What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Authors?

[Lonemagpie]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

I've actually already written a fair bit of official Star Wars stuff, but none of it is prose - articles for Star Wars Magazine, Star Wars Gamer and the Official Star Wars Fact Files. It'd be cool to do something like the X-Wing novels...

Same here - I've written for the Fact Files and stuff, but no actual fiction

 

[Jedi_Master]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

Star Wars novels are total drek, and the writers seem to tell the same kind of stories all the time from what I hear, they don't have nearly the freedom ST writers have.

They have more freedom then they used too now that they are finally abandoning the movie eras.

They have to respect canon much more which something some writers love and some writers hate.

Crispin enjoyed writing SW wery much.

For my money, the problem in writing Star Wars novels is that they're incapable, either intentionally or by executive mandate, of letting the torch pass completely to the next generation. When the day needs to be saved, it's yet to be time to look to the new generation of heroes, but instead, they look to Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo. I'll admit that Legacy of the Force had some rather big flaws, but I still like the fact that it was Jaina Solo who was the one to beat the bad guy.

But on the occasions where they try and shake up the status quo and let the next generation take on the major responsibilities, something happens (either reader backlash or an order from Lucasfilm to change things) to put the old heroes back in the spotlight, as if they're afraid of reducing the original characters to cameos, they'll lose readers. And, okay, sure, I understand that it could lose the casual reader who's only interested in Luke, Leia, Han, etc, but these characters are pushing sixty and seventy by the time of the latest novels, with a good forty plus stretch of their lives devoted to essentially nothing but keeping the galaxy together. Shouldn't by this point they WANT to let someone else shoulder the big responsibility of fighting the good fight?

Star Wars needs its DS9 equivalent, something that will open up the universe to allow stories not about the Skywalker family be told. I mean, the X-Wing novels were pretty popular, and the core group of the movies had nothing but cameos while the focus was on minor character Wedge and either even more minor characters or original ones, but they're essentially an exception in the overall scheme of things. Right now, Star Wars novels haven't had that expansion, so they keep telling stories about the Skywalker clan unless the time frame is before Phantom Menance. I'd like to think, though, that with novels like Crosscurrent and the forthcoming Riptide, they may be starting to get this, but I'm not exactly holding my breath at the moment.

What turned me off from the Star Wars novels was the need for them to have a giant galactic wide crisis that involved trillions of people. From the New Jedi Order on, it seemed that the Star Wars galaxy was doomed to have large chunks of its population killed off to satisfy the need to tell "epic" stories.

Star Trek, by and large has resisted this impulse. They still have stories that focus on smaller scale story telling and character development.

However, Star Trek has had the same problem with resisting a move from the recognizable characters and moving on to the new (witness the uproar over the death of Janeway). That is just a common issue with fiction. All that being said I would love to see Christopher Bennett do some kind of techno - bio novel on midichlorians ( as suggested by some other posters).

Flipping the idea of this thread a bit - I would love to see Timothy Zahn do a novel on the end of section 31.
He is great at that slight of hand military style fiction.

 

[RandyS]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

I hope after FOTJ they stop these long series featuring the big three.

My hopes seem well founded considering the upcoming SW books.

Well, I don't mind stories focusing on Han, Luke and Leia, but I do agree with you about these "big stories". Trilogies, or even duologies are good enough. No more nine parters, or (God forbid) something like the NJO which went on and on, and on, ad nausem.

 

[Yevetha]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

I actually like the NJO, but everything after that was mediocre at best with exception of Crosscurrent.

Luceno wrote a wonderfull ending for it which closed most character arks.

Too bad they decided to make LOTF.

Bu the way Michael Jan Friedman was supposed to write 3 NJO novels but they were cancelled.

 

[Jedi_Master]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

I hope after FOTJ they stop these long series featuring the big three.

My hopes seem well founded considering the upcoming SW books.

Well, I don't mind stories focusing on Han, Luke and Leia, but I do agree with you about these "big stories". Trilogies, or even duologies are good enough. No more nine parters, or (God forbid) something like the NJO which went on and on, and on, ad nausem.

I agree. Make an effort to have smaller stories that focus on individual events. I loved "the courtship of Princess Leia".

 

[Thrawn]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

I actually like the NJO, but everything after that was mediocre at best with exception of Crosscurrent.

Luceno wrote a wonderfull ending for it which closed most character arks.

Too bad they decided to make LOTF.

Bu the way Michael Jan Friedman was supposed to write 3 NJO novels but they were cancelled.

Well I haven't read Crosscurrent, but otherwise I agree. NJO was great, but the torch was goddamn passed. Everything after that has felt like a regression to me, and for stupid stupid reasons.

