As noted in our recent feature on Star Trek licensing, Simon & Schuster is planning new novels tied into the new Star Trek movie. Now we have word on some specifics for the first books. Later this year S&S will release two young adult ‘Starfleet Academy’ movie tie-ins. S&S has also scheduled their next Peter David Star Trek New Frontier book.
New Starfleet Academy Books
Simon & Schuster has just added two untitled "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" books to their 2010 schedule, both for November 16, 2010. They will be trade paperback sized and priced at $7.99. These novels will be released under Simon & Schuster’s Simon Spotlight brand, which handles children’s and young adult books. For now the only description for the books is the same for both, promising "A new Starfleet Academy series for teens–filled with romance and adventure!". Only one of the two books has an announced author (Rudy Josephs – who wrote a Mirror Universe TNG story for the 2009 "Shards and Shadows" compilation). This first "Academy" book by Josephs is already available for pre-order at Amazon.
Although not specified on the Simon & Schuster site, TrekMovie has confirmed these new books are tied into the Star Trek movie universe. These books will therefore be the first new Star Trek books set in the new movie universe (not counting the 2009 "Star Trek" novelization by Alan Dean Foster). Although four books set after the movie were announced last summer, those were put on hold earlier this year. TrekMovie’s interview with CBS licensing VP John Van Citters confirmed the issue with those four books (originally planned to be released in the Summer of 2010) was that they were set after the events of the Star Trek film. These new Academy books will be set during the events of the movie, and therefore will not risk stepping on the toes of JJ Abrams and his team as they craft the Star Trek sequel set for a June 29, 2012 release.
These new young adult books are expected to be just the beginning of a series, and Simon & Schuster, CBS and Bad Robot are still discussing potential Star Trek movie tie-in books for adult readers (under the Pocket Books brand), but nothing specific can be reported as of now.
New young adult books to tell tales of the new Trek heroes at Starfleet Academy
The return of young adult Star Trek books
It is a good sign that the launch of the Star Trek movie is being used as an opportunity to bring back young adult Star Trek books. The last Trek book geared for younger readers was the young adult version of the Star Trek: Nemesis novelization in 2002. At the peak of Trek popularity (and merchandising) in the mid-nineties, Simon & Schuster released a series of young reader “Starfleet Academy” books, telling stories of Academy years of the crews of the original Star Trek, The Next Generation and Voyager. They also released a number of young adult Deep Space Nine stories featuring the adventures Jake and Nog.
Some of the young adult ‘Starfleet Academy’ books from the 90s
Next Peter David New Frontier coming January 2011
When Pocket Books provided us with their updated 2010 schedule last month, it was missing a previously announced Peter David New Frontier book. But it now appears the novel was just moved back a few months as the book is back on the schedule, with an official release date of January 11, 2011. The trade paperback also now has a name "Star Trek: New Frontier: Resolutions", and it is expected to carry on the story following "New Frontier: Treason", which was just recently released in mass market paperback (see TrekMovie review).
UPDATED 2010/11 SIMON & SCHUSTER STAR TREK BOOK SCHEDULE
Here is a quick update to the Star Trek books coming in the next year. It covers the latest news and goes up to January 2011. All dates based on official Simon & Schuster release dates (note: books sometimes arrive in book stores up to four weeks before official dates).
