Alan Dean Foster To Write Sequel Book To Star Trek Movie July 2, 2009
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: Books, Star Trek (2009 film), Star Trek sequel (2012) , trackback
Legendary sci-fi Author Alan Dean Foster is going to follow up his best selling Star Trek movie adaptation with a sequel novel set in the new movie universe. Foster made the revelation for the book, tentatively titled "Star Trek: Refugees", on his website, and also spoke about it in a new interview — details below.
Foster back in the new movie universe
The author broke the news yesterday on his website, with just a brief mention at the end of his latest update:
Oh, right. I hope to finish the rough draft of the second book in THE TIPPING POINT trilogy, SICK, INC., sometime next month. Then I’ll do the sequel book to the STAR TREK movie…still waiting for final okay on the outline from Pocket Books.
And today in an interview with WIRED, Foster was asked about the book and gave a little more detail:
I signed the contract, so that’s a go. At least the first step is a go. The second step is for Pocket Books and Paramount to approve the outline. They wanted an outline. Sometimes when I’m asked to do a book, I just get a book contract for two books or three books or whatever. Sometimes they’ll ask for a very brief synopsis of what the general idea is. Not even so much for the editor. The editors are generally satisfied at this point that I’m going to do what I say I’m going to do. But they have to present something to marketing so that marketing has something to promote from the get go. So marketing will want a description. It’s obviously different with a novelization where you have a film studio involved, sometimes somebody else, like in this case, Hasbro. They want to know what you’re going to do with their franchise. There is a lot more riding on it than just a book by me that’s going to be published. So I did a fairly extensive outline for the book which has the tentative title of “Star Trek: Refugees” which I can’t explain without giving anything away. I mean, I just signed the contract. But hopefully the outline will be approved since the book is due in October
TrekMovie has confirmed that Foster’s Star Trek sequel novel will be one of the books announced next week at Pocket Books Shore Leave 2010 Star Trek preview. Such a book would be the first novel set in the new alternative universe created by the events of the Star Trek film, and the first story in the new universe set after the feature film (in August IDW is releasing a Nero comic book set during the film, filling in Nero’s 25 year gap see TrekMovie story). Foster’s tentative title of "Refugees" suggests the novel will deal with the Vulcans who survived the destruction of their planet.
Being that Foster has to hand the book in by October, it doesn’t seem likely it will be tied into the Star Trek film sequel. Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have not started yet on that script, and it isn’t due to be handed in to Paramount until Christmas.
In addition to writing many movie adaptations, like for Alien, Star Wars, Transformers and the latest Star Trek movie, Foster has also written in-universe movie tie-ins. The most famous would be the 1978 novel "Splinter in of a Minds Eye", a sequel to the original Star Wars. And in 2002, Foster also wrote a direct prequel to Star Wars Episode II titled "The Approaching Storm."
Look for our report on Pocket Books 2010 plans next weekend for more about this and other future Star Trek novels.
For more from Foster about his recent Star Trek adaptation, read the rest of the WIRED interview.
Star Trek movie Adaptation available now
You can get Fosters Star Trek movie adaptation in multiple formats:
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Hardcover (Amazon) & Signed Hardcover (Premiere Collectibles)
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Audio book: Download: iTunes ($17.95) or Audible ($20.99)
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Comments»
I’m in line for it already!
very cool…first?
cool… can’t wait to read it!
What would be nice is Foster helping to recreate what Star Trek and Pocket Books had in the 80’s & 90’s … hundreds of novels. It makes me sad when I go to the bookstore these days and barely two shelves devoted to Star Trek when I used to see a whole case.
And let’s not forget that Foster has written original Trek fiction before. Not only did he add a great deal of new content to his adaptations of the animated series, but the last four Star Trek Logs each consisted of one episode adaptation plus a longer original followup story by Foster (or in the case of Log Ten, three new stories, respectively before, during, and after the events of the episode).
And of course Foster has an extensive career writing original SF.
Out there lookin’ for ideas, huh Orci!?
;-) (j/k)
CLB
of course all of that was covered when we first announced the Star Trek novelization in Feb
http://trekmovie.com/2009/02/12/alan-dean-foster-writing-star-trek-movie-adaptation/
we can only do so much context in every story
Due in October, you say?
The cynical side of me smells cash in, and the ST XI adaptation was exactaly a stellar read now was it?
“Foster also wrote a direct prequel to Star Wars Episode II titled “The Approaching Storm.”
isnt a prequel to Episode II actually a sequel to Episode I???
The Trek Logs are really fantastic. I look forward to Foster re-visiting the alternate timeline.
I’m so excited! It’s a good time to be a Trekker.
Fascinating.
“The Approaching Storm” was a great Star Wars read, so I’m gonna be waiting for this book anxiously. (Haven’t read the movie novelization yet, unfortunately.)
jesus the nitpicking never stops
“The Approaching Storm” was set shortly before the events of Episode II and tied into that movie, it was released just a few months before Episode II. It also had characters in it from Episode II. It was promoted as being a lead into Episode II, so it is more of a prequel to Episode II, than a sequel to Episode I (which was set 10 years prior).
