Audio books for ENTERPRISE? Likely ever?

[ChristopherPike]

So I'm still waiting for my copy of The Romulan War: Beneath the Raptor's Wing to arrive... postal workers are on strike here in the UK, which isn't helping... and I got to wondering:

Have there ever been any spoken word versions on CD or download? Especially ENT since it remains one of my favourite Star Trek series, alongside DS9 and the Original (obviously).

What are the chances of Simon and Schuster audioworks ever doing some?

I mean I imagine certain cast members wouldn't be that expensive for Pocket Books to hire... John Billingsley, Dominic Keating, Gary Graham. These guys pull rather large crowds at conventions like the Creation one in Vegas this year.

Given how unpopular These are the Voyages... was and unhappy Trip devotees were, how cool would it be to hear Connor Trinneer read The Good That Men Do for instance? Surely that's a rather large selling point right there...

Surely there should be at least one effort, to test how well they sell?

Strange, that never did one back in 2001 for Broken Bow. The pilot novelizations are typically done like they were for DS9 & VOY... before a handful follow in successive years. Of course, we've got Alan Dean Foster's Star Trek 2009 adaptation read by Zachary Quinto, who I imagine wasn't inexpensive to get to read the whole darn thing unabridged... when just watching the DVD is most people's preferred option.

Since actually seeing a fifth season of ENT is a remote to impossible scenario, why can't TPTB see how much of a success taking these relaunch books to the next level would be?

 

[OmahaStar]

Especially ENT since it remains one of my favourite Star Trek series.

*raised eyebrow* So you have no sense of taste. Gotchya.

What are the chances of Simon and Schuster audioworks ever doing some?

Minute. They simply aren't selling these days.

Strange, that never did one back in 2001 for Broken Bow. The pilot novelizations are typically done like they were for DS9 & VOY...

Actually, they aren't "typically done" ... Five series, plus Enterprise, were created in the Trek universe (ST, ST:TAS, ST:TNG, STS9, ST:Vgr, ST:Abomination). Of those, only two had pilot novelizations which were then read as audiobooks. In fact, all six were novelized in one way or another (either as a full novelization or short story in the log books). That's only one-third. How, exactly, does one-third equate to "typically?"

Since actually seeing a fifth season of ENT is a remote to impossible scenario, why can't TPTB see how much of a success taking these relaunch books to the next level would be?

Possibly because they are from a failed series, the only live action Trek series since 1969 to be canceled? Possibly because they are from the one series which consistently had the lowest ratings of any Trek series to date? How do you define "success?" Because I don't think "success" means tiny ratings and cancelation, but that's just me, thinking realistically.

 

[Daddy Todd]

Since actually seeing a fifth season of ENT is a remote to impossible scenario, why can't TPTB see how much of a success taking these relaunch books to the next level would be?

Audio books are not cheap to produce: you need studio time to record and mix, a reader, a writer and/or adapter, a producer, a director, and a composer. All these people need to get paid. That makes them a lot more expensive than publishing a book. So, that inflates the price point to something of a niche item. And considering that Star Trek books overall are a niche item, that makes them a niche of a niche.

The sales of Star Trek audiobooks were apparently never particularly strong, and seem to have declined sometime after the turn of the millennium. Other than a couple of high-profile exceptions, Simon & Schuster Audio phased them out at the end of 2003.

S&S experimented with an audio version of Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the new movie a few months back. It's currently #6 on the Amazon bestseller list for SF audios, which bodes well for further audios -- but if they do more, they will probably be JJverse stories, to capitalize on the success of the film. Rest assured: if S&S thinks they can make money with Star Trek audio, they will produce some. If not, they won't.

There seems to be very little appetite in the US for original audio stories, unlike the UK. It would be an interesting way to continue the series, but it doesn't seem likely to be a big moneymaker for anyone, so there's no interest in producing them commercially. Maybe the fans should get together and do an Enterprise audio series...?

 

[LightningStorm]

Especially ENT since it remains one of my favourite Star Trek series.

*raised eyebrow* So you have no sense of taste. Gotchya.

