you could assume that any given individual was just born with certain species-specific tendencies. I'm talking high-level stuff, like "Bajorans are religious," not the stuff that actually is biological like Dr. Ree preferring his food to be freshly dead (neither of those came up in the book, but they were the first things I could think of to illustrate my point). Alien characters' behaviors were generally referred to as if they were intrinsic traits, and not culturally learned.

It just seemed weird to me after I noticed it, mostly in the form of a character asking or wondering if "[alien race] are all naturally [recently exhibited character trait]." In retrospect, it seems even more odd since most of the established aliens play against type (the Vulcan warrior, the Bajoran scientist, the Ferengi who doesn't equate value with money, the Cardassian that joined another government's military without even growing up in it, and so on).

Still, I probably only even noticed because I've read so much criticism of Star Trek's monolithic alien societies that it stuck out at me.

Other than that little niggle, I thought the book was really good.

 

[BrentMc]

Huntingdon said:
I like the diversity element. What I do find difficult is trying to remember which crewmember is which species and what consequences there might be for interaction as a result.

At times it can feel like overload of new species and that can get distracting. I don't particularly like having to refer back to earlier pages just to check on the species and it's particular traits. I suppose that will be less of a problem over time as readers follow the series though.

This is what I should have said in my original post! I feel the same way. I actually like diversity because I like interesting characters, and I like to see people working to get past their differences. I too have a problem keeping track of the new species, and when I forget who is who it can interrupt the flow of the book for me. I like it when I get into a book and the images just flow so clearly, it is like I am there watching it happen.

Unfortunately, I chose to post when I was in a bad mood and totally misrepresented my own opinion. I made myself look like a bigot and I even made a stupid typo in the dang subject line.

Not only do I like the series enough to keep reading it, but I just bought “Sword of Damocles” at Borders today with a 25% off coupon. (I feel like I win when I pay less, and BTW one of the authors once told me they don’t lose money when I use a coupon).

I do find it king of funny that people think I am prejudiced toward fictional aliens

 

[Geoff Thorne]

Hm.

I would argue but I don't really understand the point being made.

Glad you liked it.

Mostly.

 

[Therin of Andor]

BrentMc said:
I like it when I get into a book and the images just flow so clearly, it is like I am there watching it happen.

I loved "The Wounded Sky" but every time Diane Duane got too techie for me I just glossed over it and kept reading. When Diane Carey starts talking politics I just read a little faster till I get back to the great character bits. When Christopher Bennett starts getting very scientific on me and I'm feeling lost (although I usually learn something), it's not too long before the characters start talking about other stuff again. When Shatner gets really cutsie with the Kirk and Picard mateship stuff, I can just ignore it. And when PAD goes for the wacky humour and/or soap opera, it's still possible for the reader to leap ahead if you're not enjoying it (although I tend to love that stuff).

It's not always possible to skim, I guess. My brain still hurts when I recall "Warped", "Into the Nexus" and "The Laertian Gamble", but generally the ST novels excel in offering great variety of styles and tones within their genre.

 

[David cgc]

RedJack said:
I would argue but I don't really understand the point being made.

Yeah, that kind of got away from me. I'll give it one more shot.

One of the criticisms that's been leveled at Star Trek is that the alien characters almost always conform to their stereotypes. Vulcans are always emotionless, Ferengi are always greedy, Klingons are always violent, Cardassians are always fascist, Romulans are always sneaky, and so on.

The books usually try to give a more nuanced view of alien characters, but in SoD, I noticed characters acted as though they were buying into the stereotype conceit of TV Trek by assuming that they could generalize out to an entire species from the one individual they were speaking to at that moment. The phrasing also seemed to imply that the things that were being generalized were innate traits, and not cultural traits, which bugged me.

 

[Geoff Thorne]

yeah, i'm going to need some quotes on that as it's pretty much the opposite of what I did in the book.

 

[David cgc]

I just skimmed through some likely sections, and while I found several portions that directly contradicted my comment, and several that made sense considering the viewpoint character's background, I could not track down whatever it was that tweaked me. I was sure there was at least one that was so subtle and out of character it had to be a slip, but if there was, the only way I'll find it is probably to go back over the book with a fine-toothed comb. Since I've got a pile of prose as tall as my arm is long to get through in the next three weeks, I'm just going to assume that I misremembered or conflated something or other and apologize and withdraw my comment.

Sorry for the trouble.

 

[Andy Mangels]

Therin of Andor said:

Maybe it's time for one of the "Titan" authors to pitch something to IDW Publishing, who do the current comics!

Some Titan authors (who've also written Trek comics) have repeatedly asked, since before it was public knowledge that IDW HAD the license.

I suspect that if the fans were a bit more vocal about wanting to see it, the editors might pay attention... I know that they have heard from some, but if a 10% fraction of the Titan readers let them know they'd have a best-seller, they might consider it more strongly.

 

[Julio Angel Ortiz]

Andy Mangels said:

Therin of Andor said:

Maybe it's time for one of the "Titan" authors to pitch something to IDW Publishing, who do the current comics!

Some Titan authors (who've also written Trek comics) have repeatedly asked, since before it was public knowledge that IDW HAD the license.

I suspect that if the fans were a bit more vocal about wanting to see it, the editors might pay attention... I know that they have heard from some, but if a 10% fraction of the Titan readers let them know they'd have a best-seller, they might consider it more strongly.

Point us in the direction. Email? Website? Petition? Kidnapping?

 

[Geoff Thorne]

David cgc said:
I just skimmed through some likely sections, and while I found several portions that directly contradicted my comment, and several that made sense considering the viewpoint character's background, I could not track down whatever it was that tweaked me. I was sure there was at least one that was so subtle and out of character it had to be a slip, but if there was, the only way I'll find it is probably to go back over the book with a fine-toothed comb. Since I've got a pile of prose as tall as my arm is long to get through in the next three weeks, I'm just going to assume that I misremembered or conflated something or other and apologize and withdraw my comment.

Sorry for the trouble.

No trouble. Frankly, you scared me.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Andy Mangels said:
Some Titan authors (who've also written Trek comics) have repeatedly asked, since before it was public knowledge that IDW HAD the license.

As I suspected, but maybe it's worth a renewed campaign?

The current ST editor is Andrew Steven Harris. Chris Ryall is the Editor in Chief.

Write to letters@idwpublishing.com or

IDW Publishing Editorial Offices
4411 Morena Blvd.
Suite 106
San Diego, CA
92117 USA

 

[OmahaStar]

Therin of Andor said:
When Shatner gets really cutsie with the Kirk and Picard mateship stuff, I can just ignore it.

When who gets "really cutsie"?

 

[captcalhoun]

*sent*