I’m not a big fan of ADF. His logbooks were good, but, like his novelization of the new movie, they lack something. I’d like to say, sophistication. Having said that (and making the point that I couldn’t do any better), his Trek books are serviceable, and I’ll probably get suckered into buying a paperback of “Refugees”.
Now, tell me that the Reeves-Stevenses are going to take a shot at the new Trek universe, and I’ll pre-order a gold-leaf hardcover.
Since the tentative title is “Star Trek: Refugees,” that kind of gives away the subject of the novel.
And that makes sense, since it was doubtful that the second Trek movie would be about Spock (prime) and the relocation of the remaining Vulcans.
I am glad ADF is getting a shot at this. The novelization, while serviceable at best, didn’t give us the author at his best. I inhaled those log books as a kid many times…
The author now has a chance to weave a bit of a tapestry as to what will happen to the Vulcans physically, morally and spiritually as a resettled people. I also expect a certain dynamic to develop between Sarek and Spock Prime.
I would think that interaction with the Enterprise may be minimal, or at least, will not involve anything which would alter the status quo. I look forward to this. Hope it’s good.
Great so now the discussion will be either:
“They should have made the book into the second movie! Its way better than the actual sequel!”
or
“Thank goodness that they chose to steer away from Foster’s sequel for the movie, it was terrible!”
There is no middleground.
Given that the screenwriters were keen on Foster, and he seemed to have access to them before, it’s quite possible that this novel will reflect their take on what happens to the Vulcans after the movie, since (as noted above) that’s unlikely to be a focus of the next film…
Either way, it’s nice to see some further development of the new timeline. :)
Anthony…i didnt mean to nitpick you or your story. I promise.
It was just meant to be a little comentary on the state of entertainment….cuz just ten years ago we’d never even heard of a “prequel”
a “chicken or the egg” kind of question. ya know? as if to ask “when does a sequel to one story become a prequel to a different story?” very shades of gray.
sorry for the misunderstanding.
#17 – And not surprisingly these things will be said before there is even a book or a movie sequel. Perhaps as early as Tuesday?
Finally,
Ive been waiting to hear about new universe stories.
Im giving it a shot myself over on TrekLair.com.
Attempting a Star Trek serial story. Trying to keep serialized stories alive.
http://www.treklair.com/my_profile/blog-view/blog_star-trek-a-small-dose-of-catastrophy.-_252.htm
Vulcan refugees? Sounds like we’ll get to see more of Spock prime.
Did A. D. Foster’s adaptation of the Star Trek movie include lens flares? I mean, they were like a character in the film.
#18—”…it’s quite possible that this novel will reflect their take on what happens to the Vulcans after the movie, since (as noted above) that’s unlikely to be a focus of the next film…”
But it doesn’t have to be a “focus” of the next film in order for the next film to render the material in Foster’s story (whatever it may be) unserviceable.
All it takes is a throwaway line (perhaps not even part of the original script) being contradictory to Foster’s story to render it irrelevant. The next film’s director (whether it’s Abrams or someone else) will look to service the story for which he is responsible to tell—not to protect the continuity of Foster’s material (with which he may even be totally unfamiliar).
My favorite author for Trek movie novelizations is Vonda McIntyre. She also wrote an original Star Trek novel, “The Entropy Effect” (written soon after “Star Trek TMP”) where she gave Sulu his “Hikaru” first name (which became his canon first name in a later movie).
#22—”Vulcan refugees? Sounds like we’ll get to see more of Spock prime.”
Well…at least read about him.
One of my biggest questions is how far ahead of the ending to ST09 will the story in the sequel advance? How seasoned will the new Jim Kirk be when the new story begins?
6. Jay – July 2, 2009
“Out there lookin’ for ideas, huh Orci!?”
You bet!
23 – Steve, LOL! See, f you read the novel you would have known that the lens flares were the MAIN character in the novel and greatly fleshed out. never before have lens flares been so fully explained, and we now see why there are lens flares in the alternate reality but not so much in the prime universe. We also learned that lens flares were once considered an illness by vulcans but later accepted (which is why there were not too many lens flares on vulcan). Also, William Shatner IS in the new movie, but every time he was on screen, a lens flare blocked out view of him. In fact, the lens flares have casting approval for any light source used in the next movie.
Just completed the novelization; easy read but added little to the story, will be nice to see Foster’s new novel. Movie novelizations are generally sub par; the only exceptions were Vonda McEntire’s Trek II and III — they were incredible. i also agree with the posters who think the refugees refers to the Vulcans. Can’t wait!
#25—”My favorite author for Trek movie novelizations is Vonda McIntyre. ”
I would have to second that. Her work in the TWOK-TSFS-TVH series was great….unmatched (IMO) in the long list of Star Trek books I have read in the last 30 years.
I have to admit not having read the ST09 novelization yet, but I have read some of Foster’s previous Star Trek work. I enjoyed the episode adaptations. From what I hear, the fact that Foster was rushed in producing the ST09 adaptation is noticeable in the finished product. I still plan to pick it up eventually though.
