Host: Welcome to today's Book Club chat with the author of "Stargazer: Maker" Michael Jan Friedman. Also joining us is Margaret Clark, editor at Pocket Books.

Michael Jan Friedman: Hi everybody, thanks for coming!

DavidS: Mr. Friedman, I love the Stargazer series. I'm hooked on them!! Please tell me there are more to come and if so, can you give us a clue as to what might come in the future novels? Thanks!

MJF: Well, let's see. I'm glad you're hooked on the series, Margaret and I are talking about its future these days. Right now my priority is to finish "Death in Winter," which is the book that resolves, let's say the post-"Nemesis" book.

Margaret Clark: "Death in Winter" is actually the first book of Star Trek: The Next Generation - Second Decade series. It is a relaunch of the Enterprise-E after the destruction in "Nemesis." This story takes place just prior to repairs being completed on the "E," when Picard is sent on a secret mission to a Romulan world, where he presumes Starfleet's Chief Medical Officer, Beverly Crusher, has been killed.

Guest: Ok: Star Trek's Federation personnel have always been (from Earth) primarily American, English, Russian, American Indian, East Indian, African, etc., but I can't recall even one Canadian. Is there a Canadian in the Stargazer, or will there be in the future??

MJF: Canadian? It's funny, I've made an effort to include as many nationalities as I can think of in all my books, especially in the Stargazer books. I don't know for sure, but I'll bet some of them are Canadian.

Vulcan3324: Thank you so much for coming to chat with us today! I loved the reference to the Mugato in Chapter One of "Stargazer: Maker." Is "A Private Little War" one of your favorite TOS episodes?

MJF: I love the whole Original Series. I'm not sure I can honestly say it's one of my favorites, but I did enjoy it when I saw it in its first run.

Sh'Boom: Who's more fun to write – established characters like Picard or characters you create on your own? Sh'Boom

MJF: Hmmm ... Good question. I would say they're both fun to write. The established characters are fun because you know who they are and it's fun to put words in their mouth and have them do things they can't do on screen for various reasons. The original characters are fun because you have carte blanche with them, and you can put them through all kinds of trials that you can't do with established characters and have more to say. But the most fun are characters like Ben Zoma, Greyhorse and the Asmund twins, because I've previously set things up about them and I can create all kinds of ironies by writing about them in a different era.

Brad: I just got this book, but I read there are other Stargazer books before this one. What should I read before opening this one? Thanks, Brad

MJF: The first Stargazer book you should read is "Reunion" because there are events in "reunion" that would be spoiled if you were to read the other books first. So I would start with "Reunion" and perhaps go next to "Death in Winter," which isn't out yet, but will be in June, because "Death in Winter" continues the story of some of the Stargazer characters.

Vulcan3324: Mr. Friedman, I really enjoyed your book "Strange New Worlds," and I have a question regarding it. Did you see the illustrations first, or did the illustrators work from the writing that you had already completed? Also, did you have a favorite planet to write? I especially enjoyed the "travel piece? on Vulcan's Forge.

MJF: I think it varied. I would say I think in at least half the cases I wrote the story before I saw the artwork, and in other cases I saw the artwork first. The interesting thing about the artwork was when I asked Margaret if I could buy some of the original work from the artists, because I was so impressed with it, she told me that it didn't exist because it was all electronic artwork.

MC: These were illustrators -- over half of them -- who had never worked electronically before. Some did it as a favor to keep the cost of the book down. It was people who had never done this, like Dave McKean, who had done some, but never a complete book. Each story had a totally different feeling.

MJF: As for which one is my favorite, I would probably have to say the one that took place in the Q Continuum, but I was also thrilled with the opportunity to write about Trill, Ferenginar and the Klingon homeworld.

Guest: Is Riker, or any of the crew of the Titan, present in the new book ("Death in Winter")?

MJF: It doesn't appear that any of the Titan crew will show up, but as Margaret will confirm, that's not necessarily true of subsequent Next Generation, post-"Nemesis" books.

