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FANFIC IN REVIEW 2001

By Rocky

I'm going to concentrate primarily on VOY fanfic, as that is the series I write in, although I do read the other Treks as well.

The first thing that comes to mind about fanfic in 2001 is that it was the year of transition. The end of VOY, the beginning of ENT--each individual event would have major ramifications in its own right. Together, they caused the world of Trek fanfic to undergo a major sea change.

The volume of VOY fanfic dropped sharply once the show ended, an expected trend which occurred earlier with TNG and DS9. Many writers have moved on, and new ones are not coming in. This is understandable, but sad nonetheless. ENT in contrast is attracting many writers, both those who have previously written for other series (including VOY) as well as those new to fanfic or Trek. To quote Pompey the Great, 'more people worship the rising than the setting sun.' I haven't noticed much change or variation regarding TOS, TNG or DS9. Each series still has their primary writers, who concentrate on particular pairings or characters, and the overall volume appears to remain fairly constant.

Others have noted increased amount of slash and PWP's in fanfic in general--many fewer stories that are action-driven or contain actual plots. I think that is a trend that is not unique to 2001, but is a simple continuation of what's been occurring over the last few years. The shorter pieces, especially character musings or PWP's, are easier to churn out. As a result, lengthy pieces or those that rely on new plots (in other words not based on an episode) are becoming scarcer. The best places to find them these days are among the 'original ship and crew' genre, or else in the various virtual seasons.

VOY: Once the finale aired, there was a veritable flood of "Endgame" related stories. Without looking at actual numbers, I believe this episode spawned more codas than any others in recent memory, although "Drive" and "Shattered" may have come close on the individual P/T and J/C lists. Aside from the fact that it was the final VOY, this episode brought out the 'rebuttal' fics, or the urge to 'spackle' i.e. correct or fill in the gaping holes left in canon.

So many issues, many of them threads from the very beginning of the show, were left unresolved. TPTB chose not to show us Voyager's homecoming; we got a nice flyby of Voyager and a 'welcome home' from Admiral Paris, but that was it. None of the family reunions we'd expected after seven years of hearing about Harry Kim's parents, Tom Paris' uneasy relationship with his father, or B'Elanna Torres' own tortured past with her father. We didn't even get a definitive word if B'Elanna's mother was still alive. What happened to the Maquis? Were they pardoned? Allowed to continue in Starfleet? What abut Janeway--did she face a Board of Inquiry, receive a commendation? Spoilers from the next Trek movie indicate she received a promotion, but the series didn't tell us. And the events that the finale did choose to concentrate on were problematic for many longtime fans.

It should go without saying that the final episode of a seven year long series should not suddenly introduce new ideas, or brand new relationships between characters that barely interacted previously. However, "Endgame" saw the introduction of C/7 which caused a revolution in the world of fanfic. Many writers eagerly jumped on the C/7 bandwagon, either trying to explain the genesis of the relationship or attempt to understand it, or simply began writing it because it had been presented as a canon fait accompli. But not because they 'believed in' the pairing or were inspired by it before the rumors of its existence arose. (Although I should note that a very few C/7 fics appeared as early as a year or two before the finale.) Meanwhile, the J/C, J/7, EMH/7, and the K/7 writers were all left by the wayside. The J/C writers in particular had hoped for some closure after seven years of hints, and had had their hopes briefly raised by "Shattered" just a few months before.

I could add that the finale also provided fertile ground for once again trying to explain another transformation in Janeway's character. Almost everything she had stood for from the very beginning--maintaining the Prime Directive, keeping the integrity of the timeline, sacrificing her own personal happiness for the sake of her crew, never basing her command decisions on personal considerations or friendships--were ignored. However, over the years VOY writers become accustomed to dealing with sudden shifts in the captain's character and behavior, often from week to week.

"Endgame" marked a real end not just to VOY, but to the series-related fanfic. As mentioned earlier, it is expected when a series ends that the amount of fic drops sharply but the way in which VOY ended left a bad taste in many writers' mouths. The state of VOY fic today, post-"Endgame" consists for the most part of 'triangle fics' and 'angst fests' involving J/C and C/7. A common theme shows one or the other pining away, realizing that a terrible mistake has been made, lives ruined. Or Seven dies, allowing J/C to ultimately get together.

Over in P/T, the prospects are a little brighter. Many stories deal with the meeting with their respective fathers, or how their marriage holds up once they've returned to the Alpha Quadrant. Another popular theme can be classified as 'babyfic'. As for the other characters, especially the Doctor or Tuvok or the Maquis--little or nothing has been written.

The end of VOY has given rise to another major trend in VOY fanfic for the year 2001. Just as last year everyone and his brother was writing 'return stories', so too this year virtual seasons or AU renditions of the whole show's run are the rage. Some of the virtual seasons purport to carry on from the end of "Endgame", others rewrite part or most of the seventh season, and still others boldly begin at the beginning and retell Voyager's story starting from "Caretaker."

ENT: It is truly amazing to me how many stories were written before the first episode even aired, or else appeared very early in the show's run before much was known or understood about the characters. Elsewhere much has been written about why fanfic authors choose to place their stories in the familiar universe of Trek, using the established canon characters instead of creating their own worlds and people. I will not repeat that here although I will say that regarding some of the early stories, or the spin the writers are giving the characters that aren't (yet) based in canon, I wonder why they simply don't use OC's--for all intents and purposes they are using the canon names for their own original characters. In general ENT seems to be very attractive to write for; many people have expressed enthusiasm at 'getting in on a brand new series from the beginning' (more people are online and have web pages than when VOY began their run) or before any disillusionment sets in with characters or relationships. 'Shippers have found fertile ground for pairings given prominent hints so far in canon, such as T/T, or even those for which no evidence exists such as A/R.

I haven't seen any long fics yet either; mostly codas or episode additions as writers try to understand what we've been given in the series so far. TPTB say they're going to do a whole series long arc over the development of the Federation and so we can only hope and imagine that the portrayal of the Vulcans so far will eventually serve a purpose, and the antagonistic relationship between Humans and their alien mentors (i.e. watchdogs) will be explained and evolve into the equal partnership we are accustomed to in later Trek. In the meantime, there's a whole lot of spackling going on.

My top picks of the year:

TOS: "Thaya" by Wildcat - In earlier stories in the S/U series we follow the character of Saavik from a 'wild child' to a young woman and aspiring Starfleet officer. Here Saavik truly comes into her own. As always I am blown away by the author's skill at narrative and at introducing characters that brim with life.

DS9: "All Things" by Seema -This could very well be the best fic of the year. Written from Jake Sisko's perspective following his father's disappearance at the end of "What They Leave Behind." Beautifully written, and strikes every emotional note in exactly the right way.

VOY: "Barriers" by Djinn - My favorite of all the "Shattered" codas, this story reminds me of the Janeway and Chakotay I used to know, of the characters I fell in love with and sorely miss.

VOY: "Galactic Distance, As Measured By The Heart" by Ragpants - A late night conversation between Neelix and Janeway provides a wonderful character study. One of the stories that most resonated for me emotionally this year.

ENT: "For A Minute There" by Monkee -An excellent episode addition to "Strange New World" that fills in some of the blanks and attempts to explain the characters' actions, and later recriminations.

Voyager Virtual Season 7.5 - (Disclaimer: I am a member of the group behind this project.) An ambitious attempt to rewrite the last half of Voyager's final season, and to go beyond. Fast paced and plot-driven stories, concentrating on characterization and new adventures in equal measures.

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