Star Trek: New Frontier
Star Trek: New Frontier is a series of interlinked novels written by Peter David, published by Simon & Schuster imprints, Pocket Books, Pocket Star, and Gallery Books, from 1997 to 2015. New Frontier was the first Star Trek tie-in fiction property not to be based on a television series. The series was created by John J. Ordover.[1]:332
.jpg.webp) Cover of 1998 omnibus | |
| Author | Peter David |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | |
| Published | 1997–2015 |
| Media type | |
| No. of books | 25 |
| Website | startrekbooks |
The novels explore life aboard the Excalibur, commanded by Capt. Mackenzie Calhoun. The New Frontier timeline is in concurrent with Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager television series.
Production
John J. Ordover said in Voyages of Imagination (2009), "One of the major problems with the novels at the time [the mid-nineties] … was you couldn't put any inherent continuity into them and you couldn’t make any significant changes, so characters couldn’t die, they couldn't change, they couldn't leave. The core characters always had to remain the same. After a few years, that gets frustrating for an editor."[1]:332 Ordover devised New Frontier to accomplish what he couldn't with the other Star Trek book lines—to create a serialized, internally consistent, series of novels set in the Star Trek universe. According to Peter David, "Paramount's belief was that there would be little to no interest from the fans in a [Star Trek] series that did not stem directly from the [television] shows."[1]:333 He was given "their blessing", with the caveat a number of characters from the Next Generation were to be included.
“Peter David made up MacKenzie Calhoun on his own," said Ordover. Likewise, David said, "I’m pretty sure John came up with the Excalibur. He told me the characters he wanted to use and I was allowed to run with it."[1]:332 David then "fleshed out the concept and created the original characters."[2][1]:333
Four novels were published in paperback novella format in 1997, similar to the release of The Green Mile by Stephen King.[1]:333 An omnibus was published in 1998. The novels that followed were published in mass-market paperback format. No Limits (2003), an anthology of short stories edited by David, was published in trade paperback format.[3]
WildStorm published a graphic novel in 2000, written David, with artists Mike Collins and David Roach. A five-issue comic book miniseries was published by IDW Publishing in 2008, also by David, with artist Stephen Thompson.
In total, twenty four novels, a short story anthology, and two graphic novels, have been published as of 2015, in addition to several short stories, and related works, by other writers. Characters and settings from New Frontier have appeared appear in other Star Trek novels, most of which were written by David. Novels have been included in crossovers with other Star Trek book lines, such as: The Captain's Table (1998), Double Helix (1999) Gateways (2000), The Lost Era (2003), and the Mirror Universe (2007–2009) anthologies. A short story by David was anthologized in the Tales of the Dominion War (2004), edited by Keith DeCandido.
The Returned (2015), the most recent installment of the series, was published as a three-part ebook exclusive by Pocket Star.[4]
Premise
The once-powerful Thallonian Empire has collapsed following a popular uprising, destabilizing a vast region of space known as Sector 221-G. Starfleet has dispatched the USS Excalibur (NCC-26517), under the command of Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, to fly the flag, and offer aid to those affected by the political and economic instability of the region.[5]
Characters
The characters in New Frontier are an amalgam of characters from the Animated Series, Next Generation, David's trilogy of young adult Starfleet Academy novels, and new characters created for the series.
The series is written in an ensemble-cast style, similar to a television series. However, the primary characters are Calhoun, Commander Elizabeth Shelby, and Vulcan medical officer Dr. Selar.
Flagships
New Frontier follows the crews of several Starfleet flagships:
- USS Excalibur (NCC-26517): The Excalibur is an Ambassador-class starship, originally captained by Morgan Korsmo. Command is passed to Mackenzie Calhoun at the start of the series. The Excalibur is destroyed in Dark Allies (1999).
- USS Exeter (NCC-26531): Commander Elizabeth Shelby is promoted to captain of the Exeter in Restoration (2000). The ship's command is later passed to Alexandra Garbeck when Shelby is promoted to command of the Excalibur-A.
- USS Excalibur (NCC-26517-A): A Galaxy-class explorer launched to replace the previous Ambassador-class starship of the same name.
- USS Trident (NCC-31347): Shelby's second command; a Galaxy-class starship assigned to accompany the Excalibur-A. Command of the Trident passed to Katerina Mueller following Shelby's promotion to fleet command.
