STO Next canon Enterprise(1701-F) Sweepstakes

posted on January 6th, 2011, 8:13 pm

Wrong way around; not for the TV company to make a game, but for something from a game or novel to be seen in the series. It doesn't matter who made the concept, only that it was shown in an established canon. The Luna Class would be canon if it was shown and named in a series or movie.

Like TAS; several things from that were canon before the series itself because they were mentioned in a canon series like DS9.

posted on January 6th, 2011, 8:42 pm

So the only way for something other than a tv show or movie to be canon is for a tv/movie company to write a book or make a video game?  I think you're making it impossible for anything else to be canon.

well if CBS got the writers who are currently writing the trek stuff to write a book they would make a book.

the problem is that if anyone else writes a book, the quality is far from guaranteed. and we might end up with crap in canon.

a game being canon is hard to imagine, maybe if the plot was written by trek writers.

posted on January 6th, 2011, 9:06 pm

Well, the way it works in Star Wars is they pre-plan an entire series of books (or a video game).  George Lucas can veto some things (like Luke Skywalker can never die), but he generally doesn't review the entire plot.  They look at other canon to make sure it doesn't conflict with what they're trying to do (which is more than they can say for Star Trek...).

The only thing that makes a "trek writer" a "trek writer" is they're a script writer for the series.  That isn't much different from some of the design positions for video games.

well if CBS got the writers who are currently writing the trek stuff to write a book they would make a book.

That really isn't too different from STO, honestly, especially since they say it's canon.

[Tyler]

posted on January 6th, 2011, 9:13 pm

Last edited by Tyler on January 6th, 2011, 9:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Star Trek isn't Star Wars, though. As I said, they both have their own views on how canon should be decided.

Coming up with a plot for a game or an episode are pretty much the same, but it's the medium itself that decides it in the end. If they brought the writers for DS9 into help the script for a game, it wouldn't make it canon since games only come under 'non-canon' and 'licensed'.

posted on January 6th, 2011, 9:20 pm

which is more than they can say for Star Trek.

exactly, non canon things have a habit of being a bit silly.

That isn't much different from some of the design positions for video games.

That really isn't too different from STO, honestly, especially since they say it's canon.

look at some of the games's stories though. most games feature 2 dimensional characters and clichéd stories.

elite force? 2d bad guys
elite force 2? better, but still kinda crappy.
armada 1? silly plot, terrible balancing.
armada 2? even worse.

id hate for any of these games to be canon.

i enjoyed them all to play, but the quality of writing is poor. none of them would make believable films/eps.

i bet if you read a bunch of the star wars comics you would find plenty of silly stuff. i havnt even watched the star wars films.

posted on January 6th, 2011, 9:26 pm

Yep, games have far more freedom and less restraints with things like actors, props and 'creativity'. All of which are advantages that can go the opposite direction more often than not.

look at some of the games's stories though. most games feature 2 dimensional characters and clichéd stories.

To be entirely honest though, even the best of the series have had their own Armada 2's unfortunatly. Some more than others...

posted on January 6th, 2011, 9:32 pm

To be entirely honest though, even the best of the series have had their own Armada 2's unfortunatly. Some more than others...

true they do it occasionaly, just not all the time. there are some geniunely brilliant episodes of star trek.

my favourite is DS9: Duet. i think that was a brilliant episode.

posted on January 6th, 2011, 9:40 pm

I always considered The Siege of AR-558 to be one of the better ones, no sugar-coating the war in that one.

Though for all we good ones, we still get episodes like Threshold, Genesis and Code of Honor.

posted on January 6th, 2011, 9:42 pm

exactly, non canon things have a habit of being a bit silly.

look at some of the games's stories though. most games feature 2 dimensional characters and clichéd stories.

elite force? 2d bad guys
elite force 2? better, but still kinda crappy.
armada 1? silly plot, terrible balancing.
armada 2? even worse.

id hate for any of these games to be canon.

i enjoyed them all to play, but the quality of writing is poor. none of them would make believable films/eps.

i bet if you read a bunch of the star wars comics you would find plenty of silly stuff. i havnt even watched the star wars films.

I was talking about things in Star Trek canon being a bit silly.  Like all the contradictions and reinventing concepts.

There aren't really any extremely well-written Star Trek video games, but the kind of game that focuses more on that is an RPG, and there really aren't any Star Trek RPG games (STO sort of counts, though, and a lot of it is really well written).

The Star Wars comics actually do a good job following canon, too.  But Star Wars is much better about not contradicting itself and controlling everything that uses its name.

Back to my original point, though - you guys are saying that Star Trek will never have a video game be canon because a tv company doesn't make video games.  But when the people who control canon (CBS) say a video game is canon and it's licensed, I don't see how you can flatly ignore it.

posted on January 6th, 2011, 10:01 pm

Being licensed doesn't make it canon. Many things have been licensed and/or approved by Paramount over the years (including books, games, comics, tech manuals, ect), non of which are canon.

posted on January 6th, 2011, 10:03 pm

Yeah, the writers of XI did those 'officially licences' comics, and I don't consider them canon either. 

posted on January 6th, 2011, 10:27 pm

I'm not saying it's canon because it's licensed (and I've said that before, I think).  I'm saying that when the people who license it and who control canon say it is canon, then it should be.

posted on January 6th, 2011, 11:42 pm

I don't honestly thing CBS controls canon anyway.  If they produce a series that falls in line with canon and doesn't contradict it, I would consider it canon, but if it did not, or was somehow rejected by the trek community as valid, it would not be canon.  I do not consider any comic book, book, game, or other production outside of the series and the 11 movies as canon, and this is how it is for most people.   However, that being said, who is to stop you from accepting whatever you want as canon?

posted on January 7th, 2011, 12:24 am

I am posting alittle late but this is how I see it. Rom. blows up in the normal trek time line. Spock goes back in time and the events of the movie happen creating and alt. time line. Have you guys seen BACK TO THE FUTURE!!! its the same idea. In the end of the third movie the time line will go back to normal and the Breen will rule everyone!!! whahahaha

posted on January 7th, 2011, 12:29 am

It won't go backto normal, it is normal. The ones responsible for the movie itself even said it's a seperate 'Quantum Reality' exactly the same as those in the TNG episode Parallels.

Seen Back To The Future, though I can't remember how it ended (been a while). Unless it involves a new universe that branched away from the original, it's not the same.