Which I said in the next sentence which you didn't quote... Relatable yes, likeable or even particularly interesting? No. Her and Taurik's behaviour threw me out of the main narrative in The Body Electric, it was annoying as hell, it's as simple as that.
You Like the E-E bridge crew?
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Which I said in the next sentence which you didn't quote... Relatable yes, likeable or even particularly interesting? No. Her and Taurik's behaviour threw me out of the main narrative in The Body Electric, it was annoying as hell, it's as simple as that.
Chekov as chief of security seems odd, too. But he holds his own. I´m eager to see people assigned to jobs you can´t picture them into and how they deal with that situation. Sometimes it works, sometimes you have difficulties.
Miranda Kadohata. I liked how the authors dealt with her work-life balance. If I´m not mistaken, she´s mother of three children, leaving them with the father and having a long-distance relationship. After the Borg incursion she was reassigned. I´d like to have her back one day.
And René Picard? Jean-Luc as daddy: it´s nice to see how that he is more comfortable in front of children now compared to TNG first season. Jean-Luc has changed to.
Miranda Kadohata. I liked how the authors dealt with her work-life balance. If I´m not mistaken, she´s mother of three children, leaving them with the father and having a long-distance relationship. After the Borg incursion she was reassigned. I´d like to have her back one day.
And René Picard? Jean-Luc as daddy: it´s nice to see how that he is more comfortable in front of children now compared to TNG first season. Jean-Luc has changed to.
That was in Silent Weapons, right? That story takes place in early 2384, at which point T'Ryssa has been aboard ship for a good three and a half years. That's hardly "no experience." You have to keep in mind that the novels have been jumping forward in time quite a bit.
Chris, she may have been on the ship for 3+ years, but there wasn't really a mention of her taking shifts on the bridge (like Kim did in Voyager) or Sulu did in TOS, or how Troi and Bev had a couple of bridge shifts.
If it happened "off screen" then OK I suppose, like I said, it didn't work for me.
I'm sure there are other senior officers on the E-E with more time in service and "running the bridge" time cumulative or just E-E bridge time than Chen. Yeah, I can never prove that as we haven't met the entire crew. I just didn't like Chen getting the gig just so Chen got some "Screen time" in the book.
Bottom line, Chen not working for me.
Private Note to Chen: Please report to the nearest airlock!!!
If it happened "off screen" then OK I suppose, like I said, it didn't work for me.
I'm sure there are other senior officers on the E-E with more time in service and "running the bridge" time cumulative or just E-E bridge time than Chen. Yeah, I can never prove that as we haven't met the entire crew. I just didn't like Chen getting the gig just so Chen got some "Screen time" in the book.
Bottom line, Chen not working for me.
Private Note to Chen: Please report to the nearest airlock!!!
I disagree about that. This whole discussion accomplished one thing: it makes Chen the more interesting for me, despite not being a fan of her. She´s the talk of this thread for a while and I´m going to read the Cold Equations trilogy this year. Although I´m more interested in her job performance than in her romances
.And I appreaciate a myriad of diverse character types aboard.
I always thought that there were many junior officers who took turns in the center seat when the senior officers were away, but that we just rarely got to see them onscreen (I remember a few of them like Lieuenant DeSalle and Lieutenant Hansen filling in for Kirk and Spock during TOS though). Chen may not be the typical Starfleet officer, but I think she was as qualified as any other junior officer to take the bridge. At least she kept the ship in one piece or from crashing into anything.
Heck, if Ensign Chekov can take the bridge during Star Trek XI, well...
Heck, if Ensign Chekov can take the bridge during Star Trek XI, well...
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I for one like Chen too. She's one of the few characters on the series now we hardly get plus her half human/Vulcan side makes it even more interesting. She has come a long way since the preDestiny novels and hopefully is in Armageddon's Arrow.
Chen is one of the most interesting characters in treklit. In many ways she's the inverse of Spock. A half-human, half-Vulcan, who has chosen to embrace her human side. Also, she adds a much-needed levity to the current bridge crew.
The other bridge officer that I've enjoyed is Dygan. In many ways he reminds me of early TNG Worf. An officer from a traditionally hostile race who's part of the bridge crew to show that things have changed. Yet, Worf grew into one of the most complex characters in all of Star Trek and if The Crimson Shadow is any indication Dygan could grow into an interesting character.
The other bridge officer that I've enjoyed is Dygan. In many ways he reminds me of early TNG Worf. An officer from a traditionally hostile race who's part of the bridge crew to show that things have changed. Yet, Worf grew into one of the most complex characters in all of Star Trek and if The Crimson Shadow is any indication Dygan could grow into an interesting character.