MC: The next book is called "Resistance," by J.M. Dillard. It establishes the new Enterprise-E crew. We want to give the new books their own traction.

Flavin224: How long on average does it take you to write a Star Trek novel?

MJF: Well, about six months longer than the deadline (laughing) but it used to take less time. It used to take me about 40 working days, which might be spread over 2 months or 6 months. Now it takes upwards of 50.

potusreyes: Mr Friedman, will you do any books with Star Trek Enterprise?

MJF: Not in the forseeable future. Dave Stern and others are doing a great job there.

Vulcan3324: Besides writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

MJF: Well, let's see ... I like to play handball, which is kind of a dying sport, but I very much like to do that. I run, I sail, although not as much as I'd like. I'm very involved in coaching youth sports, and playing fantasy baseball.

SevenOfMine: Other than yourself of course, who are some of your favorite Star Trek writers, and what are some of your favorite Star Trek books?

MJF: Let's see ... I like pretty much everyone whose books I read. I typically end up reading the books of people I know pretty well, so I've read books by Peter David, Bob Greenberger, Howie Weinstein, Gar and Judy Reeves-Stevens and any number of others, all of whose work I've enjoyed over the years. In Howie's case, I read his work before I even contemplated writing Star Trek books.

GMac: One of my favourite past novels of yours is "Fortune's Light" (Next Generation novel released in 1991). This has a subplot featuring Data playing baseball in the holodeck (quite topical with the World Series in progress). What inspired you to include that storyline in the novel?

MJF: I recall at the time I wanted to do a book that was fun to do and that shed light on a couple of the Next Generation characters by putting them in unfamiliar circumstances. In the A-plot, I took Riker off the ship and essentially put him in a James Bond situation. In the b-plot, I took Data and put him on the holodeck, but in a baseball milieu. At the time, because I'm a big baseball fan, I was upset with the owners and the players for a series of strikes and I felt that the only ones who didn't have a voice were the fans. This was my way of celebrating what's good about baseball and also warning them to get their act together. They, the powers that be in baseball, of course listen to me all the time.

Michelle47: How did you start writing Star Trek books? What was your journey to where you're at now?

MJF: Well, I read some Star Trek books and my agent in the late 1980s asked me if I wanted to write some, because they were looking to upgrade the overall quality of the Star Trek line. I thought it would be a hoot to write about Kirk and Spock and so on and I submitted an outline, and that became my first Star Trek book, "Double Double." It sucked me in. After that I never planned, I never had a long range plan, but I kept doing one book after the other and enjoying it, and I think "Death in Winter" will be my 37th Star Trek book.

CyberViking2000: When writing, you have to get inside the heads of your characters. Are Vulcans a challenge with their perspective?

MJF: I would say everyone's a challenge. Vulcans, contrary to what you might expect, are probably a little less of a challenge because they have such a clearly defined philosophy. In a lot of aspects of writing, it makes it easier when you have things to bounce off and Vulcan logic and the IDIC philosophy are great things to bounce off.

Vulcan3324: Do you have a favorite alien culture?

MJF: People from New Jersey! But beyond that, I particularly like both the Klingons and the Romulans. In fact, the Romulans are prominent in "Death in Winter."

Host: Have you been to some book related Star Trek conventions?

MJF: Yes, I've been to a number of conventions over the years. The two that I always make a point of attending are Shore Leave in July and Farpoint in February, both these conventions are in the Baltimore area and they're run by wonderful people who make everyone in attendance feel right at home.

Psiqueue: You have been a part of Star Trek literature for quite some time; do you feel that Trek literature is getting better, remaining the same, or becoming oversaturated with too many books?

MC: I think we've made an effort to try bring a different philosophies. If you look at the program, we're not doing as many books as we used to. We're concentrating on giving each series special prominence. The exception is Enterprise, since the show is in production. I have to be ten times more careful because I had a book at the printer -- ready to go -- and I got a script for a show that was almost exactly the same. We had to go in and try to address that this had happened to T'Pol before. I'm probably more gunshy about that than other editors.

