Literary Treks: A Star Trek Books and Comics Podcast

Dayton Ward: To Defy Fate.

Wesley Crusher has always been a polarizing figure in Trek fandom — TNG's boy genius, adored by some and a source of groaning for others. But his arc from teenage prodigy to full-fledged Traveler is one of the franchise's more underappreciated journeys, and Picard season 3's finale left a perfect opening: what exactly was Wesley up to in the weeks following the Borg crisis? Dayton Ward answers that question with To Defy Fate, a novel that puts the former wunderkind squarely at the center of a sprawling story touching timelines, civilizations, and the nature of fate itself.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan sit down with Dayton Ward, author of Star Trek: Picard: To Defy Fate. We discuss the choice to lead with Wesley, the novel's driving antagonist and what makes her such a compelling character, mysterious figures like Kovich and what their presence means for Trek's larger tapestry, the complex web of timelines the book navigates, and what it ultimately means — and costs — to defy fate.

Check out cover artist Callum Seymour on Instragram - @seymourdraws

News
Cover Reveal (2:55)

Feature: Dayton Ward
Dayton 400 (5:42)
Why Wesley? (6:36)
Journey's End Prologue (11:39)
Kovich (12:59)
Writing a Hardcover (16:38)
Bookend with The Last Best Hope (19:02)
Likara's Convictions (22:22)
The Metron Kid (28:26)
Timelines (31:36)
Quintessential DS9 Theme (36:13)
The Picard-Crusher Guy (39:56)
Last Things First (45:27)
The Narada Incursion (47:00)
Defying Fate (49:01)
Margaret's Fingerprints (51:23)
Cover Art (54:38)
Dayton's Future (56:16)
Closing (58:13)

Hosts
Jonathan Koan and Casey Pettitt

Guest
Dayton Ward

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

Invasion!: First Strike.

Back in the heyday of Star Trek publishing, writers had four golden-era series to write in. Generally, the books stood apart from each other as stand-alones within their own series. But in 1996, Pocket Books published something unprecedented: a four-book crossover featuring each of the televised series to date.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan dive into the first Invasion! book, First Strike - an Original Series entry, written by prolific Trek author Diane Carey. Casey and Jonathan discuss the propulsiveness of the story, zealots and agnostics, and the newest threat in this part of the galaxy - the Furies!

Feature: First Strike
The First True Crossover Series (3:23)
Naval Tradition (5:24)
Propulsiveness (8:30)
Movie References (12:12)
Kellen the Klingon (14:32)
Kirk's Tactic (19:26)
Spock Incapacitated (22:54)
The Federation Way (27:18)
The Gnostic and the Zealot (28:26)
Who are the Furies? (30:33)
Empathizing with Zennor (32:51)
Kellen the Zealot (38:13)
Their Souls (40:06)
Playing Favorites (41:33)
Holding Positions (44:32)
Scotty (46:39)
Perfectly Balanced (48:15)
Final Thoughts (52:28)
Closing (59:22)

Hosts
Jonathan Koan and Casey Pettitt

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

Another Comics Catch-up.

IDW has been pumping out new comics faster than you can name any of the red shirts that died. And dang! Many red shirts were harmed in the making of these comics. And we have been remiss in showing our respects. Today, we're here to remedy that oversight. Again.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan discuss several IDW releases from recent months including Lower Decks, Red Shirts, Strange New Worlds, Voyager, and the new series, The Last Starship.

In the news segment, we get excited for the new coffee table book from John and Maria Jose Tenuto, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: The Making of the Classic Film.

News
Making of Star Trek IV (3:08)

Feature: Comics Catch-up
Lower Decks (6:34)
Red Shirts (12:57)
SNW: The Seeds of Salvation (16:52)
VOY: Homecoming (18:31)
The Last Starship (29:33)
Next Time on Literary Treks (39:52)
Closing (42:28)

Hosts
Jonathan Koan and Casey Pettitt

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

Pathways.

Every now and then a Star Trek book comes along that gives readers a deeper, more meaningful understanding of the characters we've grown to love on screen. Done well, these kinds of books can give you a great appreciation for characters you once thought were underdeveloped. Done poorly, these kinds of books can be extremely frustrating.

In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan discuss Pathways, the Star Trek: Voyager novel by none other than series co-creator, Jeri Taylor. They discuss each of the characters' stories and whether the book stands up.

In the news section, there's a lot of new comics coming out from IDW. And we've got a new book announcement!

News
New comics (3:56)
New novel (8:10)

Feature: Pathways
Our Excitement Was Premature (14:28)
Macro Level Thoughts (17:32)
Chakotay (28:27)
Harry (32:32)
B'Elanna (34:39)
Tom (38:33)
Neelix (40:29)
Kes (44:16)
Tuvok (45:26)
Cast Photo (47:39)
Overall Thoughts (50:43)
Closing (56:08)

Hosts
Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan

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

Scott Pearson.
It takes more than just an author to produce a book. In fact, there's a whole team of people that bring any given book to fruition. It's no different in tie-in fiction like Star Trek. We don't often branch out to talk to anyone but the authors of the new books, and that's an oversight we intend to remedy.
In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan talk with editor Scott Pearson, who recently took on a more hands-on role after the passing of beloved editor, Margaret Clarke. They discuss Scott's work as both an author and an editor, what the editing process looks like, the enjoyable challenge of producing a Star Trek book while a show is still running and much, much more!
In the news segment, we talk about Robb Pearlman's new book of fairy tales from the final frontier.
Find out more about Scott at scott-pearson.com
News
New Book from Robb Pearlman (4:01)

Feature: Scott Pearson
Lifelong Rabid Star Trek Fan (7:02)
Never Wanted to Be an Editor (10:01)
An Author and an Editor (12:47)
A Hands-On Position (13:59)
There the Entire Time (15:29)
A High Bar (19:56)
Publishing is a Crazy Business (22:13)
I Would Like More Books (25:46)
New Authors (27:00)
I Don't Want to Get in Trouble (28:39)
An Enjoyable Challenge (29:28)
Required Reading (33:26)
Editing Different Genres (41:01)
Character Motivation (44:02)
Check the Quote (47:31)
I Have Ideas (51:50)
Scott, the Writer (55:20)
Closing (1:00:58)

Hosts
Jonathan Koan and Casey Pettitt

Guest
Scott Pearson

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