I hope this will be one of ADF’s better efforts. Though I loved the movie one of my nitpicks is that we don’t feel the weight of Vulcan’s destruction.
Nor, on a smaller scale, nearly all the crew’s graduating class being wiped out. It’s morbid when Gaila gives Uhura that excited smile before shipping out to her doom.
#19 – Only 10 years ago?
“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” was a prequel, and that was 25 years ago (1984).
On the subject of Vonda’s adaptions, they were good, but I could do without the Sulu fanfic she inserted into them.
Number 4….are you really complaining we don’t have enough Star Trek books? There PLENTY of Trek books. Unfortunately they pretty much ALL SUCK. There’s your problem.
Hopefully Fosters new book will be a step towards improving this sorry situation.
I think we should all be creating in the world of trek.
Especially in the new universe.
I want to see stories, art work, videos…anything!!
If we presume that this sequel will indeed be about the surviving Vulcans, I certainly hope those survivors include Soval, T’Pau, Skon, T’Pring, Skonn, T’Lar, and T’Pol — and OF COURSE the forebears’ of Tuvok and Dr. Selar…..!
more trek bands!!
No kill I: reboot!!!
#28: “In fact, the lens flares have casting approval for any light source used in the next movie.”
One of the funniest lines I’ve seen in a long time!!
I agree Anthony, jeez, can’t we just “ENJOY” a movie or STAR TREK for the sake of entertainment? It seems as if we have a bunch of film school people who have just learned how to critique and are going overboard. I had to learn not to critique and just enjoy what I was watching.
#4 Jay: “It makes me sad when I go to the bookstore these days and barely two shelves devoted to Star Trek when I used to see a whole case.”
I hear ya. Still, and at the risk of showing my age … I remember a time when I would wait impatiently for months for the next James Blish Trek book to hit the shelves. That’s all we had back then. I’d carefully save my meager allowance, sometimes entrusting it to a school buddy who lived near a favored bookstore and then enduring a sleepless night until I could get to school and receive that new book. A Trek paperback was a rare thing then, precious and greatly anticipated.
Oh yeah, and I had to walk 600 miles to school every single day, even in July, in snow up to my eyeballs. Uphill. Both ways. Really.
Would add a great deal of depth to the new universe if they finally tied novels and motion pictures together. So, Orci and Kurtzman, will your next script be tied together with Foster’s novel? Or will you get this canon / non canon thing going again, right away from the start, when now would be your chance to finally make a series of movies and novels that have a rock hard, fully thought through continuity.
Mike:
Trek books had a ‘golden age’ in the ’80s with authors like John Ford, Vonda McIntyre, the Garfield-Reeves Stevenses, Diane Duane, Peter David, J.M. Dillard, etc. etc.
Give those a look.
40. ger – July 2, 2009
No idea what the novel will be.
- I really like his writing style.. this is a great news..
#35—”If we presume that this sequel will indeed be about the surviving Vulcans, I certainly hope those survivors include Soval, T’Pau, Skon, T’Pring, Skonn, T’Lar, and T’Pol — and OF COURSE the forebears’ of Tuvok and Dr. Selar…..!”
I don’t know who Skon or Skonn is (but I assume you’re referring to Stonn).
I think we can assume the elder Vulcan woman rescued along with Sarek was either T’Pau or T’Lar, since it is difficult to imagine that either wouldn’t have been with the Katric arc. Both of their presences there at the time would seem logical, but it seems that one of the females there was killed during the attempted rescue before exiting the cave.
T’Pol seems like the type that would have been off-world.
Soval is unlikely to be alive, IMO, since he was already an elder statesman during the 2250’s.
I couldn’t care less about T’Pring or her lover, Stonn.
Since Tuvok wasn’t born on Vulcan in the Prime Timeline anyway, it is quite possible that his parents were already living off-world. In any case, Vulcan is destroyed 6 years prior to his birth. Given the regularity of the Vulcan mating cycle, he will probably be born as before, though perhaps not on Earth’s moon.
Foster…Australian for awesome writer!!!
42. BobOrci “No idea what the novel will be.”
Too bad. I was also hoping for better continuity. It’s a fresh start, all that stuff that didn’t make sense/contradicted itself is gone now, so it would be a waste to do stuff that doesn’t make sense again.
I think that Sonak could be an interesting character in this alternate timeline. It seems that (in the Prime Timeline) he also chose service in Starfleet over more traditional Vulcan occupations.
It’s a shame he went the way he did—–ouch! That’s no way to go.
Spock has always spent the vast majority of his time surrounded by his mother’s people. It could be interesting if he were to interact somewhat regularly with a full-blooded Vulcan—-perhaps even as a junior science officer aboard the Enterprise. Their private conversations about human behavior could prove rather humorous and perhaps even as insightful commentary on ourselves.
Would be fun to see Spock embracing his emotional side in this timeline..
I’m not sorry to see fewer Trek books on bookshop shelves. At one point, proper sci-fi and fantasy was practically being driven off the shelves by tie-in books! Fewer and of higher quality suits me better.
