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To the brave crew and passengers of the Kobayshi Maru....sucks to be you.

That's from the inner cover of this book.

I've been enjoying the New Frontier series by Peter David for awhile and I think Captain Calhoun is becoming my favorite Trek captain.

The current book picks up right were the last one left off plus it has a quite a a bit about Calhoun and Shelby's Star Fleet Accademy days. Hence the line about the Kobayshi Maru comment in the inner cover.

This book is currently out in hardback but it also comes with a cd rom which includes 16 of the New Frontier books in e-book form. Unfortunatly the disk doesn't include the book just before this one but that's because that one has only been out in paperback for a few weeks.

I've got the first two books from New Frontier. I liked em and I'll probably get more soon. I also like the idea of them using an old ship like the Ambassador instead of a new fancy ship. Calhouns one tough s.o.b. I mean, that thing he did with the laser torch was badass.

who gives a shit about the books? They're not even official, which
is why I no longer read them

MKSheppard wrote:who gives a shit about the books? They're not even official, which
is why I no longer read them

Probably because they're fun to read. Yea, heaven forbid people enjoy themselves..

MKSheppard wrote:who gives a shit about the books? They're not even official, which
is why I no longer read them

Because they are more entertaining then the shit they shovel forth on TV.

MKSheppard wrote:who gives a shit about the books? They're not even official, which
is why I no longer read them

Shep, please don't do that again. If you don't like the series, you don't have to read it and insult those who do.

Alyeska wrote:

MKSheppard wrote:who gives a shit about the books? They're not even official, which
is why I no longer read them

Shep, please don't do that again. If you don't like the series, you don't have to read it and insult those who do.

Alyseka, he's not insulting any one, merely giving his opinions about the books.

And to be honest, that's why I've never been even tempted to pick up a trek book, even the much praised ones.

Stormbringer wrote: Alyseka, he's not insulting any one, merely giving his opinions about the books.

And to be honest, that's why I've never been even tempted to pick up a trek book, even the much praised ones.

PAD is one of the best writers out there...he doesn't know How to write a bad book. Or bad comic book. Or bad B5 Episode.

Lonestar wrote:

Stormbringer wrote: Alyseka, he's not insulting any one, merely giving his opinions about the books.

And to be honest, that's why I've never been even tempted to pick up a trek book, even the much praised ones.

PAD is one of the best writers out there...he doesn't know How to write a bad book. Or bad comic book. Or bad B5 Episode.

That's true and I've read his B5 books. They're pretty good and certainly entertaining.


But as for Star Trek, if it doesn't count I'm not really that interested.

Stormbringer wrote:
But as for Star Trek, if it doesn't count I'm not really that interested.

I've generally had that attitude about all books that are based on tv/movies.

The only B5 books that I read were those that were conisdered canon but with Trek I've cut it a bit more slack.

I've read a few books that were rated really high be Trek fans and the New Frontier series which I thought was a bit safer because it wasn't directly based on any of the series and because it's written by Peter David. Otherwise I try not to read Trek books based on specific series unless that series is over. Every time I've broken that rule I've gotten screwed, although I guess I could blame Dark Mirror being a waste on DS9 instead of TNG.

Ghost Rider wrote: Because they are more entertaining then the shit they shovel forth on TV.

That's definately why I read the books. They are also more entertaining than the movies.


In a moment of weakness I bought a couple of Enterprise books. I read the first one, , and have been loathe to read the second one so it just keeps sitting around.

I do like a lot of the post series DS9 books especially those by SD Perry.

Tsyroc wrote:

Stormbringer wrote:
But as for Star Trek, if it doesn't count I'm not really that interested.

I've generally had that attitude about all books that are based on tv/movies.

The only B5 books that I read were those that were conisdered canon but with Trek I've cut it a bit more slack.

I've read a few books that were rated really high be Trek fans and the New Frontier series which I thought was a bit safer because it wasn't directly based on any of the series and because it's written by Peter David. Otherwise I try not to read Trek books based on specific series unless that series is over. Every time I've broken that rule I've gotten screwed, although I guess I could blame Dark Mirror being a waste on DS9 instead of TNG.

The simple fact is, I'm not that big a Trek fan. So if they don't count, I'd rather buy books that do.

SirNitram wrote: Probably because they're fun to read.

I still have a trek book collection from my days as a rabid trek fan,
but ehh, what's the point? No matter how good they are, they will
never be canon/official, while endless amounts of crap spews forth on
Enterprise, and is canon.

Stormbringer wrote: The simple fact is, I'm not that big a Trek fan. So if they don't count, I'd rather buy books that do.

That's cool. It is really irritating to read something good in a book and then years down the road have someone put out a crapy tv show or movie and totally crap on it. It can be frustrating even if you are someone like me who generally avoids the "versus" discussions.

