So this is my fourth post ever in this forum. How's that for sad?
I've had this idea in my head lately that won't go away, so I thought I'd inflict it on y'all. Like lots of Trek fans, I have a compulsive need for things to fit together and make sense. However, Star Trek just... doesn't. There was no plan, and as a consequence there are a ridiculous number of loose ends: planet-destroying whale probes, civilizations never mentioned again, huge technological leaps that just vanish, a bunch of stuff. A lot of the novel authors also seem to have the same need I do. We get things like the Q trilogy and Peter David's novels, trying to tie disparate threads of Trek together into some sort of consistent whole.
I'd like to take a different approach. I'd like to rewrite the Trek continuity to use the existing elements, but with overall stories and arcs in mind, and with the consequences of things actually mattering down the line. Instead of trying to create new pieces that fit the established canon, I'd like to rewrite the existing pieces to flow better. Right now all I'm thinking is creating a lot of arcs covering the various shows, reusing and tying up as many loose threads as possible.
For example, Kirk and the Enterprise find the Guardian, and have their City on the Edge of Forever adventure. But this discovery isn't just some minor thing never to be mentioned again. It causes serious repercussions, to the point of the Klingons and Romulans trying to seize the Guardian for themselves. On the edge of that major battle, the Organians show up and impose a peace.
Time travel would be an inextricable and major element of the continuity. Instead of "Oh, we can travel through time by warping around a star," we'd get "Time travel? HOLY SHIT!" The Temporal Cold War would actually show up and have effects all throughout history, including the strange duplicates of Earth Kirk discovers. And that cold war might actually show some beginnings with the Guardian incident, with the various empires willing to go to war for the power to rewrite history. Possibly ultimately leading centuries down the line to THE temporal cold war, against the Borg.
The first step, I would think, would be to make a list of all the loose ends that would need to be re-threaded. Off the top of my head:
Guardian of Forever Time warp around a star Doomsday Machine Duplicate Earths Whale Probe V'ger Genesis device Galactic barrier Great barrier Cytherians Organians Trelane Q Borg Temporal Cold War Iconians T'kon Preservers
So it's a potentially ridiculously huge project. But I think it sounds like a lot of fun. What do y'all think?
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Sounds good, but maybe you should also throw in the Tholians as I feel there some possibilities with them, especially if your going to include the Temp Cold War.
Posted by Dukhat (Member # 341) on :
Most of those topics have been covered in the ST novels. However, until very recently, most of the novels would contradict each other because there was no cohesive writing group for them like there is today.
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
You know that I'm all for it.
If we're trying to tie all of Trek together, are you going to include Enterprise as well? I know its not high on a lot of people's lists, but... There are some unanswered things from Enterprise as well. Like the whole Xindi thing, the Spheres and their builders, the Suliban, the Delphic Expanse, etc etc. I think it would be interesting if the Temporal Cold War started with Kirk's discovery of time travel and worked backwards.
Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
Very similar to the Reboot idea JMS had to reboot Star Trek.
Dukhat's right, a lot of those topics are covered in the novels, and for the same reason: they're all loose ends. I'm just proposing a different approach from the novels. Though the way they tie things together could certainly be involved.
JMS's reboot is indeed somewhat similar. But I'm interested in actually plotting out the entire 200 year span, including Enterprise. I'm not looking for any single plot arc for a whole series, particularly. But knowing how things are connected would give the whole of Star Trek the feel of a real universe, instead of the mish-mash it has become.
And yes, Tholians! Gorn, First Federation, all the one-off races that were supposed to be major and didn't get mentioned for a long time. Mirrorverse would be important too.
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
Given that traveling to the Mirrorverse is apparently as simple as waving a gidget over the transporter controls and hopping on the pad, I'm amazed that there isn't more cross-traffic. Or, for that matter, attempts to find other mirror universes. Its like the time travel discovery, this should be a major event with serious consequences...!
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
So, universe-hopping requires throwing Sally Field at the console?!?