We are also looking long-term. With the Time To series, we are creating event books. A couple of books that are really cool, tied into something (like the Voyager tenth anniversary), trying little mini-seasons, like HBO. When you love all the series, we try to give each the prominence they deserve.

MJF: I would say the overall quality's definitely gotten better since the time I started. There are a lot of writers who have come up in the last 2 years alone, who've done great jobs, adding interesting wrinkles to the franchise. I do think there are too many books that aren't mine, I think I should do them all (laughing).

Host: Which episodes inspired you for this book ("Stargazer: Maker")?

MJF: The first mention of the Stargazer was in a TNG episode called "The Battle," where Picard has terrible headaches that coincide with the appearance of his salvaged old ship. That's the first time we see the Stargazer.

MJF: The Stargazer saga is sort of touched on again in "The Measure of a Man," where we meet the woman (Phillipa Louvois) from the Judge Advocate General's office who court-martialed Picard as a routine measure for his loss of the Stargazer. But "Maker" also draws heavily on the Original Series episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before."

Vulcan3324: Do you ever find it difficult to stay within the confines of Trek canon?

MJF: No. I like working within those confines. It gives me a chance to shed light on darker corners, which is what I did originally in "Reunion" by coming up with a Stargazer crew. And what I continue to do in "Maker" and what I will be doing to a great extent in "Death in Winter." In "Death in Winter" we take a closer look at Beverly Crusher's life than anyone's ever taken before.

KirkKirkKirk: What are some of your favorite Star Trek episodes, series and who's your favorite captain?

MJF: Hmmmm ... I have a hard time deciding between Kirk and Picard for my favorite captain. They have very different qualities, Kirk was my boyhood hero, Picard is much more intellectually appealing now that I'm no longer in my boyhood. As for favorite series, although DS9 is probably the most intriguing incarnation of Star Trek, I'd have to go with the Original Series as my favorite. It's very difficult to describe the impact TOS had on me and on America when it came out in the '60s. To get high-fallutin' for a second, in "The Great Gatsby," Fitzgerald describes something as "commensurate with someone's capacity for wonder,' and in the '60s TOS was commensurate with my capacity for wonder. As far as favorite episodes, in the Original Series: "The City on the Edge of Forever," "Amok Time," "Mirror, Mirror" are among my favorites. In TNG, "Yesterday's Enterprise," "Inner Light," and "The Measure of a Man" for what it showed us about TNG's potential. But my favorite Star Trek episode of all time has to be the Voyager episode "Resistance," for which I co-wrote the story. Coincidence, maybe?!

Psiqueue: Michael, you were part of a four-author book "ST:TNG Doomsday World" (a first time, as best as I can remember); what was it like writting a book with three other authors?

MJF: It was hell. They did nothing but drag me down (laughter).

But seriously, folks, it was a lot of fun. Writing is a very solitary business and this was an opportunity to work with three stimulating and talented people. It was an experience that was so good and so positive in every way that Bob Greenberger and Peter David and I went on to do two more collaborations. While Carmen took her career in a different direction. The thing about collaborations is that they are not efficient. Pound for pound, it's much less work to do a book on your own, but when you work with other people, you use different muscles and that's what makes it a great experience.

TheWriter: Are you familiar with Peter David's Star Trek: New Frontier series? If so, any plans for a crossover?

MC: They are in different time periods.

MJF: The Stargazer series takes place about 40 years before the New Frontier series, so while the characters could cross over in the New Frontier era, the series themselves would be more of a challenge to cross over. At the moment there are no plans to do that. However, the Double Helix series of six books that came out several years ago did include a New Frontier book and an adventure in the Stargazer era. I guess the Captain's Table anthology also has stories from the Stargazer era and about the New Frontier characters, under the same cover.

Brenden: What will the future hold for Star Trek (in your opinion)?

MC: IF you have an answer for that, Mike, I'd like for you to pick some stocks for me ... !

MJF: I think Star Trek will always have possiblities. At its core, the philosophy of optimism and acceptance I think will always appeal to people. The question is, to what extent will we be able to express that philosophy in a creative product that stands out in the marketplace.