A novel would be a wonderful way to explore Spock Prime’s later life. For a summer blockbuster movie Star Trek, I want to see something new and ‘out there’ that stands alone. The books allow us to get to grips more with the some of the background of the new Trek universe. I’ll look forward to refugees. It reminds me of Star Wars when ADF did a sequel before the movie sequel: Splinter of the Mind’s Eye.
And I also agree with the positive remarks about Vonda McIntyre. Her novels and novelisations gave me a sense of the ‘length and breadth’ of the Star Trek universe, its personalities and politics. I think one of the reasons TNG disappointed me was that I had a lot of built-in preconceptions of the Trek universe from her books (and Diane Carey’s Final Frontier and Margaret Wander Bonnano’s Strangers From the Sky) and I saw TNG as a shallow misstep in comparison.
I wonder if Vonda can be persuaded to come back, just as Margaret Wander Bonnano was with the thoroughly enjoyable Burning Dreams.
#47—”I was also hoping for better continuity. It’s a fresh start, all that stuff that didn’t make sense/contradicted itself is gone now, so it would be a waste to do stuff that doesn’t make sense again.”
It’s only contradictory if you confuse the criteria for canon in the Star Trek universe. Books have never been canon, and a film director (it would be far easier to maintain if it were only writers) should not and cannot be expected to maintain continuity with novels as well as filmed material.
All it takes is a throwaway line (that might not even have been in the original script) to contradict something in a novel which precedes that particular filmed product. A director is not going to choose the maintenance of continuity with a novelist’s material (that he/she may very well be unfamiliar with) over what he/she may feel serves the story that he/she wishes to tell. It just isn’t going to happen.
It’s hard enough to get them to maintain continuity with just filmed material.
Why is it so wrong lately to ask for some effort and less laziness?
No wonder world economy is fubar.
#45 OOOPS — that’s a typo. Yes, I meant Stonn. (We can’t edit our posts after clicking on “Say It,” darnit.) Skon is Sarek’s father. Soval may or may not be alive by then, but since Vulcans have such a long life-space compared to humans, who knows…? Perhaps you’re right about Stonn – but I think the actor who played him might not agree, LOL! I always thought, after seeing the eleventh film and realizing its implications (alternate time-line), that this would open up an entirely new range of story possibilities. It begs one to wonder what will happen in this time-lines future when those probes return to Earth (Nomad, the Whale Probe, etc.), and what may happen to the Talosians if they never meet Pike, and so forth………. Wow: darn you, NERO! You could have saved Romulus by cooperating with Spock [Prime], Pike and the young Enterprise crew if you hadn’t gone off the deep end.
I enjoyed ADF’s books as a kid – all the ST Log books, Splinter, and the Icerigger series – but I found the latest movie tie-in to be a big disappointment. Lacking in character development and depth, and then there are the plot holes. Ultimately I think the experience just highlighted the flaws in the script. It made for a better movie than a book. It will be interesting to see what this next book is like.
(—continuing #53 just a bit:) [The alternative time-line presented in the eleventh film] begs one to wonder what will happen in this time-lines future when those probes return to Earth (Nomad, V’GER, the Whale Probe, etc.)…..
Perhaps the surviving Vulcans, led by Spock, will know just what to do – and maybe the USS Enterprise can warp out to head them off before they get too close to Earth…………
Oh, well. I guess that’s another set of stories, for another time!
#23: “Did A. D. Foster’s adaptation of the Star Trek movie include lens flares? I mean, they were like a character in the film.”
Just hopefully this will put an end to the whining about the lens flaring in ST09. If you go back and look at STTMP, there are lens flares all over the place during Kirk & Scott’s fly-by of the Enterprise. Listening to the DVD’s commentary, SPFX director (and extraordinaire) Douglas Trumbull said they purposely put them in to present a lived-in effect of that world.
But since people like to complain, I know it won’t stop.
#33: “Number 4….are you really complaining we don’t have enough Star Trek books? There PLENTY of Trek books. Unfortunately they pretty much ALL SUCK. There’s your problem.”
referencing my last comments.. see what I mean? complain complain complain.
Incidentally, most of the Stasr Trek library is available for ordering online. Just visit any reputable book deals such as http://www.bn.com (no, I do not work for Barnes & Noble, but I wish I did).
As to the quality of ADF’s novelization of “Star Trek (09),” Foster himself said he didn’t have a great deal of time to do it. That should not be a problem with his upcoming title, which I greatly anticipate as Foster is one of my favorite authors. Given time he does great stuff!
44. Closettrekker wrote: the elder Vulcan woman rescued along with Sarek was either T’Pau or T’Lar, since it is difficult to imagine that either wouldn’t have been with the Katric arc. Both of their presences there at the time would seem logical”
I’m still having trouble imagining the logic behind why a human woman was allowed anywhere near the Katric ark, or even inside the sacred temple at all, I don’t care whose wife she was – other than as a plot contrivance to conveniently allow her to plummet to her death in front of her son, of course.
I am looking forward to the first Star Trek novelisation set in the new universe. While the movie novelisation was good, I hope Alan Dean Foster takes his time and expands on the characters and situations within the new universe. I have always been a fan of Alan Dean Foster’s novels and will purchase this one.