That was uncalled for. Post not poster and all of that.

 

[Steve Roby]

The other thing to keep in mind, while on the subject of audio books, is that they're not done by the people who do the books. The editors of the books, IIRC what some of them said here, do not decide which books should become audio books, the people in the audio department do.

And, yeah, saying that the show was too much of a flop to be revived on TV or in movies so therefore audios would be a success isn't likely to convince the S&S audio people.

 

[Paris]

I'd love to hear ENT audiobooks, just as I'd like to hear audiobooks of all the new treklit releases.

Since it's unlikely that S&S will go back to producing trek audiobooks in the quantity that they once did, I wonder if it's possible (or even legal) for fans to take it upon ourselves to produce our own audiobooks and post them as free podcasts? It's not like it's not within our capabilities?

I would assume that the attitude towards this would be like the attitude towards fan produced films. The content would probably have to be non-licensed material aka. Fan-Fic. It would be nice though, wouldn't it?

 

[ClayinCA]

Especially ENT since it remains one of my favourite Star Trek series.

*raised eyebrow* So you have no sense of taste. Gotchya.

That was uncalled for. Post not poster and all of that.

Yeah, not cool. It's stuff like this that landed "Lord Ob" on my ignore list awhile back.

As to the unavailability of Enterprise audio books, I'd imagine it was thought they wouldn't sell well enough to justify the expense of producing them; if I understand correctly, Star Trek audio books in general have been more or less on the decline for awhile, to the degree that Shatner's last novel didn't get an audio version, being the first of his books not to do so.

 

[Mach5]

Yeah, not cool. It's stuff like this that landed "Lord Ob" on my ignore list awhile back.

Thanks for the (perhaps unintentional) suggestion, ClayinCA! Needless to say, I acted on it.

As for those ENT audio books, imagine the main cast reading their respective parts... I know, this is almost as naive as hoping for more live-action ENT, but man would it make a lot of people ecstatic. ENT board would go crazy over something like that!

 

[ChristopherPike]

As to the unavailability of Enterprise audio books, I'd imagine it was thought they wouldn't sell well enough to justify the expense of producing them; if I understand correctly, Star Trek audio books in general have been more or less on the decline for awhile, to the degree that Shatner's last novel didn't get an audio version, being the first of his books not to do so.

Yes, and Shatner's books tend to make the New York Times Bestseller list too don't they? The pulling power of his name, added to the Star Trek brand, supposedly being enough of a draw for casual buyers...

I do see talking books consigned to discount bookshops, the sort I wouldn't buy (has been celebrity biographies, self help, Tom Clancy spin-offs) and so I guess it would be sad to see those I would, given away at clearance prices too.

Still doesn't dampen my enthusiasm to hear ENT cast members in the closest thing to them playing their roles again...

 

[OmahaStar]

Yeah, not cool. It's stuff like this that landed "Lord Ob" on my ignore list awhile back.

Yeah, not cool. It's stuff like this that landed "Lord Ob" on my ignore list awhile back.

Thanks for the (perhaps unintentional) suggestion, ClayinCA! Needless to say, I acted on it.

First - I'm assuming you're aware that any discussion of putting a specific poster on ignore is an automatic warning, yes?

Second - Oh, teh noes!

 

[Guardian Bob]

Yeah, not cool. It's stuff like this that landed "Lord Ob" on my ignore list awhile back.

As for those ENT audio books, imagine the main cast reading their respective parts... I know, this is almost as naive as hoping for more live-action ENT, but man would it make a lot of people ecstatic. ENT board would go crazy over something like that!

I would love to hear Scott Bakula read some books (I think his character has would be the most appropriate).

Audible.com has an objective to convert all books to audio form, so eventually they will.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Audible.com has an objective to convert all books to audio form, so eventually they will.

Without a license?

 

[DEWLine]

Not only would there be much coolness, but a certain degree of poetic justice in hearing Mr. Trineer reading TGTMD for the audiobook audiences.

 

[DEWLine]

(Double-posted by accident.)

 

[ChristopherPike]

*raised eyebrow* So you have no sense of taste. Gotchya.

