"Metamorphosis" - Anyone remember this? [SPOILERS]

[Turbo]

For clarity's sake, Metamorphosis was the first TNG "Giant Novel", written by Jean Lorrah.

I really enjoyed this novel the first time I read it, and when I read it again recently, I enjoyed it again. Obviously, it's a huge Data story, and he was spot on for the whole novel. It was interesting to see him thrown into this circumstance; something they'd never have done (or been able to do) on the series. Also, being a fan of Dr. Pulaski, I was glad to see her used in a novel, and Jean Lorrah really got the character right. Also, Darryl Adin and his gang were a nice twist on the usual guest characters we see, and they managed to nicely complement instead of overwhelm the regular characters.

My biggest complaint about the novel was the reset button. I know there had to be one, but it was a fairly hackneyed plot device.

I found something odd in Voyages of Imagination, though - Jean Lorrah says that "the biggest thing readers object to was not put into the novel by me." What would this be, exactly? The reset button?

 

[ronny]

My biggest complaint about the novel was the reset button. I know there had to be one, but it was a fairly hackneyed plot device.

I found something odd in Voyages of Imagination, though - Jean Lorrah says that "the biggest thing readers object to was not put into the novel by me." What would this be, exactly? The reset button?

I was wondering the same thing myself. All I remember of the book is the reset button myself which you know was coming but still...

 

[Amy Sisson]

Oh, I hope someone knows the answer to that question -- I loved this book back when I read it (twice), and I'd love to know what people objected to.

It would have been fun to see this onscreen, in some ways -- I bet Brent Spiner could have pulled off a great "human" version of Data.

 

[Osquevel]

I remember reading in David Alexander's biography of Gene Roddenberry a comment (I think in a letter) made about the disclaimer at the beginning, and howe it had been used a couple of times, but Metamorphosis is the only one I remember seeing it for.

I also enjoyed the book, though I don't remember a lot of it at the moment. I recall liking the experience by which Data became human and the interaction with his fellow quester, but that's about it.... Hmm, maybe I'll have to reread it again when I've gotten through my current (lengthy) list.

 

[ElScoob]

I read this, but I don't remember much anything of it at all.

Honestly, I just came in here 'cos I saw the thread title on the Trek Today front page and thought it was about the TOS episode. And I wondered, how in the name of hell can you have spoilers for a forty-plus year old episode?

I did read the book once, though Promise.

 

[Saga]

this is one of those books i purchased years ago, had every intention of reading yet never got around to it. i will...one day.

 

[Therin of Andor]

being a fan of Dr. Pulaski, I was glad to see her used in a novel, and Jean Lorrah really got the character right.

IIRC, it was originally written as a Crusher novel and there was a mad scramble to rewrite parts of it, to replace Crusher with Pulaski and try to match onscreen continuity. By the time the book came out, though, Crusher had again replaced Pulaski on TV.

Poor Jean Lorrah was used to last-minute rewrites, though. Yar was killed off while she was writing "Survivors" (originally titled "A Question of Security" - that cover was published in a Starlog article announcing it as a forthcoming title) but it meant she was able to novelize a section of the funeral from "Skin of Evil" at the end of the novel.

Also, Darryl Adin and his gang were a nice twist on the usual guest characters we see, and they managed to nicely complement instead of overwhelm the regular characters.

Did you realize that Adin is also in "Survivors"?

My biggest complaint about the novel was the reset button. I know there had to be one, but it was a fairly hackneyed plot device.

I recall Lorrah saying in an interview at the time that she wanted Data to really become human, and that she actually had a way (???) for that to happen, but not ruin the character - so yeah, I assume the reset button, as shown in the novel, was shoehorned in despite her objections.

I found something odd in Voyages of Imagination, though - Jean Lorrah says that "the biggest thing readers object to was not put into the novel by me." What would this be, exactly?

As above. But... the other minor controversy:

Lieutenant Thralen, the Theskian with blue skin, antennae and yellow fur-like hair is an Enterprise crewman in "Metamorphosis". His race had to be "related" to Andorians, and thus "more gregarious". Jean Lorrah had intended that Thralen actually be an Andorian, but was requested by the then-Star Trek Office at Paramount (ie. Richard Arnold) to make the change, since there were "no Andorians among the Enterprise-D crew".

