posted
I don't need to have READ the books to give an opinion on how it SOUNDS or how it fits into the meshwork of DEEP SPACE NINE.
Opaka was dealt with in Battle Lines.
Fine you want to tie up loose ends or bring back a character or a race. DON'T do about 50 of these things in a few books. IT'S TOO UNREALISTIC!! They wouldn't even do that in the series. You don't see what I'm getting at.
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
posted
To play the devil's advocate here (I'm not exactly a fan of ST novels...) if you wanted to get something that gives the exact experience of a DS9 episode, why not go out and watch an episode of DS9. No matter what, a book is not going to replicate that experience, and more importantly, it shouldn't. The whole point of a book, is to investigate issues in greater detail and with more flexibility, than a filmed episode.
Now whether ST novels have taken the correct approach is debatable, but using filmed episodes as a benchmark, is perhaps less than useful.
Perhaps the real issue here, is the fact that ST really has no re-planned story arc. When an episode finishes, the writers usually have tied up all the necessary story lines, and have said all that they want to say. Thus when a previously introduced race or character is re-introduced, it sticks out like a sore thumb because the purpose of the re-introduction will by definition be contrived and perhaps gratuitous. i.e. fanboy-ish.
Registered: Mar 1999
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But to have about 50 of these 'threads' scattered from throughout the 4 series included in only 4 books set over a certain amount of time sounds way too contrived, whether you've read the book(s) or not.
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
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Member # 709
posted
well first off, there arent 50 of anything.
and the best deep space nine episodes are the ones that combined a series of seemingly random old ideas and meshed them through a story.
did anyone ever think we'd see the forgotten Empok Nor station, the 'Spock's Brain' corpse-controller, the Vorta from the six-parter, and Quark's cousin Gaila again? no.. the 'The Magnificent Ferengi' mustve been pretty damn disappointing to you. i dont think any of those plot points stuck out like sore thumbs, they moved along an enjoyable story.
and Opaka wasn't 'dealt with' in any final manner.. she was left in an open ended plot that seemed to beg revisiting.. just like the ending of a certain TNG episode where they revealed the enemies were sending a homing beacon.
the reason Opaka was 'dealt with' is because the producers saw the pilot and hated the look of the actress they chose to play the character, so they decided to remove her from the show. not because the character was bad, or the idea needed to be done, but simply because of the aesthetics of their filmed production.
Novels are a perfect place to pick up concepts, characters and idea that were left out of the shows because of hollywood constraints like timing, casting, budget and the like.
unrealistic? i'm not going to touch that one... we're talking about Star Trek here, after all. the events in the DS9 novels are more realistic that most filmed Voyager when it comes to character motivations, adherence to logical military and political story ideas and actions. realism in Star Trek is a touchy subject, i wouldnt touch it with a ten foot pole.
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Registered: Sep 2001
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did anyone ever think we'd see the forgotten Empok Nor station, the 'Spock's Brain' corpse-controller, the Vorta from the six-parter, and Quark's cousin Gaila again? no.. the 'The Magnificent Ferengi' mustve been pretty damn disappointing to you. i dont think any of those plot points stuck out like sore thumbs, they moved along an enjoyable story.
There's a bit of a difference for picking these things up to use in a comedy episode, and uses them all in a Major Dramatic Storyline.
Plus, I'd have been quite happy not to see the Vorta from "Rocks and Shoels" (sp?) again. His first appearce was great. His reappearence ruined his character.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Well, they killed him, reanimated him, and left him forever running his head against a wall. I'd say that's a good way to ruin any character.
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i wonder if he was still there, running into the wall, when Nog and the SCE went to Empok Nor to for spare reactor cores in Avatar and Abyss
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Registered: Sep 2001
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Dukat probably removed what was left of him before "Covenant"
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
Registered: Mar 1999
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I just finished reading Lesser Evil myself and was quite impressed. A little disappointed that it was such a short book compared to the rest of the Mission Gamma novels, perhaps. And I hate cliffhanger endings that won't get resolved until January!
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ive spent so much time defending this series, that i havent gotten around to criticizing the book here.
i was also disappointed with the length, especially since all the parts that lead into the next novels seemed so rushed, specifically:
after Second Minister Asarem's swearing in, i thought for sure we'd be back to her but the story moves away from her very quickly,
and the quick denoument to the Gamma situation seemed forced, what with Weyoun maknig only a couple of comments about the motion of the entire Idran star system to lie at the wormhole terminus..
what happened with Macet? they left him lying in the corridor with Quark. he's the key to knowing how many more are infected, and his illness seems to be a ruse to allow his parasite to be discovered.
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yes, that was one of the most hilarious parts .. it was back in the Gateways crossover that he first popped up, he was offering to help with an exacuation and Kira almost had the Defiant open fire on him because she thought he was Dukat returned from the grave.
He's Dukat's cousin, by the way. He seemed like a good guy, but i guess he's had the parasite gill sticking out of his neck the whole time.
Registered: Sep 2001
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I had an interesting thought about Macet. What if a parasite decided to hop inside him, but they're incompatible with Cardassian physiology? Or, it's like Londo's watcher and when he gets sufficiently drunk on kanar, he can put it to sleep, as it were, and do what he wants?
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yeah weve got to wait and see why he was sick in the hallway
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Registered: Sep 2001
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That is an idea with the Conspiracy aliens... what if - not succeeding with the Federation - they try to take over another 'power' in the Quadrant?
It wasn't just humans who were targeted was it? There was that Vulcan admiral with the brown hair.
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