#57: I see no break in logic. Vulcan was under attack. It is not unreasonable that a married couple would remain together in times of duress.
Citing a real world example, Ida Strauss refused to leave her husband Isador’s side, and as a result both were lost [together] in the HMS Titanic disaster in 1912. Countless times true love has put loved ones together in times of crisis.
Fingers crossed that his sequel isn’t as arse-clenchingly crap as the movie novelization.
#55 – I am not sure how to mark a post and make sure those read it as sarcasm. Maybe you can advise me?
Alan Dean Foster is sadly an unknown author here in Brazil………that’s why I’ve NEVER saw any book of him in the book stores around here…..
So…
we can’t even mention other web sites on a talkback?
I really like ADF’s Trek Logs, but I was disappointed by the ST09 novelization (maybe he wasn’t given enough time to write it). I hope he’ll be back to form in the new book – sounds interesting.
If T’Pring survived (and why shouldn’t she?) she could challenge Uhura and the two of them could have a fight for Spock! :)
64: “If T’Pring survived (and why shouldn’t she?) she could challenge Uhura and the two of them could have a fight for Spock! :)”
Sounds….fascinating.
Always have enjoyed ADF’s work. He’s cordial with fans (me) and his work always demonstrates imagination and forethought. Looking forward to this!
Thranx, ADF!
#59, not that your point is lost on me … but that is not the same set of circumstances as say a Muslim bringing his Jewish wife into the mosque during an attack, much less the holiest inner sanctums, as well as taking part in the prayer leading, which is closer to how I see the Vulcan traditions.
I can’t be sure on that last part until I see the film again, but I’m pretty sure Amanda was taking part in whatever Katric ritual was going on. At a minimum, regardless of the attack, she should have been seated in some sort of narthex, near her husband in the event of disaster, but respectfully removed from whatever ceremony they were performing.
Guys, Vulcans are logical, not religious. An attack that threatens anybody’s life, and one sanctuary that serves as a hideout… It’s basic math that Vulcan’s would allow anybody to take shelter there.
In fact, I pretty much disliked the entire portrayal of Vulcan’s in this movie. Vulcan’s are logical and have an open mind to everything. They should embody the conscience of the galaxy, just like Spock embodied the conscience of the bridge crew. When humans make arrogant assumptions, Vulcans would be there to remind them that nothing is human-centered, for example (Star Trek 4, for further example).
But in the new movie they were portrayed as racists and bullies that in the end deserved to be destroyed. The young kids bully young Spock, and the Vulcan government treats older Spock like garbage. Which automatically turns them into those guys that deserve punishment and destruction.
Wow, some apostrophe madness going on there.
64:
“If T’Pring survived (and why shouldn’t she?) she could challenge Uhura and the two of them could have a fight for Spock! :) ”
Yeah, but now there are two Spocks.
Wow. Just had an unpleasant visual. Alan, please take that scene out of the book….
#68 – Hardly.
TREK history talks of Spock’s bullying, and of the Council’s displeasure of Spock turning them down to join Starfleet. And Sarek was portrayed wonderfully.
Foster wrote the novelization of the first Star Wars screenplay under the pen name “George Lucas”. I think it would be fun if he used that pen name again for a Star Trek book.
68:
The Vulcans’ behavior towards young Spock comes straight from DC Fontana’s “Yesteryear” written for TAS.
The older Vulcans’ behavior is commensurate with the way they acted throughout most of ENT, and is a more realistic assessment of the race overall, IMHO.
#42, I hear the novel will be about Kahn…
#24 Closet, precisely the thought I had when I read the news story. A random line in the next film could entirely contradict the events of the novel.
As for Vulcans who survived the destruction of the planet. It’s entirely illogical that given the 6 billion or so that died, amongst the 10,000 survivors, are all the Vulcans who have appeared on-screen throughout Trek’s history.
#75
But logical or not, when it comes to the Trek universe(s), Fate has an office on the Paramount lot…
Time to pitch to Pocket.
Youknow. For us Hardcore fans who do not want to see Khan on the big screen again. Lets have him in a full blown novel. That way we can have the cake and eat it to. This should be a lot of fun and im looking forward to reading it.
For the Novels theres so much they can do and have fun with. With Nomad and Veger and the Whale Probe and not to mention the Hortas and Khan and so forth. They can retell the M5 and how about the Doomsday Machine and Charlie X and of corse Gary Mitchell in the Barrier. For the Movies i say lets have new Stories and new Adventures and for the books lets have some fun with Tos Trek in the new Time line.
75:
“As for Vulcans who survived the destruction of the planet. It’s entirely illogical that given the 6 billion or so that died, amongst the 10,000 survivors, are all the Vulcans who have appeared on-screen throughout Trek’s history.”
They were all at the “Vul-Kon” in Albuquerque when Vulcan was destroyed.
The title The Refugees seems to give away a lot about the subject of the book, and it would be a subject the moviemakers would be hesitant to make much more than a passing use of. Good choice in those terms, but the book probably won’t deal too much with the Enterprise crew.