(March)
Star Trek: Seven Deadly Sins [TPB – various eras]
Various authors, Editor: Margaret Clark [pre-order at Amazon]
Star Trek Online: The Needs of the Many [MM – Star Trek Online tie-in]
by Michael A. Martin [pre-order at Amazon]
Star Trek: Unspoken Truth [MM – TOS/Saavik]
by Margaret Wander Bonanno [pre-order at Amazon]
(April)
Star Trek The Children of Kings [MM – TOS/Pike]
by David Stern [pre-order at Amazon]
(July)
Star Trek SCE: Out of the Cocoon [TPB reprint of ebooks – SCE]
Various authors, edited by Keith R. A. DeCandido [pre-order at Amazon]
(August)
Star Trek SCE: What’s Past (July) [TPB reprint of ebooks – SCE]
Various authors, edited by Keith R. A. DeCandido [pre-order at Amazon]
Star Trek [MM reprint – ST09 movie novelization]
by Alan Dean Foster [pre-order at Amazon]
(September)
Star Trek The Next Generation: Nightshade [MM reprint – TNG]
by Laurell K. Hamilton
(October)
Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Seize the Fire [MM – Titan]
by Michael A. Martin [pre-order at Amazon]
(November)
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Untitled #1 [YA TPB – ST09 movie tie-in]
by Rudy Josephs [pre-order at Amazon]
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Untitled #2 [YA TPB – ST09 movie tie-in]
author TBA
Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game [MM – Aventine]
by David Mack
(December)
Death in Winter [MM reprint -TNG]
by Michael Jan Friedman [pre-order at Amazon]
Star Trek: Myriad Universes: Shattered Light [TPB – various eras]
by various [pre-order at Amazon]
Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Rough Beasts of Empire [MM – DS9]
by David R. George
(January 2011)
Star Trek: New Frontier: Resolutions [TPB – NF]
by Peter David
(January/February 2011)
Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Paths of Disharmony [MM – TNG]
by Dayton Ward
Ugh…this summer looks pretty dry. SCE stories are decent but I want some more Voyager and DS9 books. This young adult crap bothers me. I was reading Star Trek books when I was 10. Kids don’t need to be pandered to. I would not have read those books when I was a kid because I would have preferred to read the real Star Trek books. Its late and I’ve been playing Mass Effect 2 for hours. Am I first?
YA is cool, but I’m holding out for CYOA :)
With all the Academy titles, when will Shatner’s sequel to “Collision Course” finally come out?! It was announced for 2009 originally, if I’m not mistaken.
I’m back. I have to say I think getting rid of Margaret Clark was a bad move and I think this years summer line-up is weaker because of it. I happen to love Trek books and I read them all (except the young adult ones…ugh). This year started great with the mirror universe book “The Sorrows of an Empire”. This book is amazing, if anyone is even a little interested in the mirror universe they should check it out. David Mack, you are the man and I read all of your Trek stuff. Then we get to the 7 Sins book which I am looking forward to because I find the Trek anthology books to be pretty good reading. Its great until April, then there is nothing except SCE until the Typhon Pact stuff in the fall :( No DS9 or Voyager? No Titan? Young Adult books? Are you serious? Trust me, if a kid is smart enough to be a Trek fan, they don’t need books dumbed up for them. And then a Star Trek Online book? I am a player of the game but I don’t know how many universes I can follow at this point. And I’m still trying to get through the Romulan War book! I think I need to lay down…
OK, I’m back with one last drunken point…when the hell are Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens gonna write some more Trek stuff? They are among the best and I’m not just talking about the Shatner books (which I love). They should at least be consultants on the next movie. Stef, I have not read Collision Course yet. Can you or anyone tell me if its decent? I felt the Shatner books got weaker over time so I haven’t read it yet.
Not exactly the subject at hand….. but those uniform trousers in the pic of Kirk and Bones looked like a horrible fit!
And back to you. ;-)
More New Frontier?! YAY :D Peter David’s series is such a lot of fun, I was so worried I’d seen the last of it! The next year can’t go by fast enough…
I was really disappointed when I read that the new New Frontier book was missing from the Summer line. I absolutely love Peter David’s take on the Star Trek Universe and hope that either he continues writing them for a long time or hands them over to another talented writer (KRAD for example)
Also looking forward to the Typhon Pact books!
Disappointing. Bad move firing Maggie clark boys.
Movie tie-in books? Young adult or no, I’ve heard that song and dance before…
@ Chris Brooks: Collision Course actually was my first Shatner Trek novel, so unfortunately I can’t make a comparison. However, I really enjoyed the book and its unique approach to how Kirk & Spock might have met. It also has a lot of Tarsus IV backstory which I find really interesting.
At this point (after the first of the (announced) three) I’m not sure how these Kirk & Spock could have become the ones depicted in TOS but the whole book was very entertaining and with two more books in the series the development would have been very interesting to see.
New Frontier should be the next television series.
@ Chris Brown – Collision Course is a great book! Like the rest of Judith and Garfield’s work, you won’t be able to put it down. It was a really fun read.
What is “MM?”
Kiddie books? They cancel the real STXI novels and give us this??
Bull.