Reception
Katherine Trendacosta of io9 said New Frontier filled in "a gap in the [Star Trek] universe that you didn’t even realize was there. And it did it all while being fun and smartly written."[6] As per Calhoun, she said he is "so perfect he feels like a stealth parody of a Mary Sue." Dan Gunther, in his review of Cold Wars (2001), said "David has a solid handle on his characters."[7]
Alison Baumgartner of ScienceFiction.com described New Frontier as having "all the space adventuring" of the Next Generation and Original Series, "mixed with all the political intrigue of Deep Space Nine, making it the best of all possible Star Trek worlds."[8]
Novels
| † | Hardcover first edition. |
| ◊ | Published as an ebook exclusive. |
| ‡ | Included in omnibus or collection. |
| Teal | Book line or flagship series name. |
| Navy | Miniseries name. |
| Pink | Crossover series name. |
| ed. | Omnibus or collection editor(s). |
| et al. | Multiple authors, see note. |
All novels published as paperback editions, except where indicated.
Numbered novels
Novels are inconsistently numbered among primary sources. The numbering below is taken from the bibliography published in Blind Man's Bluff (2011).
| No. | Title | Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | House of Cards ‡ | July 1997 | 0-671-01395-5 |
| 2 | Into the Void ‡ | 0-671-01396-3 | |
| 3 | The Two-Front War ‡ | August 1997 | 0-671-01397-1 |
| 4 | End Game [lower-alpha 1] ‡ | 0-671-01398-X | |
| 5 | Martyr | March 1998 | 0-671-02036-6 |
| 6 | Fire on High | April 1998 | 0-671-02037-4 |
| 7 | The Quiet Place | November 1999 | 0-671-02079-X |
| 8 | Dark Allies | 0-671-02080-3 | |
| 9 | Requiem (Excalibur, Book 1) |
September 2000 | 0-671-04238-6 |
| 10 | Renaissance (Excalibur, Book 2) |
0-671-04239-4 | |
| 11 | Restoration † (Excalibur, Book 3) |
November 2000 | 0-671-04243-2 |
| 12 | Being Human | October 30, 2001 | 0-671-04240-8 |
| 13 | Gods Above | September 30, 2003 | 0-7434-1858-1 |
| 14 | Stone and Anvil † | October 28, 2003 | 0-7434-2957-5 |
| 15 | After the Fall † | November 30, 2004 | 0-7434-9184-X |
| 16 | Missing in Action † | February 28, 2006 | 1-4165-1080-X |
| 17 | Treason | April 14, 2009 | 978-0-7434-2961-0 |
| 18 | Blind Man's Bluff | April 26, 2011 | 978-0-7434-2960-3 |
Omnibus editions
Omnibus editions of New Frontier novels and novellas. The Science Fiction Book Club published omnibus editions in 1998.
| Title | Author(s) | Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Frontier, Books 1 – 4 | Peter David | February 1998 | 0-671-01978-3 |
| The Captain's Table | L.A. Graf, et al.[lower-alpha 2] | March 2000 | 0-671-04052-9 |
Original novels
Additional New Frontier novels written by Peter David.
| Title | Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| Once Burned [lower-alpha 3] ‡ (Captain's Table, Book 5) |
October 1998 | 0-671-02078-1 |
| Cold Wars (Gateways, Book 6) |
October 2, 2001 | 0-671-04242-4 |
| The Returned, Part 1 ◊ | July 6, 2015 | 978-1-4767-9092-3 |
| The Returned, Part 2 ◊ | August 3, 2015 | 978-1-4767-9093-0 |
| The Returned, Part 3 ◊ | September 7, 2015 | 978-1-4767-9095-4 |
Short story collections
Collections of New Frontier short fiction:
| Title | Author(s) | Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Lay Beyond (Gateways, Book 7) |
John J. Ordover, ed.[lower-alpha 4] | October 30, 2001 | 0-7434-3112-X |
| No Limits | Peter David, ed. | October 21, 2003 | 0-7434-7707-3 |
| Tales from the Captain's Table | Keith DeCandido, ed. | June 14, 2005 | 1-4165-0520-2 |
| Obsidian Alliances (Mirror Universe, Book 2) |
Keith DeCandido, Peter David, and Sara Shaw[lower-alpha 5] | March 20, 2007 | 978-1-4165-2471-7 |
| Shards and Shadows (Mirror Universe, Book 3) |
Marco Palmieri and Margaret Clark, eds. | January 6, 2009 | 978-1-4165-5850-7 |
Graphic novels
Double Time (2000)
Star Trek: New Frontier – Double Time (2000) is a single-issue, square bound, graphic novel published by WildStorm.[9] Written by Peter David, with artists Michael Collins and David Roach. The title does not appear on the cover or spine, only the Star Trek: New Frontier word mark.
| Issue | Date | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Star Trek: New Frontier | September 27, 2000 | WildStorm |
Turnaround (2008)
Star Trek: New Frontier – Turnaround is a five-issue comic book miniseries written by Peter David, with artist Stephen Thompson. Published by IDW Publishing.
