Federation & Empire: The Series
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Federation & Empire: The Series |
| Author(s): | Laura Basta |
| Date(s): | originally in 1972-1974, continued in the late 1990s (with additions and expansions) |
| Length: | |
| Genre(s): | gen |
| Fandom(s): | Star Trek: TOS, Star Trek: TNG, Star Trek: DS9 |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Federation & Empire: The Series is a collection of gen stories. Four of them were published in Babel in the early 1970s.
They were later republished as stand-alone novels, with the author apparently adding Star Trek: The Next Generation to the mix. Each zine is around 170 pages long. It is unclear how the original four stories were incorporated in these standalones.
The 1990s novels required an age statement to purchase; all relationships depicted were heterosexual. "PLEASE NOTE: these novels are adult science fiction with graphic sexuality and violence which is integral to their plots."
These stories were mentioned in Star Trek Lives!.
Descriptions
The original series is about the mirror universe depicted in the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror", that moves into the Next Generation and beyond.
From the author in The Widow Tree:
The Series
- 1. A Remembrance of Echoes (first published in Babel #1, also in Face Forward #1) (1971), The Myths of Integrity (#first published in Babel #3, also in Face Forward #1) (1972), Winds of Will (first published in Babel #4, also in Face Forward #2) (1973), The Products of an Empire (first published in Babel #5, also in Face Forward #2) (1974) (TOS)
- 2. Blood Season (TOS/TNG) (May 1995)
- 3. The Widow Tree (TNG) (1995)
- 4. Tears of a Vulcan (TNG) (1995)
- 5. Senesh (TNG) (May 1998)
- 6. The Blue Tattoo (TNG/DS9) (April 1999)
- 7. Soquiem... (TNG/DS9) (2001)
Author's Comments in the Final Issue
SOQUIEM... I made up this word and meaning and wrote another Star Trek novel with this title when I was in high school... That novel about a love triangle (it was a sequel to The Daneswoman) will never see the light of day.This is the last installment of my FEDERATION & EMPIRE series. Thirty-three years ago (yikes...) I watched the original TOS episode, Mirror, Mirror and rightly or wrongly, became inspired - enthralled (some would say obsessed). To say that an “alternate universe” concept has become a mainstay of any/every Star Trek creation would probably be classified as an understatement. I’ve not always agreed or liked where the “alternate universes" in Deep Space 9 or Next Gen have gone, but the ideas have been creative and a common thread harkening back to TOS' origins. Even ST novels have utilized this concept, although some fan fiction I’ve read has been better.
Most of the reviews of my novels have been quite good, which is, as a writer, gratifying. One reviewer commented that the character T’Rizpah was almost an, “Anti-Sue" in reference to all the “Mary Sue” stories out there. That, actually, was my original, albeit satirical purpose so many years ago. I decided a flamboyant convict/whore/assassin would be a good counterpoint to those “oh-so-shy-but-beautiful-and-talented” young ladies that captivated the hearts and minds of captains of the Enterprise. Historically, when my sister, Margaret Basta and I were publishing BABEL back in the early 70s we received one of the first, if not the first “Mary Sue” story about a girl riding her horse on the bridge of the USS Enterprise [1] (“... not A, B, C, or D...”). When we were done hysterically reacting to the story, we didn’t publish it. So someone else did, and the legend of “Mary Sue” was born. [2]
Then my purpose with FED/EMP changed when I started writing again in the early 90s. I wanted to create an authentic ST universe and a female character that would satisfy the emotional needs of most of my readers without compromising the integrity of the Star Trek universe as envisioned by Gene Roddenberry. I also wanted to tell stories that were graphic, and real, and funny - a good read. I believe I’ve done so...
Because this is my last Author’s Note, I've decided to make this note a bit more comprehensive than previous notes. So your indulgence if I make a couple of observations about fan fiction and fanzines in general. I’ve gone from using an old IBM Selectric II without the ability to correct typos to the computer I’m using for this Author’s Note and web publishing. The change is staggering; but we’re all become used to technology exploding around us. Some fanzine publishers have been slow to react to web publishing and many have withered and died. I think there is a place for the fanzine, and web fiction. There's room for both to thrive. What’s needed are good fandoms. The epic, mythological story telling of Babylon 5, Star Wars, to the silly fun of Quantum Leap proves that fandoms can live, sometimes for generations beyond the series.
Fanzine/e-fiction writing has been the breeding ground for many good authors professional and otherwise. I hope it continues. Change happens... So now we’re now on the verge of another new Star Trek series, Star Trek: Enterprise. I want to be inspired - enthralled again. I liked Voyager but that series, although occasionally very good, never evoked those emotions. Hope is our mainstay...
And almost finally, finishing off this series is my letting go of an old, comfortable friend. I will now chart a different course but I will always write. Onwards and upwards...
And now, finally, a thank you note to all those friends and family who have stood by me over the past thirty years. A thank you to those that have critiqued, and endured my tirades. And a thank you to my sons for following (sort of) in my footsteps with their love of sci fi and fandom (okay, so Star Wars is their thing... but they do appreciate B5 and Star Trek, too).
Fan Comments
There are many stories about the mirror universe of the episode "Mirror, Mirror." This is a series that is becoming a novel too. Once again the obsession has taken hold of an author and brought forth a powerful and complex novel. Laura Basta has filled the briefly glimpsed alternate universe with a variety of new characters as well as mirrored many of the familiar ones. According to this series, the mirror Spock was Sarek's bastard. Logical, most logical. [3]
References
- ^ This is not, however, the infamous story, The Second Gift. It may be from a later edition of Spock's Scribes which included a story where a girl rode her horse through the corridors and up onto the bridge with a goldfish bowl balanced on her head. Like much of the material created by clubs and writers' groups headed by Sam Cole, it was intended as a farce.
- ^ This is not how the Trek Mary Sue stories started. See A Trekkie's Tale.
- ^ from Introduction to Star Trek Fanzines