Great! Maybe they can explain why a man whose an MD needed to go back to college when he “enlisted” in the Academy. Sure glad the went for the gold with those Transformers scribes.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. I like young adult novels, though I’m probably somewhat outside their target demographic, but the movie itself was more or less covered the period in which these books would be set; I don’t see why novels like this are necessary for the alternate reality.
If they really want to reach out to kids who might have been introduced to Star Trek for the first time by the new movie, how about a new animated series that picks up where the movie left off? It wouldn’t necessarily have to contradict the new movie (Star Wars: The Clone Wars has demonstrated that pretty well). I’m not sure if Paramount considers a $350 million gross at the box office to be high enough to merit an animated series (certainly not a new live-action series, at least not yet), but it’s worth a shot, and it may even increase the returns for the next movie when it’s released in 2012.
As far as the novels go, I’d be much more interested in going back to the post-Voyager era and find out what happened to Naomi Wildman, Icheb, and Miral Paris. Not to mention Jake, Nog, and Alexander…we haven’t heard from them in quite a while.
@Steamblade Are you under the impression that a person can serve in the navy and become a ranking officer (as opposed to just an enlisted man) without attending the Academy? Had McCoy not attended the Academy, he might have been able to get a position on a starship, but he certainly wouldn’t have become CMO.
T.’.
Not that its canon or anything, but even the old FASA rpg had medical officers having to complete the basic 4 years at the Academy, though they did start of at a higher rank. (Lieutenant, I believe, if memory serves…)
T.’.
I remember reading and doing a book report on “Worf’s First Adventure” in 4th grade. Ah, nostalgia
Wow-
They really hurt the line when they pulled those three/four books from the line. They need to get back Marco or Margret.
#16: McCoy has always been a command officer in both the original TOS and the JJverse. That is the only explanation for why McCoy was always included in groups throughout TOS and the movies that a general service doctor never would be. Since we now have seen McCoy running the operations post during Kobayashi Maru, clearly at least in this version of the universe, McCoy’s not just a medic, he’s also line officer. Makes sense for a guy who someday becomes Chief Medical Officer for all of Starfleet. (Think back to TMP… if McCoy weren’t an Academy product also, how likely was that going to be?)
In today’s militaries, it normally works in the other direction: one attends the service academy, majors in a science, and then as a serving officer is sent on to graduate school or medical school. No reason though in 2200’s it couldn’t also work the other way as it has for McCoy. He’s a bit of an exceptional case.
We have precedent with Troi’s needing to obtain command status during TNG, since she didn’t seem to have gone through SA.
Good to see so many new books, novel etc
I’d love to have the next chapter of the ENT Romulan War series…(whatever follows after beneath the raptors wing)
There are many senior command officers serving in the miltary that did not attend a service academy. They are typically called “mustangs.”
Never say the point of ‘Young Adult’ books. When I was a ‘young adult, I read . . . adult books!
I wish they would write a book of the adventures of a young Jim Kirk and Spock. But from the viewpoint of the Terran Empire. Would be kool to see how it happens in that universe. The Back Stabbing and the trickery of making through the Acedamy in the Terran Empire.
Don’t care about YA at all. When’s the next Vanguard coming out? Not til 2011?
Disappointed with this year’s selection of books, but on the bright side, it will give me a chance to catch up, as I am a little behind in my reading. I am looking forward to the Typhon Pact books. It drives me nuts that I had to wait a year between the last book to cover the events following “Destiny” and the Typhon Pact. I also cannot wait for the next Romulan War book. PocketBooks seems to be aimless right now, since ditching Clark. We should not be waiting a year or more for the next story. The next Romulan War book should have been planned to be done within a few months after the previous. The same with the post-Destiny stories. They release books covering different eras in clumps, then we don’t hear from that particular series for a year or more.
Question: I am currently reading the Mirror Universe: Glass Empires trade paperback. I bought ” The Sorrows of the Empire” by David Mack when it was released in December. Should I skip the novelette in Glass Empires and save myself some time by just reading the full novel? From what I understand, the full novel is basically an expanded version of the story in Glass Empires.
For #23:
Having served in the Navy, the rank system in Star Trek makes perfect sense. Though having served as enlisted, I spent enough time to have some insight into how one becomes a commissioned Naval officer.
Though I speak from a naval perspective on things, I see no reason it can’t translate to how Starfleet officers are made.
Of course, Academy grads will become officers upon graduation.
