Times like this I also ache for some official Trek entity to cut loose and actually make another timeline that branches off the TMP moves as you describe. No Borg, no Cardassians...
We have some hints here and there, beyond just the Kelvinverse. There was a waypoint story a while ago depicting a Phase II episode I'd like to see made into an ongoing series. What is the trifecta like without Spock?
(as an aside, Spock in his own command was also refreshing to see. I would have liked to see Spock continue o bring up his own crew for more than a few installments- all of them were interesting).
I just don't like how the ship has been steered since TNG started to air. It's colored everything since, and it's why I rejoyced when the JJ movies decided to eject all that for a restart. These novels are the closest thing to seeing that universe. Ah well...
Although I grew up with TNG, I disconnected with the three series that followed on from those. I like the Borg a lot, as long as they are kept in small doses.
The Waypoint story, is that the short comic story? I think I've seen that several times, and I keep talking myself in and out of snagging it, so I keep on not getting it. I like that it tries for a visual halfway point between TOS and TMP, and have toyed with using that as a visual reference for the 80's novel continuity's halfway point; I'm not keen on that version of Captain Kirk's chair, though, it doesn't sit well with me.
I like the whole set up in DC Volume 1, with most of the crew on Excelsior, but Spock is elsewhere with his own crew aboard the USS Surak. I like the Surak characters, even though I know what's going to happen to them. I read in the letters section why the writer justifies what he did to the Surak, but it seems to me like he really overdid it. Maybe I'll feel differently when I actually read that story, but I doubt it; my gut tells me it's kind of cynical.
It's interesting given that the Kelvin-verse is one of the elements that motivated me to actually get started with the 80's novels. They dropped the Kelvin-verse novels, but there were still these old books that could offer the alternative-Trek experience. And I've been reading them between the Kelvin-verse movies, and I am at peace with the stalled momentum of the JJ Abrams movies because I'm only 1/3 of the way through my reading list, so the 80's novels are going to outlast that continuity that I had high hopes for.
Yeah, it could have been interesting the "Next Generation" had more literally been the next generation. They could have picked up with the characters post TUC. Imagine if they had not discarded the new characters like Saavik and David Marcus, and perhaps featured Sulu in command of a ship - Kirk and Spock having finally having been promoted or retired off the board.
I've actually dabbled with writing notes for possible set-ups for what I think that would look like. Part of which involves taking some of those discarded characters and putting them back into play.
It is interesting when you read the older novels. Now I admit I'm a huge fan of all Star Trek, including the various spinoffs and the Abramsverse movies, but there's a certain simplicity when you watch older Star Trek. They were basically starting from scratch almost from every episode and movie. Like anything as it grew more continuity became necessary to avoid things becoming overly chaotic and complicated. Once I'm through my Bantam collection I plan on re-reading some of the older Pocketbook novels. I said before it will be interesting to read some of those novels that didn't have TNG and post-TNG shows, where it was just the original series. Since I loved those later shows as well, it will be sort of a compare and contrast for me, which will be interesting since the last time I read those novels was years ago (some before there was a TNG).
The Empty Chair was interesting and I thought a pretty good book (it was more satisfying that the prior 2 Rihannsu novels). Duane did take into account some of what we learned about the Romulans in the TNG and post-TNG shows. And I didn't feel she sacrificed anything in her story to do it. It was more one of those things where it didn't interfere with her narrative she incorporated elements of what we later learned about Romulans.
I definitely agree that there's a lot of Trek that I still like, and I'm not worried about continuity clashes. I'm receptive to trying DS9 and Enterprise, and eventually Voyager, too. These books are easy to take, though, one story at a time.
Given the way My Enemy, My Ally is structured, I can imagine how the surface level story can continue to carry through the books even as the background story shifts underneath without disrupting things too much.
I'm reading DW stuff over the holidays.
