Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoilers)

[Clem1029]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Without Romulus the Empire goes one of two ways: it becomes MORE of a threat due to desperation or it makes peace out of necessity.

It strikes me that the current novel foundation sets up perfect for this...all that we know is that Romulus was destroyed. We don't know anything about the rest of the Empire, let alone the Imperial Romulan State. Assuming that the IRS doesn't just go away, I can envision some fantastic scenarios, with 6 years of Empire (and Typhon Pact?) v. State developments, where the State is critical to the story. In fact, having the IRS probably allows for some better stories than just "Romulus is gone, the Empire is in shambles, what happens now?"

 

[DimesDan]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Since Kirk clearly already had aptitude scores and the like, it seemed clear to me that he must have already taken some sort of entrance exam, but simply hadn't accepted their offer of a place when he qualified for it.

I figured Pike was referring to educational aptitude scores in general, not specifically Academy-related.

Something about his tone suggested Academy-related to me. I guess they wanted to leave it open to interpretation.

I assumed he was referring to the Academy as well.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

^But Kirk reacted to Pike's enlistment suggestion as if he'd never contemplated the possibility of joining Starfleet before and found the very idea ludicrous.

 

[Johnhead99]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Wow. What a great thread. Just spent the last 35 minutes reading it, catching up. Here is what I would do.

I would write a novel that fully explains the whole Spock/Romulan Planet/Nero incident. This novel would take place in the current Trek Universe as we know it (Universe 1.0). In this novel, you would 'lose' Spock to the whole blackhole/time travel thing and Romulus would be gone. This novel is very important to have in my opinion. It could be used to launch the Abramsverse line. It has also been suggested here:

Personally, I'm very interested in the developments that Trek XI revealed about the "prime" timeline.

Going forward then, I would have 2 lines of novels. The current ones (with no more Spock or Romulus and old actors on the covers) which are in Universe 1.0. They could remain going on regardless of what happens in the new movies and I really hope they do. I still want my DS9, TNG, and Voyager stories. From what I have read in this thread, sounds like this isn't going away.

The other line would be the new ones based from the movie in Abramsverse (with Spock Prime, no Vulcan Planet, and the new actors on the covers). They too could do whatever and not be tied to what we 'know' from Universe 1 as it is a different timeline. And, again, as this thread suggest, it needs to stand by itself.

I'd buy books in both timelines and both Pocket and the authors would hopefully make out well.

Thoughts?

 

[The_Bandsaw_Vigilante]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

^But Kirk reacted to Pike's enlistment suggestion as if he'd never contemplated the possibility of joining Starfleet before and found the very idea ludicrous.

Yup. Which led me to believe -- unless the Abramsverse Starfleet has as simple an "enlistment" program as today's armed forces do -- that perhaps Pike filled out an application in Kirk's name and sent it in behind his back, putting his own name on the line as his sponsor.

Still...I dunno. The general implication was that they weren't exactly very selective in taking the best and brightest, as the knuckle-walking, mouth-breathing, slab-o'-meat "Cupcake" redshirt seemed to illustrate. Karl Urban's own "conscription" also seems to reinforce this take-anyone policy, being pretty damaged goods himself at that point, though it was a nice callback to ST:TMP.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

^But Kirk reacted to Pike's enlistment suggestion as if he'd never contemplated the possibility of joining Starfleet before and found the very idea ludicrous.

Kirk seems somewhat... unpredictable and liable to jump any of a dozen ways as the mood takes him.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Karl Urban's own "conscription" also seems to reinforce this take-anyone policy, being pretty damaged goods himself at that point, though it was a nice callback to ST:TMP.

It's been a while since I read it, but I seem to recall that in Mike Friedman's Shadows on the Sun, McCoy joined Starfleet initially to escape the wreckage of his marriage. It wasn't something he wanted to do; he just needed to put a lot of space between himself and Jocelyn. So even there, he's "damaged goods."

 

[The_Bandsaw_Vigilante]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Yeah, that novel was a nice look at McCoy's fractured homelife, from what I remember -- it's been awhile since I picked it up, too (probably thirteen years or more); have to give that one another read sometime soon.

 

[DimesDan]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

^But Kirk reacted to Pike's enlistment suggestion as if he'd never contemplated the possibility of joining Starfleet before and found the very idea ludicrous.

Kirk seems somewhat... unpredictable and liable to jump any of a dozen ways as the mood takes him.

Plus he was still rather drunk.

 

[The_Bandsaw_Vigilante]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

This is true.

 

[The_Bandsaw_Vigilante]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

[Double-Post...server crashed for, like, three minutes.]

 

[Christopher]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Going forward then, I would have 2 lines of novels. The current ones (with no more Spock or Romulus and old actors on the covers) which are in Universe 1.0. They could remain going on regardless of what happens in the new movies and I really hope they do. I still want my DS9, TNG, and Voyager stories. From what I have read in this thread, sounds like this isn't going away.

Well, that's premature, since the books still have 6 years to go in-story to catch up with the destruction of Romulus, and 6 years of story time could take anywhere from 6 to 60 years of real time to chronicle. There's still plenty of room for further stories that include Romulus and/or Spock. And that's not even counting books set during the various series or in the Lost Era.