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Not Without My Vulcan.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
More points to be redeveloped: Technological development Cloaking technology Genetic engineering/Eugenics wars Artificial intelligence History, nature, expansion and integration of the Federation First encounters and relationships with different races Andromeda invasion Conspiracy aliens Operation: Annhilate parasites Giant space amoeba Tribbles Crystalline entity Probe encountered by Nomad
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Yonada & the Fabini medical archives.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: There was no plan, and as a consequence there are a ridiculous number of loose ends: planet-destroying whale probes, civilizations never mentioned again, huge technological leaps that just vanish, a bunch of stuff.
You may want to consider leaving some things that won't be answered and are left as mysteries, or maybe take centuries to figure out. Sometimes the most interesting stories are the ones that leave open-ended questions.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Speaking of Andromedans, maybe they should be like the "Ancients" of Star Trek. Have all their abandoned tech located throughout the galaxy with different civilizations attempting to use it for their own interests.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Wouldn't that be the Iconians?
Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
Or the Kalandans.
quote:were an advanced spacefaring race of humanoids who lived 10,000 years ago. As they expanded their civilization, they built artificial planets, which they utilized as outposts. During the construction of one such planet, the Kalandans accidentally created a deadly microorganism that infected and killed the planet's inhabitants. Supply ships that visited the outpost inadvertently transported the disease back to the Kalandan homeworld, which presumably led to the extinction of their species. (TOS: "That Which Survives")
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: More points to be redeveloped: Conspiracy aliens Giant space amoeba Crystalline entity
One of the lastest Titan books deals with the various space monsters and such... but that isn't cannon, is it? Also in recent books, the Conspiracy aliens are offshots of trills, supposed...
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Isn't tying everything together after the fact (which usually seems like a bad idea to me) the exact opposite of "rebooting"?
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Tying everything together after the fact is indeed the opposite of rebooting. That's what the novels do. But I'm talking about creating an entirely new fictional history, drawing from but not tied to the Trek canon. If that's not a reboot, I don't know what is.
As for ancient races, obviously backstory would be in order, explaining the timelines for all those ancient races. I figure we can just say they were all at different times or something. And yes, I agree that some mysteries should be left unresolved so far as the Federation is concerned, either temporarily or permanently. But an explanation can still be created if not fleshed out too far.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: As for ancient races, obviously backstory would be in order, explaining the timelines for all those ancient races. I figure we can just say they were all at different times or something.
Unless you pull a B5 & have it so that all those older races & empires were in a geopolitical situation much like the one we see in "our" time. That is to sar, as we have the UFP, RSE, IKE, Cardassians, Dominion, & the like so 500,000 years ago were the T'Kon, Sargon's people, the Kalandans, the Fabrini, etc.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
I'd thought about that too. Perhaps different "ages" of empire relationships would be in order. The Iconians obviously had enemies capable of destroying them. But then you have to wonder why none of those races are around any more, leading to approximate technological parity across the region. Gamma ray bursts? From the T'kon sun's supernova? Purposeful departure? Tribble invasion?
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: Tying everything together after the fact is indeed the opposite of rebooting. That's what the novels do. But I'm talking about creating an entirely new fictional history, drawing from but not tied to the Trek canon. If that's not a reboot, I don't know what is.
As for ancient races, obviously backstory would be in order, explaining the timelines for all those ancient races. I figure we can just say they were all at different times or something. And yes, I agree that some mysteries should be left unresolved so far as the Federation is concerned, either temporarily or permanently. But an explanation can still be created if not fleshed out too far.
Not to drive the topic bus into oncoming traffic (But i do that!)but would Battle Angel Alita: Last order be considered a reboot? as far as the Last GN of the orginal series was concerned?
and why does this topic make me think like Old school Marvel's What If series?
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: I'd thought about that too. Perhaps different "ages" of empire relationships would be in order. The Iconians obviously had enemies capable of destroying them. But then you have to wonder why none of those races are around any more, leading to approximate technological parity across the region. Gamma ray bursts? From the T'kon sun's supernova? Purposeful departure? Tribble invasion?
Maybe witness the destruction of the tribbles by the Klingons.
Posted by Pensive's Wetness (Member # 1203) on :
Deleted.... i realised that sweaty people would walked 4 miles in hot hot hot... should not Post.. often...