DS9 Novels And Other Things...
Nov. 5th, 2008 08:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
athersgeoPosting here because there's a few people reading this journal who know about these things.
Also, posting here because it at least proves to me (if no-one else) that I'm not dead yet, I just feel like it.
Disclaimers out of the way...
I'm currently in the process of reading a lot of the Star Trek: DS9 novels and, for the most part, I'm enjoying them. The characters are all well drawn and recognisable (unlike some Star Wars novels I could name!), the plots are engaging, the new characters added are interesting...you get the idea.
The problem comes with the trio of books I most wanted to like above all else, namely the Terok Nor series. Don't get me wrong, they're still well written; I can still recognise the canon characters (and in particular, Dukat is brilliantly written - just the right mix of arrogance and sympathy)...the problem is, I cannot get my head around Dukat (in particular) being a mid-ranking Cardassian soldier at the start of the occupation.
My problem is that I can't make Dukat's age during DS9 fit with him being mixed up in the actual invasion of Bajor (and possibly being the *REASON* behind the ultimate occupation, if I've guessed correctly where the book's going!).
During DS9, he was a Gul. Roughly equivalent to Captain Sisko in rank. He is old enough to be Kira's father (see 'Wrongs Darker than Death or Night'), but equally he's not an *old* Cardassian (see Enabran Tain in 'The Wire' et al and also Legate Ghemor in 'Second Skin' et al). I'm not going to put a figure on exactly how old he is because it's pretty meaningless, largely because it is quite clear Cardassians (and Bajorans) are long lived (see 'Dax').
So far, then, nothing to contradict him being on Bajor at the start of the occupation.
Except that, Dukat is quite clearly younger than Legate Ghemor who is said (in 'Ties of Blood and Water') to have been 19 at the Kendra Valley massacre which is at least some time *after* the occupation began. (The massacre is mentioned in 'The Collaborator'; I haven't watched the episode recently enough to know how much detail is given, but interestingly, there's no indication that the book I'm reading is going to get up to it!)
The other thing to bear in mind is that the occupation lasts some 60 years and the book ('Day of the Vipers') begins a good ten years before the occupation really begins.
So one of two things is possible here:
1) Dukat is significantly older than he looks
2) Ghemor is significantly younger than he looks
Neither really holds much water. If Dukat really were as old as this all implies, I can't see him still being on active service - which he most definitely *is* up until 'Indiscretion' or thereabouts. After all, Enabran Tain is shown as retired in 'The Wire' and he genuinely *is* supposed to be as old as all this implies. (His son, Garak, is probably around the same sort of age as Dukat - at least, the way both are treated on screen, it heavily implies that they're contemporaries rather than one being drastically older than the other.)
Also, Ghemor is stated as being a senior member of the Central Command ('Second Skin'), which you don't get to be if you're still relatively wet-behind-the-ears. AND, Dukat describes him as being 'revered' in 'Ties of Blood and Water', which doesn't sit well with him being younger than shown, either.
By contrast, the inclusion of some of the Bajorans who subsequently showed up on DS9 works out pretty well. You have Jarro Essa as a major in the Bajoran Militia and several members of the Council of Ministers who subsequently bob up (one of them shows up in 'Ensign Ro' - the TNG episode which, I think, introduces the concept of the Bajoran occupation; another shows up in 'The Collaborator'). *ALL* of them appear as old(er) men which makes sense - and, as I already mentioned, we're shown that Bajorans are a naturally long lived people.
Overall, then, the book is a rather frustrating read. It's a fascinating story; it's one that I really wish DS9 had addressed more - though I do realise that they couldn't cover *EVERYTHING* in the show, this bit is somewhat fundamental to the whole premise! - but every time I get into the story, along comes Dukat and I get snapped back out of it because he just should.not.be.there.
I know why he *is* there - namely to give someone recognisable on the Cardassian side - but it just doesn't work and, to be honest, I'm not sure that familiarity's really necessary. None of the Bajoran central characters appeared on the series and they're perfectly engaging. (The characters who did appear on DS9 are all, by and large, either minor or merely mentioned at this point.)
Gah.
I wanted to like this book, I really did.
To be fair, Dukat isn't the only character who arguably shouldn't be where he is. Some of the Star Fleet people who show up right at the end don't quite fit. Again, I know humans are shown to be long lived in the Trek universe (see 'Encounter at Farpoint' for Data's wonderful conversation with Bones from TOS!) but given that we're talking around 60 years before DS9 at the end of the book, I can't really get behind the idea of a Lieutenant Nechayev knocking around. She's not shown as *THAT* old in her appearances in DS9 and TNG! Still; could be worse. At least she's not already an Admiral...
And then there's the fact that the final book in the trio, which covers the last section of the occupation, doesn't appear to feature Garak in any way, yet he must have been there for him to be able to 'stay' on the station (as is mentioned frequently in the early seasons of DS9) - you can't remain somewhere if you weren't there to begin with! But in the grand scheme of things, and given how much he and Dukat dislike each other, I can live with that one.
By contrast, some of the books that come post DS9 are absolutely spot on. I particularly like 'Fearful Symmetry' which provides an extremely creepy explanation for where Ghemor's real daughter ('Second Skin' et al) is and I'm really enjoying the Mission Gamma arc, too. (I'd say more, but I don't want to give out uncut spoilers!)
