Star Trek: Rihannsu

Last updated
Star Trek: Rihannsu
Rihannsu - The Bloodwing Voyages (2006).jpg
Cover of Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages (2006)
Author Diane Duane
Peter Morwood
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Pocket Books
Published1984–2006
Media typePrint (Paperback)
No. of books5
Website startrekbooks.com

Star Trek: Rihannsu is a series of interlinked novels, written by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood, published by Pocket Books from 1984 to 2006. The series name was retroactively applied to the first novels with the release of new installments in 2000. A fifth novel was published in 2006.

Contents

Rihannsu refers to the Romulan species first introduced in the Star Trek episode "Balance of Terror". However, the Romulan culture and language depicted in the novels are Duane's creations. The novels exist outside the continuity of the Star Trek films and televisions series. [1]

An omnibus published for the Science Fiction Book Club in 2000 is also titled Star Trek: Rihannsu. [2]

Production

My Enemy, My Ally (1984)

Diane Duane began formulating a story inspired by the episode "The Enterprise Incident" sometime before 1983. Duane was likewise inspired by the reputation of Enterprise's Captain James T. Kirk as a relentless ladies' man. She told Jeff Ayers in Voyages of Imagination (2006) that she wished "somebody would drop in a women" who would give Kirk "a run for his money." [3] : 52–53  "As frequently happens with me, these two very different trains of thought somehow wound up … running on parallel." The character that would later become Romulan Commander Ael, Kirk's foil, emerged soon after, as did the concept for My Enemy, My Ally. [3] : 52–53 

The Romulan Way (1987)

The Romulan Way began as an attempt to publish a Romulan (or Rihannsu) dictionary. Pocket Book's editor David Stern suggested a dictionary might not be viable, but an exploration of the Romulan culture might. [3] : 68–70  Inspired by Edith Hamilton's The Greek Way (1930) and The Roman Way (1932), Duane structured the novel as a cultural history using a Starfleet agent in deep cover within the Romulan Empire as a proxy for the reader. The novel was co-written by Duane's husband Peter Morwood, and was completed over a two-week period while Duane worked on the Dinosaucers television series. Of her collaboration with Morwood, Duane said, "by the time we finished, I’d written 50 percent of the manuscript, so neither my agent nor the … editor saw any objection to equal billing on the cover, but I still have no idea how those Colonial Vipers got there…" The painting used for the cover included two craft that resembled fighters from Battlestar Galactica. A glossary of Rihannsu words was included in the final pages of The Romulan Way.

Swordhunt and Honor Blade (2000)

The next installments, Swordhunt and Honor Blade, followed in 2000. The novels were originally written as a single volume titled Swordhunt. Pocket Book's editor John J. Ordover recommended releasing two novels instead. [4] [3] : 118 

The Empty Chair (2006)

Duane had outlined Swordhunt/Honor Blade and The Empty Chair after completing The Romulan Way, and after some delay she was able to recover the "lost impetus" to write the conclusion to the series. [3] : 153 The Empty Chair was published in 2006. Duane posted a "pitch outline" of Swordhunt/Honor Bound and The Empty Chair to her blog in 2016. [5]

Reception

C. J. Anders, of io9, said Duane's novels gave the "pointy-eared warriors" a complex backstory, and a believable world "more so than what was explored in the television series or the film Star Trek: Nemesis . [6] Dan Gunther, host of Literary Treks from Trek.fm, lauded Duane as a master world builder, and for "creating such an interesting and vibrant culture, as well as telling a hell of a good story while doing so." [7]

Richard Arnold, Gene Roddenberry's assistant, stated Roddenberry objected to the depiction of the Romulans by Duane and Moorwood. [8] Arnold also stated Roddenberry attempted to "remove" The Romulan Way from publication.