Still...I dunno. The general implication was that they weren't exactly very selective in taking the best and brightest, as the knuckle-walking, mouth-breathing, slab-o'-meat "Cupcake" redshirt seemed to illustrate. Karl Urban's own "conscription" also seems to reinforce this take-anyone policy, being pretty damaged goods himself at that point, though it was a nice callback to ST:TMP.

Bones wasn't conscripted. He chose to go into Starfleet because there was nothing left for him on Earth after the divorce. The only coercion involved was the young woman forcing him to sit in a normal seat on the shuttle rather than making the trip in the bathroom where there were no windows.

And "Cupcake" didn't strike me as stupid, just burly and aggressive.

 

[Johnhead99]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Going forward then, I would have 2 lines of novels. The current ones (with no more Spock or Romulus and old actors on the covers) which are in Universe 1.0. They could remain going on regardless of what happens in the new movies and I really hope they do. I still want my DS9, TNG, and Voyager stories. From what I have read in this thread, sounds like this isn't going away.

Well, that's premature, since the books still have 6 years to go in-story to catch up with the destruction of Romulus, and 6 years of story time could take anywhere from 6 to 60 years of real time to chronicle. There's still plenty of room for further stories that include Romulus and/or Spock. And that's not even counting books set during the various series or in the Lost Era.

That is true. I am just really looking forward to reading the novel that tells the story of the destruction of Romulus and the other events which unfolded in ST:XI. That novel should come out sooner rather than later in my opinion. That novel could come out, take place 6 years ahead of time, and still would leave room for plenty of novels between the current material and then.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I am just really looking forward to reading the novel that tells the story of the destruction of Romulus and the other events which unfolded in ST:XI.

You realise that's covered by a comic mini-series already?: "Countdown".

 

[donners22]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

Still...I dunno. The general implication was that they weren't exactly very selective in taking the best and brightest, as the knuckle-walking, mouth-breathing, slab-o'-meat "Cupcake" redshirt seemed to illustrate. Karl Urban's own "conscription" also seems to reinforce this take-anyone policy, being pretty damaged goods himself at that point, though it was a nice callback to ST:TMP.

If a person can jump from Cadet to Captain of the flagship after a week in space, there must be one hell of a shortage of senior officers around.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

If a person can jump from Cadet to Captain of the flagship after a week in space, there must be one hell of a shortage of senior officers around.

As we know from DS9 (eg. Nog), cadets can spend a lot of time in space during their four years in training.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I'd also be interested in finding out just what the heck was so important about the goings on in the Laurentian system that the bulk of Starfleet was there.

I think that's the biggest question from the movie that I'd want clarified, but not in a novel. Earth, as the capital of the Federation, is left either undefended or underdefended. 6 starships (and perhaps others already in-system) are destroyed at Vulcan. There must have been something really the hell important if all the action is going on in a previously heretofore unmentioned star system.

Another thing would be why the destruction of 47 Klingon starships is met with essentially a "Sucks to be them" response. Even Uhura, as the person who received and translated the message (and since when are cadets just allowed access to information like that?), didn't think it was particularly pressing, since she only tells her roommate (and unintentionally, Kirk) at first.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I'd also be interested in finding out just what the heck was so important about the goings on in the Laurentian system that the bulk of Starfleet was there.

I think that's the biggest question from the movie that I'd want clarified, but not in a novel. Earth, as the capital of the Federation, is left either undefended or underdefended. 6 starships (and perhaps others already in-system) are destroyed at Vulcan. There must have been something really the hell important if all the action is going on in a previously heretofore unmentioned star system.

Unless the Laurentian system is some kind of main extra-solar Federation base, like the equivalent of Pearl Harbor

 

[Christopher]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I think that's the biggest question from the movie that I'd want clarified, but not in a novel. Earth, as the capital of the Federation, is left either undefended or underdefended.

No, it wasn't. The whole reason Nero abducted and tortured Pike was to get the codes for shutting down Earth's defense grid. If that grid had been engaged, Earth could've defended itself without needing starships. This is the first film since TMP to even acknowledge that Earth would have a planetary defense grid, which is a major plus.

Another thing would be why the destruction of 47 Klingon starships is met with essentially a "Sucks to be them" response. Even Uhura, as the person who received and translated the message (and since when are cadets just allowed access to information like that?), didn't think it was particularly pressing, since she only tells her roommate (and unintentionally, Kirk) at first.

How could she be allowed or denied access when she was the first one to detect it? None of her superior officers would've even known about it until after she'd told them, so allowing her access would not even be an issue.

Uhura was a cadet at the end of her final year, having already earned lieutenant's rank (like Saavik). According to her dossier on the film site, she was the top of her class in her field and was a teaching aide in Spock's Advanced Phonology course. She had earned responsibility and respect within the Academy.

And who says she only told her roommate? She naturally would've notified her superiors before leaving her post. Just because Pike didn't have access to the information the next day doesn't mean she'd kept it secret from everyone.

 

[Johnhead99]

Re: Trek XI's implications for future Trek novels (major movie spoiler

I am just really looking forward to reading the novel that tells the story of the destruction of Romulus and the other events which unfolded in ST:XI.

You realise that's covered by a comic mini-series already?: "Countdown".

Yes. But a comic series isn't the same as a novel.