So Mr. Orci, any chance of bring Q to the sequel so that this alternative timeline will be straightened out? ;) I like to see what Kirk, Spock, and McCoy would handle a Q? Maybe we can see an epic situation between Spock Prime and the Q man himself?
I will never forget reading ADF’s adaptation of “Alien” when I was in 7th grade… the chest-burster scene was even more painful reading it than watching…
Good stuff – looking forward to the new novel!
“But in the new movie they were portrayed as racists and bullies that in the end deserved to be destroyed. The young kids bully young Spock, and the Vulcan government treats older Spock like garbage. Which automatically turns them into those guys that deserve punishment and destruction.”
“Yesteryear,” written by DC Fontana set the stage for Spock’s childhood. It was fraught with problems from Vulcan boys bullying him. In “Amok Time” T’Pau berated Spock for bringing “outsiders” to Spock’s intended wedding ceremony. In addition, Sarek (prime) opposed Spocks entry into Starfleet instead of going to the Vulcan Science Academy.
I don’t think the Vulcan’s were portrayed so wrongly in the new film. In fact, I was quite moved that Sarek admitted to Spock that he loved Amanda, and their marriage was based on that over logic. What a wonderful revelation!
#32 Yes, of course The Temple of Doom was technically a prequel to Raiders. However the term “prequel” wasnt popularized….or really used at all….until The Phantom Menace.
Now im being nitpicked…
#78: There were, in fact, three–as you call them– full blown novels involving Khan. Look them up, they were a good read.
I too would have hoped this book would start establishing the new timeline by fleshing some things out that are bound to be ignored by the blockbuster movies. That was a large part of what attracted me to ST in the first place; a cohesive world vision.
Star Wars seems to be doing a pretty good job at keeping all projects in line (more or less). Wired wrote an interesting article about how that works:
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/16-09/ff_starwarscanon
Why can’t the ST guys get their act together? Seems like an opportunity was let slip by.
Could be about Romulan Refugees and set in the post-Romulus post-Countdown era, too.
Or, it could be about lost Star Trek fans who hated ST09 so much, that they’ve left the planet on board the Botany Bay… these would be the Canonista Refugees.
#68: “But in the new movie they were portrayed as racists and bullies that in the end deserved to be destroyed.”
There was *nothing* in the Vulcans’ behavior that warranted the genocide of 6 billion inhabitants, not to mention any other indigenous life forms there. I would be hard pressed to think of any situation where genocide is ever justified, in fact.
#13
“jesus the nitpicking never stops”
You should have capitized the first word in that sentence, and ended it with a period.
LOL!!! (@ #90) priceless!
(oops, I forgot to use a capital ‘P’)
From the way the press news states the information. It implies that the next movie will be about the new Planet Vulcan. And it is a easy 1+1=2, but it could be just a pretty picture and is more like 2+2=5. In other words that’s what our brains wants to here so we here it. The 2+2=5 may be Politically Correct but where is the press saying 100% true and here’s the proof.
Alan Dean Foster is a good author, I still like Ben Bova better, but thats back in the 70’s when I read books in a day or two. Back when I use to Sped Red (as Cheech & Chong would say).
The story plot though does fit perfectly into the time line (be it though the altered timeline and not the The Shats time line.
And as The Shat was asked who would win The original Kirk or the New Kirk, he gave no real answer, but as he a Kevin walked over to the interview chairs, Kevin said It’s you that will win, And Shat said oh of course I’ll win. I hace the clip on my Dish DVR. Have yet to view the clip here, bet it has less video garbage that G$ polutes their shows with. And the interview looked more like an interview with promos tossed in to pay for things. And The Shat looking like he is getting tired of being asked about the movie with out him. Almost like it is not a real movie with out me in it and as the star. And he is doing his best to hide what he feels. Did he learn anything from the character Spock?
#85: I remember the term “prequel” being bandied about in articles and movie reviews back in 1979 with the release of “Butch and Sundance: The Early Days”.
And again in 1984 with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”.
The use of the term predates SW: Episodes I-III by two decades. Of course, I am a nitpicking old geezer . :-)
I’m defintely looking forward to reading this book, especially if it’s got Vulcans, Spock et al. I don’t care about the novelistations, as I always prefer my interpretation (of movie events) to someone else’s. But I’m interested in the audio version read by Quinto, I’ll probably check that one out.
#82. ‘So Mr. Orci, any chance of bring Q to the sequel so that this alternative timeline will be straightened out? ;) I like to see what Kirk, Spock, and McCoy would handle a Q? Maybe we can see an epic situation between Spock Prime and the Q man himself?’
My thoughts exactly:) Except the restoration of the timeline.
Well, if not in the sequel, then maybe in the next one after it? And of course, only with deLancie as Q, anyone else would look weird, IMHO. As I’ve already mentioned, Q doesn’t necessarily have to meet the crew, but Q&Spock Prime situation would be definitely awsome.