The third novel begins with an editor's note explaining the Rihannsu novels were meant to stand apart from the Star Trek films and television series. [1] When asked about this by Airlock Alpha, Duane said, "Paramount has gone somewhat out of its way to allow me the freedom to share my vision […] with so large an audience." [4]

Novels

The novels were published by Pocket Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. [9]

No.TitleAuthor(s)DateISBN
1 My Enemy, My Ally   [lower-alpha 1] Diane DuaneJuly 1984 0-671-50285-9
2 The Romulan Way   [lower-alpha 2] Diane Duane and Peter MoorwoodAugust 1987 0-671-63498-4
3Swordhunt  [lower-alpha 3] Diane DuaneOctober 2000 0-671-04209-2
4Honor Blade  [lower-alpha 4] 0-671-04210-6
5The Empty Chair28 November 2006 1-4165-0891-0

Omnibus editions

Star Trek: Rihannsu (2000) was a Science Fiction Book Club exclusive. [2] Both editions exclude The Empty Chair (2006)

TitleAuthor(s)PublisherDateISBN
Star Trek: Rihannsu  [lower-alpha 5] Diane Duane and Peter MorwoodDoubledayOctober 2000 0-7394-1390-2
Rihannsu: The Bloodwing VoyagesPocket Books19 December 2006 1-4165-2577-7

Two additional novels by Duane contain links to the series.

TitleAuthorDateISBN
Spock's World Diane DuaneSeptember 1988 0-671-66851-X
Dark Mirror December 1993 0-671-79377-2

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ My Enemy, My Ally (1984) was published as Star Trek, Book 18.
  2. ↑ The Romulan Way (1987) was published as Star Trek, Book 35.
  3. ↑ Swordhunt (2000) was published as Star Trek, Book 95.
  4. ↑ Honor Blade (2000) was published as Star Trek, Book 96.
  5. ↑ Star Trek: Rihannsu (2000) was published as Science Fiction Book Club 33614.

Related Research Articles

Romulan extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek franchise

The Romulans are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise Star Trek. They first appeared in the series Star Trek (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent Star Trek releases, including The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery and Picard. They have also appeared in the Star Trek feature films Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) and Star Trek (2009). They also appear in various other spin-off media, including books, comics, toys and games.

The Mirror Universe is a parallel universe in which the plots of several Star Trek television episodes take place. It resembles the fictional universe in which the Star Trek television series takes place, but is separate from the main universe. The Mirror Universe has been visited in one episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, five episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a two-part episode of Star Trek: Enterprise and a storyline in Star Trek: Discovery, as well as several non-canon Star Trek tie-in works. It is named after "Mirror, Mirror", the original series episode in which it first appeared.

Diane Duane American-Irish science fiction and fantasy author

Diane Duane is an American science fiction and fantasy author, long based in Ireland. Her works include the Young Wizards young adult fantasy series and the Rihannsu Star Trek novels.

The Star Trek franchise has produced a large number of novels, comic books, video games, and other materials, which are generally considered non-canon.

Peter Morwood is primarily a fantasy novelist and screenwriter, though he has also written works of science fiction; his best-known works include the Horse Lords series and the Tales of Old Russia series. He lives in Ireland with his wife, writer Diane Duane, with whom he has co-authored several works.

Star Trek: Challenger is a spin-off series of Star Trek novels published by Pocket Books in the United States as part of Pocket's line. Based on the titular TV series created by Gene Roddenberry, the series was created by Pocket editor John J. Ordover and writer Diane Carey, and was a continuation of the six-book storyline, Star Trek: New Earth. The sixth and final New Earth book was subtitled Challenger, and served as a springboard for Star Trek: Challenger. It was published on August 1, 2000.

<i>Mission to Horatius</i> Book by Mack Reynolds

Mission to Horatius is a novel based on the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Original Series. It was published in 1968 by Whitman, and was the first original novel based on the series; the first novel for adult audiences, Spock Must Die!, was not published until February 1970. Mission to Horatius details the adventures of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise investigating where a distress signal had originated, resulting in them engaging with several different human colonies.

<i>The Price of the Phoenix</i>

The Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath, is an original novel based upon the 1960s television series Star Trek. It was first published by Bantam Books in 1977, and reissued by Corgi and Titan Books in the UK.

"The Survivor" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American animated science fiction television series Star Trek: The Animated Series. It first aired on NBC on October 13, 1973, and was written by James Schmerer and was directed by Hal Sutherland. Schmerer pitched an idea for an episode to producer D.C. Fontana called "The Chameleon", and together with the series creator Gene Roddenberry, it was developed into the final script.

