To Aventine or NOT to Aventine?

[KRAD]

^ Did KRAD keep the same crew as Destiny?

Yup. I created a couple of new crewmembers (Transporter Chief Spon, shuttle pilot Lieutenant Stephanie Trabka), and also used a bunch of characters Dave established. In particular Dax, Bowers, Kedair, and a security guard named Altoss (first seen in Gods of Night) get a goodly amount of page time.

 

[BillJ]

To me Star Trek works best when the characters stay within character and also when those characters remain in the bounds of believability. Ezri as a captain was really pushing the envelop of believability for me. I just can't see her in command of anything even with her past lives experience. When I think of her character as portrayed on DS9 she just didn't have command presence. That's not to say that I didn't like her character because I do like Ezri the counselor. I just don't care for Ezri the captain.

I really don't think you're taking the ways she's changed as a character since "What You Leave Behind" into account.

ETA: I'm wrong. According to Memory Alpha, StarTrek.com lists Ezri Tigan's birthdate as 2354. That would make her 21 during DS9 Season Seven, 22 throughout the relaunch so far, and 27 when she assumed command of the Aventine in 2381. Picard was 28 when he assumed command of the Stargazer in 2333.

But Picard wasn't given a state-of-the-art vessel with the newest propulsion technology as his first command.

I really think Aventine is pushing it. I used to buy pretty much everything that came out but have become unhappy with the Trek line of late and find myself buying less and less.

EDIT: I haven't even bought A Singular Destiny yet, opting for Errand of Fury Book III. Not sure if I'll get around to it.

 

[Thrawn]

^ Did KRAD keep the same crew as Destiny?

Yup. I created a couple of new crewmembers (Transporter Chief Spon, shuttle pilot Lieutenant Stephanie Trabka), and also used a bunch of characters Dave established. In particular Dax, Bowers, Kedair, and a security guard named Altoss (first seen in Gods of Night) get a goodly amount of page time.

I've actually been surprised at how big a role Aventine has played in the book (about 70 pages left); I was expecting the ship to be one stop on the larger story of Sonek Pran's Adventures, by the way it'd been previously described. I'm thrilled that the crew has played such an important part, especially the parts where Kedair takes center stage about 3/4 of the way through; she was one of my favorite new characters to come out of Destiny.

I'm now hoping even more that the Aventine will make regular appearances over the next few years. You'd think that the Trek universe didn't have room for more main characters, but every time I try a new series or a new ship, I'm so impressed that I immediately want more!

You all are doing a brilliant job these days, KRAD.

 

[JD]

Does the book deal with her issue from Lost Souls?

 

[Thrawn]

Does the book deal with her issue from Lost Souls?

...which was what, exactly?

 

[Infern0]

Aventine as a ship is massively overpowered IMO, why would they have a ship that puts Enterprise to shame, and how also?? And why would Dax be in charge???? she was a low grade officer a few weeks ago

 

[Christopher]

Aventine as a ship is massively overpowered IMO, why would they have a ship that puts Enterprise to shame, and how also??

I don't understand the question. The Aventine is a testbed for new technologies. It doesn't put any other ship to shame, it just tests out stuff that will be included on other ships if said stuff works well enough. If anything, I'd imagine that means there's as much chance of its advances failing miserably as succeeding gloriously.

And why would Dax be in charge???? she was a low grade officer a few weeks ago

This has been explained ad nauseam on this BBS already. She's a lieutenant on the command track in the DS9 novels set in 2376 and early 2377. Destiny is set in early 2381, and she's recently received a battlefield promotion from lieutenant commander to captain when the ship's captain and first officer were killed.

 

[Infern0]

But why not just get a better person in? It just bugs me how DS9 characters always get fast tracked, I mean look at nog, Cadet lo leiutenant so fast, Compare this with some other characters, I dont know, It just annoys me, And the bit in destiny where Dax is so disrespectful to Picard, I just hate stuff like that, sorry for ranting

 

[Thrawn]

But why not just get a better person in? It just bugs me how DS9 characters always get fast tracked, I mean look at nog, Cadet lo leiutenant so fast, Compare this with some other characters, I dont know, It just annoys me, And the bit in destiny where Dax is so disrespectful to Picard, I just hate stuff like that, sorry for ranting

Picard is hardly at his best in Destiny, either, and for the record in constant times of war stories like Nog and Ezri's would probably be the norm rather than the exception. The very stable command crew of the Enterprise is extremely rare and unusual, a fact which is commented on in several TNG books both before and after Nemesis.

 

[nx1701g]

But why not just get a better person in?

That was explained in the Destiny Trilogy as well. Dax was left in command of the Aventine because it was a time of war and she knew the ship and its crew because she'd been a member of it (even though only for a few weeks at the time of the outbreak of the full scale war with the Borg). Her actions in the Destiny Tragedy probably cemented her as Captain of the Aventine.

Picard is hardly at his best in Destiny, either, and for the record in constant times of war stories like Nog and Ezri's would probably be the norm rather than the exception. The very stable command crew of the Enterprise is extremely rare and unusual, a fact which is commented on in several TNG books both before and after Nemesis.

Exactly. It is sometimes rare for even a Captain to remain on the same ship for very long in the US Navy.

 

[JD]

Does the book deal with her issue from Lost Souls?

...which was what, exactly?

Her dealing with the incident during the attack on the Borg ship.

 

[Ktrek]

Picard is hardly at his best in Destiny, either, and for the record in constant times of war stories like Nog and Ezri's would probably be the norm rather than the exception. The very stable command crew of the Enterprise is extremely rare and unusual, a fact which is commented on in several TNG books both before and after Nemesis.

QFT Indeed! Would LYNX call it "character destruction"?

Kevin

 

[Thrawn]

Does the book deal with her issue from Lost Souls?

...which was what, exactly?

Her dealing with the incident during the attack on the Borg ship.

Oh, yes. Not much, but it's mentioned.

 

[JD]

Good to hear. That seemed to have quite an impact, so I was hoping they would continue to deal with it in later books.