Like, getting the majority of the Voyager crew back together and back in the Delta Quadrant was a little fanwanky, but the character arcs getting there were worth it enormously. Totally good reasons. But what the hell did we get from Legacy? That becoming evil turns you from a genius into an idiot? Deep.

 

[Christopher]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

However, Star Trek has had the same problem with resisting a move from the recognizable characters and moving on to the new (witness the uproar over the death of Janeway).

I think the readers of New Frontier, Titan, SCE, Vanguard, IKS Gorkon/Klingon Empire, Stargazer, Articles of the Federation, DTI, The Lost Era, and the TNG and DS9 post-finale novels would beg to differ. There are tons of new characters and storylines in Trek Lit. And the "uproar" over Janeway's death is a handful of vocal protestors, several of whom seem to be more upset about how it was done than the mere fact that it was done.

 

[Yevetha]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

Christopher posted:

I think the readers of New Frontier, Titan, SCE, Vanguard, IKS Gorkon/Klingon Empire, Stargazer, Articles of the Federation, DTI, The Lost Era, and the TNG and DS9 post-finale novels would beg to differ. There are tons of new characters and storylines in Trek Lit. And the "uproar" over

Trek also had the main characters of 5 series to choose from.

Lets also not forget that Trek had 5 tv series to get main characters from.

Star Wars had its non Big 3 books too.

The Traviss series looked great initialy, but unfortunatly it got drowned by to much mando worship,there was the X-Wing series, Young Jedi Knights series, town Han Solo and one Lando trilogy, Medstar Books, Knight Errant book and soo on...

 

[RandyS]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

I actually like the NJO, but everything after that was mediocre at best with exception of Crosscurrent.

Bu the way Michael Jan Friedman was supposed to write 3 NJO novels but they were cancelled.

I didn't object to the NJO as a story, but I felt that nineteen books was too much story resulting in alot of unnecessary filler. And, as much as I like Mike Friedman's work, I'm glad his NJO novels were cancelled. The last thing that story needed was MORE story.

 

[Thrawn]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

^ I think the only real filler to speak of was that last trilogy, Force Heretic. Even Allston's books, despite being a bit of a tangent, were entertaining enough.

 

[JD]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

I can't think of any specific stories, but I would love to see David Mack, KRAD, Wardimore or David Mack do SW.

JD, what about David Mack?

Oh, I didn't realize I did that. That was one of the last things I posted before going to bed, so I think I was probably half asleep by the time I posted.

 

[Thrawn]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

David Mack would write a kickass Star Wars book.

But, I pretty much think David Mack would write a kickass [insert whatever the hell you want here] book, so that's not really that profound a statement

 

[Yevetha]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

I actually like the NJO, but everything after that was mediocre at best with exception of Crosscurrent.

Bu the way Michael Jan Friedman was supposed to write 3 NJO novels but they were cancelled.

I didn't object to the NJO as a story, but I felt that nineteen books was too much story resulting in alot of unnecessary filler. And, as much as I like Mike Friedman's work, I'm glad his NJO novels were cancelled. The last thing that story needed was MORE story.

His stories were replaced with somebody elses, so it would not had made it longer.

Originaly it was less about the vog 3 but then fans starte crying Luke!!! and they gave in.

 

[Thrawn]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

^ Actually no; his stories were in fact entirely cancelled. That year was scheduled to have his paperback trilogy and Greg Keyes's paperback duo; they just cancelled MJF's stuff.

 

[Yevetha]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

Then i remembered it wrong.

Thanks for reminding me.

 

[JWolf]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

A crossover where Trek stomps in and lays waste to those pansy bitch Star Warsers

Written by.... whichever one dislikes Star Wars the most.

Make the author David Mack. He does those sorts of things the best.

 

[Darth Duck]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

^ Actually no; his stories were in fact entirely cancelled. That year was scheduled to have his paperback trilogy and Greg Keyes's paperback duo; they just cancelled MJF's stuff.

I'm pretty sure Keyes was only writing one, so when MJF's got cancelled it got boosted to two. Net loss two books.

 

[ProwlAlpha]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

I dont mind more story, just not the same story being copied. I really liked NJO's Star by Star and Knight Errant. Crosscurrent was good, and I can't wait for the sequel. There is a non-Big Three novel coming out about a holo-star that seems interesting.

 

[Yevetha]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

There is a non-Big Three novel coming out about a holo-star that seems interesting.

Also a Palps book and Mandorla about Nomi Sunrider.

 

[Smellincoffee]

Re: What kind of Star Wars book would you like to see from Trek Author

David Mack could probably handle something set in the Yuuzhan Vong conflict.