What's the worst non-canon decision in the history of Trek?

[Turtletrekker]

I really didn't need an "everybody dies" scenario for the novel verse. I would have much preferred that it just be allowed to exist as its own little thread in the multiverse.

 

[Christopher]

The thing is, with the output of Star Trek novels going down since the switch to TPB from MMPB combined with the franchise's return to television, there was going to be something cut from the novels. They need to make room for tie-in novels for the current show, and TOS 5YM novels have always been the bestsellers anyway, even in the Litverse's heyday, so those aren't going anywhere. The Litverse continuity was therefore the most logical choice, given it's no longer consistent with onscreen material anyway.

You're overthinking it. Remember, the same thing happened in the late '80s when TNG came along -- the existing novel continuity was dropped because new books had to conform to the screen canon that contradicted it. And the addition of TNG novels doubled Pocket's output, because the bimonthly TOS novels started alternating with bimonthly TNG novels. Similarly, I don't think the output of Star Wars novels and comics decreased when they dropped the Expanded Universe in favor of conforming to new canon. So "making room" has nothing to do with it. It's simply the job of tie-ins to represent the current screen canon, period.

 

[The Wormhole]

Except, the Star Trek novel output has gone down in recent years. In 2015 we had twelve novel releases, 2021, which saw the release of the Coda trilogy, had eight and now in 2025 there are only three. Hell, since the release of Coda Book 3, there have only been eight novels released, with another two forthcoming. The point I was making is even if the Litverse were allowed to continue as an alternate timeline as many seem to think it should have, then there wouldn't have been a chance to release any more novels anyway. The three novel releases in 2025 are two SNW novels and one TOS, which I think would have been the case even if the Litverse hadn't ended. After all, SNW is the current TV series, that's obviously going to be prioritized, and TOS novels are the real moneymakers meaning it would be the next logical choice after a tie-in for the current series. There is no room to fit a Litverse novel in that schedule.

Even if we look at the previous years since Coda ended. 2022 had two novels, a Picard novel and a TOS, which likely would have remained the case even if the Litverse hadn't ended. 2023 also had two, an SNW novel and a Disco novel, neither of which would likely have been bumped for a Litverse. Finally in 2024 there were four, a Picard novel, a TV series era TNG novel, a TOS and a SNW. Maybe a Litverse could have replaced the TNG one, but still, in the past four years, that's only one slot a Litverse novel could have been inserted. And even then, the year Coda was released did see TV series era TNG and DS9 novels anyway.

 

[Greg Cox]

Another thing to consider, Star Trek fans don't get subtlety.

Not just a Trekkie thing, to be fair. Over the years, I've been amazed at the number of people who . . .

Thought that BATMAN BEGINS was literally a prequel to the Tim Burton BATMAN movies.

That the new PLANET OF THE APES movies are literally prequels to the original POTA movies, even though Caesar's two different origin stories are irreconcilable.

So, yeah, no matter how hard you try to explain it, some portion of the audience is going to have trouble wrapping their heads around the idea that not every iteration of some long-running media property is set in the same continuity.

See also, on the Trek front, all the folks who believed:

The new CBS shows are set in the same timeline as the new movies.

And, a pet peeve, all the folks who confused the demise of the "LitVerse" with the end of Star Trek publishing in general: "But I heard they weren't publishing STAR TREK novels anymore?"

I got so tired of hearing that last one, especially when I had a new TOS book coming out.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Not just a Trekkie thing, to be fair. Over the years, I've been amazed at the number of people who . . .

Thought that BATMAN BEGINS was literally a prequel to the Tim Burton BATMAN movies.

I had a similar experience.

When I left the theater after watching Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man, there was a guy who was trying to explain, loudly, to his girlfriend/significant other how the film worked with the Tobey Maguire films. They don't go together at all, but he was insistent and animated on that point.

For the life of me, I wish I could remember his explanation, or at least the parts I heard before I fell out of earshot in the parking lot.

 

[Burning Hearts of Qo'nos]

Litverse fans should be celebrating what it accomplished rather than crying because it's over.

I assure you that I can easily do both.

 

[JD]

The thing is, with the output of Star Trek novels going down since the switch to TPB from MMPB combined with the franchise's return to television, there was going to be something cut from the novels. They need to make room for tie-in novels for the current show, and TOS 5YM novels have always been the bestsellers anyway, even in the Litverse's heyday, so those aren't going anywhere. The Litverse continuity was therefore the most logical choice, given it's no longer consistent with onscreen material anyway.