Whereas your sense of taste obviously contributes to your lousy manners (and vindictive nature if you've got nothing better to do than pursue fans with a more diverse appreciation).

Actually, they aren't "typically done"... Five series, plus Enterprise, were created in the Trek universe. Of those, only two had pilot novelizations which were then read as audiobooks. In fact, all six were novelized in one way or another (either as a full novelization or short story in the log books). That's only one-third. How, exactly, does one-third equate to "typically?"

Back in the day, adaptating material already widely available to watch, rather than listen to was pretty typical (and something of a waste of funds, making audio versions of novelizations).

The films IV, V, VI, Generations, First Contact and Insurrection were done. DS9 "Emissary", VOY "Caretaker" and before that "Unification", "Relics"... all landmark shows which gained decent ratings. As did ENT "Broken Bow" in 2001 actually. The fact it was the launch of a new chapter of Star Trek, it's all the more suspicious no such tie-in was done.

Possibly because they are from a failed series, the only live action Trek series since 1969 to be canceled? Possibly because they are from the one series which consistently had the lowest ratings of any Trek series to date? How do you define "success?" Because I don't think "success" means tiny ratings and cancelation, but that's just me, thinking realistically.

Define failure? I'm still here and so are others. Enterprise's declining ratings fell within the range of most science fiction programming around then, particularly on cable... easily matching BSG, both then Stargates. Reruns of ENT even gained more viewers than first run BSG at one point. It continues to attract new fans, who are frankly a breath of fresh air after that same half a decade old, bigoted opinion expressed online...

 

[Christopher]

^Most TV series get cancelled after one or two seasons. ENT lasted four seasons, which is a respectable run. It didn't fail, it just wasn't as successful as its three extremely successful predecessors.

 

[Mach5]

^Most TV series get cancelled after one or two seasons. ENT lasted four seasons, which is a respectable run. It didn't fail, it just wasn't as successful as its three extremely successful predecessors.

IMO the only thing that failed in all this is CBS, by stomping on four decades of tradition like it meant nothing to them.

 

[Christopher]

^That doesn't make any sense. CBS didn't yet own Star Trek when Enterprise ended; it was a Paramount production on the UPN network. The CBS/Paramount merger happened in January 2006, eight months after ENT aired its finale.

And I have no idea what you mean by "four decades of tradition." If you mean having a Star Trek show on the air, that's something that had only been continuously the case for 18 years at that point, and it wasn't a "tradition," it was a profit-making enterprise. Television production isn't something people do out of charity or tradition. It costs a huge amount of money to make a television show, and if audiences don't watch it enough for advertisers to be willing to underwrite the costs, a network or studio can't continue making it no matter how much desire it has to do so. So it is frankly ludicrous to blame the cancellation of a television show on some kind of affront to tradition or hatred or some emotional motive like that, as if the decision whether or not to continue making a show were purely a matter of whim or desire rather than cold, hard financial reality. "Tradition" had nothing to do with it. Star Trek stayed on the air as long as it earned enough money to be sustainable, and once it was no longer possible to afford making it, they stopped making it.

 

[Mach5]

My bad. Capitalism is something I sometimes find hard to grasp. I know its there, I know how it works, but my sentimental side prevents me from accepting the cold hard fact that a cow is only worth as the amount of milk she produces...

 

[ChristopherPike]

^That doesn't make any sense. CBS didn't yet own Star Trek when Enterprise ended; it was a Paramount production on the UPN network. The CBS/Paramount merger happened in January 2006, eight months after ENT aired its finale.

Oh, come off it. The Paramount Television merger didn't happen at the stroke of midnight January 2006. CBS' Chief Executive Officer was also in charge of UPN and had been looking for a reason to cancel Enterprise ever since since the third season. The groundwork was being prepared all along, for exactly how CBS was going to handle the franchise. The strong rumour is they wanted Star Trek out of production and Paramount Pictures' negotiated hard with that particular individual to get JJ Abrams his shot at a film, because it conflicted with CBS' intention not to continue. Hell, look what they did to the sets and their move to auction off 40 years of props and costumes in storage...