Lorrah was seemingly intending to pay homage to Andorian speculations from the old zine article, A Summary of the Physiological Roots of Andorian Culture (1976) by Leslie Fish, a old friend from her fanfic days. Some of these references survive in the final version of "Metamorphosis", but now attributed to Theskians. (eg. references to Thralen's "the Great Mother" deity).

The "no Andorians..." rule was also applied to AC Crispin's "The Eyes of the Beholders" novel. The Andorians in that had to be specified as civilian passengers, not crew.

Interestingly/coincidentally, Deanna Troi makes the "no Andorians..." statement canonically in "The Offspring".

 

[Turbo]

Oh, duh! The Theskians. I should've realized that one.

And yeah, I remember that Dare and company were in in Survivors, but I haven't read that one in a long, long time. I remember thinking that they were better in Metamorphosis, but I might feel differently now.

 

[Christopher]

Interestingly/coincidentally, Deanna Troi makes the "no Andorians..." statement canonically in "The Offspring".

But there's no reason there couldn't have been Andorians in the crew earlier or later.

Although the IDW Alien Spotlight issue on Andorians offers an interesting explanation for why Andorians were so scarce in the TNG years.

 

[Therin of Andor]

But there's no reason there couldn't have been Andorians in the crew earlier or later.

Sure. And I always lived in hope.

But then there was Rick Berman's admonishing of Season One writer and story editor, Tracy Tormé, when he tried to put an Andorian officer in "Conspiracy" - "We don't do antennae in this show!"

Although the IDW Alien Spotlight issue on Andorians offers an interesting explanation for why Andorians were so scarce in the TNG years.

Yep!

 

[Jack Bauer]

But there's no reason there couldn't have been Andorians in the crew earlier or later.

Sure. And I always lived in hope.

But then there was Rick Berman's admonishing of Season One writer and story editor, Tracy Tormé, when he tried to put an Andorian officer in "Conspiracy" - "We don't do antennae in this show!"

Good thing Berman changed his mind when Enterprise rolled around. A Shran-less Enterprise would've mad me sad.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Good thing Berman changed his mind when Enterprise rolled around. A Shran-less Enterprise would've mad me sad.

Actually, they had slipped two Andorians into TNG eventually, but Rick Berman was quite resolute about not featuring Andorians in ENT - until the makeup guys reassured him that modern electronics miniaturization and makeup advancements would give Andorians a cool new look.

The original premise of "The Andorian Incident" was... "The Gorn Incident".

 

[Christopher]

The original premise of "The Andorian Incident" was... "The Gorn Incident".

As I recall, though, it was Braga who pointed out that they couldn't do a Gorn episode because first contact with the Gorn wasn't until "Arena" -- contrary to the Braga-bashers' assumptions that he didn't know or care about TOS continuity.

 

[JD]

I'm just glad they were able to work a Gorn into In a Mirror, Darkly, because I thought they new CG Gorn design was pretty cool. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that he didn't have multifaceted eyes, that's really bugged me.

 

[Therin of Andor]

As I recall, though, it was Braga who pointed out that they couldn't do a Gorn episode because first contact with the Gorn wasn't until "Arena" -- contrary to the Braga-bashers' assumptions that he didn't know or care about TOS continuity.

Yep.

 

[acappellasaurus]

Metamorphosis was one of my favorite novels back in the day, and still is in fact. I always thought it would have been a good way to keep Data in the series as an active role after the aging process of Spiner started to happen. Would have made for a great big screen outing also.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Metamorphosis was one of my favorite novels back in the day, and still is in fact. I always thought it would have been a good way to keep Data in the series as an active role after the aging process of Spiner started to happen. Would have made for a great big screen outing also.

What did happen was that, during the latter years of TNG, Spiner made a wry comment in the media that he wouldn't be able to play Data for much longer, and the writers slipped in a line into "Inheritance" that inferred that, like Dr Juliana Tainer, Data had an "aging program".

I loved "Metamorphosis", and would love to find the time to read it again, but I've recommended it to a number of Trek friends - and one, in particular, hated it so much she made a point to take it to a charity store the next time I stayed with her.