Uwe Boll read the first (extremely rough) draft of BloodRayne and decided to film that version right away. Sounds like some people here would want someone like him onboard Star Trek.
You do realize who you're trying to argue with, right?
What Took So Long...why we're only getting a new movie now...
- Thread starter Ian Keldon
- Start date
Uwe Boll read the first (extremely rough) draft of BloodRayne and decided to film that version right away. Sounds like some people here would want someone like him onboard Star Trek.
You do realize who you're trying to argue with, right?
And so what?
Somebody's about to traipse in here and post "if I let deadlines slide like that on my job..." not realizing that what they're saying is that whatever they do isn't valued highly enough by the people who pay them to give them any latitude whatever.
Mmmm, so are you forgetting the period between the end-of-season hiatus of 1988 and Roddenberry's death in September 1991, when Richard Arnold vetted all tie-in manuscripts for comics and novels on behalf of Roddenberry's then-Star Trek Office?
Bad Robot wants creative control over their product. Why is that a problem? I'll bet if you had a creation, you'd want control over what other authors said about it, especially in those early days/years.
We actually don't know that Bad Robot "had a problem", only that Pocket's editors decided not to proceed. Whether the list of things to avoid was too complex, or Marketing decided it was prudent to wait till the movie series established itself a little more, we do not yet know.
Placeholder blurbs and cover designs are, in general, released much sooner these days because the marketers' catalogues are online. The general public access them and distribute the details to websites, and Amazon gets early/wrong details in their haste to have info up on their site for preorders; we see descriptions and images that were normally off-limits or embargoed for many more months.
Really? Transformers and Star Wars have more effects shots and technicalities yet they were churned out quite quick.
I would love them to do an Into Darkness mockbuster! Although with Age of the Hobbits having been blocked from release, I suspect their days are numbered.
Call me crazy, but I enjoyed I Am Omega more than I did I Am Legend. Mark Dacascos did a better job losing his marbles living all by himself at the start than Will Smith.
In the most simplest terms possible, it's just plain rude.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was back when Roddenberry was in deteriorating health and not really making sound desicions at the best of times. Not really a compelling argument.
1) I don't hear about many others who go to these lengths in regards to their tie-in material. Most people in authority over a TV show or movie series still in production will just look over a plot description of the potential book/comic to make sure it isn't a story they plan on doing. Once they give it their approval, it's entirely in the hands of the publishing company. They certainly don't hold up a novel's release because they insist on reviewing each draft and haven't gotten around to doing so, and they certainly insist on their own credit on the page listing the writers and artists involved in a comic. Unless that credit is "based on Whatever created by Whoever."
2) Star Trek isn't Bad Robot's creation, they are simply the current custodians of the franchise. It's not their call to be this obsessive about it. If Rick Berman acted this way over tie-in material related to DS9, Voyager, or Enterprise, you can bet fandom would be in in an uproar and using it as an excuse to accuse him of Crimes against Roddenberry.
Obviously, it is.
A long wait? For Guns N' Roses fans this is nothing 
Drago-Kazov
Fleet Captain
My understanding is that they formed some sort of high council to manage the franchise. I think that's what Mark Johnson said on fictional frontiers.
Okay, that's totally wrong. The Licensors of any media tie-in property are very involved at every stage of the process. They don't just glance over a synopsis and go away. It's not unusual to go through multiple drafts of a book proposal before the plot is finally approved, and the final manuscript, the cover copy, and artwork are all subject to review and approval as well. And, yes, books sometimes get killed at various stages of production. As an editor and author, I've seen it happen more than once. It's just that most of the time, the average reader never hears about it.
This very afternoon, in fact, I need to rewrite two chapters from scratch, due to the latest instructions from a particular licensor . . . which is no big deal.
Just business as usual. And not just with STAR TREK. It's the same with TERMINATOR, WAREHOUSE 13, LEVERAGE, THE 4400, CSI, IRON MAN, UNDERWORLD, FREDDY KRUEGER, X-MEN, RIESE, and every other franchise I've ever worked on.
No way are these things left "entirely in the hands of the publishing company." The Licensors are often very hands-on.
(Not to jump all over Wormhole or anything, but let's not give people the wrong idea about how the tie-in biz works. I've been doing this for twenty years now and that description above bears no resemblance to how the system really works.)
Last edited:
I feel by the time the average reader is aware of an upcoming novel, the only option is to stay the course and publish it. If for some reason it can't be completed, the public deserves (and is owed) an explanation. It doesn't have to be an in-depth explanation, just something like "things didn't work out" is enough for me. When the Abramsverse novels were pulled no explanation was given at all, not even "things didn't work out." When something is pulled close enough to its release that pre-orders were being accepted, not providing an explanation really is dicking customers around.
I made my comment based on various observation of my own. For example, as far as IDW is concerned it's only Trek comic set in the Abramsverse that credit anyone related to the production that the comics are based on. None of the other Trek comics credit anyone who worked on the shows, with the exception of the TNG Hive, but in that case Braga actually devloped the story for that.
Even if other people are involved with their tie-in materials, it doesn't seem to be to the same extent as Bad Robot. No one from Paramount/CBS seems to guide Pocket in regards to how the Prime Trek novels should develop. I dont hear about other tie-ins being delayed as often as the Trek YA novels are because "our draconian overlords haven't approved the latest draft yet." Very few people demand credit beyond "Based on Whatever created by Whoever." Okay, Doctor Who novels do have the show's current producers as well as people who created the aliens featured in the novel listed on the copyright page, but that's more related to how weird British copyright laws are.
Abrams and his gang just need to chill and relax. If for some reason a novel or comic doesn't pass muster, so what? It's not like these things are canon anyway.
I don't think four years is too long a gap for mainstream audiences. Now for someone like me who is a Trek fan, it seems like forever. But I've had other things to keep me busy.
I was disappointed that the four Abramsverse novels were shelved and have been underwhelmed by the comics.
I was disappointed that the four Abramsverse novels were shelved and have been underwhelmed by the comics.
Drago-Kazov
Fleet Captain
They shpuld have levels of canon. I really hope that they see Trek as a multimedia franchise. I am one happy canonista.
or fans of Tron...
I think it's better to keep things as "movies and TV, canon. Everything else, not."
Drago-Kazov
Fleet Captain
But Orci said they will try to keep it consistent which is a big deal compared to how it was with older books and comics.
Hate to break it to you, but companies don't make big business decisions out of politeness. Moreover, who is it rude to? The authors? They haven't taken to the streets to complain. The fans? You're not entitled to anything, so stop acting like you are.
Ah, there it is! The entitlement mentality. You know what, if the excuse "things didn't work out" is good enough for you, why don't you just assume that things didn't work out? Clearly, that's the explanation you got and it actually is NOT good enough for you.
Thing is, no explanation was officially given. Sure, I could assume things didn't work out and probably be right. But it's like how the old rules of canon go "if it's not on screen, it's not canon." In this case, if it's not stated, it's not official.
What's to stop me from assuming this isn't part of some weird conspiracy involving time travelling pirates and Nazis who are for some reason working together and cancelling these novels is somehow part of their masterplan? After all, at this very moment, it's just as likely as anything.
That's why official statements are required to explain these things.