| No. | Date | Collection | Date | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 26, 2008 | Turnaround, Vol. 1 | October 14, 2008 | IDW Publishing | 978-1-60010-266-0 |
| 2 | April 23, 2008 | ||||
| 3 | June 4, 2008 | ||||
| 4 | July 2, 2008 | ||||
| 5 | July 23, 2008 |
Related novels
Characters and settings from New Frontier appear in other Star Trek book lines:
| Title | Author(s) | Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demons of Air and Darkness (Gateways, Book 4) |
Keith DeCandido | August 28, 2001 | 0-7434-1852-2 |
| Catalyst of Sorrows (The Lost Era, Book 6) |
Margaret Wander Bonanno | December 30, 2003 | 0-7434-6407-9 |
The Next Generation novels
The New Frontier characters were introduced in Worf's First Adventure (1993), Line of Fire (1993), and Survival (1993).
| Title | Author(s) | Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vendetta | Peter David | May 1991 | 0-671-74145-4 |
| Worf's First Adventure ^ (Starfleet Academy, Book 1) |
August 1993 | 0-671-87084-X | |
| Line of Fire ^ (Starfleet Academy, Book 2) |
October 1993 | 0-671-87085-8 | |
| Survival ^ (Starfleet Academy, Book 3) |
December 1993 | 0-671-87086-6 | |
| Triangle: Imzadi II † | November 1998 | 0-671-02532-5 | |
| Double or Nothing (Double Helix, Book 5) |
August 1999 | 0-671-03478-2 | |
| The First Virtue (Double Helix, Book 6) |
Michael Jan Friedman and Christie Golden | August 1999 | 0-671-03258-5 |
| Diplomatic Implausibility (The Next Generation, Book 61) |
Keith DeCandido | January 30, 2001 | 0-671-78554-0 |
| Doors into Chaos (Gateways, Book 3) |
Robert Greenberger | August 28, 2001 | 0-7434-1856-5 |
| Double Helix (omnibus) | John Gregory Betancourt, et al.[lower-alpha 6] | October 8, 2002 | 0-7434-1272-9 |
| Q & A | Keith DeCandido | September 25, 2007 | 978-1-4165-2741-1 |
| Before Dishonor | Peter David | October 30, 2007 | 978-1-4165-2742-8 |
Science Fiction Book Club editions
Omnibus editions published exclusively for the Science Fiction Book Club. New Frontier (1998) similar to an edition published by Pocket Books. Prometheans (1998) is a book club exclusive.
| Title † | Date | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Frontier (New Frontier, Books 1 – 4) |
January 1998 | SFBC / Doubleday Direct | 1-56865-502-9 |
| Prometheans (New Frontier, Books 5 – 6) |
July 1998 | 1-56865-742-0 |
Notes
- Similarly named novels:
- End Game (1997), a New Frontier novel by Peter David
- Endgame (2001), a Voyager episode novelization by Diane Carey.
- The Captain's Table (2000) by L.A. Graf, Michael Jan Friedman, Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diane Carey, Peter David, Jerry Oltion.
- Once Burned (1998) as by Mackenzie Calhoun, in his own words, as recorded by Peter David.
- What Lay Beyond (2001) by John J. Ordover, editor, with Diane Carey, Peter David, Keith DeCandido, Christie Golden, Robert Greenberger, and Susan Wright.
- Sara Shaw is pseudonymous with David Mack.
- Double Helix (2002) by John Gregory Betancourt, Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diane Carey, John Vorhnolt, Peter David, and Michael Jan Friedman and Christie Golden.
References
- Ayers, Jeff (November 14, 2006). Voyages of the Imagination: The Star Trek Fiction Companion. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 9781416503491.
- David, Peter (October 21, 2003). "WHAT'CHA WANNA KNOW?". PeterDavid.net. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- "Title: No Limits". ISFDB. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- "The Returned: Out This Summer". StarTrek.com. March 7, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- David, Peter (February 21, 2002). Star Trek: New Frontier. New York: Pocket Books/Star Trek. ISBN 9780743455770.
- Trendacosta, Katharine (May 4, 2016). "The Star Trek: New Frontier Series Proves How Great Tie-In Books Can Be". io9. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- Gunther, Dan (April 13, 2012). "Cold Wars". www.treklit.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- Baumgartner, Alison (January 11, 2013). "Should A New Star Trek Television Series Follow Peter David's Vision?". ScienceFiction.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- "Issue :: Star Trek: The New Frontier -- Double Time #1". Grand Comics Database. September 26, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
External links
- Official website
- Star Trek: New Frontier series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database