If I were king, the next incarnation of Star Trek would be one that takes place after "Nemesis" and once again leads us into the unknown territory of the future. And this is from a guy who writes about the Stargazer era, which is 40 years in the past.

TheWriter: Do you intend to cover Picard's entire 22 years on the Stargazer, or just the first few years?

MC: Intent and what actually happens are two different things! I will not cover all 22 years in any detail. The next Stargazer project I do may or may not take place immediately after "Maker" it may jump ahead somewhat. There are some threads certainly that need to be tied up in the books, inlcuding "Maker." And I haven't yet figured out the timeframe for that.

TroubleMaker: Who do you think Picard would vote for in this election?

MC: I don't think he should vote and disrupt the timeline!

MJF: Her answer's the best one! I don't think he'd vote for any of these candidates, I think they have too much hair.

Brenden: Is the Star Trek world (i.e authors) a male dominated world?

MC: It's interesting. Sci-fi for many years, women could not get published. Which is why J.M Dillard (whose first name is Jean) uses that name. (I have this problem when talking about J.M Dillard as "Jean" -- people say "who?") What we're interested in is the best story. It's probably the worst thing I can tell a writer who's stuck: tell me a good story. There are a lot of male writers, but Star Trek skews that way.

MJF: I've never seen any bias whatsoever in any direction. Obviously I think everyone welcomes as many disparate points of view as we can get. As far as whether or not it's male dominated, in terms of sheer numbers it's obviously male, but I think that's just the way it transpired. We're perfectly willing to let girls into this clubhouse.

MC: Hey! Hey!

Scotty16: If you could wave a magic wand and change anything that ever happened on a Star Trek show or movie, what would it be?

MC: I don't want that kind of power!

One thing I'd change is that DS9 should have gotten the respect it deserved, instead of being the middle child caught between TNG and Voyager.

MJF: Hmmm ... let's see ...

MC: If you did one thing, what other four things would you undo? What one thread could you pull that would unravel everything else?

MJF: If I had to undo, one thing that bugs me that I think I would like to undo, is on Voyager, I'd like to preserve the tension between the Federation crew and the Maquis that were onboard. That was something that was addressed much too early and given short shrift, it happened much too easily. Imagine what that ship would have been like if they were constantly at odds and suffered the deprivations that they probably should have suffered in the "Year of Hell" sequence. Imagine how much more interesting and how unique the Voyager experience would have been. Instead we often we had a ship that was lost, but you never would have known it.

The other thing I'd like to happen differently for selfish reasons, I wish that Enterprise had dealt with an different era, because I had a "Starfleet Year One" book coming out that was going to take place around the same time, which would have been a series, but for the fact that it conflicted with Enterprise on a number of major points.

Host: This will be our last question ...

Brenden: If you could live in any Star Trek era, what would it be?

MC: I'm already in one of them! A lieutenant in one of Gar and Judy's books -- a Vulcan.

MJF: This one!

If I had a choice, I guess I would live in Kirk's era, that seems to be one that offers the most possiblities for adventure and wild flings with green-skinned babes.

Host: Thank you both very much for spending time with us today!

Host: Thanks everyone!

Vulcan3324: Once again, thank you for spending your time chatting with your readers today! Live long and prosper!

Brenden: thx you for your time!

CyberViking2000: thank you

MJF: Thanks for giving me the opportunity to speak to everyone out there! Please check out "Stargazer: Maker," in fact all the Stargazer books, including the first one "Reunion." And also check out "Death in Winter," which will be out in June and which I trust will perhaps not make everybody happy, but will certainly be a book that's talked about for some time.

MC: Thanks everybody for coming. Thanks especially for STARTREK.COM -- that was a great video piece you put up with Captain Archer doing "Boldly Go..."

Shameless Book Club plug -- Keep in mind that the only place to get new TNG, DS9 and Voyager stories are here at Pocket Books! We have plans for 40th anniversary, 10th anniversary of Voyager ... much more!

GMac: Cheers to both of you - very interesting!