Another thing to consider, Star Trek fans don't get subtlety. When the Kelvin movies were released, you had people who believed they overwrote the Prime universe which no longer existed. When Disco moved to the 32nd century there were those who insisted it was only temporary and they had to return to the 23rd century before the series ended. And in the novels you had those who believed that just because the post-finale Enterprise novels reinterpreted TATV that all Trek novels going forward should be free to do as they wished regardless of onscreen material. Combine this with those in Star Wars fandom who keep demanding the revival of Legends continuity, and you can understand the desire in Star Trek to put a definitive end to the Litverse continuity. And I say that as someone who disagreed with the decision to completely and irrevocably eradicate the timeline the Litverse continuity took place in. But the truth is, the Litverse was never going to be revisited regardless. And given Trek fandom's proven inability to grasp subtlety, and to avoid a "bring back the Litverse" campaign like the "Bring back Legends" campaign amongst Star Wars fandom, the only logical choice was to put a definitive end to the Litverse continuity.

Besides, everything ends eventually, nothing is permanent or forever. The Litverse lasted for twenty years and only ended because of the existence of onscreen material superseding it. That is the best case scenario anyone could have hoped for. Litverse fans should be celebrating what it accomplished rather than crying because it's over.

Yeah, I guess you're probably right.

See also, on the Trek front, all the folks who believed:

The new CBS shows are set in the same timeline as the new movies.

I'm assuming you mean the Paramount+ shows?

 

[Christopher]

I'm assuming you mean the Paramount+ shows?

Paramount+ is the broadcaster. The company that produces them -- the company that, under various names, has produced every Trek TV series except TAS -- is currently known as CBS Studios, even though it's owned by Paramount Global.

 

[Cicero]

Similarly, I don't think the output of Star Wars novels and comics decreased when they dropped the Expanded Universe in favor of conforming to new canon.

It did, actually. Eight to ten books per year became six during the transition, and most years since the EU ended have only offered about four—including five novelizations and two theme park tie-ins (of which one was for the ill-fated Galactic Starcruiser hotel).

Ironically, however, in the Deep Space Nine retrospective documentary What We Left Behind, the writer-producers (Ira Steven Behr, Ronald D. Moore, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Hans Beimler, etc.), when speculating about where the characters would be 20-odd years after the end of Season 7, immediately posited that Kira would be a vedek — and they were unanimous in supporting that choice. So in that respect, David R. George III was closer to the producers' intentions than any of us realized at the time.

Something similar happened to Aaron Sorkin in one of his MasterClass lessons. He broke a hypothetical fifth season premiere for The West Wing, and made many of the same mistakes (with respect to the fourth season finale) that the original writers had in 2003.

 

[Starbreaker]

Well, Paramount+ started off as CBS All Access and I think there's still a CBS Studios title card in front of them.

 

[tomswift2002]

Not just a Trekkie thing, to be fair. Over the years, I've been amazed at the number of people who . . .

Thought that BATMAN BEGINS was literally a prequel to the Tim Burton BATMAN movies.

That the new PLANET OF THE APES movies are literally prequels to the original POTA movies, even though Caesar's two different origin stories are irreconcilable.

So, yeah, no matter how hard you try to explain it, some portion of the audience is going to have trouble wrapping their heads around the idea that not every iteration of some long-running media property is set in the same continuity.

See also, on the Trek front, all the folks who believed:

The new CBS shows are set in the same timeline as the new movies.

And, a pet peeve, all the folks who confused the demise of the "LitVerse" with the end of Star Trek publishing in general: "But I heard they weren't publishing STAR TREK novels anymore?"

I got so tired of hearing that last one, especially when I had a new TOS book coming out.

New TOS book? I have not seen or heard anything about it. I was just in my local Cole’s yesterday and there were no Trek books there. Lots of Star Wars (like 2 shelves full.). From what the manager told me Trek sales dried up for them with the discontinuation of the Relaunch series. No one wanted Disco or Picard and TOS was also a no demand item.

 

[Greg Cox]

New TOS book? I have not seen or heard anything about it. I was just in my local Cole’s yesterday and there were no Trek books there. Lots of Star Wars (like 2 shelves full.). From what the manager told me Trek sales dried up for them with the discontinuation of the Relaunch series. No one wanted Disco or Picard and TOS was also a no demand item.

Lost to Eternity came out in last July and Identity Theft comes out in December. And Dave Mack had a TOS book titled Harm's Way come out not too long ago.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Lost to Eternity came out in last July and Identity Theft comes out in December. And Dave Mack had a TOS book titled Harm's Way come out not too long ago.

13 December 2022

 

[Greg Cox]

13 December 2022

Whoa. Where has the time gone?

 

[Enterprise1701]

Whoa. Where has the time gone?

I guess you could say there's...