VOYAGER 7

[cardinal biggles]

You mean in fairness to the Reeves-Stevenses ghost writing ability. I'd be interested in finding out how much of these books the Shat actually writes himself.

 

[Joker]

Someone else posted a brief summary of their writing process.

Shatner's involvement is actually quite heavy for someone who could easily afford to do nothing; I believe he dictates all/most of the story points into a cassette, along with a plethora of other details relating to the narrative, and sends it to them; they then produce some written text that Shatman reviews and writes notes on.

Or something.

 

[RyanKCR]

Because when the Borg find something, they either add its biological and technological distinctiveness to their own, or they ignore it because it's primitive, non-threatening space garbage. They don't take an old beat-up space probe, build a giant ship around it, and send it back home. Certainly not to study everything it comes across.

Yet when the Borg were first introduced all they were interested in was just the technology. The additional interest in lifeforms occured in Best of Both worlds and I believe Roddenberry came up with that bit about Vjur's homeworld being Borg was before BOBW.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Shatner's involvement is actually quite heavy for someone who could easily afford to do nothing; I believe he dictates all/most of the story points into a cassette, along with a plethora of other details relating to the narrative, and sends it to them; they then produce some written text that Shatman reviews and writes notes on.

Actually, the Reeves-Stevens receive a manuscript, typed up by Shatner's secretary from his dictaphone monologues, and already revised by him. He supplies the plots, all Kirk dialogue, and most of the action sequences. The Reeves-Stevens add information specific to the DS9, VOY and TNG characters and tech, polish Shatner's material, then send it back for his revisions, then it's back to them for a final polish.

So the R-S's are not ghost writers for Shatner.

 

[cardinal biggles]

That's pretty impressive, then. I had no idea Shatner's involvement was that extensive. I stopped reading after Avenger, which didn't really do much for me, and I doubt I'll try to go back and read the other ones, but I definitely won't ever accuse him of rubber-stamping his name to someone else's work again.

 

[Joker]

Shatner's involvement is actually quite heavy for someone who could easily afford to do nothing; I believe he dictates all/most of the story points into a cassette, along with a plethora of other details relating to the narrative, and sends it to them; they then produce some written text that Shatman reviews and writes notes on.

Actually, the Reeves-Stevens receive a manuscript, typed up by Shatner's secretary from his dictaphone monologues, and already revised by him. He supplies the plots, all Kirk dialogue, and most of the action sequences. The Reeves-Stevens add information specific to the DS9, VOY and TNG characters and tech, polish Shatner's material, then send it back for his revisions, then it's back to them for a final polish.

So the R-S's are not ghost writers for Shatner.

That's what I was mis-remembering.

Thanks.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I definitely won't ever accuse him of rubber-stamping his name to someone else's work again.

I read the first four "TekWar" books, in which Shatner thanks SF writer Ron Goulart, without whom "these books wouldn't exist", or some similar wording. There is a great similarity in style and action to the Shatnerverse books, making me feel he had a similar arrangement with Goulart as he does with the R-S team. Only poor ol' Ron doesn't get a mention anywhere except the Acknowledgements page, and the scripts for the comic tie-in.

 

[DaleC76]

The V'ger - Borg connection gets a lot of hate, but I liked The Return and the way the idea was presented. It wouldn't be the most out of character thing the Borg have done since their creation.

 

[Captain Pike]

The idea did gain a bit of traction when it resurfaced in the Shatner/Reeves-Stevens novel The Return. But it's still crap.

Oh HELL NOT the Shatner "ME" Novel!

aaaah

He at first couldn't get over Kirk being killed and wrote those novels, but in faireness to Shatner's writing ability. They were NOT too bad.

I don't get all this hate for The Return. Sure, some of the other Shatnerverse books are pretty ordinary, but I thought The Return rawked!