smw@tilt.UUCP (Stewart Wiener) (03/30/84)
These writers are getting really cocky. There are lots of things about
the ST universe that we don't know, and never will unless Gene Roddenberry
or another genuine AUTHORITY tells us.
Greg Bear, author of the brand-new Pocket Books ST novel "Corona," has
earned his bars as a Trekkie; he illustrated the original version of
Bjo Trimble's "Star Trek Concordance." But, boy, does he play with
the things left unsaid...
How old is Spock? You don't know, do you. Nobody ever said. I always
supposed, from his looks and his mother's apparent age, that during the
series he was in his late thirties or early forties.
Greg Bear gives Spock's age (though he doesn't make it clear whether it
is during the first 5-year mission, or post-ST:TMP). Greg says that
Spock is 79 years old. Hell, no wonder T'Pring gave up on him ever coming
into pon farr...!
I don't like this groundless assumption. Nor do I like some of the other
"facts" about Vulcan society he pulls out of a hat. Did you know that
the Vulcan Science Academy is the keeper of the religion of logic, able to
charge scientists with "heresy" (his word!) against Vulcan rules of
deductive logic? I didn't know it, and am not about to take his word
for it. Did you know that there's a maturity ceremony involving a parent's
mind-link with the child to together wipe all immaturity out of the kid's
personality? Me neither... I thought that was the child's own affair, and
maturity was conferred during the kahswan desert ordeal ("Yesteryear," by
D.C. Fontana, whom I do trust as an authority).
Greg opens with a little disclaimer in which he takes responsibility for
his own interpretation of the "canon". Too small a disclaimer for the
magnitude of his own heresies.
Yes, he's entitled to his own opinion. But Pocket Books, I think, has a
responsibility to ensure a consistent universe. They don't seem to care
about this aspect of their ST novels, and blissfully publish books which
contradict each other, the episodes, and the Bantam novels (okay, those
I can understand them ignoring).
Pocket Books needs a canon lawyer. Someone of the stature of D.C. Fontana,
David Gerrold, even Gene Roddenberry himself, who would review story
outlines and serve as a general editor for the series of bi-monthly ST
novels. It's time that we had a few novels which we can be sure ARE part
of the ST universe.
I may well send this article to Pocket Books, along with the network's
responses. Perhaps they'll take a group of professionals seriously enough
to think about it. Though I doubt it.
--
Stewart Wiener :-) "Read and weep as did
Princeton Univ. EECS :-) Alexander when he beheld
{allegra,ihnp4!mhuxi}!princeton!tilt!smw :-) the glories of Egypt."