That’s one way to go officer.
However going through one of the service academies isn’t the only way. A Bachelor’s Degree or higher at a civilian college will get you to Officer Candidate School, or OCS. You’ll graduate OCS as a commisioned officer.
Another similar route is taking ROTC at said civilian college. Form there it’s off to OCS
Thene there’s the Mustangs.
These are enlisted (E-6 thru E-9, with a no more than 16 yrs service) folks who put in the package, and upon very tight selection, become officers by going through OCS.
A Mustang is either a Navy Limited Duty Officers (LDO) or a Chief Warrant Officers (CWO).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_Duty_Officer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_Officer_(United_States)
Due their having been formerly enlisted, they are valued for their expertise and experience in their given field as excellent technical managers.
There are also other programs like Direct Fleet Accession, “Seaman to Admiral”, or through the Enlisted Commissioning Program.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Starfleet were to have similar programs as well.
Good post # 30. You beat me to the punch. I too served and retired from the Navy. Good job, fair winds and fine seas.
I wonder if Kirk/Galia liaisons would be mentioned in the Young Adult novels? That might be tricky.
Finnegan and Gary Mitchel in there for the win!
Filled with romance…so for Kirk’s sake, I sure hope they have a cure for herpes and other STD’s by the 23rd century, lol. And God only knows what those Orion girls have…
#30 and 31. I was also in the Navy as enlisted and you are correct. I think Gene Roddenberry who was also in the Military based the rank system on the Navy since the Big E was like a Navy Ship only in Space.
#29 – Yes, just go ahead and read the standalone paperback version of THE SORROWS OF EMPIRE. It is an expanded version of the original short novel — more than double the length of the original version, actually.
sweet i loved those starfleet academy books!
I actually never read the YA books, LOL. My first ‘Trek novel was.. “Spock’s World”, I think. Then that post STVI book about the Vulcan girl who got stuck on a planet with a bunch of crazy Rigellians and there was this whole plot with Romulans and stuff… I’ll never remember the name, gah. I think it was called “Mind Meld”. All I know is I loved it.
“Trial Run” (sequel to Collission Course) needs to come out before my head explodes. I loved that book to death, it was hysterical and epic and all-around a favourite of mine.
Also, let’s jump back on the DS9 relaunch wagon!! Left me with a cliffhanger for God’s sake, with Iliana becoming an Emissary, and the whole Kira thing, not to mention the Ascendants basically going off the wall… Oh! And the collapse of the Great Link. Hel-lo, plot development, please? Don’t make me try and write the next relaunch book. I’ll just ruin everything. ;3
I am fond of Diane Carey’s Star Trek work, so I bought and read the Starfleet Academy Cadet Kirk YA book as an adult and quite enjoyed it. Granted, it was frustrating that it was not written on an “adult” level, but it certainly was a fun look at the Kirk & Spock & McCoy triangle. :)
I was a big fan of the YA books when I was a wee lad. Glad to see them back.
#35–Thanks David Mack. I’m looking forward to reading it. I loved the Destiny series and the million other books you have written so far. In fact, hats off to all the current writers. It has been years since I read any novels I did not enjoy. I love the relaunches for all the series. I am an all around Star Trek fan and love the fact that the stories have continued.
My very first Star Trek novel was Battlestations way back in 1987. I was only 12 at the time. I was only a newbie fan. I remember thinking to myself, I have to see that episode. Obviously I quickly discovered the novels were original stories. Ah, innocent youth.
#37–Deep Space Nine is included in the Typhon Pact books. Apparently they are bringing the relaunch up to the post-Destiny time line. I do hope they at least give a brief overview of what happened between The Soul Key in 2377 and 2382 when the Typhon Pact is supposed to take place. I think the Ascendant story was resolved at the end of The Soul Key. At least that was my impression. I also think the Mirror Universe story of Iliana becoming Emissary was meant to be the end of that story as well. However, I would like to see a follow up to the Dominion story line. What happens to Odo and Laas now that they are the Great Link. What happens to the Dominion now that the gods are almost all gone? I hope someone picks up on that.