Shamefully, the only 2 ST books I’ve read were “the Renegade” ant “the Probe”. I enjoyed the latter very very much. I hope someday a boxed set appears covering all ST literature. Maybe some electronic file to be read on the new readers… It’ll be cool…
I seriously hope Pockets will put some sort of logo on the cover of new universe novels, so we could separate them from original Star Trek novels. I like both worlds, but I don’t really want them to mingle.
I’ve been a fan of Alan Dean Foster for many years, and I, too, devoured those Log books when they first came out. And I really enjoyed “Splinter Of the Mind’s Eye.”
As for this forthcoming novel/sequel, canon, not-canon, continuity, no-continuity, I really don’t worry about stuff like that. It’s a BIG UNIVERSE, with plenty of room for all kinds of things. If Foster’s sequel doesn’t completely synch with whatever Orci & Kurtzman do with the next film, I won’t be jumping up and down that one invalidates the other. I take things for what they are, and enjoy them for what they are. Why keep trying to put everything in neat little rows, wanting everything to square up? TOS, itself, had its share of inconsistencies, so being consistent is NOT part of Trek canon, IMO. I read, and enjoyed, several of the Shatner/Reeves-Stevens novels, but they, apparently, do not synch with the so-called Trek canon. So what? My motto: sit back and enjoy the Trek…
@97:
I have to agree with you. I loved the TAS “Log” books a lot. I trolled used and chain bookstores and used my meager wages as a supermarket cashier ( I was in high school back then) to puchase them as soon as they came out. I also enjoyed “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye”. Diane Duane and The Reeves-Stevens novelisations whilst not considered canon are still amongst my favourites.
I have a question.
The TNG movies are often critiziced for feeling like two-hour-long TV episodes, and not like real motion pictures for the big screen.
What about all those novels, from TOS to VOY? Do they feel like TV episodes, or movies? And what exactly creates that impression for you?
Thanks!
It’s “Splinter of THE Mind’s Eye” not Splinter in of a Mind’s Eye. That’s one heck of a typo there. Good book. From what I read, Foster was working with Lucas on the story and Lucas had planned on making it into a movie if Star Wars hadn’t done well enough to give him a large enough budget for The Empire Strikes Back. Not sure what Lucas thinks now as he seems to change his mind over the years, but I believe that book may be one of the only things in the EU of Star Wars that’s canon.
As for Trek books, I agree that most aren’t that great. Many are almost impossible to get into for me, the characterizations are so off. If you want a good read from a Trek book check out novels by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens. Those two are fantastic writers. One of their best is “Federation”. Also check out Bill Shatner’s Star Trek novels co-written by the Reeves-Stevens’. Those are great. The only two I didn’t much care for are “The Ashes of Eden” and “Captain’s Peril”. “The Return” was pretty wild, but quite entertaining.
#57—-”I’m still having trouble imagining the logic behind why a human woman was allowed anywhere near the Katric ark, or even inside the sacred temple at all, I don’t care whose wife she was…”
Actually, there is a basis for that in the novelization of TVH (by Vonda McIntyre)—in which Amanda Grayson is a noted intellectual on Vulcan, and has ever attained some sort of “Priestess” title. Although it isn’t canon, it isn’t precluded by anything that is either.
Beyond that, I don’t have any trouble with Sarek’s wife being with him at the time, particularly under the circumstances. I doubt that anyone is going to tell Sarek Of Vulcan that she cannot be there.
I read the Foster Star Trek movie novelization, and enjoyed it better than the movie itself. Having said that, the novelization was sort of unremarkable. It contained a few tidbits not in the film, but no major additions. I hope that the planned novel is good as Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, which I remember enjoying a great deal.
#100–arent you forgetting the DS9 ‘Millennium’ Trilogy by the Stevenses? a trilogy so epic and so thought provoking it would make a perfect epic film trilogy :)
‘The refugees’ sounds like a Vulcan story in the alternate universe.
In any case, I’m looking forward A LOT more to this novel by ADF than to any movie sequels. I like his movie adaption.
I bet this thing will be exactly like the discussions we were having on the after-effects of the destruction of Vulcan. First relocation, then establishing new leadership, then a fracture with a segment possibly renouncing logic (what good did it do them?) and seeking revenge or conquest of Romulus, possibly with the aid of the Federation, who would be coerced into giving in to Vulcan demands due to public outcry and sympathy of Federation member worlds. It wouldn’t matter that Nero was from the future, the events would likely spiral toward a full scale conflict, unless a way could be found to stop it.
