While fan-favorite author James Swallow has written works for several established franchises in a multitude of mediums, he is prolific with his Star Trek work. Having written a line of Star Trek novels touching on everything from The Original Series to Picard and everything in between, Swallow delves into the Star Trek: Enterprise era next in a short story for the newly launched Star Trek Explorer. The official Star Trek magazine published by Titan Publishing will feature Swallow's "The Offer," a tale featuring an encounter between Enterprise protagonist Jonathan Archer and Star Trek: The Next Generation's omnipotent Q.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Swallow teased what Trekkies can expect from his short story. Swallow shared how he was first introduced to the Star Trek franchise and offered his thoughts on why the science-fiction universe continues to thrive 55 years since its inception.
You've written and continue to write for many different iterations of the Star Trek universe. How is it getting to craft a Q-centric tale for Star Trek Explorer?
James Swallow: It's great! I've never written anything featuring the omnipotent Q before, so that was fun to take on his character and craft a short story where he takes the lead.
In my Star Trek writing, I have this plan to "collect the set" by penning a tale in all the different incarnations of the series. So far, I've ticked classic Trek, Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Discovery, and Picard off my list. Now I can add Enterprise to that as well, as my story features Jonathan Archer and is set just before the episode "Broken Bow"…
Q is such a morally complicated character, humanity's self-appointed judge yet helping introduce them to the Borg. As a storyteller, what is the appeal for you writing Q and, more abstractly, who is the character to you personally?
Q is so multi-faceted. He can be the foil, the comic relief, or the villain, so he's challenging to write -- but that's part of what makes him engaging as well. He's charming, dangerous, funny, all traits that make him appealing to an author.
I think he works best in the role I have him in my story, as an instigator of action and a mirror to reflect human attitudes, aspirations, and shortcomings.
With this year marking the 55th anniversary of Star Trek, why do you think it continues to endure and stay relevant decades?
I think Star Trek and stories like it are the mythology of the modern era. They're our equivalents of the ancient tales of Odysseus, Athena, Hercules, et al. There's a timeless quality that science fiction like Star Trek has that places it at a remove to the real world. It allows you to ask questions and look at issues that might be too close to home in other contexts.
But I think most of all, it's the message that we can work together to reach a positive future that makes the saga so enduring.
Do you remember your own introduction to Star Trek?
Yes, indeed! As a kid in the 1980s, I would come home from school to watch the original series on TV just before dinner. I never missed an episode. It was my "first fandom," and in the years since I've never lost my love for Trek.
Through it, I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people and kick off a career as a professional writer, so it will always be special to me.
You've also gotten to write audiobooks for the latest generation of Star Trek, with Discovery and Picard. How do you see this new frontier for the franchise? And how was it writing for that medium?
The audiobooks of my Discovery and Picard novels Fear Itself and The Dark Veil were actually just straight adaptations of my prose novels. I didn't write them specifically for the audio medium -- but that said, I do have a lot of experience writing audio drama (for franchises like Stargate, Doctor Who, Blake's 7, and more). I love telling stories in that arena. Audio is the medium of the imagination and sci-fi is all about imagining strange new worlds. It stirs the mind and involves audience in a very unique way.
I've often said, I would absolutely love to do an original audio "dramatic podcast" Star Trek series. I think it would be an amazing idea that fans would really respond to -- so if CBS or any producers are reading this, call me!
What can you tease about your upcoming short story in Star Trek Explorer?
My story is called "The Offer," and as I mentioned, it's set in the era of Star Trek: Enterprise and features Q meeting Jonathan Archer a few months before the events of the first episode. It's a "be careful what you wish for" tale!
Star Trek Explorer is on sale now, with subscription options for North America and the United Kingdom and Europe. In addition to the magazine, subscribers will receive exclusive digital content, including two additional short stories.