I think that is the problem with the character - she shares the same traits (and why they do this I don't know) with a lot of main stream american TV characters who might be intended to one age but are written as if they are much younger. Chen is about thirty (right?) but is written as if she is 17 or so and it doesn't help that her emotional journeys are trite and obvious.
Who says that every Starfleet officer should have the same level of maturity? Chen keeps on polarizing. I think veteran officers mentoring her is the right thing for her.
Dygan is the Cardassian, right? There is also a Cardassion on DS9, both old and new station. Cardassians in an exchange program will be interesting. How will they get along with people in Starfleet who have bad experiences with Cardassians? Bajorans, for instance. It works with Dakal on Titan, so I´m curious.
Dygan is the Cardassian, right? There is also a Cardassion on DS9, both old and new station. Cardassians in an exchange program will be interesting. How will they get along with people in Starfleet who have bad experiences with Cardassians? Bajorans, for instance. It works with Dakal on Titan, so I´m curious.
Nothing to do with Starfleet officers - I just don't find 30 year old people written as children that interesting it draws me out of the narrative - YMMV.
You´re not completey wrong. I find Chen sometimes annoying and part of it is her too happy-go-lucky nature. I keep on reading about her, but I´m also not sad about it when the focus is on other characters.
I still have Cold Equations and The Fall ahead of me, but it seems that focus is mainly on the main characters, for whatever it´s worth.
As an outsider - it seems to be something about the modern american psyche - european writers still write adult adults but american ficture (TV/Movie/books) seems overrun by the (wo)manchild.
And part of what motivates T'Ryssa's behavior is her refusal to be limited by other people's expectations and assumptions about how someone in a given category is "supposed" to behave. She'd resent being cubbyholed by her age as much as she resents it when people expect her to act like a Vulcan just because of how she looks. She prides herself on being an individual, not a category. And if you tell her she "should" act a certain way because she fits a certain demographic, then that's just going to give her an incentive to prove you wrong.
Christopher keeps on defending her.......
Oh, I wrote that before I actually saw Christopher´s answer. But it sums it up properly.
I find that answer slightly odd given the character isn't real and I'm not going to discuss her as if she is. Yes I know you created the character but that sort of thing isn't for me. You decided to write her that way and that is your artistic choice but it's not one I find interesting or appealing.
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Again, she embraces the human side (doesn't meaning you have to be annoying as hell)...but the problem is, there has to be a level of maturity if you are going to be the aide, or command the bridge....and again, I know this is Trek, and not real life...but I just don't buy into her.
I suppose in some other setting, I wouldn't have a problem with her...its just the immaturity with her and she is in some key positions.
Yeah, there are tons of immature people in the military but it rare/unlikely that they would hold positions (aide, command the flagship in case of an emergency)....and if they did, they would be relieved/transferred somewhere else, because even though people would want to mentor him/her...subordinates and supervisors will only put up with so much...especially in a military situation.
And yeah, the author makes it so in the end she is successful in the book, I just don't buy into it.
Again, not a personal attack against Christopher, but since I don't think he's ever been in the military, does he truly get that there is low tolerance for wacky/zaniness in the military when it comes to military leaders...and again, I repeat myself, I know this is Trek, but there are a lot of similarities.
I suppose in some other setting, I wouldn't have a problem with her...its just the immaturity with her and she is in some key positions.
Yeah, there are tons of immature people in the military but it rare/unlikely that they would hold positions (aide, command the flagship in case of an emergency)....and if they did, they would be relieved/transferred somewhere else, because even though people would want to mentor him/her...subordinates and supervisors will only put up with so much...especially in a military situation.
And yeah, the author makes it so in the end she is successful in the book, I just don't buy into it.
Again, not a personal attack against Christopher, but since I don't think he's ever been in the military, does he truly get that there is low tolerance for wacky/zaniness in the military when it comes to military leaders...and again, I repeat myself, I know this is Trek, but there are a lot of similarities.
(To JoeZhang) ^She's not real, but her attitudes come from me. I've always rebelled against being judged as a category rather than an individual, and part of my purpose behind creating T'Ryssa was as a protest of the tendency to stereotype Vulcan or other alien characters. Making her someone who defied the expectations of how a TNG character should act was just part of the same contrariness.
And I don't agree that it's "childish" to retain a sense of fun and exuberance. Too many of us let ourselves be worn down by life and pressured to conform, to give up the energy, imagination, and adaptability that we're all born with, and buy into the lie that it's somehow necessary for being an adult.
And I don't agree that it's "childish" to retain a sense of fun and exuberance. Too many of us let ourselves be worn down by life and pressured to conform, to give up the energy, imagination, and adaptability that we're all born with, and buy into the lie that it's somehow necessary for being an adult.
I have to say that I agree a ton with this entire post. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, from C.S. Lewis in "On Three Ways of Writing for Children".