99 JarodR
Speaking only for myself, of course, I had many mixed feelings about Trek novels when I was reading them pretty regularly, starting with the James Blish adaptations, through a fair number or the Pocket Book releases (then I just gave up…) Whenever I read these books, I, like most others, would be visualizing the scenes in my head, hearing the various actors’ voices, and so forth. Most of the books either didn’t “fit” with my inner vision of Star Trek, or the characters were saying things which I didn’t think they would have said, or the books were just poorly written fan-fiction. There were a few that stood out, however: “The Galactic Whirlpool” by David Gerrold was a very enjoyable book, which actually came from a two-part episode he proposed to Trek producers. “The Motion Picture” by Gene Roddenberry was also a favorite, mostly for sentimental reasons… a Star Trek novel coming from the Great Bird, himself, was very cool to me. “The Entropy Effect” by Vonda McIntyre was a very good story, though it did not entirely fit my vision of Trek. “The Covenant of the Crown” by Howard Weinstein was a perfect Star Trek episode, and the characterizations and dialogue were dead-on, IMO. “Tears of the Singers” by Melinda Snodgrass was another one I enjoyed, and she later went on to become part of the TNG staff. “Yesterday’s Son” by AC Crispin, and “The Wounded Sky” by Diane Duane were others that I enjoyed, and felt were very Trek-ish. I stopped reading Trek novels in general after #40 or so, although I did read the film adaptations, and a couple of select books afterward, including the first few Shatner/Reeves-Stevens books (I thought “The Return” would have made a great film, and a great way to get Kirk back).
I suppose everyone has their own inner vision of what Star Trek looks like, sounds like, etc. and so different books for different folks worked or didn’t work.
I didn’t read any TNG, DS9, VOY, or ENT books, mostly cos I don’t have time any more. But I really grew to dislike the fact that there were so many damned books. It was ridiculous, IMO. And most of these books were quite forgettable in any case. I think there was more a desire on the part of Pocket Books to simply try to make a $, rather than really producing quality Star Trek stories. Even some of the books that were written by legitimate sci-fi writers (I don’t want to pick on anyone in particular) were disappointing to me, as I felt like they were just going through the motions. Ok, Star Trek is unlikely to produce any Great Literature, but c’mon guys…
Every prequel is still a sequel to the original. How’s that for a mind-bender?
It looks to me like Anthony Pascale is in the pocket of Amazon. He lists just about every version Amazon sells and not one they don’t sell. There are other shops and other versions out there. Amazon is not the only one to sell the tie-in book. Please revise the links section and put in for other versions/other stores. For example, Barnes & Noble and Borders both sell it. And as for eBooks, Sony, BooksOnBoard, CyberRead, Fictionwise and others sell it. So please get out of Amazon’s back pocket. And when the sequal is out, will you only link to Amazon for that too?
#108—And what if Amazon is a sponsor of the site? Is it wrong for Anthony to support those who support him? You apparently don’t own a small business yourself, or you wouldn’t make such complaints.
You don’t have to click on Anthony’s link to get the book. You can search for it on your own. It isn’t any of your business whose pocket Anthony is in. Sites like this cost money to operate, and Anthony has to pay those costs.
On the other hand, if you want to advertise those other sites here, there might be space available. It is a free market.
#108 – You can just go look at other sites for your purchases, simple.
Heh. At least we know what the plot of the next movie WON’T be. :o)
#19/85:
I’m with #93 on this one … I remember the word “prequel” being in heavy use during the “Temple of Doom” days, myself (and I’ll take his word on the other one), and in all the days since … I remember distinctly that after they used it a lot promoting the Indy prequel, others folks started to use it more regularly, too (comic book publishers, for example).
The movie ‘Butch and Sundance- The Early Days’ starring Tom Berenger and William Katt as Butch and Sundance was the first film that was actually billed as a prequel, way back in 1979—
It was lame, like a lot of prequels are.
Wikipedia has a good entry for the term prequel.
85. garen: ‘Yes, of course The Temple of Doom was technically a prequel to Raiders. However the term “prequel” wasnt popularized….or really used at all….until The Phantom Menace.’
Actually, I’ve been familiar with the term most of my (34 year) life. The first usage of the word I recall was with Butch and Sundance: The Early Years.
The Star Wars ‘prequels’ were just another usage of an old term, as far as I knew.
The most annoying usage of ‘prequel’ is when people refer to a film’s predecessor in a series as a prequel: saying TWOK is a ‘prequel’ to TSFS, for example!
108:
It’s extremely common to post direct links to Amazon, and, yes, the site makes money every time you use one of those links to make a purchase. It’s also quite convenient.
Getting angry about it is like seeing that your show is “brought to you by Toyota,” and you like Nissans. So what? Nissans are still out there.
108. JWolf
It’s advertising! We don’t live in a communist collective yet, thank God! As a rule, each time someone orders an item going via the linked site, this site makes money off it!
If B&N or anyone else wants to be linked, they have to pay for it!
113. Bob Tompkins . . .
And I so typed the same comment as you while you were in the process of posting!!! ;)
#108 JWolf
“please get out of Amazon’s back pocket. ”
Many sites link to amazon because if you buy a book through that link, then the original site gets some pennies. If this is what trekmovie does to bring in some money to help bring us this site, why on earth would you complain about it?
Amazon simply is the ‘de facto’ link for online book purchases and has been for the entire history of online book purchases.
Hm… What to say…
“YAY!” seems fitting. ^__^
And #108, tons of sites do that. Half the time it seems automatic. And Amazon is a huge retailer, and they always have it, so why not?
The movie adaption novel was horrible and dry.
Alan Dean Foster also wrote the screenplay for the Motionless Picture. No wonder.
LogIcal.
Flawlessly Logical.