I am already getting a few questions about Reemergence (not frequently, but I’m getting them) that I should probably just address now. I assume I will get more down the road, which I will post altogether on a separate page.
Q: Who is your target audience?
A: The book is targeted towards young adult, sci-fi fans. As a word of warning, there are some elements of horror and scenes of violence in the novel, more than what is seen on the television shows. So it may be inappropriate for young children. Nothing gratuitous or unnecessary but are there for entertainment purposes.
I will also add that while it helps to be familiar with the TNG/DS9/VOY universe and the events that went on within it, it is by no means a requirement for the reader to enjoy. The book is meant to be enjoyed by the casual fan. In fact, it’s almost better just to have a basic appreciation for science than know all of the details of series.
Q: Why write a Star Trek novel?
A: I had grown up to love Star Trek, but somewhere along the line I just stopped watching the shows. But I still cared about it. And when I got a brief opportunity to create something and portray Star Trek the way I would have loved to see it, I took it. This project (including the blog) helped me to ‘mentally digest’ a lot of what I absorbed as a young child and exercise my creative muscle. But I’m not planning on returning to the franchise after this project. In fact, because I realize that I am stepping into murky waters in regards to the legality of a fan novel, Reemergence will eventually be removed in full (or in part) from the website.
Q: Why are you posting a blog?
A: Simon & Schuster owns the rights to publishing Star Trek novels, and they understandably have very strict guidelines over the universe in which you write in. Your written work is supposed to take place within the established worlds as described by the television series. New characters, new ships, and personal interpretations of the Star Trek universe are not generally permitted. Ironically, I think too rigid of a creative framework within the television series and the books was what caused a lot of Star Trek fans, including myself, to become bored in the first place. Their guidelines meant that I either put my story on the shelf for years and years with the slim chance of being recognized later, or I release in the form of a blog, and move on.
Q: Why didn’t you make a fan film?
A: I would have loved to (preferably over writing a novel, actually), but the main reason was resources. Paramount and CBS own the copyright to anything related to Star Trek and I respect those rights, so I am forbidden to earn money even to recoup the costs of making a film. Those in the filmmaking business know very well that a film is very expensive. I feel strongly about the crew and the ship that I imagined, and quite frankly I really wouldn’t want to see them portrayed in an ultra low budget film. That may sound high and mighty, but if you don’t care for your own work, then no one else will. In a novel, I was also freer to create a richer universe and provide more background on the characters than would have been possible in another medium. I realize that this likely meant that Reemergence would have a more narrow audience, but it was a risk that I was willing to take.
Q: What are your thoughts on other Star Trek fan novels and fan productions?
A: From what I’ve seen and read, I actually quite enjoy them. But there are so many of them that it is easy to lose track of who is commanding what and dealing with whom. It also seems like new, fan-made characters have more complicated backgrounds that I find difficult to remember (Officer X is a half-Trill/half-Klingon who grew up on Betazed but believes in Romulan values and just happens to work for Starfleet). Not that I’m not guilty of that, too, but I try to keep it to a minimum. I tried my best to avoid fan-made productions while writing the novel, but bear in mind that many of us have very similar fantasies. All similarities are coincidental.
Q: What was your favorite Star Trek series? What did you think of Star Trek 2009?
A: ST:TNG and ST:DS9 were my favorite series, each in different ways. Enterprise is slowly becoming another favorite when I catch an episode here and there. I very much enjoyed the movie, and was just what the franchise needed. The casting was flawless.