I've generally been a bigger Trek fan than most anything else just because there's been more of it available. For so long the only thing that was available in Wars was the books but I avoided all of those for the same reasons most people who've avoided Trek books have avoided them. Wasn't Splinter In a Mind's Eye contradicted by The Empire Strikes Back? If it wasn't it seemed like it was to me when I was a kid so I never picked up any of the Wars books until very recently (I can't say I've been that impressed although I've liked the graphic novels and Shadows of the Empire). So I completely understand about not reading things if they aren't going to count.

B5 is probably the series I like the most but I totally skipped all the books that weren't going to be considered even remotely canon. Still, I only have a few more Trek books than I have B5 ones.

I guess one of the things that may have made me partial to Trek books is that I read the novelizations of the TV show episodes when I was a kid. I also read a few of the TOS novels when there wasn't anything but TOS reruns on and the possibility of the first couple movies.

For the record, this has some great PAD worthy lines.

"No,no." Picard smilied. "I couldn't exactly see myself running a school for gifted youngsters".


and

"Damnit Heisenberg! This is no time for uncertainty!"

Ah, Peter David, author of Q in Law... Q messes with Mrs Troi.... and regrets it, lol.

Lonestar wrote:For the record, this has some great PAD worthy lines.

"No,no." Picard smilied. "I couldn't exactly see myself running a school for gifted youngsters".


and

"Damnit Heisenberg! This is no time for uncertainty!"

I thought those were great. I think they both are fairly early in the book. It goes right along with the tag about the Kobayashi Maru in the inside cover.

I also liked Calhoun's rather....unique response to the Kobayshi Maru scenario. Has Kirk's beat hands down.

Lonestar wrote:I also liked Calhoun's rather....unique response to the Kobayshi Maru scenario. Has Kirk's beat hands down.

What does he do?

Lonestar wrote:I also liked Calhoun's rather....unique response to the Kobayshi Maru scenario. Has Kirk's beat hands down.

I loved that. Plus it made sense from a Captain's stand point. Although, it's very non-Next Gen and Roddenberry touch-feely in it's solution. Which is probably why it's great.

Stofsk wrote:

Lonestar wrote:I also liked Calhoun's rather....unique response to the Kobayshi Maru scenario. Has Kirk's beat hands down.

What does he do?

SPOILER

He determines that it is a trap that he can't win so he blows up the Kobayashi Maur and opens fire on the two oposing ships before making his retreat.

That is pretty funny.

I might pick this series up. Can someone tell me some more about it? What's the setting (as in, besides it being the ST universe)? Plot? Characters?

Stofsk wrote:That is pretty funny.

I might pick this series up. Can someone tell me some more about it? What's the setting (as in, besides it being the ST universe)? Plot? Characters?

It's in TNG era. The main ship is the USS Excalibur commanded by Captain Macenzie Calhoun.

There are a lot of characters that were briefly in TNG that are in this series. Commander Shelby is the 2nd in command on the ship (she's the blonde Commander from Best of Both Worlds.

Robin Lefler (Ashley Judd) is onboard. She was a Ensign on the E that dated Wesley a couple of times.

Dr. Selar -- She was the other Dr onboard Picard's Enterprise. She worked the shift that Crusher didn't so we never really saw her but I believe she was briefly mentioned in a few episodes.

Admiral Jelico (Ronnie Cox) makes appearances from time to time. He was the captain who was in command of the Enterprise when Picard got captured and tortured by the Cardassians.

There's a female Admiral that shows up a little who was in TNG & DS9 from time to time.

The ships crew has several good alien characters. One character is a Hermat. Hir species is hermaphroditic and somewhat feral.

The security chief is from species that almost looks like they are carved from rock.

There are a lot of new characters that are good, many of them have ties or aquaintences with some of the characters you'll be familiar with from the show.

I think there are something like 16 books in the specific series now so it's been doing well with lots of people who like Trek.


EDIT: To fix a brain short circuit that had me confusing TNG's Shelby with B5's Lockely.

Tsyroc wrote:

Stofsk wrote:

Lonestar wrote:I also liked Calhoun's rather....unique response to the Kobayshi Maru scenario. Has Kirk's beat hands down.

What does he do?

SPOILER

He determines that it is a trap that he can't win so he blows up the Kobayashi Maur and opens fire on the two oposing ships before making his retreat.

I'm sure starfleet approved of that appoach.

Tsyroc wrote: There are a lot of characters that were briefly in TNG that are in this series. Commander Lockley is the 2nd in command on the ship (she's the blonde Commander from Best of Both Worlds.

Thats Shelby

Some of the other ST novels actualy have the New Frontier novels as part of their 'canon' universe. Like in Imzadi, Shelby comes in the Excal to resuce Riker and Worf.

And its good to see Jellico got kicked up to Admiral. Deserves it for sure.