18, et al:
My point being when McCoy boards the “enlistment” shuttle he says “I am a doctor.” Which to me says that he has already been through his undergraduate studies at Ole Miss, unless Nero somehow screwed that up too, and has at least finished medical school to call himself that. So, other than to be Jim’s buddy, why would McCoy need to go to the Academy? Starfleet doesn’t have an Officer Candidate School? I realize that we aren’t dealing with the best of scripts, but this is one of my biggest gripes in a movie that is so desperate to tell its feeble story that logic and common sense be damned.
When is the next Vangaurd book coming out?
So does this mean they can greenlight Shatners next Kirk Academy tale since they are doing Academy stuff, or is it JJverse stuff only?
These Academy stories are not nearly as interesting to me as stories set after the end of Trek 2009 in the new timeline.
I mean Lucas had no fears about Alan Dean Foster writing Splinter of the Minds Eye when he was busy working on The Empire Strikes back because books are EU.
The difference now between book canon and film canon though got skewed by the writers of the new film. So i wonder if its because fans would think these books are canon sequels and it would ruin whatever the second film could do business wise.
43-
Having McCoy as Kirk’s classmate is an oddity. However, he might have been pursuing another degree at Starfleet Academy as a graduate student. When the Enterprise was called into service, I got the impression that “cadet” McCoy actually outranked most of the other cadets as Assistant Medical Officer. That’s probably some sort of acknowledgment to his experience.
But I don’t understand Star Trek’s chain of command in general. Sometimes the Federation President is referred to as “commander in chief” and sometimes it is a four star admiral. The Federation Council actually demoted Kirk in The Voyage Home. They’ve also given operational orders to officers in the field (TNG, DS9). Isn’t that like Congress micro-managing a war over the authority of the president?
The Federation basically follows the same structure as the United States. Starfleet is at it’s core a military organization. But they ultimately answer to the Federation Council and the President. Operational orders are generally handled by Starfleet itself. And like the US, there is a Starfleet Chief of Staff who acts like a liason between the Council and Starfleet. Generally speaking, the Council has something they want done, and they pass that to the Admirals at Starfleet and it is up to them to get it done. But they are usually given leeway as to how they carry it out. Something like the US Congress and the President decide they want military action somewhere. The US military generally handles the planning and how it is carried out. But they still have to answer to Congress and the President.
The President’s shows in Star Trek has never been a Star Fleet admiral. I think you may be confusing one of the chiefs of staff or one of the Vice-Admirals for the President. Only 3 have been shown on screen, and some have been noted in the novels. I believe there may have been former Starfleet officer mentioned in the books that went on to become President, but they were retired from Starfleet.
Star Trek always left the impression that Kirk and McCoy already knew each other before they were assigned to the Enterprise. They never established how, though. In the book Strangers from the Sky, Margaret Wander Bonanno noted that McCoy was away from the Enterprise when Piper was CMO due to personal issues. However, the Vanguard book “Harbinger” does go with the theory that Kirk and McCoy did not know each other. So there is some dispute here as to whether they were actually friends before the Enterprise. I guess take your pick.
45-
(1) Has the Congress ever demoted an officer in the U.S. armed forces?
I found this part of The Voyage Home perplexing. I was under the impression that was usually handled by the military itself. And in extreme cases, by POTUS and Secretary of Defense, in their role as civilian controllers of the military. But I just don’t know. Maybe the military historians among us can provide more insight than I can.
(2) Can a person actually hold the title of “commander in chief” without being president?
With regards to the commander in chief issue, I am not suggesting the president was ever an active duty Starfleet admiral. However, Admiral Bill in The Undiscovered Country was addressed as “The C-in-C,” not Chief of Staff. I suspect this was simply an error nobody caught before the shoot. But it is out there and has been the catalyst for all sorts of debate over at Memory Alpha.
40. damian: ‘My very first Star Trek novel was Battlestations way back in 1987. I was only 12 at the time.’
My first Trek novel too; same age as well. I picked it up at the World Science Fiction Convention in Brighton shortly before my Dad and I were ejected for being there and not having paid to go in!!
I’m all for reading adventure, but the romance promised here better equal more S/U–without the fluffy Edward and Bella ‘needy woman’ dynamic—or I’m out. Lets looks at healthy relationship where neither party compromises who they are to be together please.
I agree with #1. I only read the adult TOS books, even as a child. The YA books were considered badly written and childish among my TOS friends.
They shouldn’t underestimate the young audience.
Will there ever be any stories about Captain Robert April?