David Mack: More Beautiful Than Death.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek came out of the gate like a race horse, giving us a new take on the Original Series characters, in a new universe that allowed the creative team at Bad Robot the freedom to take them where they wanted. It was also meant to be a time to forge new boundaries for the literary treks, yet sadly it would take ten years for the books to see publication.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Matthew Rushing and C Bryan Jones welcome David Mack back to the show to talk about his book More Beautiful Than Death. We discuss the long publication history, changes to the book, the audiobook market, writing the Kelvin Timeline, themes from the book, the Akiron, disasters, fear and where to find David online and what he has coming up next.

In the news section we look at the new Voyager comic Seven's Reckoning that is coming from IDW and our plans for covering the DS9 comic, Too Long A Sacrifice.

News
Seven's Reckoning Comic (00:01:42)
Too Long A Sacrifice Plan (00:05:19)

Feature: David Mack
It's Been a Long Road (00:06:48)
Changes to the Book (00:09:53)
The Audiobook Market (00:14:53)
Writing the Kelvin Timeline (00:20:44)
Doing What is Right (00:32:25)
Belief (00:37:24)
The Needs of the Many (00:47:09)
The Twist (00:54:21)
The Akiron (01:00:31)
Cultural Impact of Disaster (01:02:07)
The Things Fear Causes (01:08:39)
What is Next and Where to Find David (01:15:58)
Final Thoughts (01:19:31)

Hosts
Matthew Rushing and C Bryan Jones

Guest
David Mack

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)

Over a Torrent Sea.

In the aftermath of the devastating events of the Destiny trilogy, the Starship Titan is once again assigned to deep space exploration beyond the farthest borders of the Federation. Investigating an oceanic world of abundant and mysterious life, the crew unwittingly causes distress to the ecosystem and to the lives of the inhabitants of the world, nicknamed Droplet. Now, Captain Riker and Ensign Lavena, cut off from the rest of the crew, must convince their captors of their sincere desire to help the people of Droplet before the damage becomes irreparable.

In their final episode as hosts of Literary Treks, hosts Bruce Gibson and Dan Gunther discuss the Star Trek: Titan novel Over a Torrent Sea by Christopher L. Bennett. They talk about Titan's new mission, the Squales of Droplet, Ensign Aili Lavena and her past, a difficult maternal situation for Deanna Troi, the unintended consequences of the crew's decisions, atonement for past mistakes, and wrap up with their final thoughts and ratings.

At the top of the show, Bruce and Dan review the first issue in IDW's new Deep Space Nine miniseries, Too Long a Sacrifice.

News
DS9: Too Long A Sacrifice Comic Review (00:06:03)

Feature: Over a Torrent Sea
Deep Space Mission (00:19:57)
Droplet and the Squales (00:24:36)
Aili Lavena (00:28:16)
Sexual Rendezvous (00:32:06)
Far Off Delivery Ward (00:38:22)
Unintended Consequences (00:48:06)
Atonement (00:53:53)
Ratings (01:04:56)
Final Thoughts (01:16:36)

Hosts
Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson

Production
Bruce Gibson (Editor and Producer) Dan Gunther (Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Justin Oser (Associate Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Jeffery Harlan (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)