So. Other DS9 fans; what say you?
Also, posting here because it at least proves to me (if no-one else) that I'm not dead yet, I just feel like it.
Disclaimers out of the way...
I'm currently in the process of reading a lot of the Star Trek: DS9 novels and, for the most part, I'm enjoying them. The characters are all well drawn and recognisable (unlike some Star Wars novels I could name!), the plots are engaging, the new characters added are interesting...you get the idea.
The problem comes with the trio of books I most wanted to like above all else, namely the Terok Nor series. Don't get me wrong, they're still well written; I can still recognise the canon characters (and in particular, Dukat is brilliantly written - just the right mix of arrogance and sympathy)...the problem is, I cannot get my head around Dukat (in particular) being a mid-ranking Cardassian soldier at the start of the occupation.
My problem is that I can't make Dukat's age during DS9 fit with him being mixed up in the actual invasion of Bajor (and possibly being the *REASON* behind the ultimate occupation, if I've guessed correctly where the book's going!).
During DS9, he was a Gul. Roughly equivalent to Captain Sisko in rank. He is old enough to be Kira's father (see 'Wrongs Darker than Death or Night'), but equally he's not an *old* Cardassian (see Enabran Tain in 'The Wire' et al and also Legate Ghemor in 'Second Skin' et al). I'm not going to put a figure on exactly how old he is because it's pretty meaningless, largely because it is quite clear Cardassians (and Bajorans) are long lived (see 'Dax').
So far, then, nothing to contradict him being on Bajor at the start of the occupation.
Except that, Dukat is quite clearly younger than Legate Ghemor who is said (in 'Ties of Blood and Water') to have been 19 at the Kendra Valley massacre which is at least some time *after* the occupation began. (The massacre is mentioned in 'The Collaborator'; I haven't watched the episode recently enough to know how much detail is given, but interestingly, there's no indication that the book I'm reading is going to get up to it!)
The other thing to bear in mind is that the occupation lasts some 60 years and the book ('Day of the Vipers') begins a good ten years before the occupation really begins.
So one of two things is possible here:
1) Dukat is significantly older than he looks
2) Ghemor is significantly younger than he looks
Neither really holds much water. If Dukat really were as old as this all implies, I can't see him still being on active service - which he most definitely *is* up until 'Indiscretion' or thereabouts. After all, Enabran Tain is shown as retired in 'The Wire' and he genuinely *is* supposed to be as old as all this implies. (His son, Garak, is probably around the same sort of age as Dukat - at least, the way both are treated on screen, it heavily implies that they're contemporaries rather than one being drastically older than the other.)
Also, Ghemor is stated as being a senior member of the Central Command ('Second Skin'), which you don't get to be if you're still relatively wet-behind-the-ears. AND, Dukat describes him as being 'revered' in 'Ties of Blood and Water', which doesn't sit well with him being younger than shown, either.
By contrast, the inclusion of some of the Bajorans who subsequently showed up on DS9 works out pretty well. You have Jarro Essa as a major in the Bajoran Militia and several members of the Council of Ministers who subsequently bob up (one of them shows up in 'Ensign Ro' - the TNG episode which, I think, introduces the concept of the Bajoran occupation; another shows up in 'The Collaborator'). *ALL* of them appear as old(er) men which makes sense - and, as I already mentioned, we're shown that Bajorans are a naturally long lived people.
Overall, then, the book is a rather frustrating read. It's a fascinating story; it's one that I really wish DS9 had addressed more - though I do realise that they couldn't cover *EVERYTHING* in the show, this bit is somewhat fundamental to the whole premise! - but every time I get into the story, along comes Dukat and I get snapped back out of it because he just should.not.be.there.
I know why he *is* there - namely to give someone recognisable on the Cardassian side - but it just doesn't work and, to be honest, I'm not sure that familiarity's really necessary. None of the Bajoran central characters appeared on the series and they're perfectly engaging. (The characters who did appear on DS9 are all, by and large, either minor or merely mentioned at this point.)
Gah.
I wanted to like this book, I really did.
To be fair, Dukat isn't the only character who arguably shouldn't be where he is. Some of the Star Fleet people who show up right at the end don't quite fit. Again, I know humans are shown to be long lived in the Trek universe (see 'Encounter at Farpoint' for Data's wonderful conversation with Bones from TOS!) but given that we're talking around 60 years before DS9 at the end of the book, I can't really get behind the idea of a Lieutenant Nechayev knocking around. She's not shown as *THAT* old in her appearances in DS9 and TNG! Still; could be worse. At least she's not already an Admiral...
And then there's the fact that the final book in the trio, which covers the last section of the occupation, doesn't appear to feature Garak in any way, yet he must have been there for him to be able to 'stay' on the station (as is mentioned frequently in the early seasons of DS9) - you can't remain somewhere if you weren't there to begin with! But in the grand scheme of things, and given how much he and Dukat dislike each other, I can live with that one.
By contrast, some of the books that come post DS9 are absolutely spot on. I particularly like 'Fearful Symmetry' which provides an extremely creepy explanation for where Ghemor's real daughter ('Second Skin' et al) is and I'm really enjoying the Mission Gamma arc, too. (I'd say more, but I don't want to give out uncut spoilers!)
So. Other DS9 fans; what say you?
