Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book?

[Star Treks]

This question goes out to anyone with insider information on the whole Trek lit thing. I don't suppose anyone on this board might know anything about Trek books...

but,

Might we ever see a major character (I mean a "main cast" character) killed off in a Star Trek book? I know that the books are not "canon" but at the same time they have also avoided doing things that would seem like permanent removal of a major character from the Star Trek universe.

Reasons for this are obvious - what if you want to bring back a character in a later series/movie, etc.

But, if you were confident that a character would not be making a return to a show, in theory could a book kill them off? I guess this has a couple of sub-questions

- Do you (e.g. Star Trek official lit) have the 'authority' from Viacom/Paramount/CBS or whomever to do something like that?

- If not, could they in theory give you 'permission' or even in fact 'order' something like this to happen?

I guess mostly I'm just curious about the "rules" with things like this - major, landscape-changing shifts to the Star Trek universe happening in books.

By the way, I don't necessarily want any characters to die. I was just wondering if in theory it could happen, and if so, how likely is it?

Thanks

 

[KRAD]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

If the right situation and right story presented itself, then it could happen. I wish I could get more specific than that, but I really can't. It's entirely situational -- it would depend on the character, on the story needs, and on any number of other intangible factors.

And at least one major character has been killed off in tie-in fiction -- twice, in fact: Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy's death has been written in both the Star Trek Special comic book story "The Wake," written by Jeffrey Lang, and in the novel Crucible: McCoy: Provenance of Shadows by David R. George III.

 

[Jim Johnson]

Star Treks said:- Do you (e.g. Star Trek official lit) have the 'authority' from Viacom/Paramount/CBS or whomever to do something like that?

Pocket Books has to have all of their fiction approved by the licensors. Pocket Books can do what they want with the Trek literature, as long as they can get the approval from the licensors.

Since none of the novels are canon, and almost certainly will never be canon, the fiction line can get away with almost anything if there's a good reason to do it.

If a writer managed to write a good enough pitch for a novel that involved the death of a major character, and got that pitch through the editors and then through the licensors, I imagine it could happen.

Would Pocket Books want that to happen? Doubtful.

 

[TerriO]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

Just putting this out there in case anyone's ever looking for someone to do it:

I've already got a plot to kill off Worf. Including a lengthy, drawn-out torturous death scene darker than anything ever seen in Trek. We're talking something that makes BSG look like a bunch of pansies.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

^I you replace "Worf" with "Pulaski", then I am SOOOOOOO there.

 

[Tino]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

^ Oh come on, Pulaski had a certain smug driven attitude. Though I love Beverly Crusher, Pulaski makes the far more interesting character. :-)

 

[William Leisner]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

But we already know how Pulaski dies: falling down a turbolift shaft.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

TerriO said:
Just putting this out there in case anyone's ever looking for someone to do it:

I've already got a plot to kill off Worf. Including a lengthy, drawn-out torturous death scene darker than anything ever seen in Trek. We're talking something that makes BSG look like a bunch of pansies.

Do the same *for* nuBSG, and make it Baltar instead of Worf, and I'll buy it.

 

[Turbo]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

William Leisner said:
But we already know how Pulaski dies: falling down a turbolift shaft.

 

[JD]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

^Am I missing something?

 

[KRAD]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

^Am I missing something?

After leaving TNG, Diana Muldaur had a recurring role on L.A. Law as an acerbic lawyer. Said character's tenure on the show was ended when she fell down an elevator shaft at McKenzie Brackman.

 

[JD]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

Ah, now I get it. Thank you.

 

[KLauderdale]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

Different publisher, but . . . Chewbacca, R.I.P.
Anything can happen if the The Powers want it to happen.

 

[TerriO]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

Babaganoosh said:

TerriO said:
Just putting this out there in case anyone's ever looking for someone to do it:

I've already got a plot to kill off Worf. Including a lengthy, drawn-out torturous death scene darker than anything ever seen in Trek. We're talking something that makes BSG look like a bunch of pansies.

Do the same *for* nuBSG, and make it Baltar instead of Worf, and I'll buy it.

You joke now.

But wait. My day will come. Oh, yes. My day will come.

 

[William Leisner]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

JD said:
^Am I missing something?

Y'know, as I was posting that old chestnut, I wondered, "How many of the whippersnappers around here actually remember L.A. Law?" Christ, I feel old...

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

I remember L.A. Law, but I never liked it. But I figured Muldaur played some character that had that fate.

 

[OmahaStar]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

My grandparents used to watch L. A. Law. Does that count?

 

[TGTheodore]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

William Leisner said:

JD said:
^Am I missing something?

Y'know, as I was posting that old chestnut, I wondered, "How many of the whippersnappers around here actually remember L.A. Law?" Christ, I feel old...

Bill, just shut up and help me find my teeth.

--Ted

 

[Braxton]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

KLauderdale said:
Different publisher, but . . . Chewbacca, R.I.P.
Anything can happen if the The Powers want it to happen.

That's the closest Star Wars will ever get to killing off any major character. Han, Luke, and Leia will never die in the novels and if they do it'll be shocking that they actually did that.

Only if Trek books were considered canon and were the only things around for Star Trek, then I could see it being a possibilty. Otherwise I don't think we'll see a major character killed, other than in the 'what if' and alternate universe stories.

 

[Christopher]

Re: Would you ever 'really' kill a major character in a book

Braxton said:
Only if Trek books were considered canon and were the only things around for Star Trek, then I could see it being a possibilty. Otherwise I don't think we'll see a major character killed, other than in the 'what if' and alternate universe stories.

Isn't it the other way around? Since the books aren't part of the canon, they could theoretically do anything they wanted and the makers of the shows wouldn't be bound by it. One could argue that since the books aren't part of the canon, that makes them all "what if" stories by definition.

The only way canon comes into play is that the books' content is obligated to stay consistent with onscreen canon. So if they weren't the only thing around, if they had to stay true to a canon that was being added to on an ongoing basis, that would restrict what they could do. Note how much more freedom the books have gained to make major changes since the shows went off the air.