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The First “Books” of Childhood

Ts

(Romanian)

Any of us knows that a film or a TV series is based on a script or a novel…

And the Startrek universe cannot be separated from the logical line of development of such a universe (perceptible for what this “Circle of science fiction literature”, that is, a “Circle” of writers).

From the “writing” point of view, Gene Roddenberry is “just” the iconic creator of the Star Trek universe, the one who laid the foundations of a fascinating world, this author, in addition to creating the original series, also wrote several novels, setting the tone and direction for further work.…

But that was just the beginning…

Many other authors took up the “baton” and contributed significantly to the expansion and deepening of the Startrek universe, some of whom are considered to be “key authors” who marked the literary history of Star Trek.

In reality, since 1967 (the Start Trek series was initiated in 1966), when the first “Star Trek” comic was published, over 2,500 (from some somewhat official data, the “universe” being, in reality, “overwhelmingly” more large) of Star Trek “stories” were released in print.

And in the early decades, most of these were stand-alone stories that only referred to “movie lines”.

For example, the original series does not have an “ongoing” main story, which is the hallmark of the literary continuities of the other series.

However, some stories and prominent stories can be picked out, most of the novels in the original series can be considered to be “stand-alone”, and most can easily be read in any order.

But, “in essence”, the “pioneers” are considered to be Roddenberry and James Blish, one of the first authors to write novels based on the original episodes of the series, helping to popularize the franchise and providing a deeper insight into the events of the series.

Cât despre „cumulatorii” de romane (pe care îi puteți „identifica” cât de cât în „Lista de romane Star Trek” de pe Wikipedia, de exemplu, listele de tip „bibliografie” fiind mai numeroase decât vă puteți imagina), printre editorii oficiali de romane Star Trek se numără „Simon & Schuster” și editorul britanic „Titan Books” (care au publicat romane din 1967 până în 1981) dar există numeroase alte edituri care au publicat „anterior” și „ulterior”.

As for novel “accumulators” (which you can “identify” somewhat in “List of Star Trek novels” on Wikipedia, for example, the “bibliography”-type lists being more numerous than you might imagine), among the Official publishers of Star Trek novels include Simon & Schuster and British publisher Titan Books (who published novels from 1967 to 1981), but there are numerous other publishers who published “before” and “after”.

For example, in 2001, Pocket Books estimated that there were 85 million copies in print, Michael Epstein, writing for Television Quarterly in 1996, stated that Star Trek was “by far the greatest fiction serialization in the history of Western literature”.

However, for the past twenty years, most of the “Simon & Schuster” novels have taken place in a shared continuity where the events of one novel often had major repercussions on the novels that followed.

But those who could be considered to be the “main culprits” in the expansion of the Star Trek universe are (or can be) represented by:

• David Gerrold (who created one of the most popular characters in the Star Trek universe, Spock, his novels exploring Vulcan psychology and the relationship between Spock and Kirk),
• Diane Duane (who wrote numerous novels about the adventures of Kirk and his crew, exploring themes such as friendship, loyalty, and responsibility),
• Peter David (who brought a darker and more complex perspective to the Star Trek universe, exploring themes such as war, politics, and psychology),
• Michael A. Stackpole (who wrote numerous “next generation” Star Trek novels, focusing on the characters Picard and Data),
• John M. Ford (who brought a more literary and experimental approach to the Star Trek universe, exploring philosophical and social themes),
• J.M. Dillard: (which brought a more literary and experimental approach to the Star Trek universe, exploring philosophical and social themes),
• Kate Orman (who wrote Voyager novels focusing on the crew’s journey through the Delta Quadrant and the relationships between the characters) or those considered to be part of the so-called “modern era” such as,
• Una McCormack (which brought a feminist and queer perspective to the Star Trek universe, exploring identity and interpersonal relationships) or
• Dayton Ward: (who wrote numerous novels about various periods in Star Trek history, including prequel and sequel novels).

But in my view, many forget the essential contributions of the writers (Roddenberry writing only a few of the episodes of the original series) who helped to develop the Star Trek universe (bringing to life such memorable characters as Kirk, Spock, Picard, Data and Bashir), of which I can mention:

• Dorothy Fontana (one of the main writers of the original series, writing such memorable episodes as “The City on the Edge of Forever”) or
• Harlan Ellison (he contributed the script for the iconic episode “The City on the Edge of Forever”, considered one of the best episodes in the history of television) “composed” the “golden generation” of Star Trek writers, followed by
• Maurice Hurley (one of the main writers of the series “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, writing episodes that explored complex themes such as war, politics, and religion),
• Ronald D. Moore (who started as a production assistant and went on to write some of the series’ most acclaimed episodes, including the season finales),
• Jerrold Wexler (who helped develop the character Data and wrote episodes that explored the nature of artificial intelligence),
• Ira Steven Behr (executive producer and showrunner of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, turning the space station into a character in its own right and exploring complex social and political themes),
• Michael Piller (executive producer of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, playing an important role in the development of both series),
• Brannon Braga (who started as a production assistant and ended up being one of the main writers and producers of the series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Voyager”), “rounding out” the list of those considered to be part of “ modern era”, represented by
• Alex Kurtzman (executive producer and showrunner of the reboot series “Star Trek” and “Star Trek: Discovery”, bringing a modern and cinematic perspective to the franchise),
• Akiva Goldsman (who wrote the screenplay for 2009’s Star Trek, the reboot that reintroduced the franchise to a new audience).

And what I think is important to note is that the “written” Startrek universe consists of a web of continuity of over 1,000 “stories” (with more authors than you can imagine), the “range” of which “approximates” half of all Star Trek fiction ever published.

But, keep in mind, there’s an important point here… No Star Trek film, novel, comic, game, or other line of media can be considered “essential,” “defining,” or similar “blah, blah” (like would be the case with “Star Wars”).

We are talking about “a network of continuity”, in which each participant, in this case, each writer, participated with his effort, imagination, and being…

Building the possible future… In “near” or “far” chronological projection…

You, the one reading these lines, what can stop you? Regardless of the universe you resonate with…

Or, at the very least, read the books (and/or, optionally, watch the movies), developing your “science fiction” “reflexes” for a future where your name, your being, appears as a participant in a universe existing or, “worse”, to create your universe…

Author’s Note: Time fades memories and I hope you understand why my memories seem incomplete. Anyway, for those who want more details, the world of Star Trek is particularly well represented on the internet… Thanks for understanding!

Merticaru Dorin Nicolae

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