Diane L. Carey-Brodeur is an American fiction writer, publishing under the pen names Lydia Gregory, Diane Carey, and D. L. Carey.

<i>Star Trek: New Earth</i> Series of Star Trek novels

Star Trek: New Earth is a series of interlinked novels inspired by Gene Roddenberry's original pitch for Star Trek: "Wagon train to the stars." Created by John J. Ordover, the novels follow the crew of the Enterprise as they escort a colonial expedition into a hostile region of unexplored space.

<i>Web of the Romulans</i>

Web of the Romulans is a Star Trek: The Original Series novel written by M. S. Murdock. The subplot where the Enterprise falls in love with Captain James T. Kirk was taken from a story that Murdock had originally written for a Star Trek fanzine.

Jean-Luc Picard Fictional character from the Star Trek franchise

Jean-Luc Picard is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise, most often seen as the captain of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D). Played by Patrick Stewart, Picard has appeared in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) and one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as the feature films Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). He is also featured as the central character in the show Star Trek: Picard (2020–present).

<i>My Enemy, My Ally</i> Book by Diane Duane

My Enemy, My Ally is a Star Trek: The Original Series novel written by Diane Duane.

<i>Killing Time</i> (<i>Star Trek</i> novel) 1985 book by Della Van Hise

Killing Time is a Star Trek: The Original Series novel written by Della Van Hise and published by Pocket Books in 1985. The original manuscript had Kirk/Spock slash fiction elements, and these were requested to be removed by Paramount. However, they were not removed, and 250,000 copies were printed. These romantic undertones between Spock and James T. Kirk were brought to the attention of the office of the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, who made Pocket Books recall the first edition. This edition subsequently became a collector's item, with more than fifty changes made to a revised version.

<i>The Romulan Way</i>

The Romulan Way is a Star Trek: The Original Series novel written by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood, and the second novel in the Rihannsu series.

<i>Star Trek: The God Thing</i> American film

Star Trek: The God Thing is an unproduced film script written by Star Trek series creator Gene Roddenberry. Following the success of Star Trek in broadcast syndication during the early 1970s, Paramount Pictures sought to produce a feature film based on the property. The film's plot follows the Enterprise crew after the events of The Original Series: when an alien entity declares itself God and begins travel to Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk reunites the crew, who send it back to its own dimension. Roddenberry completed the story on June 30, 1976, but Paramount rejected the script for reasons Roddenberry attributed to the religious views of company executives. Story elements were used in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

<i>Star Trek Log</i> (book series)

Star Trek Log is a series of ten novelizations based on, and inspired by, episodes of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Animated Series. Published by Ballantine Books from 1974 to 1978, the series was written by Alan Dean Foster and edited by Judy-Lynn del Rey. A 1996 omnibus edition of the series was marketed as a Star Trek: The Animated Series tie-in.

References

  1. 1 2 Duane, Diane (October 2000). "Editor's Note". Swordhunt . Star Trek: Rihannsu. 3. New York: Pocket Books. pp. vii. ISBN   978-0-671-04209-7.
  2. 1 2 "Publisher:SFBC 2000 - ISFDB". www.isfdb.org. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Ayers, Jeff (14 November 2006). Voyage of Imagination: The Star Trek Fiction Companion. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN   978-1-4165-0349-1.
  4. 1 2 "Duane discusses Romulan novels | Airlock Alpha". airlockalpha.com. 2001-07-15. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  5. ↑ Duane, Diane (2016-09-29). "RIHANNSU: SWORDHUNT and RIHANNSU: THE EMPTY CHAIR; the outline". Out of Ambit. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  6. ↑ Anders, Charlie Jane (2010-02-11). "What Did Diane Duane Think Of Star Trek: Nemesis?". io9 . Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  7. ↑ Gunther, Dan (2011-12-30). "The Empty Chair". www.treklit.com. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  8. ↑ Evans, Scott (1994-03-04). "Richard Arnold Responds". Newsgroup:  rec.arts.startrek.fandom. Usenet:   2l624o$8bp@news.mic.ucla.edu . Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  9. ↑ "Series: Rihannsu". www.isfdb.org. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.